The light of the bright afternoon sun shined down on Winona's face, which caused her to wake up. She yawned, opened her eyes, and sat up.
"Is it morning already?" She asked.
She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked up, only to realize that she wasn't in bed anymore; she was laying under a large shady tree on a green grassy hill. She stood up and walked down the hill to a dirt road; she also saw that she was wearing her favorite dress, tights, and shoes and not her pajamas. Winona looked around and saw that she was in a place she didn't recognize at all; everything was brightly colored and there were little cottages and quaint homesteads scattered about. This looked more like an English countryside from a storybook than a suburban American neighborhood.
"What happened? Where am I?" Winona asked herself. "Hello! Hello!" She called out for someone, but nobody answered. What was this place? Where had she gone? And how did she get there? Then she had another thought. "I wonder if Duchess is here. Duchess! Duchess!" But Duchess didn't come. "Hmm, I guess I'd better start looking around."
Winona started her trek down the dirt path. She walked and looked around to see if she could spot her beloved pet until she came across a trio of children, two boys and one girl, playing a game. These children didn't seem familiar to Winona and they were wearing clothes from the early 1800's.
"London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady" They sang.
All three children stopped what they were doing and turned to Winona. "Hi."
"Hello." Winona greeted shyly.
"Would you like to play with us?" The little girl asked.
"Me?" She asked; they nodded. "Oh, okay. Maybe just for a little while." Winona said before she joined in.
"London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady
Build it up with iron bars
Iron bars, iron bars
Build it up with iron bars
My fair lady
Take the key and lock him up
Lock him up, lock him up
Take the key and lock him up
My fair lady"
Winona giggled. "That was fun."
"Want to play again?" One of the boys asked.
"I'd like to, but I have to look for my pet cat, Duchess. She's lost." Winona answered. "And could you tell me where I am? I think I'm lost, too."
"Oh? You don't know? You're in the Land of Mother Goose!" The second boy answered.
"The Land of Mother Goose?!" Winona asked with wide eyes.
"Oh yes! It's the nicest and happiest place to be; everyone loves it here. Why don't you stay and play with us some more?" The little girl asked.
"Thank you, but I really have to find Duchess. Have you seen her anywhere?"
"Well, what does she look like?"
"She has gray fur with black patches on her ears, paws, and tail, and yellow eyes."
The children sadly shook their heads.
"No, I'm afraid we haven't seen her. Sorry." The girl replied.
"It's alright. I guess I'll have to keep looking for her myself. But thanks anyway. Goodbye." Winona said as she started to walk away.
"Bye." The trio called out before continuing to play.
"The Land of Mother Goose?" Winona repeated to herself as she walked down the dirt road. "…Is this the home of all of the characters from every Mother Goose rhyme? Wow, I wonder who I'll meet next."