Reading and drawing had always helped me forget how bad my life was. I loved to make up worlds where everything was perfect and everyone was happy. There would be magical creatures like Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids, Personios, Mardaugs, and whatnot. The sky would always be a bright rainbow, and the Fairies and Birds singing together in harmony.

I would draw pictures of this, but also read books about it. I’d always wanted to suddenly find out that I had magical powers.

Now I was here. I was in a magical world, with Mardaugs and Personios. Maybe I would just wake up in the hospital and cry my whole life, being so disappointed that this world wasn’t real, and my adventure never happened.

Since the moment I’d woken up here I hated it. The cold, the hot, the Mardaugs, and hunger and thirst. This wasn’t what I’d wished for every night before bed. This wasn’t what I’d prayed for before doctors gave me injections, or blood tests, and such painful memories I refuse to remember.

But now, seeing this outstandingly gorgeous castle, I knew that coming to this horrible world, and suffering through all this, was worth it. This was what I’d drawn. This was what I read about. This was what I’d wished, prayed, and dreamed for my whole life.

A real live fairytale castle.

It was ten times the size of the village Robus. The enormous golden double doors in the front themselves were three times the height of Karym’s hut, and five times the length. Wonderful green poles were stationed all around the red brick walls, like veins that held the castle together. I couldn’t count how many floors there were. Hundreds, thousands? This didn’t exist in our world. I wondered how the oxygen was up there. Maybe Personios had a different breathing system, evolved to survive those heights?

The palace looked as wide as the mountain itsPersonio. As the carriage bumped on the dirt, and then smoothly strolled on the stones, I could see each individual shiny red brick in the castle. Each and every one seemed to reach out and give out sunlight. I didn’t know how to explain it. Magically, like how we breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide, it took in darkness, and let out light. How I knew this, I’d never know. Being in this place. . .it was like it fed anyone who entered the information needed, so no one needed to talk. Like everything was done for them. . .

On maybe the third or fourth floor was a long window that spread out on both sides as far as I could see. The rim was a beautiful woven gold and green, and I could see blue curtains on the inside. But how could I see this far? I didn’t even have to squint. I just barely thought about the window, and my eyes zoomed in automatically. I could relate with a smart robot.

Bright green trees grew all around. They sparkled in the afternoon sunlight, like glass. Exotic looking bushes and flowers were growing perfectly in the harsh winter weather in circles. In the middle of every circle was a tall stone fountain, with running water. Why wasn’t it frozen?

There were no mosquitoes or flies. The air was cold and had a constant sharp wind, but the plants still grew excellently, like it was a beautiful summer day.

The carriage stopped.

The driver opened the door for Arkel and I, and without hesitation I followed the old Personio down the stone path, towards the tall golden doors. I heard birds chirping, but that was impossible in this weather. I looked around and didn’t see any.

The trees seemed to sprout as I walked by. They grew gorgeous flowers of various colors, and shining leafs of beautiful shades of green.

How was this happening? It was so. . .unrealistic. So fake.

Before I knew it I was standing before the grand golden gates, Arkel beside me. His usual proud, calm features were replaced with pure fear and nervousness. I wanted to ask what was wrong, but decided otherwise. I was soon at a loss for words when the doors opened themselves, and by some unknown force I was entering the palace.

The first thing I noticed was the absence of life. The palace, or just this room; I had no idea, was completely silent. I looked around for someone, but there wasn’t anyone but Arkel and the guards behind us. I shivered. This wasn’t what I’d expected in a beautiful castle like this.

The entire north wall of this room was stain glass. They were pictures of male Personios. I figured they were the Kings.

The floor was made of red leaves I’d never seen before. They seemed to sparkle, although there was no natural light in this room. The entire ceiling was one soft light that reflected on the mirrored walls which shimmered like water. My curiosity took over. I touched a mirror, and it made a little bubble like real water.

In the center of the room was a transparent green cylinder. It bubbled constantly like boiling water. In front of it was a throne made of forever rustling flowers and branches. There were so many different colors that if just one more was added, the throne would look black. The center of each and every flower glowed as bright as the sun.

On the magnificent chair sat an Personio, draped in so many layers of clothing that he should have died of heat by now. He wore a tall golden crown with tuffs of unknown animal fur poking out at each tip. The bottom rim of it was a pure blue, probably from some stone unbeknownst to me, or any Human.

The King wore a purple robe, overlapped by a red robe. I couldn’t see his feet, but I assumed they were bare, like all the other Personios I’d seen.

The Personio wore so much jewelry that I could barely tell what his skin color was. But from the little exposed skin, I knew it was green.

After I had taken it all in, and was still in the process of trying to convince myself it wasn’t another dream, the Personio King spoke.

“A Human.” he said, and stopped like the conversation was over. He patiently waited for mine and Arkel’s attention. Once that was done, he motioned for the two guards standing behind us to come further in. They positioned themselves on both sides of the doors, and stayed silent.

“A Human.” the King repeated. “How, tell me little one, have you found your way away from your species, and into our territory?” The Personio had a deep, rocky voice.

I took a deep breath, so happy to be here but so nervous that I was going to talk to the Personio King. “I found myself on the mountain, and realised that it was too steep to go down, so I went up. Then I found this place, and now. . .”

“I see.” mumbled the King. He looked at a quivering Arkel beside me. “And you, Arkel, have come to ask what to do?”

Arkel nodded shyly.

“Well then, Human, it’s either you stay or you go. I must talk to the Queen, and all the other leaders of the Villages, and we’ll decide if we want you here or not. For now, Malok, Rabonk, please escort the Human to a guest room reserved for other creatures, and Arkel to a guest bedroom reserved for the leaders of the Villages.” he nodded at the two guards.

They each nodded in return, and motioned for us to follow them. I was going to ask how we were going to go to higher floors, when they led Arkel and me to the clear green cylinder. They simply walked in, so I carefully followed. With nothing as a floor, we began moving up fast. Stories raced by so fast I couldn’t count them. Just when I was starting to get noxious we slowed down and stopped.

We were on a floor with no windows, so I couldn’t tell how high up we were. Two identical hallways spread off to the right and left. Following the guards left, I noticed that Arkel was shaking from head to toe. I wanted to tell him that everything was all right, but couldn’t find the way to say it.

There was a space of about 10 yards between doors. In those spaces hung landscape paintings. Waterfalls, gardens, villages, fire, forests, everything. Each painting was so realistic that I felt as if I were traveling through each one as a different person. Suddenly I felt light-headed, so drawn into the swirl of colors.

A sharp pain in my back woke me from my trance. The bright sun dissipated, the oceans stood still, and the birds stopped chirping. I was back in the long hallway of doors and paintings, with Arkel by my side, one guard in front, and one in back.

I blinked in surprise, then looked over at Arkel. He was just drawing back his green hand from slapping my back.

I didn’t have to ask.

“You stopped walking, and your eyes crossed. You went pale suddenly. I had no idea what was happening, and my first instinct was to slap you out of it. It seems that worked.” Arkel explained. So shocked by what had happened, I barely had the guts to nod.

All this time the guards had stayed quiet, like this happened often. They continued walking down the hall. I cautiously followed with an equally nervous Arkel at my side.

Finally we stopped at a door. The guard in front of me took out a glowing yellow ball from his bag, and placed it parallel with the doorknob. It hovered in the air for a moment before inserting itsPersonio into the lock. When it exited it looked a tiny bit less bright.

The guard opened the now unlocked door, leading the party into a circular room with no natural light. All along the walls of the room were doors.

We headed for the door at the far end of the room. The guard behind me accompanied me there, while Arkel and the other guard disappeared through a different door.

My escort took out a glowing yellow ball, but less bright than the other man’s. He did the same as before; placed it in front of the doorknob, and on its own it disappeared into the lock, and came out less bright.

My chaperone opened the door which led into a short hallway. Like all the others I’d seen in this castle, there were doors lined neatly on each side. I followed the guard to the third door on the right, where he stopped and unlocked it. I figured we had finally made it to our destination, because we appeared in a rectangular room with only one door on the left.

My Personio escort left me to explore on my own. He shut the door behind him. I instinctively tried the doorknob, and wasn’t surprised to find that the guard had locked the door. Although my room was fancy, I felt like a dirty prisoner.