I looked around at my new surroundings. We were in a forest of some
sort, though it looked different than any other forest I'd ever been in.
Something about it seemed, well, compressing. I couldn't make out what it
was. It was a strange sort of thickness in the air, as if there was
something to grasp and I just wasn't grabbing hold of it the right way.
"Where are we?" H.anna asked. She was staring at the trees as if uncertain if they would jump out at her or not. For some reason, I was not as scared.
"The Enchanted Forest," I joked. I knew the place was fictional, but then again, we had just been transported here from inside a strange, abandoned shack. Who knew what else would happen?
"Well," said Chava, kicking at the still blazing fire with her shoe. "I guess we can put this out now. It's kinda cool out."
This was true. The shade from the trees blocked off the blazing sun (there seemed to be some sort of time difference between Tzfat and the strange forest, as it was now somewhere around mid-day) and a cool breeze rustled through the leaves.
"It's kind of a big fire," Liz pointed out, "and we don't have any water or anything to pour on it."
I studied the fire closely. Some strange instinct inside me moved my feet forward, closer to the rising flames. Then, without warning, I raised my arms and began to utter the strangest sort of poem that sounded suspiciously like a fantastical spell.
"Power of water, wind, and earth,
Turn the spell back to its birth!" I cried.
Surprisingly, the wind began to swirl fiercely around the blaze and the fire swayed this way and that before slowly the earth began to suck it up into its very core. The flames roared and twisted as they began to dwindle down, until the fire was nothing more than a single flame on the ground, which presently blew out by a passing breeze.
I stood there staring in awe at what I had just done. In place of the fire, a lizard scampered up the nearest tree.
"Oh," he said in a strange, lizard voice, "oh, it's you! The Otherworld Shiara."
I jumped when it spoke and stared.
"W-what?" I stammered.
"This is not happening," Chava moaned. Liz stepped forward, interested.
"Who are you?" she demanded of the lizard. The lizard looked carefully at Liz before he answered.
"I'm Suz," he said at last. "And thank you. Some strangeness in the forest turned me into a ball of fire and sent me to get you, only I didn't know it was you I was getting. But you turned me back into a lizard! You did! You really did!"
"Well, er – Suz," I said, hesitating a bit. I was too overwhelmed to feel flattered by his thanks. "I'm really confused as to what's going on here, and-"
"You are?" Suz asked suspiciously, giving me an examining look. Then his eyes brightened. "You are!" he exclaimed happily. "You really are! Oh, how extraordinary, how very, very extraordinary."
"Where are we?" H.anna blurted out from behind me. She sounded rather exasperated.
"It sounds like," I began slowly, "we really are in the Enchanted Forest."
I couldn't believe it. That was just not possible! Then I remembered what Suz had called me.
"Suz?" I asked. The lizard looked up at me smilingly.
"Yes?"
I chose my words delicately before speaking.
"What did you mean by 'Otherworld?'"
Suz's eyes widened.
"Oh, I cannot tell you! No, no, certainly not! I must be going now. Goodbye!"
And with that, the lizard raced up the tree and disappeared in the tangle of branches overhead. I sighed.
"Well, there goes our only source of information for a while."
I looked around at my friends. They looked extremely confused.
"You guys have never read the Enchanted Forest series, have you?" I asked, dreading the answer. They shook their heads. None of them had. I heaved a frustrated sigh and leaned against a tree.
"Well," I said, "I'll have to explain everything to you then as we walk. We might as well just walk. You can't get anywhere in the Enchanted Forest by trying to get there. You just have to sort of stumble upon it."
My friends looked even more confused than ever.
"Shi?" H.anna said. "Why don't you just lead the way and we'll pretend we know what we're doing."
"You mean we're actually going to trust her?" Liz exclaimed in mock shock. I glared at her and she laughed.
"It's not like we have any other options," I said pointedly. "And besides, we can't get any more lost than we already are, so what do we have to lose?"
"She has a point," Chava noted.
"There are no points in a Randomness," Liz pointed out. I rolled my eyes.
"Luckily, the only thing that's random around here is your brain."
"Oh ouch, I'm insulted, Shi."
"Good."
Liz stared at me, softening up a bit.
"Shira, I was kidding."
I shrugged. Something weird was happening. I seemed to be getting somewhat of a hot temper, or, at least, hotter than what I was used to. It was strange. Was I really some strange form of Shiara? If I was, then the hot temper made sense. I started to walk forward.
"Come on," I said, crunching on the leaves under my feet. I loved the sound of crunching leaves.
It was then that I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a staff lying on the ground.
"Where are we?" H.anna asked. She was staring at the trees as if uncertain if they would jump out at her or not. For some reason, I was not as scared.
"The Enchanted Forest," I joked. I knew the place was fictional, but then again, we had just been transported here from inside a strange, abandoned shack. Who knew what else would happen?
"Well," said Chava, kicking at the still blazing fire with her shoe. "I guess we can put this out now. It's kinda cool out."
This was true. The shade from the trees blocked off the blazing sun (there seemed to be some sort of time difference between Tzfat and the strange forest, as it was now somewhere around mid-day) and a cool breeze rustled through the leaves.
"It's kind of a big fire," Liz pointed out, "and we don't have any water or anything to pour on it."
I studied the fire closely. Some strange instinct inside me moved my feet forward, closer to the rising flames. Then, without warning, I raised my arms and began to utter the strangest sort of poem that sounded suspiciously like a fantastical spell.
"Power of water, wind, and earth,
Turn the spell back to its birth!" I cried.
Surprisingly, the wind began to swirl fiercely around the blaze and the fire swayed this way and that before slowly the earth began to suck it up into its very core. The flames roared and twisted as they began to dwindle down, until the fire was nothing more than a single flame on the ground, which presently blew out by a passing breeze.
I stood there staring in awe at what I had just done. In place of the fire, a lizard scampered up the nearest tree.
"Oh," he said in a strange, lizard voice, "oh, it's you! The Otherworld Shiara."
I jumped when it spoke and stared.
"W-what?" I stammered.
"This is not happening," Chava moaned. Liz stepped forward, interested.
"Who are you?" she demanded of the lizard. The lizard looked carefully at Liz before he answered.
"I'm Suz," he said at last. "And thank you. Some strangeness in the forest turned me into a ball of fire and sent me to get you, only I didn't know it was you I was getting. But you turned me back into a lizard! You did! You really did!"
"Well, er – Suz," I said, hesitating a bit. I was too overwhelmed to feel flattered by his thanks. "I'm really confused as to what's going on here, and-"
"You are?" Suz asked suspiciously, giving me an examining look. Then his eyes brightened. "You are!" he exclaimed happily. "You really are! Oh, how extraordinary, how very, very extraordinary."
"Where are we?" H.anna blurted out from behind me. She sounded rather exasperated.
"It sounds like," I began slowly, "we really are in the Enchanted Forest."
I couldn't believe it. That was just not possible! Then I remembered what Suz had called me.
"Suz?" I asked. The lizard looked up at me smilingly.
"Yes?"
I chose my words delicately before speaking.
"What did you mean by 'Otherworld?'"
Suz's eyes widened.
"Oh, I cannot tell you! No, no, certainly not! I must be going now. Goodbye!"
And with that, the lizard raced up the tree and disappeared in the tangle of branches overhead. I sighed.
"Well, there goes our only source of information for a while."
I looked around at my friends. They looked extremely confused.
"You guys have never read the Enchanted Forest series, have you?" I asked, dreading the answer. They shook their heads. None of them had. I heaved a frustrated sigh and leaned against a tree.
"Well," I said, "I'll have to explain everything to you then as we walk. We might as well just walk. You can't get anywhere in the Enchanted Forest by trying to get there. You just have to sort of stumble upon it."
My friends looked even more confused than ever.
"Shi?" H.anna said. "Why don't you just lead the way and we'll pretend we know what we're doing."
"You mean we're actually going to trust her?" Liz exclaimed in mock shock. I glared at her and she laughed.
"It's not like we have any other options," I said pointedly. "And besides, we can't get any more lost than we already are, so what do we have to lose?"
"She has a point," Chava noted.
"There are no points in a Randomness," Liz pointed out. I rolled my eyes.
"Luckily, the only thing that's random around here is your brain."
"Oh ouch, I'm insulted, Shi."
"Good."
Liz stared at me, softening up a bit.
"Shira, I was kidding."
I shrugged. Something weird was happening. I seemed to be getting somewhat of a hot temper, or, at least, hotter than what I was used to. It was strange. Was I really some strange form of Shiara? If I was, then the hot temper made sense. I started to walk forward.
"Come on," I said, crunching on the leaves under my feet. I loved the sound of crunching leaves.
It was then that I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a staff lying on the ground.