Chapter Text
When you think of dreams, you often picture visages playing throughout your mind as you sleep or zone out. Many dreams can come in different forms. Whether it be succession, fame, fortune, or love. We dream it all. The beauty of dreams is that you get lost in them; reality is a façade, and your fantasy is yours to mould. Very few are dreamers, very few can capture their dream as a reality. Artists and writers are exceptional; they can project their dreams through sketches, paintings, literature and stories. Dreamers have been around for generations, including this very peculiar girl whose odder than odd. Her dreams are different than most; compared to your average Joe dreaming of the next best thing, she dreams of the following best creature. Her intentions are unusual, despite her wonted appearance. She dreams endlessly. Forever.
A shining light gleamed below in the forest of Eden. Lush vineyards, dense vegetation, and rich greens coloured the woodlands. The sound of water flowed down into the pristine lake. The water was so clear that you could see many creatures swirling around in a dance. It was rumoured this forest was forbidden from any humankind, and only those with the ability to create may enter. Within the lush, mystical fog-like mist that glittered in faery magic appeared a young creature. She gently stepped out, carrying a wooden bow carved from the ancient forest’s wisest tree, a tree so old that its branches could reach the stars and moon. Her lower half was that of a deer, a doe, her legs so graceful, she was agile in her movement. She wore a gleaming white gown with jewels dangling from her antlers. Her eyes gently watched for any sign of evil. She was the princess of this land; the land of the fae she swore to protect. Her face paint covered her true identity, markings earned from the native old elven folk. She placed her bow on the lush ground and smeared the face paint away, revealing her true form. She gracefully leapt from her stance and began twirling around, dancing within the luscious land as light beams shone through, small creatures flying around her. Here, she was free. Here she was—her.
She jumped.
“Ruby”.
She twirled.
“Ruby”.
She spun.
“RUBY!”.
And like that, reality came crashing down.
“Ruby, are you done with those reports? We have a deadline; we need those descriptions before those artefacts are shipped in after inspection.”
A young woman, presumably no younger than twenty-three, caught herself in a daze. She stared at the older woman talking down at her. The ticking of the clock passing by made it seem as though months had just passed by. Ruby ran her olive, skin-toned hand through her soft, brown hair sitting at just the base of her collarbone.
“I- No, I haven't finished the reports—” she spoke gently. She had always been gentle; she could never shout even when angry. She hated when people shouted; the sound disturbed her and looped in her mind.
“Well, while you were staring at the wall, I’ve been trying to cover for you; you know I can’t always buy you more time.”
Ruby stared at her work colleague with a confused, dreamy gaze. Her eyes were half open, like the lights were on, but no one was home. Daisy, Ruby’s work colleague, had always been there for her, even when she needed it most; she wasn’t a friend per se. They both worked at the same museum for some time, Daisy for five years and Ruby only—for a few months. Which doesn’t seem like much, but Ruby did try to make things work. The thing is, Ruby was the type of worker who didn’t stick out like a sore thumb; you would know her name, think she’s polite, and that’s it. She shared very few things with many, and those who knew her, knew she would like to spurt out information about history: medieval, pirates, Victorian, the eighteenth century and so forth, even if they didn’t ask for it. She was a rather creative writer, writing in her own time but never revealing what she wrote. Other than that, her colleagues, Daisy included, thought she was an eccentric, polite girl. Those on the outside, ruby claimed in her mind, saw her as an alien, foreign to many of their gestures or social communication.
Sometimes, she ignored what the others thought of her, and other times, it bothered her.
“I know the shipment is from an old shipwreck, a part of an eighteenth-century full-rigged galleon that sailed with the East Indian Trading Company in 1730, a trading ship. It had massive main and topgallant sails, strong enough to carry winds; the artefact—in question—was a spyglass, presumably stolen from the captain, brazen and approximately seventy-five centimetres in length, also presumed based by the look of the spyglass, which had pinches of gun powder, it would’ve been assumed they blew up from the captain’s foolishness, drunk, or—three sheets to the wind as they say. The ship was lost—“.
“What was the cause,” Daisy asked. She knew Ruby was very smart in terms of history, but rather slow when doing tasks. She was easily distracted and tardy.
“Pirates.” She stated.
“Pirates?” Daisy asked.
“Mhm, that’s the only way they would’ve sunken the ship, a projectile cannonball shooting at eight hundred meters.”
Ruby was expecting Daisy to look wide-eyed, but by now, she seemed more impressed at Ruby’s remembrance of this information.
“Ok, well, I’m tired anyway, so we should clock out for the night. It’s six-thirty, and I want a warm bath and dinner.” Daisy smiled at the thought.
Ruby nodded. At least she could head to her sweet, ambient, scented room, where she could laze around and do as she pleases.
Just as Ruby was clearing her computer desk, surrounded by papers, Daisy’s eyes caught sight of a minor, posted note. The posted note had a name, a name and the dress's colour, along with lines pointing to attributes. She didn’t think much of it. Instead, she watched as Ruby tidied her small desk. As Ruby caught sight of the posted note, her eyes caught on to Daisies. Ruby didn’t mind it; they would question or dismiss it. It was mainly for Ruby’s writing purposes, nothing more than that. “Still can’t believe you're twenty-three; I mean, it seemed like only yesterday you were twenty-two.”
Ruby politely smiled at the comment, “Twenty-three still ongoing, still counting the days until I’m middle-aged.”
“Pfff, you’ve still got a long way to go, dear; let me tell you that, until you get aches and pains, you’re still a baby.” Daisy smiled, her red lips curling into a smirk.
Ruby grabbed her bag, sliding it across her shoulder. Down the side, it carried a small fluffy trinket in the form of an odd creature. Daisy and Ruby exited from the office, heading down the staircase to the main museum’s entrance, although they needed to clock out. Ruby headed out first since she clocked out the fastest. She waited by the main staircase entrance, passing by the different artefacts—artefacts from Ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, the Aztecs, Asia, and many more.
Ruby was always fascinated by them, but few took the time to examine them in depth, as Ruby has. Despite loving history, she admits, she was adrift about anything modern.
Ruby waited by the museum's main entrance, seeing many colleagues bid her farewell. She didn’t pay any attention to those she didn’t speak to. They dismissed her. It happens more than you think. As ruby describes herself, ‘an alien from another planet’.
As she smiled, farewelling her colleagues. Something caught her eye; outside the window; a bird sitting on the wall. She looked around, turning her head, and saw if anyone else could see it—apparently not. It was rather unusual. She hadn’t seen many birds out this late. Curious, she stepped closer, trying to catch sight of its breed. Animals always fascinated her; even in her spare time, she studied them. To her astonishment, she was stunned. A Barn Owl? You see, where she lived in Australia, Barn owls weren’t entirely native. The Barn Owl’s beady black eyes stared at her, turning its head and inspecting her. Its plumage beneath was pristine white, and the plumages above shared a beautiful brown colouring. Ruby turned her head in turn, mimicking its movements. How odd; where did you come from? Did you migrate here?
“Ruby, I’m ready, let’s go,” Daisy said, interrupting Ruby’s gaze.
“Oh! Yes, yep, of course.” Ruby said, snapping out of it.
“Just a quick question: do owls normally live here?”
“An owl? Depends on the type; why do you ask.”
“An owl is sitting on the wall over there.” She pointed out, though, the owl was—gone?
“What, all I see is a wall.” Daisy couldn’t see anything, only the dark field with a wall.
“I swear I saw—never mind, I’ll catch up later; I’m heading home,” Ruby said, waving to Daisy. The incident was not crazy or necessary, but it was still odd. No matter, no harm done.
She wandered to the parking lot outside; it was dark, so she kept clicking her keys to use the car lights to see through the dark. Ruby stepped into her car; her car wasn’t massive, but it was at least good enough to get her around. She needed to clean the outside, though, something she keeps forgetting. After she got inside, she tossed her bag in the passenger seat, turned on the ignition, switched on high beams and went off. Driving through the dark abyss despite there being street lights up ahead. Ruby always liked driving at night; she got to play the music she liked and zone out. Letting her dreams run wild. As the song's melody played, she entered her visage within her fantasy. She imagined herself on the moon, wearing strange make-up marked in white, as she wore a flowing, alien-like gown draped with gravity around her. She pictured herself twirling around, spinning to the sound of the beat; in her mind, she could dance. The silks flowed elegantly as she held her arms in the air, jumping around; gravity could not pull her down. She kicked and twirled on one leg and swung her arms. She felt like an eccentric ballerina, performing a kooky jive. Her eyes were pure white as she spun, the stars illuminating the night sky twinkling as she spun by them. She was the alien that belonged; she was on her planet, preparing to ascend into the heavens. However, she stopped as something interrupted her gaze.
HONK!
Ruby awoke from her daze, seeing the green light. The car behind her beeped once more. “Sorry, sorry”, Ruby said apologetically, putting her hand up. She pushed the pedal and tried her best not to make eye contact. There you go again, ruby, zoning out. She thought.
She sped up, trying to maintain speed, when a buzz came through her phone—a text from her boyfriend, Jason. She couldn’t answer it; for the time being, she needed to keep driving. Jason had always supported her, accepting and fun to be around; even though he didn’t make sense to many people, he understood her. He was by her side, for the better or worse, even if it took time for Ruby to warm up. She met Jason some time ago, and throughout their college days, he developed an innocent crush on her. With that, Ruby accepted him, and from then on, they’d both been video chatting and going on dates for a year. Even though ruby admitted she wasn’t very good at romance, she found trying to be mushy rather annoying, and the idea of kissing was initially weird. When she watched couples in movies or real life, it felt inspiring and romantic. When she does it, it is…an experience. The feeling was somewhat slimy and soft. But she was willing to try, to please Jason.
Ruby, once more, daydreamed; however, that shortly lasted as she made it home. She pulled into the suburban streets and parked at her house by the bins down her driveway. Getting out, she felt the cool air’s breeze brush past her face. Gazing up, she could see the moon in full clear view and the stars above her. She could stay out here forever and gaze at the moon, imagining herself up there.
Ruby walked to the front door, pushing the silver key inside the slot and unlocking it. She turned the handle and entered inside, feeling the warm air. Inside, she saw the same photos and paintings of her cat and two dogs; on the side were the sliding window doors and the dining table in the middle. She entered, placing her bag on the dining table and trailing down the stairs to put her black slip-on shoes in the garage. Eventually, she entered her room, full of merchandise from movies, books, figurines, and little compasses she acquired online. She hung her bag up on the door handle, grabbed her phone, and saw a message that read. ‘Hey, rub-i-roo, how was work? Are you up to going on a date tomorrow? I got you flowers; I couldn’t get roses, but the florist said these orchids are prettier.’
She texted back, ‘Oh, thanks. You didn’t have to. You should save your money. I’m fine with just going on the dates.’
A small text popped up ‘…’ as he was typing. Finally, a ding!
‘I want it to be special 😊 because you’re my girl, beautiful.’ Ruby’s pink lips curled into a small smile; she couldn’t help; he was charming.
‘Ok, I’ll tell you all about the newest exhibition coming in tomorrow on our date, 7:30?’ Ruby typed in.
In minutes, another ding popped up. ‘Sure, sounds good; I’ll see you then, my rubi-rino 😊.’
She put my phone down. She needed to shower, have dinner, and hopefully, her sister or brother would return home before midnight. Ruby looked inside her drawer, pulling out a long pair of fluffy, deep blue pyjamas. The pattern was covered in stars, and the front print read ‘Good night’ sewn in gold. She loved the feeling of softness; it was a sensation that calmed her and made her feel comforted. Now, all that was left was eating dinner, putting her headphones on, listening to music and sleeping. She had to fill that massive report for the upcoming exhibition. However, for now, she will ignore it; she had a bad habit of crossing work and home together; she knows to keep working at work and home for home; it didn’t help most nights, staying up worried she said the wrong thing or getting judged by doing the task the wrong way.
Ruby walked out to put on her pyjamas in the bathroom. It was rather medium-ish, with a bath, toilet, sink, cabinet, and a shower—her favourite. She loved showering; the scents of the soaps made her feel joyous. She was very sensitive to smell; anything wrong would require her to leave. She undressed, slipped into the shower, and focused on the hot water. She imagined it was a waterfall, one where she could bathe. The mirror’s reflection showed Ruby’s figure; she had a relatively average weight, slim but not skinny. She ran her fingers through her brown hair, drenched in the steam's hot water. When she finished, she dried off—slipping into her pyjamas and feeling the cozy, soft fluff that touched her skin. She shook her hands happily; this only happens when she is joyful or excited. To her colleagues at work, this was rather odd, but to her, it was the norm. She came and slid open the bathroom door, hearing a knock. This startled her; she didn’t like sudden loud noises; she covered her ears as she went to the door. As she opened it, she saw her sister, Anna, dressed in fancy attire, having come home from her boyfriend's house. She pushed through inside, looking rather tired. Ruby followed, curious about what she wanted.
Ruby wondered if they could watch a movie. She enjoyed movies, particularly fantasy ones. Oh, there was that new movie starring Mermaids! Ruby excitedly dashed to Anna, jumping as Anna put her stuff down. “Hey Llama, how are you?” Ruby joked; she loved teasing her sister and using different nicknames.
“Want to watch a movie?” she asked.
“Sorry, I’m busy at the moment,” Anna replied.
“Want to watch one in five minutes,” Ruby asked again.
“Maybe in an hour,” Anna replied.
“Ok, an hour sounds good.” However, Ruby couldn’t read Anna’s expression.
She ran excitedly to set it up in the lounge room. Despite Anna being five years younger, she acted more mature than Ruby, who acted like a child. Ruby started speaking to herself, her brain processing the information. “Yeah, we’re watching a movie. It’ll be funny. Anna will love it.”
“Mermaids, oh boy, mermaids.” She mumbled to herself excitedly. “Me and Anna watching mermaids.”
Ruby started setting up the DVD; however, as she tried to take out the movie set in the lounge room, the DVD pile knocked over. She quickly grabbed the DVDs and put them back in their original position. However, as she looked down, a movie stuck out to her. She saw the title cover ‘Labyrinth.’ She picked it up and examined it; on the cover was a set of characters, including a young woman with long brown hair and a man who wore very flamboyant, glam rock attire. She hadn’t seen this movie in such a long time; she remembered watching it as a child; it was her mother’s favourite from when she was a teenager. It was reasonably light-hearted, though; she hadn’t seen it in twenty-five years. Somehow, despite never really looking into it or researching it, this movie popped into her head occasionally. What was even weirder, was the man’s eyes, somehow it felt like they were looking directly at her. “Ruby!” Anna interrupted.
“Coming!” Ruby replied. Looking back, the cover appeared to be expected. Thinking nothing of it, she returned the DVD cover and pushed herself from the ground.
“What’s for dinner?” Anna asked, looking at the fridge.
“Uh, lasagna,” Ruby replied, looking in the fridge. “Well, I’ll go shower. Can you let the dogs outside, and I’ll heat it.”
“Ok. And then we’ll watch a movie, right?” It was almost as if Ruby had forgotten she had asked before, much to Anna’s annoyance. “You said that before, and I said in an hour.”
“How about after dinner—”.
“An hour after dinner, alright, I’m tired.”
“Ok. As long as we’re still watching a movie.” Ruby always had a habit of repeating the same topic. It would drive her family mad. Speaking of which, her parents were out for the night, having dinner.
Ruby opened the sliding door to her backyard; she eagerly looked up at the stars, envisioning the daydream she had in the car. She started to move slightly, pretending to dance as she looked at the moon. She placed the tip of her fingers over her mouth, digging her nail into her skin, picking the excess skin off. She eventually called the dogs to come inside, and as she did, she saw something in the distance. Looking back in the kitchen, she saw Anna, who was busy texting her boyfriend. Ruby’s gaze followed back to her fence. Her blue eyes adjusted to the darkness. Her eyes made out what seemed to be a bird, though not just any bird, an owl! —the same owl that watched her back at the museum!
Did it follow her? Did it somehow know where she lived? How long had it been watching her?
The odd thing was, she remembered seeing an owl, like the one on the fence with her mother, as a child. It sat on the shady part of the roof; she recalled her father grabbing a camera and taking a picture. A remarkable moment, but it made her wonder why one had decided to follow her here. Was its home here or back at the museum? And even if Ruby did sound crazy, why did it follow her here?
Just to make sure she didn’t sound coo-coo crazy, she scrambled inside and told Anna. “I saw an owl!” Ruby said firmly.
“What?” Anna said.
“An owl, not just any owl, a barn owl on the fence!” She pointed once more, making sure to follow where it exactly was. She wasn’t crazy; She wasn’t, she could see it clear as day—even if it was night. Anna narrowed her eyes at Ruby’s sheer, crazy accusation.
“A Barn Owl? Here? In Australia, in our backyard, right now.” Anna said calmly; she swept a strand of her darker brown hair away from her face.
“Yes!” Ruby said, grabbing Anna’s shoulder and pointing at thin air.
“I don’t see anything,” Anna stated.
“But I swear—this happened before—my eyes caught sight of an owl at work, sitting at the fence, and then it disappeared, and now it’s sitting at the fence.” Ruby pointed. The dark green fence covered in ivy was clear to see, but there was no Owl. Ruby was in disbelief; had she gone mad already? She knew her daydreams were one thing, but seeing things was another level altogether.
“Look, actually look.”
“Ruby, I don’t see anything; I’m tired; I’m going to bed.”
Snapping out of it, Ruby looked at her sister disappointedly. “But we were going to watch a movie.”
“Not tonight. I’m tired. Tomorrow.” Anna turned, leaving Ruby to her crazy delusion.
Ruby didn’t say anything. She respected her sister’s wishes, though she hated it when one changed their mind last minute. She looked out to the fence, seeing nothing. She sighed to herself, closing the sliding door. Ruby decided to head to her fridge, grab a glob of vanilla ice cream, and spray the chocolate ice cream all over the dessert. She didn’t care how messy it was; she would’ve cleaned it either way.
As she passed the desk, a slight breeze of cold air passed. Looking to her left, she saw the front door swing open. Sugar, Honey, Ice, Tea! She thought. I hope the dogs didn’t run out. Thankfully, they didn’t. Quickly, Ruby ran to close the front door. It must have been a windy night, but as she had recalled earlier, there was barely a gust. Perhaps she didn’t close the door properly; she did forget easily. Ruby checked the Dogs to make sure they were safe. One was medium, and the other was small enough to be mistaken for a Puppy. She patted the medium-sized one with white fur and the smaller one with black fur. She knew, at least, that the Cat was in her room asleep in her wardrobe, likely. Gazing up, she spotted something on the dining room table. She wandered over, curious.
A book? Who got a book?
She picked up the hardcover, it had no patterns or cover art, just a simple book, examining the title. She read ‘Labyrinth’. Wait isn’t that the title from that movie? Out of curiosity, Ruby flickered through the pages, her finger running across the opening lines of the book. ‘Give me the child; through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great’.
She was perplexed. She closed the book, though, out of curiosity, she reread it. “I am mightier than my own will; I am stronger than that which my dreams do envision. I have traversed the depths of the goblin city, a challenge thou hast laid before me. Behold what I have triumphed over, all-powerful one, and lament in the presence of my greatness, for I possess the strength to reclaim my freedom.”
Whatever that means.
Ruby looked around and went to her sister's room. “Hey Anna, did you get this? It’s so cool; the words remind me of the Dark Ages. I’ve studied text passages, and this—seems to fit the description. I can’t figure out the year, it reads like a mix of modern and medieval literature, presumably 500 A.D.”
“What?” she glanced up from her bed. “I don’t know; I didn’t get it. I was at a nightclub in the city. What bookshop would be open at this hour?” Anna said baffled.
She had a point. If Anna didn’t get this, then would Ruby have? Though Ruby was at work, so how could she have this in her possession? Whatever the answer was, Ruby didn’t mind. She was happy to read a new book. “I’ll give it a read, maybe we can watch the movie after.”
“Movie?”
“You know, the one based on this book, we saw it long ago.”
“Didn’t you ask me to watch a movie five times?”.
“Yeah, but I can analyse the differences.”
“Goodnight, Ruby.” She turned over.
Ruby turned off the light in her room, muttering, “Goodnight.”
Maybe she could show her friends, send a picture to her group chat, and ask for more information, although it is rather late. They probably wouldn’t answer her on time. She decided to head to her room to read and maybe even return the book to whoever may have read it before. The book seemed relatively new—not brand new, but new enough—she wondered about its previous owner. As she entered her room, she flickered through the pages, expecting to see any properties or authors, at least a trademark. Nothing. She turned the book over, and there was no blurb, no summary. This was extremely weird. First, the owl, and second, the book, titled from the movie itself. If this was a coincidence, then…perhaps there was a reason for the signs. Or she’s getting paranoid. Ruby sighed to herself, thinking this was madness, despite it not. She knew she had seen the owl; that was real, even though she had dismissed the thought, and now, weird things were happening.
She opened the book and stood in front of the mirror, seeing her reflection. Behind her was the reflection of her room, the only normal thing that she’d seen. She opened the book, and a strange sensation swirled around her, like what felt like a breeze. The breeze picked up as Ruby heard a whisper, causing her to drop the book in response. The pages flickered through, chapter upon chapter until it landed on one. Ruby, curious, picked up the book. Her finger landed on a peculiar paragraph. She read it out loud, in front of the mirror. “My life is fulfilled by thine stance; I dare challenge my own freedom for the deed you have taken. I contest for the freedom you've seized, ready to dare my existence to clash with yours; I accept thy challenge, royal kindred, for I shall reach beyond the goblin city unto the castle, to thy grail, to earn back my freedom.”
Thinking nothing of it, Ruby glanced up, preparing to place the book aside and head to bed. However, something happened as she looked into the mirror. Her bedroom reflection faded, swirled and turned into a whole new world. Looking closely, her mouth slightly gaped. She was bewildered. She waved her hands in front of the mirror, thinking it was some delusion. Reality check, it wasn’t. She carefully, cautiously placed her hand through the mirror’s reflection. This-This couldn’t be possible. How—in the world— was this possible? She could reach into the mirror, like, it was a doorway. She was able to walk right through the mirror. Her foot stepped forward, feeling the warm grains of sand. She carried the book with her; she looked closely at the book and then in the mirror. She couldn’t comprehend this. She thought this was an illusion. Clearly, this was an illusion or trick! But how she was able to feel the reality of it. The sand on the ground feels so real, like sand from a desert or beach. The temperature was so warm that she thought her pyjamas wouldn’t suit this climate.
As she stepped into this new dimension, she looked back behind her. “What, what!” she gasped. The mirror was gone! No way was this happening. Did she somehow defy science by walking through a magic door? Had anyone else even remotely known of this?
Looking at her surroundings, she saw what seemed to be a wasteland, nothing but desert. If this was one of her daydreams, how could it feel so real? Was she still in bed? Her questions were soon put to an end when she set her sights upon a strange structure made of stone wall; Ruby presumed it was built the same way Romans, Ancient Egyptians and Ancient Greeks built their structures, using limestone, sandstone or granite. It was impressive, to say the least; it seemed more medieval considering the structure, perhaps from the eleventh or fifteenth century. Ruby wondered if she managed to somehow travel back in time. If this was the medieval period, then why is it so desolate? Shouldn’t it be thriving? Pompeii was thriving, though that ended badly.
Ruby had so many questions filling her thoughts. She needed to get back home; that report was due tomorrow, and she had a date with Jason that night. He’ll be waiting. However, what should she tell him? ‘Hey, hun, I ended up in another dimension. Save the table for me.’
She read the book, wondering if there were any answers, but it only read in riddles; even the riddles provided nothing of use. Well, except she could deduce based on the description that this was the goblin city and that the castle must be—She gazed up, seeing a massive castle in the distance; the structure was, unusual; it didn’t fit any standard of your typical medieval castle. Ruby reads more, flipping through the pages increasingly, growing impatient. “Nothing; how is there nothing about teleporting mirrors and magical books.”
She recalled the moment before she read that passage. She flickered through the book to find it, pointing her finger at it; she read, “My life is fulfilled by thine stance; I dare challenge my freedom for the deed you have taken. I contest for the freedom you've seized, ready to dare my existence to clash with yours; I accept thy challenge, royal kindred, for I shall reach beyond the goblin city unto the castle, to thy grail, to earn back my freedom.”
Nothing. That was until—
“Well, well, look whose sealed their own fate.” A sly, deep, British voice emerged from behind her.
Turning her head from the book, Ruby looked at him with surprise. He seemed familiar, like she’s seen him on that DVD cover. “How are you real?”.
“Oh~ I’m as real as the ground you're walking on, the world you're seeing so patently.” The mysterious man stepped forward. His appearance reminded Ruby of seeing those glam rock stars from the eighties, except he wore an elaborate high-collared black jacket adorned with patterns and sequins, with a billowy white poet shirt ruffled beneath. The pants he wore were tight fitted, along with knee-high black boots. His hair astounded Ruby the most; it was so wild she’d never seen anything like it, his blonde-platinum hair cascading in a spiky style that didn’t seem to sit neatly but somehow did.
“I want to go home,” Ruby’s tone was almost demanding but still soft.
“Home? Hm, I’m afraid I can’t grant you that.” He said mockingly; he stepped closer. “Though, if you are so willing, I could give it to you.” Within thin air, his hand wrapped in a leather glove grasped an orb, a glass crystal ball. Ruby’s blue eyes widened in amazement. Suddenly, the crystal began to play an illusion. It was her, herself in her room, peacefully lying on her bed, watching her laptop, writing. “Indeed, everything within the confines of your reality is there. But, I must admit.” He took the crystal away, as Ruby glanced up. He twirled and quickly twisted the crystal ball within his hand, the weight of the ball effortlessly gliding around without falling. “Reality can be so boring, can’t it? Why not live where your fantasies can be alive.” The crystal ball then switched to view Ruby’s previous dream of her on the moon and within the forest. Out of shock, Ruby replied, “How do you know this? It’s not possible to see into one’s dreams.”
“And yet, I did” He sounded so nonchalant about the whole thing. as if he’s been through this countless times.
Ruby looked somewhat dumbfounded. Of course, the look on his face said it all; he was enjoying every bit of this.
It’s official: Ruby has lost her mind. She’s gone bonkers!
“Look at what I’m offering you, Ruby, your dreams, and believe me, this is no ordinary gift for just any girl.”
Ruby clung the book to her chest as if out of protection. She didn’t trust him. “Am I to believe I’m trapped here?”
“It’s your words, Ruby; you’ve spoken out, and I’ve heeded your request. Can’t you be so grateful for my generosity?”.
“Words? The words from that book, are you kidding me? That was not intentional.” Ruby was riled up; she couldn’t believe what this swindler was saying. Had he trapped her in this dimension just because she read something unintentionally? Honestly, this is what defines the word unfair.
“You’ve said what’s been said, and I can only grant what’s been given.”
Ruby could throw a hissy fit all she wanted, but he was right; she spoke out loud to the mirror. She challenged him, and he agreed.
“I’ll give you a chance; live freely forever in your dreams, forget your loved ones, forget about your old life or.”
“Or?”
“Or, complete my labyrinth.”
“Labyrinth? This is your Labyrinth? I would’ve thought it was perhaps an old structure revived from an ancient city, based on the sandstone.”
He was, albeit mildly, impressed by her analysis. Though, very, mildly.
He proudly flaunted himself, feeling boastful of her interest. “You have eighteen hours to complete my labyrinth, or you shall remain here forever…”
And with that, he faded away as Ruby overlooked into the distance. “Wait, where do I start—”.
Oh, he’s gone. Of course.
Ruby turned to the city carrying the book. She was clueless, alone, and already lost. But not to worry—all she had to do was stay optimistic, resilient, and Intelligent.
If only she’d brought a bag with tools or perhaps something with snacks.
After all, Ruby’s dreams were soon turning into reality. She won’t give up; she won’t give in, and she will is stronger than she thought.
Ruby began starting to trail toward the beginning of the outer wall, carrying the book with her.
And so, the adventure begins.