by A. D. Duling
The entrance was a large bubble that played barrier between the water and air. Anna touched the bubble with her finger and it slipped through with no conflict. She continued on up to her shoulder and could feel the air on the other side. Anna closed her eyes and took a step forward. The bubble conformed around her passing body and she returned once again to her familiar atmosphere. When Anna took in a breath, the air battled for room in her water filled lungs and a cough came to her, heaving the liquid from her lungs. Anna released the water from them onto the black linoleum floor of the bubble room.
Her lungs burned from the transition and burned even more when she took in her first lung full of air. Anna wiped her mouth and rubbed her throat as she looked about. Beside the bubble door was a metal bucket, a basket and a stack of towels. A sign hung above them;
For lung clearing.
Anna laughed and walked over to it. She grabbed a towel and cleaned up her mess. She threw her towel into the basked and looked back to the rows of bookshelves. There were multiple rows of them and all filled to the brim with books. Anna assumed this place to be a library. At the end of the row to her right, Anna saw a light and walked towards it.
“Hello...?” She called out.
Her voice echoed off the glass walls of the structure and filled the room, surprising her since the room was so full.
“Hello!” a voice called back to her, sounding very much like the one she had heard in the water, “I’m coming!” the masculine voice said to her.
When Anna reached the end, she turned right and collided with a small man, sending him tumbling back onto his bottom.
“Oh… I’m so sorry!” She apologized to him and helped him up. He laughed.
“No worries, nothing broken!” he assured her, still holding onto her hand and shaking it vigorously, “I’ve been expecting you Anna Kippling!” He exclaimed; shaking her whole body along with it.
“You have?” she asked him and he nodded. “How do you know my name?” she asked him next and he laughed.
“I know when each visitor is due,” He said, letting go of her hand, “and I know the name of each who is visiting!” he stated with pride as he reached inside his trouser pocket and pulled out a tiny gold pocket watch. He checked the time and nodded his approval, “And… you are right on schedule, my dear!” He announced and then tapped on its glass. He chuckled, “Well… maybe you’re just a few minutes late.” He confessed to her and then put it away.
“You did put up quite a fight up there my dear girl!” he reminded her and then turned. “Follow me…” he instructed her and Anna followed him back towards where he came from. “ I’ve already pulled your book for you and it’s waiting on my desk,” He informed her. He was leading her towards the center of the library. His pace was a fast one for such a short man and Anna had to almost jog a little to keep up with him.
“My book?” she asked him.
“Yes, of course you’re book!” He repeated and laughed, “Isn’t that why everyone comes down here, my dear silly girl!” he chided her, “You my dear will need yours most of all,” he said glancing back at her, “Because you are going to have a lot of questions!”
The center opened up and in the center of it sat a large mahogany desk. The little man walked over to it and sat down in the large leather chair behind it. He looked like a little child sitting there, with the chair being so large. He smiled and motioned to the smaller leather chair across from him for Anna to sit down on. He smiled again at her, accentuating the wrinkles on his face and Anna knew this little man had smiled a lot in his life time. His face still seemed young, yet she could tell by his eyes he had live much longer than his face revealed. His eyes were as warm as his smile and not smiling in return would seem impossible for anyone; it definitely was for her.
“Anna, everyone has a book, however the duty of it depends entirely on who’s its owner is,” he explained to her. Anna shook her head, not understanding. He smiled and explained on, “You my dear are in need of answers.” He picked up a tiny white book from the top of a stack amongst the many that covered his desk and held it out to her. “This is yours…” he said, “I’m sure you will find what you need inside.”
Anna took it and noticed a tiny brass lock hanging from it, like one found on a diary. She looked up at him. “Where’s the key to it?” she asked him.
He smiled. “Well you have it, of course!” he answered, chuckling, as if she obviously knew.
Anna shook her head, but then stopped, remembering her grandmother’s key. She went to pull it out, but stopped as she noticed the little man cocking his head as if listening to something. She listened too, but heard nothing.
“Your friend is calling for you my dear,” He said and then stood up, “He is very worried and I fear I have kept you far too long, already.”
Anna tucked the book inside her pocket and stood up. His arm came up in offer as he came around the large desk and Anna took it. With the same quickness in his pace, he led her back to the entrance and then shook her hand just as vigorously as before.
“It was a pleasure to meet you Anna Kippling and I do wish you the best of luck on your journey!” He bid her and then turned and started walking away.
“Wait, how do I get past the ice?” Anna called after him.
“Just reach your hand out!” He hollered back.
Anna turned to the bubble door and reached her hand out. She passed it through just as she had before and felt the familiar tingle return. The gentle tug came after and pulled her through, returning Anna to the water on the other side. This time, when Anna took in her lung full, she stayed relaxed and did not panic. The transition went much smoother on her second time. Above her, as she floated towards the surface, a bright light awaited her and the ice was gone. As Anna neared it, the light increased, becoming too bright for her eyes and Anna closed them.
The gentle pulling tug released her, leaving her floating momentarily in the water. A second after, something gripped hard onto her hand and Anna was pulled from the water.
Chapter Eleven
“Anna!” she heard Hayden’s voice and Anna opened her eyes. She blinked to adjust them as Hayden pulled her body completely out of the water and onto the cave floor. He rolled her over to her side and started pounding on her back. “Come on Anna, breath!” he yelled.
Anna coughed, sending spasms of heaves of the water out of her until she emptied her lungs once again of the water. Anna rolled onto her back and looked up at him. Worried eyes looked down at her.
“You were under there for a long time!” he said, “I kept pounding on the ice, trying to break it, but nothing worked!” He went on, his breathing heavy from the exertion and fear.
Anna shivered and Hayden quickly grabbed his blanket. He pulled her up to a sit and wrapped the blanket around her tightly. He then sat down and straddled her, pulling her close against him to cuddle with. His hands worked their magic on her arms, bringing circulation back to them. Anna curled her legs up against her chest and let the blanket work on her lower half. She smiled as she realized he was rocking her unknowingly. Anna wondered just how wonderful his mother was.
“When you disappeared, I thought you had drowned…” his worry unfolded to her, “Then the ice was gone and I saw your hand…” he broke off.
Anna buried her head into his chest and Hayden wrapped his arms tighter around her. She listened to his beating heart as Hayden went on again. “I pulled you out thinking you had drowned, yet you were still alive!” Anna leaned her head back and looked at him. He looked down at her.
“I was drowning, but then I heard a voice and it told me to breathe… and then I could!” She exclaimed to him and went to turn towards him, but he pulled her back to her chest.
“You’re in shock Anna… try to relax, so we can get you warmed up.”
Anna pulled away again. “No Hayden, I’m not!”
Anna reached inside her pocket and pulled out the little white book. She showed it to him. Hayden took it and loo
ked at it.
“What is this?” He asked her.
“There was a glass building down there Hayden. It was like a library, but the books inside belong to people; waiting for them to come and collect them. There was this little man and he knew who I was and when I would visit!” she revealed, “He gave me this book, telling me it was mine. He said I had a lot of questions that needed answers and this book had them!”
Hayden stared at the book quietly, saying nothing for a moment and then looked back up at her. “Do you have the key to it?” He asked her.
Anna shrugged her shoulders. “He told me I had the key, but the only one I have is my grandmother’s and I’m not sure it will fit.”
Anna went to pull it out, but Hayden suddenly stood up causing her to fall forward. Anna caught herself with her hands and looked up at him.
“Damn it Anna! What you did was stupid! You have no idea what you are up against… our world is very different than yours! You cannot be so trusting!” he yelled at her.
“I didn’t know that was going to happen!” Anna defended herself and stood up, “And it wasn’t like I had a choice…” she said and then broke off. He had worried and she knew this, it was written all over his face. “I’m sorry, Hayden,” Anna apologized and he relaxed.
“I know you didn’t know that would happen, I’m just saying… well… Anna you need to be more careful from now on.”
Anna silently nodded and Hayden walked over to her. He stared down at her, making her feel shorter than her six inches under his. “From now on, you have to listen to me and promise you’ll never do anything like that again!” he demanded of her and Anna gave him another nod.
“I promise…” she promised him, trying to hold back a smile.
“It’s not funny Anna, I’m serious!” Hayden complained.
Anna nodded and tried to give him a serious look, but he knew better and shook his head at her. Anna smiled and hugged him. He hugged her back.
“So where’s this key?” he asked her. Anna let go of him and pulled her key out for him.
“I can already tell it’s too big, Anna,” He said and showed her. Anna frowned and took the handed key back.
“It’s the only one I have…” she said. Anna tucked the key away. “I figured it wouldn’t, but he said I had the key to it… so I thought maybe it would just magically fit.”
Hayden smiled at her, humored by her assumption.
“Well if you are supposed to have the key to it, then where is it?” He asked her.
Anna shrugged, not knowing the answer.
Chapter Eleven
Neither slept much that night in the cave, very far away from the pool and the glass library residing beneath its waters. The following morning, Hayden made sure Anna stayed close to him still as they finished though the cave and Anna gave no protest against it. When they finally reached the other side, the warm sun waiting, melted the remaining chill from within her and Anna felt rejuvenated.
She spent the continuation of their journey holding onto Hayden and attentively soaking in her surroundings of the world that seemed vastly different than hers yet not entirely so. In two days Anna had experienced more turmoil in this world than she had ever experienced in the seventeen years in the world in which she came from. If life here in Tatania remained this way, Anna was sure she would be returning home very soon. The forest slowly opened again into grassy fields, displaying new bold colors of wild flowers to Anna.
“It’s so beautiful here,” she commented. Hayden pointed across the field up ahead to where an animal resembling a deer grazed. It stopped, lifted its head and looked over at them. It hesitated, watching them as they passed by, unsure about returning to its grass meal.
“What is that?” Anna asked him.
“It’s a Denhorn,” said Hayden, “It’s harmless, but will defend itself if threatened.” He explained. Anna eyed the strange looking creature.
“It looks like a deer with a rhino’s horn!” she said and laughed, “I’m surprised it can even hold its head up!”
“You’ll have to explain to me what a deer and a rhino is,” said Hayden.
“Well… a deer looks like that, but has antlers instead.” Anna explained, “Well at least the males do anyway.”
“What are antlers?”
“They look like branches and there are two of them that grow out of their heads,” Anna tried describing and Hayden laughed at her.
“Two branches that grow from its head,” He laughed, “Now that sounds very strange!”
“You’re right, it does sound strange,” Anna admitted and she laughed with him.
“So explain your rhino now?” he asked her.
Anna looked back at the Denhorn, finding it grazing again. I’m afraid to…you might laugh at me again.”
Hayden shook his head. “I won’t, I promise.”
Anna laughed and then told him. Hayden did keep to his word and didn’t laugh at her, at least not loudly. Anna felt his body shaking between her arms as he chuckled quietly to himself.
“I know you’re laughing,” she said, giving him a hard squeeze.
“Well, you’re descriptions tend to be a little entertaining.”
Anna smiled. “I never thought it looked normal anyway.” She told him as a yawn slipped past her. Anna leaned her head against his back and stared out at the bouncing horizon. She allowed the rocking motion of the horse’s traveled footsteps to lull her drowsiness along as she watched the landscape pass her by. What seemed like only a second later; Anna felt herself fall forward and face planted against the back of the startled horse’s head.
His jerky movements sent her tumbling off and flat onto her back on the ground below. Stunned, Anna sloppily got back up to her feet and looked around for Hayden, but couldn’t find him. She ran over to the nervous horse and grabbed ahold of his reins. Thunder jerked, but Anna held tight to him and started to sooth him. She rubbed his head and looked around again for Hayden.
A loud screech came from above her and Anna looked up to the sky. The sunlight blinded her and she reached her hand up to shield her eyes; that was when she saw it! Flying towards her was a massive Falcon that made the adult ones from home look like babies. Its wingspan sent a shadow that could have stretched for a mile across the hillside of where she stood. It gave another screech which sent the horse rearing back again and the reins ripped from Anna’s grip.
The frightened Thunder stomped around nervously, but remained in place long enough for Anna to grabbed hold of his reins again. Anna looked back up to the sky and found the Falcon diving towards her. She let go of the reins and quickly dropped to the ground on her belly. A heavy breeze passed a foot over her head as the creature missed her.
“Anna, grab my sword!” Hayden’s voice yelled out from above her and Anna looked up.
Dangling upside down from one of the bird’s talons was Hayden, trying hard to free himself. Anna quickly jumped to her feet and looked around for the horse, but found the animal nowhere in sight. She remembered her dagger and pulled it out. Anna watched helplessly as the bird flew towards the horizon and dipped down behind the hillside. Anna waited and then heard another screech. A minute later, the bird reappeared, having circled back. This time however there was no Hayden daggling in its grasp.
“Hayden…” his name whispered past her lips as Anna searched the hillside for him. She saw no Hayden running towards her. The bird gave another screech as it neared her and then dived again. Without hesitation Anna charged it, jumping into its opened claw. She screamed as its nails scraped the tender skin of her sides and clenched her tight. A faint cry came from below as a figure came over the hillside further back behind them, but Anna never heard it.
The bird’s grip rubbed at her cuts and Anna cringed in pain. She raised her hand up and stabbed her dagger into its claw. The bird gave a loud shriek and released her. Anna held onto the dagger and grabbed onto its leg. She pulled her dagger out and held it in her mouth as she climbed up its leg towards th
e breast of the Falcon. When she was close enough to it, Anna sunk her dagger deep into the bird’s breast. The bird gave a high pitch scream that echoed off the hills and plummeted towards the ground speeding fast up towards them.
Just before the Falcon slammed into the ground, Anna jumped off and tumbled away, rolling to a stop a few feet away. Tender, she sat up and looked over to where the bird had landed; it lay dead. Anna slowly got up and walked over to it. Behind her, Hayden rode up on Thunder and pulled the horse to a stop. Anna was oblivious of him. He jumped down and walked over to her.