Hillary realized that her mother was no longer within the hedge and stood up.
She looked at Rupert who had been kneeling beside her. “That was my mother.
She’s very worried about me. At least I know she’ll be okay with Digby to protect her.” Rupert was quizzical. “Who is Digby? Is he real like you?” Hillary shook her head. “No, not exactly. He’s what Nana calls a Chimera creature…half-real, and half not-real. He needs a real person to see him and call his name to make him real, otherwise he’s just imaginary. Sometimes he’s bad, and sometimes he’s good.
You can never tell just what he’ll do. He always helps me though.” Rupert could barely follow the description. “There is so much I need to learn about your world, and mine. I wonder if I’ll ever be real?” Hillary shrugged her shoulders indifferently. “Who can say? Maybe the Thinker knows. Anyways, we need to get going and find a way out of this maze. I think we may need some help. Just then a small wooden door opened in the tall hedge. A young girl wearing blue and green 162
tartan dress emerged from inside. Hillary recognized her immediately. “Samantha!
I was wondering where you went. We need your help. We’re trying to get to the centre of this maze and find the Thinker.” Samantha smiled happily. “I’ve been busy. I was checking to see that your mother and father were all right. Follow me.” Her blatant lie went unchallenged. Hillary had no obvious reason not to trust her look-alike. Yet the cautionary words of her Nana resonated in her mind. Annie had told her that Samantha was not to be trusted. The wicked girl walked ahead of the other two travelers. There was another divergence in the path. After walking for a time in a new direction, she pointed to an ordinary looking spot in the hedge.
“There’s another portal here. Let me just find my potion to open it. She reached around inside the pockets of her dress. Hillary had a strange feeling about her twin. “Where do you get all these potions, Samantha?” The highly focused girl seemed to purposely ignore the question. A loud rumbling sound in the distance caught everyone’s attention. Hillary was alarmed by the disturbance. “What is that?” The blond-haired girl was genuinely concerned. “Hillary, I hope that’s not the evil red riders again. They’re still after us, you know.” Just then four jet black horses came galloping powerfully around the corner towards the group. Hillary shrieked in horror. “Look Samantha! Hurry!” The girl was aware of the danger and calmly pulled out a small purple bottle containing a bubbling liquid. “Stand back!” She hurled the potion into the leaves of the thick hedge. Instantly a small round oak 163
door with a heavy steel clasp emerged. Samantha quickly opened the door and urged her companions through. As Hillary and Rupert sped through, she shut it tight and turned a key in a lock. The two friends had escaped the fearsome riders, but found themselves in a no-less frightening predicament. They gazed around in fright. Hillary wondered to herself why Samantha had not followed them. She suspected the worst.
Carolyn was standing in her bedroom with Digby. She casually turned around to look into the mirror that had minutes before facilitated her escape. There was only a shadowy image as she stared into it’s reflective surface. She gasped with fright. “Oh my God! What’s happened to me? Am I dead, Digby?” The small boy chuckled. “No…but you’re not exactly alive either. It’s hard to explain. You’re half-real now. Some people will see you, and others won’t. That’s why you barely cast a reflection in the mirror. You are only a physical projection of your own imagination right now. Your body is still in the hospital.” Carolyn shook her head in disbelief. “Yes, but how am I able to walk around, and drive a car? You’re telling me that I’m actually in the hospital right now, just dreaming all of this?” 164
“Yes and no. Dreaming and waking are both complete illusions. Have you ever had a dream that seemed so real, you thought it was really happening to you?
If you want to help find Hillary, you need to get back into your body.” Carolyn had difficulty accepting his words. “Okay…so what exactly do I do to get my body back?”
“You need to go find your body, find a mirror, and walk through the mirror with your body. That will rejoin your separate parts.” The half-crazed mother nodded as if numb. “I’m going to call my mother, maybe she can help.” Digby nodded happily and left the room, speaking as he went. “I need to do something now, I think Hillary might be in trouble. Remember, use the mirror, and don’t speak to anybody but your mother. If you try and communicate with a real person the way you are now, you will alter them forever. You can contact Nana with the mirror.” Carolyn immediately thought about Mr. Boggs and the security guard she had encountered earlier. This was not the time to worry about them now, she thought. With Digby gone she was again alone in the room, but felt the eerie presence of another. She looked again at the ghostly image in the mirror.
Instinctively she sat before the mirror and spoke slowly and tentatively. “Hello?
Hello…mother, are you there?” For a moment the glass showed nothing but the furniture within the bedroom. Then Carolyn watched as a faint image of her mother’s face slowly materialized on the surface. “Mom? Is that you?” Her 165
mother’s lined face became very clear. “Yes…oh Carolyn, are you okay? You don’t look right.” Carolyn nodded quickly. “No…I’m so confused. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Digby told me that I am really lying in the hospital.” Annie replied that the information was correct. “I was worried about Digby at first, but I think we can trust him now. What he told you is true. We need to get you back together with your physical body. We’ll have to sneak back into the hospital somehow. Things have gotten so chaotic, I hope it’s not too late!” Carolyn listened intently and urged her mother on. “Quickly, tell me what to do!” Annie proceeded to explain the plan. “First you must climb through this mirror to my meet me. From there, we’ll go to the hospital. Carolyn did as she was instructed.
She carefully climbed into the mirror and emerged on the other side within her mother’s bedroom. “This is so strange mother…I don’t understand any of it. Am I dreaming right now?” She stared deeply into the eyes of her mother. Her mother hugged her close. “No dear, not the way you think. Of course, there really is no difference between dreaming and being awake. Think of them as two sides of the same coin. I’m not sure what we should do now. As you now exist, you are able to travel easily between the two worlds...that may come in handy. We need to find Samantha…Hillary is in great danger.”
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Hillary and Rupert looked around in horror. They stood at the far end of an immensely long grand hallway filled with bizarre, dangerous objects. The sumptuous mirrored hall recalled the rococo French royal court. Hillary had visited the palace of Versailles with her parents the previous summer. They had in fact traveled all over Europe. Many of the dazzling images from the fascinating trip were imprinted permanently in her mind. This mock Parisian seventeenth century courtroom had many very unique and terrifying features. The length of the room was literally a series of deadly tests. The two companions would be forced to run the gauntlet if they hoped to escape. Rupert stared at the first of the series of harrowing challenges. From the ceiling of the room a huge polished brass pendulum swung back and forth. It’s circular bottom was honed razor sharp. It swung back and forth rapidly, cutting the air with a loud whoosh as it did. Rupert was clearly unimpressed by the sight. “Hillary, is this what the real world is like?
If so, I think maybe I should go back to the castle.”
“No, this is not what it’s really like. This is some kind of terrible place created by Samantha from my own mind. She is very bad, I see that now. I remember seeing a computer game like this at a friend’s house. My Nana told me that everything that I’ve ever imagined-good or bad can be real in this world.” The young prince seemed puzzled. “I thought that Samantha was your twin?” Hillary 167
shook her head and corrected him. “She’s my doppelganger. Samantha is obviously trying to kill me…and you too. She thinks that by killing me, she will be able to take my place.” Rupert listened intently to the explanation. “Okay, so we need to stop her, is there anybody to help us?”
“Well not in here, we have survive inside by ourselves. There are people in the real world to help us though…my Nana, Digby and my Mom.” As they conversed, the pendulum began to move closer to them. Hillary immediately noticed the threatening change. “We can’t talk any more. We have to act. Now just count as the pendulum swings and then run right through. Don’t hesitate, Rupert. I don’t want you to get sliced apart. Watch me, I’ll go first.” Hillary released the boy’s hand and steadied herself. Counting aloud, she suddenly leapt into action.
She easily cleared the deadly sharp blade. Rupert was consumed by paralyzing fear, but knew he needed to be courageous. He watched as the shining blade came within a half foot of his face. He mimicked his friend’s counting cadence and ran forward. He felt the slightest touch of the cold steel against his back as he passed successfully through. They hugged each other in a congratulatory embrace.
They’re respite from danger was short as Hillary noticed the next formidable challenge awaiting them.
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Samantha shut the oak door to the hedge that Hillary and Rupert had scurried through. She watched as the four terrible crimson-robed riders came galloping towards her. Samantha smiled calmly as they approached. The leader moved down from his horse and floated towards her without walking. He was draped in a heavy blood-red velvet cloak that obscured his dark features. Only two red glowing orbs shone from beneath his hood. His voice was a barely audible low hoarse whisper. “Very good my girl. That should be the end of those two meddlesome children. Now for the second part of our plan. We must destroy the portal to our world, so that none may escape.” Samantha looked quizzically up at the fearsome figure. “But if we destroy the portal, how will I take Hillary’s place in the real world? How will I pass through?” The dark wraith explained further. “As you must now know, you can still travel through the dreams of a real person, and through the mirrors of that world. Once there, you need only find a real person to see you, and you become more real yourself.” Samantha was confused. “But I want to be all real, forever and ever, just like Hillary. How do I do that?”
“By touching the face of a real person who has seen you, that person’s life-force is transferred to you. That is all. Eventually all that is real will become lifeless, and the supra-real world of Nibiru will once again reign supreme.” Samantha was pleased by the explanation. “Hillary’s father is trapped within the storybook you gave me. Does that mean he’s in the land of Nibiru now also?” The 169
figure merely nodded and turned away. “We have much work still to do. You must find this father, he could still be very dangerous. Also beware of Annie, Hillary’s grandmother, I fear that she has begun to fathom our dark plan.” Charles Penrose vaguely remembered reading the storybook given to him and then nothing else. He awoke in a familiar room that looked like the one he had grown up in as a boy. He sat up in his childhood bed and stared down in shock at the floor. It was very dark in the room, but he noticed a strange movement all over the floor. Charles carefully knelt down on the bed to see the source of the motion. It soon became apparent to him as he recoiled in horror. The floor was composed of layer upon layer of snakes, spiders and giant centipedes. The creatures writhed and squirmed over one another with a sickening sound. Like a rising ocean tide, the slithering mass grew slowly nearer to the bed’s mattress. Charles was afflicted with a deep, morbid fear of the all slimy, crawling creatures. The prospect of drowning in a slimy soup of ghastly encroaching beasts caused him great panic. He stared hopelessly up at the ceiling as his chest heaved. The sea of dark biting creatures was nearly upon him. He could now distinctly hear their hissing, venomous approach. He called out loudly. “Help! Help…is there anybody out there? Where am I?” For many minutes there was no reply to his desperate pleas. The 170
unwholesome scaly brood was mere inches from the top of the bed. Charles could only close his eyes. Suddenly he heard a door open. He looked out from between his hands to see Digby. He again called out for assistance. The small boy recognized the man and yelled out loudly. “You have to make a run for it now.
You can do it, run over to me. You won’t be hurt. I promise.” Charles had reason to doubt the boy but had no other option. He looked down at the horrible slithering creatures which now began to crawl up onto the bed. “I don’t think I can do it, Digby!” The little boy thought of another idea. “Mr. Penrose, do you still have that little talisman you brought home from Cambodia?” Charles recalled the object and automatically reached down in his pocket. He grabbed hold of it and displayed it.
Digby was relieved to see it. “Okay, now throw it down on the bed. It will scare the creatures away. I’ll call it over here, and you follow it, okay?” Charles did as he was instructed. The three inch tribesman leapt from his hand into the thick sea of creatures. They at once scurried away from the living talisman. As the tiny idol fought his way towards the door, Charles carefully followed the cleared path. Soon he had escaped the befouled space. He jumped through with Digby, who shut the door tight as they left. Charles looked down appreciatively at the Lilliputian fellow.
“I want to thank you, Digby. Without you, I think I’d be snake food right now. I still have no idea what’s going on. Is this some sort of weird dream?” Digby shook his head. “No…this is much worse than that. You’re trapped inside the 171
storybook right now…you’re in Nibiru…a place where imaginary characters live and breath. Samantha did it…somehow she has become very bad. We need to stop her… and quick.” With that declaration, the resourceful red-haired sprite turned and sped away. “Come on, Mr. P. We’ve got lots to do.” Hillary and Rupert stood together upon the intricate parquet floor of the long hallway. A mere three feet from them a succession of deadly fireballs came whizzing by them from one side to the other. They were shot from a gray stone circle built into the mirrored wall. Hillary watched them carefully and calculated that they were shooting past every two seconds. It would again take precise timing to successfully negotiate this obstacle, thought Hillary. Rupert was visibly perturbed. “Is this another test from your imagination?” Hillary nodded sympathetically. “I’m afraid so. We might as well get it over with. Do you want me to go first?” The prince was much aggrieved, but relented. “Yes…you best go first.
I’m still trying to understand this strange world.” Hillary stood a foot away from the oncoming scorching fireballs. She could feel the searing heat upon her face.
Counting to herself, she took three slow breaths and jumped across the fiery barrier. She jumped up in joy as she reached the other side. Rupert carefully copied 172
the actions of his brave companion. He leapt across quickly and joined the stalwart girl. “That was a tough one Hillary. You are so courageous. Is everyone in the real world as heroic as you?” Hillary was very pleased by the compliment. “Well, I don’t know. I’m still just a little girl. I know that my Nana is very brave. Look ahead, Rupert. I think we have one more test to pass before we can escape from this place.” They both stared mournfully at the most frightening of all the harrowing obstacles.
Carolyn sat on the sofa in Annie’s quaint living room. It was Christmas morning yet neither woman had the slightest feeling of Holiday cheer. There was only sparse Christmas decoration. “Mom, your tree looks nice this year. ” The older woman smiled and put her hand upon her daughter’s knee. “It’s such a bother without your father to help put it up…and I figured you’d have one, but its still a nice thing to have...tradition I suppose. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure that I’d be invited over for Christmas dinner.” Carolyn returned with a conciliatory hug. “Of course you were invited. Do you think that Hillary would let us have dinner without you?”
“It’s just, that…I know how Charles feels about me…I mean it’s not like he’s tried to hide his feelings, I know he hates me.” 173
“That’s not true, it’s just that he’s never understood you…quite frankly I’m not sure that I do either. Of course that’s all changed now… that they’re both…gone…” Carolyn fell unto her mother’s lap and sobbed quietly. Annie gently stroked her long auburn hair. “It’s okay, things are a little confused right now, but we’ll manage. I suppose I should try and explain everything that’s happened. I wanted to shield you from this…but I see the time has come. Let me see…where to begin…it all started one day when I was watching Hillary. She was only two at the time. One day we were up in the bedroom and she started staring into the mirror.
She got up close to it and actually put her hand right through the surface. Another time we were reading a children’s book about some mischievous bears. After we finished the book, two small bears came walking out of the closet. Of course I knew then. Hillary has always been a special girl. You know I had the same abilities when I was a girl, but nobody ever properly explained them to me. I just assumed I was delusional. I honestly don’t know why you never developed these talents, Carolyn. Sometimes these things skip a generation. Maybe it was your father, the hardened pragmatist who caused you to lose your powers. There is a specific point in time, in the life of every young child, wherein they make a conscious choice to accept the world of reality, or to remain ensconced within their own inner world of the imagination. I recognized that Hillary had this great potential, and so I nurtured her and taught her how to control her power. I never 174
expected that Hillary’s mind would grow so strong, so fast. I’m afraid that I might have prevented this all from happening.” Carolyn sat beside her mother listening intently to the explanation. “ It’s all so incredible…like some strange dream. We probably didn’t help. Charles and I always tried to prevent her from using her imagination too much. We had no idea that she’d try and run away…forever.” Annie tried to alleviate her daughter’s fears. “There were times I wanted to explain to you what was happening with Hillary, but it’s such a strange ability, that I doubted you’d believe me. That, and I wanted her to have as normal a childhood as possible, you understand?” The two women hugged each other and sat together watching as a light flurry of snow fell outside. Annie broke away from the embrace and faced her daughter. “I wish we had time to celebrate some sort of Christmas, but I think we need to figure out a way to stop Samantha…and whomever it is that’s helping her…before it’s too late.” Her daughter agreed wholeheartedly. “I can’t imagine what sort of Christmas it would be without Hillary or Charles. I’m ready to do whatever it takes.”
The Detective recalled the conversation he had had with Carolyn’s mother the previous night. It was late afternoon on Christmas day, and Charles had failed 175
to show up for dinner as expected. His wife Angela called out to him from the kitchen. The tantalizing aroma of turkey, stuffing and baked vegetables wafted through the open door. “Honey, wasn’t that man, the one with the missing girl supposed to be here for dinner?”
“I was just thinking the same thing. Listen, I have to pick up your mother from the airport, I think I’ll just swing by the house and check on him, if you don’t mind.”
“That’s fine, we still have plenty of time. Why don’t you bring Wallace with you? He needs some fresh air.” The officer was pleased to have the company for the ride. He called to his son and they were out the door and on their way. The streets were nearly empty. Most people had already arrived at their Christmas destination by that point in the day. Before heading to the airport, Detective Gardner and his son Wallace first stopped at the Penrose household. The black Mercedes belonging to Charles Penrose was parked in the driveway. Gabriel Gardner drove up behind it and exited from the car with his son. “This should just take a minute, Wally. You can wait in the car if you like.” The boy was tall for an eight year old. He was a natural soccer talent and played chess at a high level of skill. He wore small round glasses and had short hair. He dreamed of one day being a master chess player, like his father. The detective knocked upon the heavy red steel door. His son assisted in the endeavor by pressing the doorbell several times.
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His father stopped him by grabbing his arm. “That’s enough now, give him a minute. He might still be sleeping.” Wallace looked up at him incredulously.
“Sleeping? Who can sleep on Christmas day? That’s crazy!” Gabriel waited another moment then began to ponder the situation and spoke out loud. “Now his car is still here, so that means that he should be inside, right?” His son nodded. “He could have gone for a walk, Dad.”
“Good point son, except that he knew he was expected for dinner, so he would have called us first to say he would be late. I don’t know…something is wrong here. Let’s just check around back to make sure there’s no other way in.” The two began circling the house in opposite directions. Wallace called out first.
“Dad, the garage door is open, maybe we can get in there.” His father followed him into the garage and up to the door. Grasping the doorknob, he could see that it had been left open. They walked in and checked through the house for some sort of clue as to the whereabouts of Mr. Penrose. The house seemed utterly empty. They both continued to scour the house for anything that might solve the mystery. Wallace checked upstairs, in the bathroom and finally inside Hillary’s room. He saw a peculiar looking book propped up on the bed. He walked over to it and picked it up.
It was unlike any other storybook he had ever seen. The cover was overlaid with strange gilded Egyptian markings. Wallace was completely fascinated. He casually flipped open to the first page when he heard his father coming up the stairs.
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Wallace turned around to see a young dark blond haired girl standing by the floor mirror. She was dressed in a blue and green tartan dress, and looked to be a few years younger. The unexpected visitor spoke in a very friendly manner. “Go ahead Wallace, take the book with you. Just hide it in your backpack.” Wallace was startled by the sudden appearance of the beautiful girl. “Who are you? You look like that missing girl…I saw your picture on the news. Is this your book?” The girl hurried him along. “Never mind who I am, just take my book with you, before your father gets here. It’s okay, he won’t mind, I promise.” Wallace found himself mesmerized by the bewitchingly beautiful girl. He could not help but follow her wishes. He posed another question to the self-possessed girl. “My father is looking for the man who lives here, do you know where he is?” Just then Gabriel Gardner walked into the room. “Who were you talking to son? It sounded like there were two voices in here.” Wallace looked up at his father and then again at the mirror.
Samantha had again vanished. “Dad…I swear, I was talking to a girl…she was just here. Where did she go?” His father was unimpressed by the unbelievable explanation. “Now Wallace, what have I told you about letting your imagination get the better of you? There was no girl in here. I think you’ve got girls on the brain! Now let’s get going, we need to pick up your grandmother.” Wallace was completely inconsolable. “Dad, I’m not lying…I swear!” He looked around the room and spotted a familiar picture within a frame. He ran over to it and pointed at 178
the image of the young girl. “There, see this girl? It was her, I was just talking to her! You’ve got to believe me.” Detective Gardner grabbed the photo from his hand and examined it quickly. “That’s not funny, Wally. This happens to be a picture of a girl who has been missing for quite some time. I don’t have time for this. Come on.” With that perfunctory end to the exchange, he grabbed his son by his coat and urged him out. They departed as they had come, this time locking the garage door. They headed directly for the airport. Wallace held tightly onto his backpack as he stared out the window. He could hardly wait to be alone, so that he might examine his pilfered literary treasure. Detective Gardner felt a stirring unease in his gut as they drove along in silence.
Rupert was more than slightly frightened by the strange complex contraption ahead of them. Even the normally courageous Hillary was hesitant. Ten meters away, two large rectangular granite blocks were moving back and forth across the floor. They met in the centre every three seconds with a huge deafening crash. Just beyond that, a second series of blocks came crashing together one second later. A final set of crushing blocks completed the treacherous journey. The two friend’s eyes met as they shared a moment of intimacy. Rupert realized that it was incumbent upon him to finally take the lead. “I’m going to go first this time 179
Hillary. You follow me if I make it through okay.” His tremulous voice belied the paralyzing fear that seized his heart. His wide dark eyes were heavy with emotion.
Hillary was at first reluctant to acquiesce. She clearly recognized the look of terror in his open face. “Are you sure Rupert? This looks like the worst one of all. Maybe I should go first.”
“No…I’ve made up my mind. I have to do this…if I want to be real, I have to learn to be more brave.” He gazed ahead at the terrifying, nefarious gauntlet.
Hillary realized his heart was set. “All right, but remember to move quickly and carefully.” Rupert gazed at her and readied himself. He touched her face gently and turned toward the dizzying challenge. He set off slowly towards the first deadly set of crushing blocks. Hillary could not look at the horrifying scene unfolding. Rupert came to the very edge of the smooth black granite blocks. He was a mere foot away. The crashing rocks caused a great rush of air to slap his face. He began to mentally calculate the necessary steps to negotiate the obstacle. He realized that the slightest hesitation would result in his demise. He counted to three and was off.
The first massive blocks crashed before him as he jumped through them. He waited one moment and leapt through the second set. After a second, he ran through the next set and was safe. All the while, Hillary imagined his determined face running through the crashing blocks. She called out exuberantly, “you did it! I knew you could. Now wait for me!” Rupert stood confidently with his arms folded across his 180
chest. He was worried for Hillary, but was optimistic that she too would succeed.
Hillary had watched her companion’s accurate gauging of the intervals and mimicked them precisely. She arrived through to the other side with a huge sigh of relief. They hugged each other warmly. Hillary noticed then what lay ahead of them. A tall yellow, shiny plastic door stood before them. They both wondered what horror or wonder lay in wait for them beyond the canary door.
Charles was still dazed by his horrifying experience in the room of squirming creatures. Digby led Mr. Penrose quickly along a narrow white hallway.
On either side of the hall a succession of gray doors seemed to continue endlessly into the distance. A small framed picture was hung above each of the doors. “Mr.
Penrose, make sure you don’t forget your little helper there. You better put him back in your pocket.” Charles looked down and noticed the tiny tribesman idol standing obediently by his feet. “Right, how could I forget? I almost forgot about the little guy. It’s hard to believe something so small could be so useful.” Digby took the remark as a minor insult. “Hey! What about me? Are you saying I’m useless or something? You’d be surprised to see what a small person like me can do!” Charles immediately attempted to correct his inadvertent slight.