CH2: A NEW WORLD

Robert did the only thing logical. He turned around to pull the door open. Then, he realized something was amiss.

"There is no door-knob",Robert spoke quick, his heart beating even faster.

At this, Ruby stopped panicking. Robert heard his sister taking deep breaths. Half-a-minute later, she spoke, her voice trembling dreadfully.

"What do we do now, dada?"

Robert pulled his sister closer and was about to give her words of re-assurance when a loud voice resounded the whole room. Before we get to what was said, you will want to know that the voice was that of a woman and it was very high-pitched. And here is what was said

"Oh, my dearies, don't be afraid.

Calm your heart and keep your head.

You will need something from the floor.

Show it what it hates and you will open the door."

Suddenly, a burst of bright yellow light flooded into the room. It took a while for Robert and Ruby to adjust their eyes to it. The light, they realized, was sunlight pouring in from a nearby window. They rushed to it but was disappointed to find that it was closed shut and impossible to open.

"Something from the floor",Ruby was the first to repeat the bodiless voice while looking around the floor.

"Show it what it hates",Robert joined her,"What does a door hate?"

The floor was littered with nothing but odd assortments of furnitures.

"Doors can't hate other furnitures,right?",Robert thought aloud.

"The door is made up of wood",Ruby pointed out,"Maybe it hates fire."

"We don't have that", Robert replied,"Maybe something more-AHA!"

Robert reached down and picked up a small saw with shining metal.
"A door made of wood hates a saw,right? I mean they are used for cutting down trees and pieces of wood.",Robert turned to face his sister.

"Well, that's all we have right now. It is worth a shot and i want to get away from this place. It's starting to spook me",Ruby shuddered as she said this.

So,Robert walked towards the door, the saw held out in front of him. He was quite uncertain as to how the tool in his hand could be used to open a door. Maybe he had to hack away at it...or maybe he had to pry it open. These thoughts bothered him when something happened. Something strange.

AS he was getting close, the door vibrated vigorously and opened all by itself.

Sunlight poured in. Glorious sunlight. Grabbing Ruby by the hand, Robert rushed towards the open door. However, once outside, both of them stopped abruptly. Something was very wrong.

Firstly, the sun was bright and everything around them could be seen. Robert was pretty sure that it had been around dusk when they had entered through the door. But now, it seemed to be late morning. They could see all the trees around them.

Secondly, the trees were different. True, they were not experts in a forest they had just entered but it did not need an expert to know that there had been several trees near the door. Now, a neat clearing had replaced them.

For the second time in five minutes, Robert had no idea what was going on and even less as to what he was supposed to do. And for the second time, he heard the door snap shut behind them. Both brother and sister turned around expecting to see a closed door set against the hill. However, they were in for a shock, as they did not see any doors. In its place there were now thick trees and shrubs.

So, feeling confused they turned in front to see another baffling sight. The clearing before them had disappeared. It was now replaced by something even more breath-taking. About a dozen large and slender rocks stood upright horizontally, forming a large circle. These rocks were of various sizes but were all taller than an averagely tall man. They were all set about two feet apart.

Robert knew this place. He had never been here before but had seen them many times in a movie. What Ruby said next confirmed that she had recognized the place too.

"Dada, this looks like that ring of stones from 'Brave' ", she seemed excited but realized their dilemma," But this is not that forest park near our hotel. How did we get here? This place is supposed to be fictional. Oh God, this is so freaky," she shivered.

I know, sis. Everything's that happened today is all strange. Let us look around, we might find a signboard somewhere. C'mon."

And if they were looking for a sign, they got one, which was somewhat not what they were expecting, for it was another wisp.

The wisp was there, right on the other side of the ring of stones. This time, it wasn't Robert who led. Ruby walked ahead and after a few steps turned back.

"Let's go, dada", she motioned at him."Before it disappears."

Robert nodded and started walking as well. The crossed the ring and just when they were at arm's length, the wisp vanished. Immediately( just as before), half a dozen of them appeared appeared some feet away. Robert and Ruby followed the wisps at a brisk pace and they eventually led the siblings to a man made path. Three wisps led them along it. When they followed it, the wisps started to disappear one by one. The two had no choice now to but to go down the path. They walked down it for quite a while and all the time, brother and sister couldn't help but notice the utmost beauty that surrounded them. The trees made the path look like a cavern and but it was not scary at all. There were beautiful purple flowers all along the pathway(Which they later learned to be a Thistle plant). Even the green of the forest was beautiful and Robert could have sworn that he saw scenes like this only in pictures, but this was even better.

Robert was appreciating the beauty around them when it happened. An arrow whizzed past Robert's left ear. He felt its wind and realized how close the arrow had been. Ruby shouted out in surprise but calmed down immediately. Both of them looked around for the person responsible.

And the person did appear. This shooter was riding a huge magnificent black horse with white hair. She ( Robert realized it was a 'she') wore a black cloak with a hood, which she used to cover most of her face. However, the hood did nothing to hide her abundant curly hair which was hypotizingly rich red in colour. She wore a dark blue gown. In the form of accesories, she carried a bow with her left hand. Her right held the reins. A leather belt held a quiver full of arrows at the right side of her waist.

Robert did not need to look twice to realize who this 'stranger' was. He did not need the nudging of her sister either. Even before she removed her hood and revealed her fair face, he knew. One would expect him to say something but he was too awestruck, wide-eyed, jaw-dropped, astounded, charmed and heart-stopped by her sight.

It was Merida!