Caroline's POV:
"I think this is the last of it." My dad said as he placed the box on the floor.
"This will be a perfect music room." I said. "Thanks for letting me come out here. I love my new step siblings, but…" I thought about how to put this tactfully. "It's nice to have a quiet place to work."
"Samira said that this old shed was once used as a workshop, roughly 30 years ago. It should be hooked up to the electric, but let me know if you have any problems."
I nodded, setting my lap top on my desk.
"Oh! Your guitar picks came in the mail today." Dad put the box next to me.
"Awesome!"
"Make sure you come back in for dinner." Dad said on his way out the door.
"Mmhmm." I said. I was already ripping open the box. I had gotten them engraved with a quote from my former neighbor. It was an idea that I had kept with me my whole life.
You cannot leave the Magic.
I smiled. They were perfect…& it seemed like the perfect opportunity to play my guitar.
I found it leaning against one of the walls. I picked it up...discovering an ugly old hole.
I'd have to get Dad to look at that…
It took me a few moments to set up my lap top & microphone, but then I was ready to play. I started singing a song from the radio, just to test my equipment.
Two eyes stared at me from the hole.
"…Hello?" I asked. I took a step towards the hole, getting my foot caught under the wire connecting my mic to my lap top. I managed to catch myself, & thankfully my mic didn't fall…
Bending down, I pulled my phone out of my pocket, shining it into the hole. Please don't let there be rats in my studio!
I saw nothing except for a colored puff of fur, which seemed to be moving away from the hole…
So, not a rat…but what was that thing?
I was about to get back to work when I noticed one of the floor boards was loose. It must have come up when I tripped.
I sat down on the floor, to try & push the board back into place, when I noticed that there was something hidden under the floorboard. I pulled out a Ziploc bag filled with little gummy candies…& a note. I opened the bag & read the note.
To enter Fraggle Rock: Take one gummy, chew thoroughly. Keep a tight hold on the bag so that it retains its proportion. Once you have returned, a second gummy will restore you to your proper size.
Fraggle Rock?
I mean, it was great to know that somebody else, finally, knew about the stories that I had loved in my childhood, but…no way…
I sighed & put the gummies back under the floorboards, closing the secret hiding place.
30 year old gummies would probably taste terrible anyway…
The next day, I brought my school stuff into my music room to study…but I kept staring at the hole instead. Was it really an entrance to Fraggle Rock?
I shook my head, trying to clear my wandering thoughts & focus on studying for my Spanish test...which made me think of when I was a little girl, & my dad & I lived in the desert. It was very common to hear both English & Spanish being spoken in that small town…
Dad would've still been at work when I came home from school, so I stayed with the elderly gentleman who lived with his dog in the apartment below us until my Dad came home. He would tell me stories about a place called Fraggle Rock.
They weren't like normal stories. He was an inventor & a scientist, so they were more like observations about what Fraggle Rock was like. He said that the Fraggles came to visit him, which was how he knew so much about their world. None of my friends at school had ever heard of it, so I eventually just kept it to myself.
What were the odds that somebody else knew about Fraggle Rock?
I couldn't think about that now. I had to study. I returned my focus to my textbook…but I found myself staring at the hole again after a few moments.
Ok, so I was obviously not going to get anything done until I satisfied my curiosity.
I walked over to where it had been & knelt down. I tried a few different floorboards until I found the right one. Standing, I grabbed my phone off my desk & stuck it in my back pocket. There were a million reasons why I shouldn't be eating gummies that were hidden for who knows how many years, but I wanted to be able to call for help if I needed it.
I took one out of the bag, & chewed it. It wasn't bad, especially for being old. It was still chewable, & actually tasted like raspberries.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then I started to feel weird.
A dozen worst case scenarios rushed through my head as I turned & ran for the door, pulling my phone out to call for help. Before I could decide whether or not I should call my dad or 911, the feeling stopped.
I took a few deep breaths & put my phone back in my pocket. Maybe there wasn't anything to worry about…
I looked around. Everything seemed so much bigger now…How did that happen?
I remembered what the instructions said. A second gummy will restore you to your proper size.
The room wasn't bigger. I had shrunk!
"…Hello?" A voce said. I had thought I was alone. Was I invisible as well?
No, just mostly hidden by my backpack. I peeked around the edge. There was a strange, furry creature standing there.
A Fraggle?
"Huh, I guess there really isn't anything to worry about. She's not even here." It walked back towards the hole. "Guess I'll just have to come back tomorrow…"
I stuck the bag of gummies in my pocket. Since I had been shrunk down to the size of a Fraggle, I might as well try to follow one to Fraggle Rock!
I ran back across the room, took a deep breath, & walked through the hole. I could see the Fraggle up ahead. I followed after him, as quietly as possible.
He must have sensed me following, because he decided to look behind him after he turned a corner. I jumped back, & decided to wait a moment before following.
As I turned the corner, I realized that I had waited too long.
Ahead of me was a fork in the road, & the Fraggle was nowhere in sight.
If you guys want to see what Caroline looks like, take a look at my Tumblr (I have the same username)! If you don't see her right away, click on the OCs link along the top.
Next time, Caroline will continue her journey into Fraggle Rock, & possibly be reunited with an old childhood friend…
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