Somewhere Over the Rainbow

my children's story I wrote for AP LA 2010 - my summer project. it sucked the life out of me :P

Lilly and her parents just moved into their new house and it was Lilly’s first night there. When the sun finally finished setting and signaled the end to another day, all of the unpacking was done. It was finally time for her to go to sleep. She put on her pajamas and got into bed. Her mother kissed her good night and her father tucked her in. They turned her light off and walked away shutting the door behind them.

 

Lilly lay on her back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn’t like being alone in the new house especially in the dark. The moon was full and shined through her bedroom window. Its light didn’t really help because the glow it left on everything just seemed even scarier. She saw a shadow move out of the corner of her eye and she shrank back into her pillow. There were a lot of shadows and they all seemed to take on the form of a monster. She wondered if one had crawled underneath her bed. She began to shake at just the thought and tried to forget about it.

 

Lilly closed her eyes and slipped farther under the blankets. All of a sudden, she began to hear strange noises. There was screeching and scratching. For a second, she thought she heard the floor creak. She kept her eyes closed tight, but she was so scared that she began to cry softly. She wanted her mom and dad, but was too afraid of what may have come into her room while she was underneath the covers to come out. She began humming the song her mother always sang to her when she was sad or scared. She hummed herself to sleep.

As soon as the clock struck midnight, something happened.

 

Everything became brighter and Lilly was forced awake. She opened her eyes and squinted at a bright ball of white light that hovered in front of her. There wasn’t only one though, there were many and they were all different colors. The one that hovered in front of her was the only one that was white and the only one that stayed still. The others sped around wildly with impatience. The way the light in front of her didn’t move made her wonder if she was being stared at. It made her feel uncomfortable and she finally just reached out to touch it.

 

The bright white light zoomed off with the others right behind it. Lilly remembered the strange noises and scary shadows and was afraid to leave her safe, warm bed, but how could she not follow the lights? Curiosity won her over and she ran after her midnight visitors. She followed them down the stairs and all the way out to her backyard. They fluttered around a tree trunk until she noticed a little door that appeared. As it opened, all of the colored lights rushed through. She reached out to pull it open further, but as her fingers touched it the door slammed shut.

 

The hovering, white light glided out from around the tree and dropped small sparkles that swirled around the door. It grew to be as tall as Lilly and was the perfect size for her to fit through. She reached for it and began to pull it open. The white light zipped through ahead of her. Light poured out of the open doorway and she walked through it.

 

The brightness dimmed and in its place a multitude of colors appeared.  All of the balls of light from her room were hovering once again in front of her and now gathered together. They began to form a shape and then before she knew it a woman was standing before her. She had long, flowing, blonde that hair rested against her white gown and large, fragile wings of many colors grew from her back.

“Hello, Lilly. Welcome home,” the woman said with open arms.

 

“This isn’t my home,” Lilly told her.

“I believe soon enough you’ll come to find that it is.”

“Who are you?”

“I am your guardian. I look after you and make sure you’re safe.”

“So there really were monsters underneath my bed?” Lilly asked.

“Not real ones. Monsters don’t exist in your bedroom. They’re only in your mind.”

“Then why did I need rescuing?”

“Your mind needed it more than you. It created them, but doesn’t know how to conquer them.”

“Why would my mind want to create monsters if they scare me?”

“It needed something to blame the noises and shadows on since it didn’t know what caused them.”

“If that’s all I needed to know then why did you lead me here?”

“I have a mission for you.”

“What is it?”

 

“You must reach the palace and locate the mirror of truth. You will need a guide who knows these lands since you’re not yet familiar with the way things work here.” A handful of sparkles fell from her guardian’s grasp and, just like before, a shape began to form out of them. A boy Lilly’s age with bright eyes and fiery red hair stood there smiling. “Lilly, this is Aiden. He will be your guide.”

 

“Good luck with your journey. I must leave you now, but if you ever need me look to your heart. That’s where I’ll be.” She slipped a gold chain with a heart locket on the end over Lilly’s head. Then once again she split into multiple balls of light. Her locket opened and the single white light zoomed in and the locket closed. All of the other colored lights scattered off and Lilly stood alone with Aiden.

 

“Hi, Lilly, as your guardian mentioned my name is Aiden and I’ll be your guide during your journey. I can tell you anything about this place that you want to know, but I can’t tell you anything about your mission. Those questions you’ll have to find the answers to yourself. I like to talk a lot. You’ll need to listen to what I say and do what I tell you to. I know what is dangerous and what is harmless.” Aiden reached into his pocket and tossed some sparkles into the air. A rainbow unraveled from the sky of clouds and trailed down to Aiden’s feet.

 

“What is that?” asked Lilly.

“Why it’s a rainbow, silly. Certainly, you’ve seen one of them before.”

“Yes, but I meant what you pulled out of your pocket.”

“Oh! Of course, that’s what you meant. They’re seeds. Each one is an idea and once planted a thought makes it grow, in this case, a rainbow. It is the bridge that will lead us on our way to the palace.”

“Where do the seeds come from?”

“They are an idea all on their own, remember. You think about it then you have it. There aren’t many limitations here. The only thing that limits is fear.”

“So if I opened my hand like this there will be seeds in it?” Lilly opened her closed fist.

 

“A rose.”

“You can’t change a flower into another flower. It has to be something completely different. If you wanted a rose you could sprinkle the seeds onto the ground and make the dirt change. You can work on that later. Right now, we have to ride the rainbow before it disappears.” Aiden grabbed Lilly’s hand and they both stepped onto the cloud that was at the end of the rainbow. The rainbow was sucked back into the sky and along with it they too trailed up into the clouds. Lilly gasped when they reached the top.

The blue sky surrounded them and all around clouds drifted by. Each cloud was like an island in the vast blue air that contained grass, flowers, forests, castles, anything and everything they perhaps could have found on the ground. Some clouds were huge and others were small. The palace was easy to find because it was on the largest cloud in the middle of all the others. “How are we going to get to the palace?” asked Lilly.

“It’s called cloud hopping. There are seven clouds that are between us and the palace. This is cloud one and the palace is on cloud nine. The only way to get from one cloud to the next is to find the master of it and persuade him to let us leave.”

“How do we do that?”

 

“We do what he tells us whether it be a favor, entertainment, or what-not.”

“How do we get off of cloud one then? Who is the master here?”

“We are. It’s the only cloud we are able to use our ideas in order to move across a cloud. It’s also the smallest cloud. They get bigger and the distances become farther between clouds the higher the number gets.” Aiden walked along the stone path. When he made it to the edge he tossed a handful of seeds across the space between clouds. The stone path continued across and so did Lilly and Aiden.  

 

“Cloud 2: lots of trees, and … did you hear that?” They both listened and off in the distance the sweet song of a nightingale was being sung. “I think we’ve found cloud two’s master.” They followed the sound through the trees until it was so loud and pure that the nightingale could be seen perched on a tree branch in front of them.

“Oh little nightingale what is that you request?” Lilly asked.

“I have so longed to hear someone’s voice other than mine. Please, sing for me,” the nightingale sang.

 

“You must do it alone. Everything is dependant upon you,” said Aiden as he stepped back giving her some space. There was no other song that Lilly could think of other than the one her mother sang to her. She sang it softly and then finished it by humming the first verse like her mother always did. The nightingale praised her lovely voice and then suddenly the cracking noise of a tree falling split the air. The last tree at the end of the forest crashed to the ground and served as a bridge to the third cloud. “Come on! We’ve got to keep moving. We do have to get you back before morning you know.” Aiden yelled as he grabbed her hand again and pulled her across the tree trunk.

 

Cloud three wasn’t very much different from the second, but it was slightly bigger and there was no sound of singing. “Well, there’s no sign of a master right here. We might as well walk a bit further.” Aiden suggested.

“Whooooo are youuuu looking for?” an owl asked from inside the hollow of a tree. “We’re looking for the master of the third cloud. Do you know where we could find him?” Lilly asked.

“The gypsies rule this cloud. They are very fond of red and white mushrooms. If youuuu bring them some I am sure they will let youuuu pass safely,” the owl said.

“Where can we find these mushrooms?”

“They are found underneath the trees in this forest, but I will warn you. They are poisonous. Do not eat them. The gypsies will surely offer them to youuuu.”

“Thanks for your help,” said Lilly.

 

Lilly and Aiden left and began their search for the mushrooms. “Why can’t we find any?” asked Lilly after they had been looking for awhile.

“Gypsies know their surroundings and use whatever they find. Since they’re so fond of the mushrooms it’s going to be hard to find them,” Aiden said.

“Can’t we just think some up?”

“I don’t see why not. Of course, you have to be the one to do it.” Lilly let some sparkles fall to the ground, thought about mushrooms and before her very eyes they grew.

“I did it!” she said excitedly as she snatched them up.

 

“I see some smoke above those tree tops. That’s where the gypsies will be,” Aiden pointed out.

As they approached the camp, gypsies surrounded them immediately. “We brought these mushrooms in exchange for safe passage to the next cloud,” said Aiden. Lilly held out the mushrooms for them to take. One of the taller gypsies spoke out, “We accept your exchange. Would you join us for our meal?”

“We really must be on our way. Thank you for the offer.” Lilly chimed remembering the owl’s warning.

“Close your eyes and open them after you hear the third clap,” said the gypsy. They did and he clapped twice. On the third they opened their eyes and were on the fourth cloud.

 

 

From where they were standing they could see a cottage in the distance. “I guess that’s our best bet,” said Aiden. The cottage was surrounded by gardens of flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. They began to walk up the path to the cottage when they heard something. “Psssst! Humans!Down here!” Lilly looked down, but didn’t see anything. “Behind the flowers!” She looked again and this time saw a little garden gnome sitting down.

“Are you the master here?” Lilly asked.

“Yes, and it would help me out a lot if you could pick some apples for a pie that the lady inside is making. It’s an awful lot of work for a little guy like me. I figured you want to get to the next cloud, well, I don’t have many magical abilities other than healing and tending to the garden, but I know that the lady inside could easily make a bridge appear. I’m sure she would be more than happy to help if you brought her those apples.”

 

Lilly went to work picking apples and setting them inside of a basket that was underneath the apple tree. When the basket was filled to the brim she ran back to the cottage and knocked on the door. A woman with a cooking apron and spoon in her hand opened it. “I picked these apples for you, miss. I was wondering if you could help me and my friend get to the next cloud.”

“Well, thank ya. I certainly can just let me get my wand.” The lady said in an accent as she took the basket and left for a brief time. When she came back she was carrying a long stick. “Right this way,” she said. Lilly and Aiden followed her to the edge of the fourth cloud. She stared at the gap between the clouds and said, “Because of the kindness that was shown and the mission that’s at hand build a bridge from the fourth to the fifth cloud’s land.” She flicked the wand and a bridge was built. “There you are my dears, good luck on your journey.”

 

“Thank you!” The two of them called as they raced across the bridge. Even when running it was obvious the distances between the clouds were much farther apart than before. They heard a small voice screaming, “Help! Help! Help!” It was getting closer. A little lightning bug zoomed towards them until finally it hit Aiden’s shoulder and fell to the ground. Lilly bent down and instead of seeing a lightning bug she saw a pixie sprawled out on the ground and breathing hard. It whispered “Help”. She went to lay the pixie in her hand when Avery stopped her. “Don’t touch it. The human touch can poison it if the pixie is not protected.”

 

Despite Aiden’s words he reached down and scooped it up.

“But you just said-” Lilly looked at him in horror.

“My touch won’t harm it because I’m not human.”

“Well, than what are you?”

“I am half Elvin and half Elemental.”

“So you’re part elf? What’s an Elemental?”

“Yes, I am and an elemental can be one of four different kinds: water, fire, air, and earth. We maintain the forces.”

"Which of the four are you?”

 “Fire.”

“Can you help me?” the pixie asked opening its eyes.

“Are you the master here?” asked Lilly.

“The war between brownies and pixies has not ended. The master has not been decided, but we both have the power to help those in need. Our queen has been captured by the brownies. If you could rescue her you have the pixies on your side.”

 

“How do we find her?”

“Brownies will leave little marks in the ground. It makes it easy to follow their trail. They captured her not long ago behind the big oak. She will be in a globe and guarded by a brownie at all times. You must distract the brownie long enough to get the globe. Bring her back to this spot and we shall release her. Here, take this, it’s tree sap. The smell of it will put the brownie to sleep. Lay me back down so you can be on your way.” Aiden did and then they both went in search for the pixie queen. Behind the big oak there were many small tracks, but only one that stood out.

“The queen left behind unplanted seeds for us to follow. That’s the thing about brownies. They aren’t very smart so they never picked up on the trail she herself was leaving,” Aiden said. They followed the sparkling seeds until they heard some rustling up ahead.

 

Aiden pulled Lilly behind one of the trees. They looked around carefully and saw a little man carrying a globe. “That’s the brownie. I can see the queen,” said Lilly, but Aiden put his hand over her mouth. He handed her the bottle of tree sap and she poured it on the ground. As soon as the brownie smelled it, he fell down and was fast asleep. Lilly rushed over, grabbed the globe and they hurried back to the meeting spot. This time there were pixies gathered all around. She laid the globe in front of them. All of the pixies flew above the globe and began sprinkling their seeds on it until it cracked open and the queen was free.

“Thank you for your help,” the queen said flying high enough so they could be face to face. “My pixies and I are very grateful to you. Do you wish to move onto the sixth cloud?”

 

“Yes, your majesty.” All of the pixies, including the queen, hovered above Aiden and Lilly. They sprinkled their seeds upon the two of them, but it was the queen’s that really made it work. Everything slowly faded away and new surroundings changed. This time the sound of a far away rushing waterfall filled their ears. The pixies were gone and so was the forest. The meadow ended at the fifth cloud. All you could see was the sand stretching on, but there was something in the distance. It was dark and blurry. Lilly feared it might be a mirage, but since there was nowhere else to go they walked towards it. Time seemed to drag and it took them forever it seemed to get half way, but the sound of water kept getting louder and Lilly’s thirst began to grow in the heat.

 

It wasn’t a mirage after all. It really was an oasis. There were palm trees and a waterfall with a pool. The water was so blue. She ran towards it now. Aiden yelled to her, “Go on ahead. I can’t be around that much water.” When she finally reached it she threw herself down and began drinking as much water as she could. Bubbles began rising and suddenly a head poked up out of the water. Dark blue hair swirled around it and green eyes stared back into hers. A fin flipped up from behind.

“Who said you could be drinking our water?” it asked.

“I’m so sorry. The dessert made me very thirsty. Are you the master?”

 

“I prefer mistress and yes we are.” Two more mermaids swam up behind her.

“Is there something I can do for you that will allow you to let my friend and me pass to the next cloud?”

“We are a pretty content species. We don’t need anything. Why don’t you have your friend come over here? We can all go for a swim.”

“He doesn’t like the water.” All three of the mermaids gasped in shock.

“What’s not to like? It’s cool and refreshing.”

“He’s a fire elemental.”

“If that’s true where’s his fire?”

“He’s half elf.” They all started laughing.

“Why is that funny?” asked Lilly.

“They are totally different from one another. An elemental is powerful and rare especially fire ones and elves are simply weak and common. Well, in any case I suppose we will just have to take you for a swim.” Before Lilly could protest the mermaid with blue hair grabbed her arms and pulled her in. She blew an air bubble that surrounded Lilly’s head so she could breathe. They swam through rock formations and underwater caves.

 

After a few flips, the other two mermaids stopped swimming with them. Now, it was just Lilly and the one with blue hair. Lilly wondered about Aiden and hoped he was alright. The mermaid pulled Lilly up to the surface and when she reached the air the bubble popped. The surroundings were not the same as the oasis. There was no waterfall and this was just a small spring. It looked as if the forest had begun to appear again although it seemed friendlier this time. Sun light shown through the leaves and flowers had popped up everywhere. “Welcome to the seventh cloud. I can’t stay. I must go. We aren’t welcome on other clouds that aren’t our own.”

“But what about my friend?” 

“I’m sure if he is what you said then he will be just fine. Any kind of elemental can find their way.” She dipped back down under the water and Lilly climbed out of the spring. She wondered how it was possible to get from one cloud to the next through water when the clouds weren’t connected. Then again a lot of things didn’t make sense here.

 

Without Aiden she felt kind of lost. She began picking flowers as she walked. This cloud was the biggest yet and she had no energy to walk around trying to find the master of it. This was her second to last cloud before the palace and she couldn’t wait to get back to her own bed. As she walked past a tree it scraped her arm and she began to bleed. She sat down on the ground, but the weariness of her journey only made her fall asleep. The sun that had been beating on her face was blocked and the sudden change made her open her eyes. She stared up at a huge beast. It frightened her at first until she recognized what it was. In all her life she had never thought she’d see a unicorn, but then again she didn’t think she’d see pixies or mermaids either. “I have spent a lot of time making this place look nice. Why did you go and pick my flowers?” it asked her.

 

It seemed she had been doing a lot of things without asking lately.

“I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

“First, you can put my flowers back and secondly I would appreciate a scratch behind my ears. In exchange, I will heal your wound” the unicorn nodded to her scratched arm “and I’ll send you to the next cloud if that is your wish.”

“Is that all you ask of me?”

“Yes, if you’re going to cloud eight you will need to be rested and healed.”

“Why?”

“That’s where your journey will be the hardest. I can not tell you anymore.” Lilly replanted the flowers she picked and sprinkled some seeds into the dirt so more would grow. When she was finished the unicorn trotted over and bent his head for her to scratch. She held out her arm and with the touch of his horn her wound was healed. He pulled her up onto his back and took her to the edge of the seventh cloud where a Phoenix was hovering with Aiden sitting on its back. “I was planning on having my distant cousin pegasus fly you to the eighth cloud, but I see you already have a ride,” said the unicorn. Lilly climbed down from him and climbed onto the phoenix behind Aiden where they flew off toward the eighth cloud. 

 

“What happened to you? Where did you go after the sixth cloud?” Lilly asked.

“When a phoenix dies it turns to flames and a new phoenix is born. Not only is a new phoenix born, but so is a fire elemental. They live the same life span, when one dies the other with it. It’s rare for a phoenix to die and rare for a fire elemental to be born. This is my phoenix. He will come at my call, but the longer he’s away from his natural habitat the more at risk he is of being hunted. He flew me to the seventh cloud and we waited for you to find your way. When he drops us off the journey is once again yours. So far it has been easy. There wasn’t anything hard or very dangerous. Cloud eight will change things.” The phoenix rested on the ground and both Aiden and Lilly slid off. The phoenix flew towards its home in the skies. “Welcome to the eighth cloud: The Castle of Ruins.”

 

“Why is it called that?”

“The king and queen that once lived here did everything they could in order to have the palace. In the end, they lost what they already had. Now all that’s left is a castle that is slowly falling apart and the dangers that lurk inside.”

“The master is inside the castle then?”

“The only things worth looking for are inside the castle.”

They walked up the stone steps and went inside. “Hold on a second.” Aiden said. Then he pushed Lilly to the ground as a shot of fire burst through the castle and out the door. “I bet you can’t guess who the master of this castle is.”

“I don’t want to know, do I?” Lilly began shaking. All this time she had forgotten her fear of monsters and now she had to defeat one in order to get to the palace and then go home.

 

“I don’t want to do this, Aiden. I hate monsters especially ones that breathe fire. I just want to go home.”

“What did your guardian say when she first showed up?”

“That this was my home.”

“Yes, it is. What else?”

“She said that monsters aren’t real and that the only place they are is in my mind.”

“Fear is the only thing that is stopping you. If you keep coming up with the idea of a monster and that’s all your thoughts are then what you’re going to get is a monster, Lilly.” She walked past the doorway and saw a large dragon curled up on the floor. He had dark red scales and large wings that covered his eyes. Sharp teeth hung over his mouth and he blew a puff of smoke from his nose. He shot another sting of fire at Lilly, but Aiden blocked her.

 

Lilly hummed her mother’s song and whispered, “Monsters aren’t real.” She repeated it over and over and over again and each time it was louder. She hoped the dragon would disappear, but it didn't. Finally she yelled at the top of her lungs, “You are not a monster!”

“I know I’m not a monster. You are! Could you please stop yelling?” said the dragon.

“If you’re not a monster why were you blowing fire at us?”

“Well, I had to protect myself somehow. How am I supposed to know who is coming up my steps? You could be someone wanting to kill me. I’m not much of a people person, you know.

 “Listen, we’re not interested in harming you and if you’re not a monster like you say, would you mind flying us to the ninth cloud?” Aiden asked.

“I’d be more than delighted to fly you there. In fact, I’d love to fly anywhere, but as you can see I’ve been chained to this castle for quite some time and it’s useless to try and escape.”

 

Lilly looked around and saw a brick from the castle’s wall on the ground. She sprinkled some ideas on it and turned it into a sword. “What do you think you’re going to be doing with that?” the dragon asked. “Don’t come near me with that sharp blade.”

“Calm down. I’m going to cut the chain. By now it’s old and weak so it should be easy to break.” Lilly held the sword above her head and slammed it across the chain. It fell into two pieces and the dragon was free.

 “Well, now! Didn’t you just come and make my day. I sort of feel like being a people person after that deed. Let’s fly you to the palace. All aboard!” Lilly and Aiden climbed up. “Hold on tight!” The dragon flew directly up and through the open castle tower. The view was absolutely beautiful and you could see the whole nine clouds from being so high. The dragon swooped down and pulled up right next to the palace gates. “Farewell, my friends. I am in debt to you.” He yelled as he flew away.

 

They walked up to the palace and knocked on the doors. A young maiden opened them and greeted the two travelers.

“Hello, Lilly and Aiden. Come right this way. I’ll show you to the princess’ chambers where the mirror of truth is kept. She is sleeping right now so be sure not to wake her.” They both followed her up a long flight of stairs to the tower. There was only one door at the top. “This is it. Just go on through there. I will leave you now,” she said.

“And I. What lies in that room is for you to finish. I have guided you to the very last door you will need to enter,” added Aiden.

“Thank you.” Lilly turned the doorknob and walked inside.

 

It was her room. Everything was exactly the same, but her bed was not empty. There she slept. The princess was her. Is this what her guardian meant by the mirror of truth? She had no idea. She went over to the only mirror in the room and looked inside of it. She saw no reflection not even one of herself. What was she supposed to do? She grabbed the heart locket that she had forgotten about until now and held it hoping for some kind of an answer, but nothing came. Maybe if she opened it. The guardian light flew out and then there was her guardian as she had seen her before.

“You’ve successfully completed your mission, Lilly. You conquered your fear which was the true mission all along.”

“You said monsters weren’t real though.”

“They aren’t. As I said before, they’re only in your mind.”

“Then how was the dragon real?”

 

“You created it and your fear. You created everything. All of this was in your mind �" your dream. Dreams do often feel real and then you wake up and it was all your imagination and memories.” The mirror suddenly had a reflection in it, but this reflection didn’t contain her or the sleeping version of herself in the bed. It was just her room. “This is your home and when you're moving from place to place, leaving people behind and finding new ones, you are sometimes all you have. It’s the home that will never leave you.” Her guardian looked at the window and back. “The sun is beginning to rise. You can step through that mirror at any time to wake up. Your dreams will always be here to help you escape from reality.” Lilly stepped through the mirror and her dream world faded. She climbed back into bed feeling like she was the only one left in the world. Monsters weren’t real which meant neither were mermaids, pixies, the palace, or elementals. She couldn’t decide which one was worse, but closed her eyes replaying her journey until she fell asleep. 

 

The sun’s light shined through her window and landed on her eyes making her open them. There was a knock on her door and her mother came in. “Good morning, Lilly. How did you sleep during your first night in your new home?”

“Interesting - in a good way.”

 “Why don’t you get dressed and come downstairs for breakfast?” Lilly threw on a shirt and put some pants on. She ran a brush through her hair and went downstairs. “Look who’s here. It’s our neighbor’s son. Eat your breakfast and then the two of you can go outside and play.” Lilly looked over at a boy that was about her age with bright eyes and fiery red hair. He stood there smiling.

“My name is Aiden and this is Phoenix.” He said pointing at the dog who sat next to him. “I’ll show you around.”

 

…And in the distance a rainbow could be seen shooting down from the sky.