Harmony opened her eyes as the light and noise from the bump subsided. The ambulance, her entranced-mother, the fog and even the pain in her head were all gone. She frowned as she took in her new surroundings.
Alone and puzzled she found herself submerged, up to her neck, in a pool of warm liquid. The secretion was silver in colour and it possessed a consistency similar to treacle. A sweet-scented perfume wafted up to greet her. Like steam rising from a hot bath the aroma formed visible wisps that swirled around her.
Her attention moved beyond the pool and focused on the encompassing forest. The trees were dense, tall and wrapped in golden bark. The metallic-skin glistened and reflected the few adventurous rays of sunlight that speared through the canopy.
As each beam collided with a tree’s trunk it fractured into several shafts. Each fractal transformed into a patch of rainbow. The prismatic-lights rippled across the twig-strewn floor in a kaleidoscopic dance.
Between the golden trees the forest air was thick and pungent. The mulched-swelter, a humid blend of damp earth and decayed flora, was punctuated with strange streaks of iridescence. The smears of tangible light disintegrated after a few moments; becoming a glittering powder that vanished on the lethargic breeze.
Harmony narrowed her eyes and located the source of the trails; a tiny, glowing creature zooming around in erratic movements. It was at this point Harmony realised she was dreaming. Nothing this beautiful could possibly exist...
With a grimace she decided her fingers were becoming too pruned by the water. She reached for the pool’s edge. The thick liquid was absurdly difficult to move through, akin to swimming in honey. It took all her might to reach the side and grip the moss-covered rim. She looked around to check no one was lurking in the bushes. Her suspicion scoured the foliage looking for spying eyes.
Satisfied that no one was skulking she heaved her naked body from the pool. To her amazement and relief the liquid did not remain in the puddle. As her body elevated, the pool’s content clung to her. The liquid formed into drapes of aquatic-fabric that began to weave, meld and contour around her body. In a matter of seconds she was clothed in a beautiful, ethereal gown that billowed around her on the breeze like an enormous, tropical-jellyfish.
The colour of the material changed in a flash of light from silver to a hundred hues of purple. Tiny diamond-like lights flowed endlessly from a cluster around the high collar. Each dash of light followed an erratic path, like bolts of lightning, out to the hem of the dress.
Harmony looked down expecting to see her bare feet sunken into the vibrant green moss. Surprisingly this was not the case; her feet were not on the ground...
She was in fact floating several inches above the ground; her feet pointed like that of a ballerina mid-pirouette.
“How weird is this?” she voiced to herself.
The lucidity of this dream was astonishing. Or perhaps this was a concussion? She had hit her head pretty hard after all. It didn’t matter really. Either way she was in the dream now, as such she decided to make the most of it. Instinctively her hand raised and caught one of the glowing creatures.
The fly tickled the palm of her hand as she brought it to the level of her eyes. Slowly and carefully she loosened her grip and peeked inside. A gasp of shock and wonder escaped her. Slowly her gaze penetrated the light and saw the being within. In her hand she held a tiny, golden seahorse. Upon its back were four, luminescent, dragonfly-like wings that fluttered as fast as a hummingbird’.
The creature made a very disgruntled whinny and darted out her hand leaving its lustrous trail in the air. The bright-beast raced to join a very large group of its kin. It bounced and buzzed, communicating some unknowable tale. A moment of panic aroused her suspicion as the collective colour of the seahorse-flies shifted from gold to volcanic-red.
The group of creatures advanced on Harmony's position. Panic-stricken she tried to take a step forward. The small movement in her foot propelled her through the forest several feet.
The movement brought a smile to her face. She repeated the action again, with more force and this time, and was catapulted thirty feet. A wide grin spread from ear to ear as she repeated the movement over and over. The rapid propulsion soon resulted in her leaving the infuriated mob of seahorse-creatures far behind.
Speeding and weaving between the trees made the tendrils of her garment billow around her in a haunting, twisting motion. The lengths of cloth reached out and curled round tree trunks and branches. Like the arms of a colossal octopus, the tendrils allowed her to change direction at breakneck speeds. She laughed and screamed out loud at the exhilaration of flying.
***
After her fill of flying Harmony reduced her speed and slowed down to a gentle drift. She took the time to look around and as she did so she became aware of two details.
Firstly the trees were of a familiar construction in this part of the forest. The golden-bark trunks had been replaced with the usual browns, greys and greens. Moreover there was a distinct lack of iridescence. There was no mistaking it, this was a very ordinary forest.
The second element to be observed, which was probably the most important, was a huge wall of grey stone. The endless boundary separated the forest; splitting the woods in two like an axe through a log.
She came to a stop by a large oak tree. The ancient timber sat at the edge of a clearing. Harmony ran her fingertips across the reassuringly-natural bark as she walked its circumference.
Her fixation on the tree abruptly ended as she glimpsed a woman with flame-red hair. The stranger was dressed in a gunmetal-grey gown. The dull garment appeared to be made of the same aquatic-fabric as her dress. Though, admittedly the woman's frock looked to be stagnant and sickly. Its lifeless tendrils trailed lazily along the ground, apparently unable to rise and perform as Harmony's did with such ease.
The red-haired woman stood next to a large, copper, clockwork gate. The mechanical portal was housed between two huge pillars, each topped by a bizarre gargoyle.
On the right sat a massive, white snail. The sizeable mollusc was carved from a pale wood and decorated with golden coins. It’s counterpart to the left was a wolf, hewn from obsidian. The fearsome beast was adorned with silver armour and he watched over the entrance with a ferocious snarl frozen on his face.
Harmony shuddered as she looked away from the wolf. The very sight of him made her blood run cold and she gave thanks that he was only a statue. In an attempt to push him from her mind she focused on the gate and the woman before it.
The design of the portal was decidedly cruel. The keyhole was transient. With a degree of intelligence it shifted from cog to cog, never staying in once place for longer than a blink. The opening appeared to taunt the woman beneath it, teasing and tempting her by passing close before quickly relocating to an awkward and often lofty extreme.
Harmony got the distinct impression that whoever built the wall did not want any visitors. Her eyes flitted onto the woman and she wondered what lay beyond the cogs? What treasure was worth the effort of entry?
The red-haired beauty cried great, heaving sobs of sadness and frustration. Tears streaked her cheeks as she desperately sorted through a burgeoning ring of keys in her hand. Despite the futility of her task she tried each key in the evasive lock. When it failed to turn, instead crumbling into dust in her hand, her sobs began anew.
Harmony watched silently as the woman sank to the floor defeated and exhausted; her eyes too full of tears to carry on. She dropped the keys on the ground and they landed with a clinking-thud.
Harmony was just about to announce her presence when the stranger's head jerked upward. Her steel-grey gaze locked with Harmony’s own and the air around them seemed to electrify. The disenable alteration in the atmosphere caused the hair on Harmony's arms stand on end.
The woman's lips moved quickly, mouthing a succession of silent words. Instantly the gap between them filled with golden threads. The gleaming fibres lashed around Harmony and tethered her to the ground.
The filaments slowly ensnared her arms and legs. They felt warm and comforting on her skin and her attempts to struggle were feeble at best. Instead she found herself relenting to their soothing touch; so warm and comforting...
The strange woman stood, wiped her eyes and they began to float. Her grey dress appeared to have acquired some life. The long, squid-like arms reached out to restrain Harmony's own agitated tendrils. The woman cautiously approached, though she still maintained a defensive gap.
“Oro Axiom! Now speak your name, child,” she commanded.
Her soft, musical voice was a joy to hear and it was supported by a distinct melody of tinkling bells. Harmony felt elated as she spoke. All she could do was smile.
The woman matched the smile. Her delicate mouth mimicked the expression and she exposed her flawless white teeth. Maintaining the grin she drifted closer to Harmony. Her large, grey eyes held the intense, unrelenting gaze as she waited for an answer.
“My name is Harmony. Harmony Ryder,” she replied a last. As the strings tickled her face she remained blissfully unaware of their grip around her throat.
“It can't be…? Harmony? I had all but given up hope,” the woman began to say. She appeared elated with Harmony’s answer. Then she added. “Where is the key?”
“Huh? What key?”
“It came with the letter. Did you bring it?”
“I dropped it,” Harmony revealed nonplussed.
“You dropped it! You must find it, Harmony!” the woman screamed. “You must!”
“Harmony! Harmony!” Rose's voice echoed through the forest. Both Harmony and the red-haired woman looked into the sky.
As Harmony looked upward the dream shattered and she snapped back to reality with a painful bump...felt mostly on her head.