This chapter has undergone a lot of changes since it was first uploaded. I guess I still have a lot to learn about publishing stories! XD

I don't think I'll tinker with it anymore. Some sentences have been changed, though. :P

I hopped out of my moms car, eager to go home and relax. My foot caught on something hard, and I wavered, knowing what had happened even before I hit the ground.

I tried to balance out my weight like I always did, but I had extra school junk in my backpack, making me fall down silently into the night. "oof!" I mumbled, sitting up.

A smile broke across my lips despite myself. A giggle sounded in my throat, and I got up slowly, going into hysterics. "Did you SEE that?" I chuckled as I tripped up the stairs. My mom and brother had already gone into the house. I threw my head back and laughed very loudly, as I thought at how silly I must look.

Then something caught my eye. I squinted into the cloudy, starless night sky, when I realized that the clouds had formed a slight shape. "Hey," I said to myself. "DAS A CASTLE!" I shouted in a high voice, and went hysterical again. I went into my room, and collapsed into my bed, trying to compose myself. As the door closed, though, a little light pulsed behind the castle-shaped clouds.

The next day, I shrugged into my coat and my book bag, then slapped my hand against the doorknob. Once outside, I slumped into one of the rocking chairs on my porch, waiting forlornly for my mom to come out to unlock the car door. I lazily looked at the clouds, my mind foggy, then realized that the same castle shape was still there. I immediately imagined it was W7, and giggled at the thought. School dragged.

At home, I tripped yet again, and rolled on to my back. looking up at the sky, I realized the cloud had changed, but not moved. The shape was more distinct, and built. I was getting curious. Sighing, I got up and trudged into my home.
Days have passed, and I was getting quite mad. The cloud had become rich and majestic, more realistic every day. I had blogged on DA, discussed the situation with Ida, even tried to tell my parents about it.

It knocked my socks off when I found they couldn't see it, and I began to spend hours studying it. One day I hopped down the stairs and raised new binoculars to my eyes. The biggest shock came to me. I saw that closer up, the cloud had faint but obvious color. It was light and dark blue, with laurels and windows. The shapes were faint, but my jaw hung open in surprise. I ran out into my yard, rolling the focus to the maximum.

"It is a castle..." I whispered. Then I noticed wavers in some places that moved location constantly. They looked like what you would see through a heat wave, but seemed much smaller. I focused hard on the wavers, and soon they too came to the slightest focus. I pinched myself at what I saw, just to be sure I was awake.
Koopas and goombas, with boards and nails and hammers.

I watched them work on the castle for a while.

Explains how it's getting bigger. Stronger.

I reluctantly looked away from my binoculars as my mom called me in, and slowly walked back to my house. I glanced back once more at the construction before going inside, not sure if this was just a big dream.

The clouds hovered above the extremely large forest in front of our house, which would have passed as a jungle if the trees were an inch taller. I've never been in those woods. There are always noises in there, and the darkness welcomed with a bloodcurdling howl. But today, my curiosity was juts too great, and it overwhelmed my fear.

I had a flashlight, a compass, and a sketchbook, to record any images that would seem important. I gave a quick shout of notice to my mom, and headed out of the door. I had on my orange-striped jacket, some shorts, and an adventurous air. As I neared the edge of the forest, something shuffled from within.

I shivered, and plunged into the darkness.

I shined my light around, searching for...For...I wasn't really sure. I was looking for something that would hint of the strange Castle in the Clouds, of the goombas and koopas. I secretly knew what I was looking for, but I denied myself. Soon I found myself lost in the dark maze, my only priority becoming sunlight and a warm blanket. Wet, deep marsh replaced the cold, compacted dirt, and I felt myself tripping over underwater roots.

I sat down on a half-submerged log, and sighed deeply, my way of showing fear and frustration at the same time. Then the log shifted.

I jumped up and fell in the water, my heart thumping. I immediately thought that I had sat on a crocodile instead of a log, but as I looked, the log was indeed a log, but it seemed to have something stuck in it.

I cautiously walked forward, inspecting the log from all sides. "Hello?" I jumped again at the voice from the log, creating a mild splash. The voice continued in relief.

"Good. You're still here. I though my commotion would have scared you off. C...could you give me a hand?"

My mind boggled. I went over to the log, and knocked on it.

"I'm not a talking log, I am an actual entity with flesh and blood that's stuck in the log!" The voice said in annoyance.

I stood back, running my hands through my now muddy hair. My clothes were soaked with murky water, and I was frozen to the bone. What more could happen?

I searched around for something to smash the log open with. I felt around the foot-high water, gripping my hand on a smooth stick, and walked back to the shaking log.

"Brace for impact!"

I warned as I lifted the heavy stick over my head, and brought it down with a mighty "CRAAK!" The log split along its spine, and I pulled at the soggy bark, until I found the trapped...Person?

Scaly yellow skin, dirtied by the mud and water, and a hard spiked shell, which had been the cause of the creature's misfortune.

It was a koopa! There was no doubt about that.

He lugged himself up, stretching up to my height, save for a few inches taller, and stared me in the eye. He blinked, and stepped back from me, observing me. I soon recognized him as I saw his prominent tooth in the middle of his mouth.

"Ludwig!"

I gasped, falling backwards over an uprooted tree. A strong hand took my arm and pulled me up.

"I don't know how you recognize me, but I'm afraid you will no longer. I'm going to need that back."

Ludwig pointed to the stick I had used to break open the log, which I had held on to.

I gave it to him in a stupor.

After fussing with his hair for a few seconds, he gave up and pointed his wand at me.

"Now, this won't hurt a bit."

Nonetheless, I flinched as a blue flare shot out from the tip, and engulfed me.

My eyelids suddenly felt very heavy, and I drifted off into a deep sleep, my memories of that encounter floating out of my awareness.

I woke up at the edge of the forest, blinking awake. Shaking my self off, I realized my jacket was cleaner than usual, and all my clothes were slightly damp.

Must've fallen in some water, I thought, even though that didn't explain the sudden cleanliness.

I got up and shook off the leaves that had stuck to me, and walked back to my house, which was a little ways down the street.

My mom opened the door and stared at me, cross. "What..?" I said as I walked in, her eyes following me. "You've been gone the whole day, even when I called you back in! I told you not to go far into those woods."

I was confused. I didn't go anywhere! How could I have been gone the whole day and not have heard my mom call?

"I don't understand. I woke up at the edge of the woods! I didn't go anywhere." I protested.

"Well I didn't see you."

"...Huh?!"

I was really confused. I was just over the rise! On the hill, in an obvious spot! "Whatever. I don't know. I'm going to draw." I said, mentally shrugging off the conversation. "Dinner is almost ready!" My mom called as I shut the door.

I spent the next few days as usual, and the wake-up-in-the-forest incident soon went out of mind.

I had forgotten about the mysterious cloud formation, and I no longer bellyached about it, until Ida reminded me. We were talking one day, when she suddenly stops. "What happened to that big, cloud castle thing you were going on about?"

She asked, and I spaced out.

"...what?"

I said, confused.

"That cloud thing. remember? You kept telling me about it, about how it never moved."

I shook my head. "I don't remember-"

suddenly I got a really big headache, and I doubled over in pain.

"Ow..." I murmured, holding my head.

"You okay bro?"

My best friend's concerned sounded like daggers into my eardrums.

"I just got like the worst headache ever..." I moaned.

When suddenly it stopped.

I felt very lightheaded for a few seconds, and blurry thoughts fly into mind.

The "log" flashed back into my mind like lightning.

"Ludwig!"

I gasped, jerking upright.

"Yeaaahhh Whaddabout 'im?" Ida asked.

"'GTG' real quick Ida!"

I said quickly, jumping away from the computer and into my room, searching for my orange jacket and a pair of adventure jeans.