Victoria was bored very, very bored. She was stuck in class waiting for the time she would pick up her sister waiting to see what fun games she had planned now. She smiled her sister was one of the few people who didn't bore her. She was young and imaginative unlike herself who was reminded every time her father had too much to drink how soon she would have to marry and get her head out of the clouds and books. She didn't want to marry she wanted to travel to explore.

Unlike her sister Emily was not bored she was learning needle work and stitching knowing one day she was expected to do this task a lot in her future. She couldn't wait to find someone and cook and clean and have children she had only eight years of waiting but she knew what she wanted. In many ways she was oldest. But at the same time she enjoyed her fun games and low expectancy she didn't think she'd want the pressure Vicky had to deal with. The teacher had dismissed and class was over.

"Are you coming out to play?"

"Not today this Saturday"

"But I found somewhere amazing it has a large forest area where fairies fly, it has a stream and hills and mountains and has play houses and tents, it's the most amazing place ever."

"Where was this I've never seen or heard of this place".

"I don't know but it's hidden behind bushes, if you want I'll take you Saturday?"

"Is there really fairies?

"Yeah"

"Then yes".

The land of forgotten was the best and amazing place for a child to play. Its only catch was when you grew up and started to care more about life than games did you forget it thrives on imagination and creativity. Very recently there had been a loss of balance between young and old and now the land had created a creature evil and fierce and it wanted the children wanted their innocence for without them it would live on.

Saturday was an awful day a day to go down in history. Mathew and two other boys had gone missing since Friday. This was most unheard off since all off time no child had disappeared from Troon. It was different and exciting but very wrong where they had gone too, Victoria would find them.

No one was supposed to wander or escape but Emily did she knew where Mathew and Jeremy and Louise were. She didn't tell her mother or father because they wouldn't believe but she did and she thought of her friends having fun. She had Victoria there was such a place but she didn't know how true it was and the worry of the town had made her forget.

Emily wandered looking for bushes thinking of a magical land full of wonderment, In the end it found her the creature could feel her happiness her strength brought the place to her. She kept walking forward and found herself at a big bunch of bushes she went on her knees and crawled and there it was but this was no land of happiness it was black and rotted and staring down at her was a evil beast.

It was completely black and big, it reeked off eggs and her father's stocking after a day's hunting, it dripped gloop and crocked shaped it had big pointy hands, no those weren't hands but nails, it was all one blob nothing separating it and with one big sweep it had took her and carried her away to its caves which was full of carcass and dried in blood on the walls and in that cave sat all the missing children and Emily cried.

No one noticed her missing and no one for ages thought of Emily .But Victoria kept thinking she knew something others didn't Emily had talked of a land with fairies and streams but there was no such place but there was niggling at the back of her head. Think of your childhood where did you play where did you write and hide from teachers. Then she remembered the bushes for the first time in a long time she felt scared. She ran to Emily's room it was empty. Her blood ran cold.

Why was the land taking the children and so she came up with a plan.

Steal a sword.

Find her childhood den.

Find and kill what had taken her sister.

It was easy but where in god's name would she get a sword she'd steal one. The blacksmith took off today with the search party leaving only Jimmy to look after the shop. One little boy should be child's play.

The shop had been empty she was in luck, now just to pick one, the place was full of them what to do now? That one with a curved handle was so pretty and lovely yes that one would be perfect.

Five minutes later she still hadn't been able to grab and carry it out its slot, why had she gone and picked merlin's sword , she hadn't realised she'd been swearing and sweating and heaving whilst trying to grab the sword and hadn't noticed Jimmy behind her smirking.

"You need a hand with that sword young lass?"

She had gone pale" I wanted to see it that's all"

No you did'nae you wanted to steal and go on that blooming search party I know who you are.

"I have no idea what you're talking about"

"Aye ye do, now move over a minute. With one hand quick and swiftly he picked the sword up.

"Now where we go in with this then?"

"I'm not sure I need to remember where they are"

"If you know where they are why not tell your ma and da?"

"Cause they won't be able to see it there too old"

"You know the tales?" Jimmy looked shocked and amazed and smiled.

"What tales?"

"The tales of the forgotten land and how anyone with a powerful imagination can go and play"

"I think I used to go there but I can't remember". Victoria for the first time looked weak even when she was heaving the sword like a mad women she looked strong and determined. But now she looked lost.

"Off course you don't because your growing up only the young and the creative can see it because they believe but if you can remember anything and focus we could go back.

"I remember big bushes-

THAT YOU HAD TO CRAWL THROUGH OH YES I REMEMBER THAT LETS THINK OF THEM."

"What do you mean we?"

"This is my adventure and I'll safe my sister I don't need your help."

"Yet you can't carry the sword and with two we'll find it quicker"

"Fine but that's it you carry the sword."

"Fine by me what's your name by the way?

"Victoria but you can call me Vicky"

"Okay Vicky ma' names Jimmy and you can call me Jim.

Victoria blushed she liked Jim.

They had been walking for a fair amount a time before they found the bushed and there lay Em's shoe. Victoria grasped Jimmy's hand and went on her knees and started to crawl.

The smell made her want to be sick like all the good of the earth had been burnt to a crisp and all were left was the dust and waste of life, jimmy face couldn't hide the expression as he smelt the putrid smell of waste and clothes. They walked on, hill after hill. Then they stopped for night fall and that's when the screaming cries of not the only children but of every fairy and creature cried out in pain. Jimmy and Victoria did not sleep well and when they awoke Victoria was almost so close to jimmy she could feel his breath.

After hours of climbing a hill they saw the blackness and how it had swallowed everything whole. Poor Emily.

The creature hadn't sensed the two teenagers because there hadn't been happiness or fun, but now they were close he could feel shyness and nerviness and love. And it was ready for them.

Victoria was weak and tattered but Jimmy was strong and was fine. She liked that he was going over strategy how she would be bait and he'd swoop in and kill the beast and she got the children gathered to leave.

How do we know if it's even alive? Victoria asked scared that she'd never see her little sister again.

"I think it keeps them alive so he can live. If imagination or lack of created it then it needs there new feelings to live."

"Jimmy?"

"Yes if this works I want you to meet my father"

"I'd love to" and they kissed and the beast felt Victoria butterfly's and happiness and swooned in but it was Jimmy who got it and he flew to the ground the sword had fallen not even five steps away from her, all she had to do was reach out and touch it but she couldn't move.

Her feet were stuck and jimmy had been picked up again and thrown into the cave again where her sister was and nothing else mattered. Your little sister you can feel and see her pain grab the sword. Grab it come on you don't have time for this. Take the bloody sword, her head screamed at her "I Can't its too heavy "Tears were rolling free. This is what you wanted an adventure to be the hero, now safe Mathew and his friends, safe jimmy who you want to marry but safe Emily, the one who saved you so many times.

A burst of Adeline came to her as she thought of all those times they played, laughed read everything and Victoria ran for the sword and threw in the beats heart and thought of happiness and freedom. And all at once the sword flew in the air and killed the beast he died with a thump and all the gloop and smell finished, leaving nothing but empty land to start again.

Victoria so shocked jumped up and down in joy at having done it, then Emily.

"EMILY" EMILY WHERE ARE YOU EMILY?

"I'm here" came the reply behind.

Victoria grabbed her and was so happy she swung her around telling her happy she was and she heard a cough from jimmy.

"You did it then?"

"Yup with this amazing sword".

"You're welcome"

"I made that one"

"Really"

"Aye, no give me a kiss"

And they did and they travelled back and told tales of their adventure and the beauty of the sword that saved there life's.