I can feel someone nudging me gently.
"Hey, are you alive? Wake up, wuh!" Someone pokes me again.
A gentle girly voice speaks softly.
"Walker you don't think… you don't think she's dead do you, woof?"
"Don't talk like that sis! Besides, wuh, you can see her breathing."
I feel someone gently take my hand and whisper.
"My name is Goldie, woof. If you can hear me, squeeze my paw."
I squeeze gently.
Wait…. Paw?
My eyes snap open. A golden retriever sits next to me. She has tawny patches scattered across her fur. A Labrador sits next to her. He is black and white with interesting blue eyes. A large grin breaks across his face.
"Good morning sleeping beauty! I'm Walker, this is my sister Goldie. What's your name, wuh?"
I sit up dumbfounded.
Goldie nudges Walker.
"She doesn't know animals can talk. She's only new here, woof."
"Oh right."
The golden Labrador stands up and offers a paw. I take it cautiously and I stand up. She smiles.
"I don't bite you know. And as my brother mentioned before, I'm Goldie. Animals can't talk in your part of the town but in this part we can, woof."
I frown.
"Um… What do you mean?"
Goldie looks up to the cliff I've come from.
"Your half of the town is called Stalie, right? The border that separates us is known as the Animal Crossing, woof. If you cross that border and are knocked unconscious, you are brought into our town, which we call Tressia. You can only go back to your world if you recross the border, which is on that cliff, woof."
I think about this for a moment. That means that my mother would never find me here. This was perfect.
Goldie looks at me and smiles, her chocolate eyes dancing.
"So, what's your name?"
"I'm Amberlyn. Or you can call me Amber if you like."
I push my wet hair away from my eyes. A shocked expression crosses the two dogs' faces.
My eyes widen.
"What? What did I do?"
Walker opens his mouth to say something but Goldie jumps in.
"Nothing, it's fine. Let's just take you to your house, woof."
She takes my hand and pulls me along.