The Inner RealmDecember 15, 1983Copyright © 1997 Property of Deborah K. Fletcher. All rights reserved.
I was walking through the woods one day. I had been visiting friends inn the north, and the house was surrounded by woods. As I walked along a path, I began to sense something. The thing I sensed was an aura of power. I continued along the path, far beyond the farthest I had ever gone before. After a whileI came to a point where another pathbranched off the one on which I was walking. I decided to explore this new path. The path led very steeply upward. I had not realized that the hill was so large. Before long, I found myself on a ledge. Facing me was a cliff with a cave in it. I was a bit nervous, but the power I had felt seemed to emanate from the cave. I entered. The cave was very narrow, and long. It was also dark. Nervously, I made my way along the wall of the cave - it seemed to be an endless tunnel! The tunnel descended steeply. I felt as though I was walking into the bowels of the earth. Several hours later, I realized that the tunnel was not so steep as it had been. It was now much easier to walk. I continued to follow the tunnel. After a long time, I came to notice that the tunnel was not so dark. Was I coming to the end of the tunnel, or was this some phenomena of the earth's chemistry? I pressed on and soon found it to be the latter. I had come out into a huge cavern. The walls were of some substance of which I knew nothing. They possessed luminescence, though I could find no means for light to enter that place. I soon gave up trying to discover the source of the light, and concentrated on the beauty of my surroundings. I was on a wide ledge, which seemed to encircle the entire cavern. There was a pond in the center, which my eyes and nose told me was water, though I didn't taste it for fear of poison. The rocks along either side of the ledge took the form of statuary, though closer examination showed that no chisel made by man had touched these. There were many small plants living in this region of the earth. To my surprise, these plants were green and covered with flowers, regardless of the lack of sunlight. I was marveling at the beauty of it, when the silence of the cavern was broken by a sound like that of entire zoo, gone mad. I spun about and came face to face with a huge creature. It was exactly like the mythical dragons that children are told of. It was twenty feet tall, had mottled green skin, turquoise blue wings, claws as large as my fist, and fiery red eyes. It did not look friendly! I considered it wise to vacate the premises without startling the dragon. I began to talk soothingly as I backed away toward the tunnel. Then something happened which absolutely stunned me. The dragon blinked out and a young man stood before me. We wore a green tunic and breeches, and the tunic had turquoise sleeves. "Good morn, fair lass," he said." How came thee to the Inner Realm?" I came through a cave on the surface. I don't know where I am," I replied. "Thou art in the Inner Realm, the world within the world. Thy people created this world through their telling of faery tales. Thy people have great potential," he said. "How could a world be created by the telling of tales? That can't happen. A place like this can't be made from people's fancy," I cried. My voice had reached a hysterical note. "Please, lass, get thee not into such a state. It be not good for thee. Sit, and I will attempt to explain that which thou hast called impossible," said he. The remainder of that day, and perhaps several more, I lost track of time, was spent in explanations. Naturally, the relating of fairy tales was par for the course. In time, I realized that the people of the surface would be worried about me, so I asked the dragon to take me home. "I beg thee to forgive me, but I canst not go near the surface, lest I be killed by thy people. It wouldst be far better for me to remain in mine own world, and for thee to return to thine," he said, sorrowfully. "I understand. Thank you for your help. Would it be possible for me to return one day? It is so beautiful here," I replied, questioning. "Thou couldst return if thou so wished, so long as thou believed in fantasy and magic. Otherwise, thou couldst not return. Farewell!" he cried. I followed the tunnel back to the surface. When I arrived I heard voices calling my name. "I'm here!" I cried. The people began to gather about, though many of them didn't know me. When my mother arrived she hugged me tightly, and then scolded me for staying in the woods for three days. She didn't punish me physically; she assumed that I had been punished enough by my stay in the woods. If she could only know the truth . . . Please View and Sign My Guestbook © 1998-2000 Debbie Fletcher, joiya@tcia.net
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