Andy thinks he's lost forever when his aunt's chimney transports him and his dog, Chip, into the magical world of Emerraine. To get home, he must save the Hearthstone Village with Elsie, a young witch, and her Familiar against a dark plot that has b...
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ANDY'S EYES fluttered open when beams of warm afternoon sun passed through the wooden sash window. Usually, waking up was a simple task for Andy; he was a morning person after all.
His body still felt sore even after a week had passed after the fall of the witch. But if everything else around him was at its peak of heightened celebration, a peaceful and undisturbed sleep was near impossible. Even if they were meters away from the village square—just like how the Rainwaters' residence stood almost at the edge of the forest, away from the center—the joy of the people was full to the brim. His ears could vividly register, as well as imagine, the distinct merry noises of children laughing as they play with the colorful decorations, men sharing a drink and babbling with their loud voices, and the mouth-watering and tempting sound of sizzles from pots and pans as mothers and sisters prepared food for the feast.
Andy agreed with himself that the villagers at least deserved this fun time after years of living in fear brought by the evil witch to the lives of their family.
Andy sat up straight, flinching at his sore neck, and wiped the drool which formed a flake on his cheek. He didn't notice he had fallen asleep on the chair beside the bed when he volunteered to look after Elsie while her parents were out in a meeting with the council, probably to discuss security and order measures for the occasion.
A part of him wanted to go and observe. He was curious how people with magic manage their parties. For sure, it would be magical. Maybe the sky would be filled with lots of sparkling things. Or maybe, there would be other creatures invited from the nearby villages. Vampires? Werewolves? Fairies? Elves?
Wait, are there even vampires, werewolves, fairies, and elves in Emerraine? Elsie never mentioned, he thought to himself.
His mind whirled. Suddenly, he saw a ship bobbing in the waters surrounding a large mass of land that was Emerraine. The sailors—pirates—were singing, and the captain was bowing from the waist, perfect and gallant, as the villagers of Hearthstone welcomed them to their celebration. But wait, were pirates supposed to be as friendly as he imagined? Andy shook his head furiously, setting aside the strange day dreamings he had. Instead, he looked at Elsie, peacefully asleep in her frog pajama set, surrounded by her usual sleep companions—her tiger, elephant, frog, and cat plushies.
Andy poked her cheek with his finger and pouted. "You better wake up soon, Elsie. There are lots and lots of things you missed out." He stared long and waited, hoping she would open her eyes and scare him. Yes, it was very likely for Elsie to do that. She loved to joke and play around with him so that was not impossible. Except it wasn't. She was technically in a comatose state, as he was told. Being trapped in that spherical cage had cost her more than a night's peaceful sleep. Her body had been exposed to dark magic and her soul was pushed to the deepest part of her consciousness.
There was nothing he could do at the moment but observe. Chip was out cold at the foot of the bed, snoring and grumbling in his sleep. Spy-O's power was still out so he was nothing at the moment but an empty unmoving box. He swept his eyes around Elsie's room and here he thought she owned a Barbie collection (if Barbie existed in Emerraine) and a wardrobe full of pretty pink dresses like the girls in his class. No spot in the room didn't contain furniture and decorations of artistic woodwork—from the armrests, sofa, shelf, table to the mini figurines, tiny cups, frames, and toy swords displayed on the walls.
