Another World

When I read I’m sent to another world
My place, replaced by the book I hold
I can feel the rocky road beneath me and the winter’s cold
See the small village before me and the castle unfold

I can hear the townsfolk talking as the kingdom’s war wages
Meet the wizards, and the witches, and the masters, and the mages
The swarm of soldiers that rages and rages

Fighting for a world that is built from their pages
Later watch in horror as the bashful battle heats
Feel my fingers curl and my heart play the beat
To the sound of striking swords and running feet
Then the sounds of tremendous triumph at the enemy’s defeat

Now I can see folks celebrating with faces bright as gold
As the story comes to a close, now a great sight to behold
And though it happens every time, it never gets old
I love to be sent to another world in

-Apricot

Background: This is a poem I wrote about how I feel when I read. Reading can be such a fun and fantastic experience for me because it allows me to feel like I’m inside the story, or a part of the book’s plot. I wrote this poem to share that experience with others, since I believe it is an experience many people can relate to, as well as because I thought it would be an enjoyable experience to write about, which it most certainly was. 

The “Impossible” Mission

“Everyone come over to the rug to hear this story I found in the back of the book shelf! Not sure how this got there, but lets find out what this is about.” the teacher said while grabbing a seat in her rocking chair.

“Once upon a time…”

Deep in the woods, there was a mysterious cabin with sticky cobwebs in every corner. The voice of a man echoed in the forest. “HA! HA! HA! Stay there or it will not end well!” he said smiling. A young lady named Val was tied up in a chair in the middle of the room. Tears falling from her eyes, she struggled to cry for help…

“Liam! Go to the headquarters, grandpa wants to talk to you about something really important,” said Liam’s father.

“Ugh, what does he want. He never talks to me.” Liam stated. There was a bright town up above in the clouds named Cloudland. This was the land of peace and mission. Liam always wondered what the mission part was about, but was too busy looking down at all the animals on Earth.

As Liam walked over to his grandfather, he was shocked by the look on his grandfather’s face. He was actually being serious. “Everyone must complete a mission in Cloudland to help the people below on Earth. You will receive one today son. Your mission is to save this girl from this evil man who has escaped from Cloudland’s prison with all the power. No power should be taken down below at all costs. This power is stored in a special orb which is in the hands of the man… Muhammad.

“I can’t do that grandpa, if he has all the power, can’t he just kill me in a snap? I’m not doing this!” Liam screamed. He began to run to his father, immediately telling him the news. Shortly after, he realized that his father has already been through these missions. “Son, it is going to be okay. Without you doing this mission, everyone here would be sent to Earth and live without the powers God has sent to us. This is all up to you.” Liam’s father said while grabbing his shoulders. Liam’s face lit up thinking about all his friends calling him a hero.

“This is it. My time to prove everyone I am capable of saving a life and making sure everyone is happy in Cloudland.” As soon as these words left his mouth, a sudden darkness appeared in Liam’s eyes.

As Liam awoke, the sight of a bright light deep in the forest caught his attention. As he got up, a leaf fell down from the tree and landed in his hand. The leaf had writing imprinted on it. It stated, “Val the name of the girl who you must save. Follow the bird to lead you to the next clue.” As Liam was heading towards the light, there was a black crow following him. Liam immediately got started, but remembered the note. He continued on the path to the light, but it suddenly started to become dim. As time went by, the forest became pitch black and the light in the distance began to fade away. Liam decided to take a break and take the time to gather up his thoughts. “The girl is named Val…the crow is my friend?…a lost girl…guy?…powers…crickets…crickets…zzz…”

Awoooo…bark….awooooo. The howls from a wolf startled Liam and woke him up. He began to tip-toe around in the woods looking for a safer spot to stay, but the howling continued. He took a couple steps forward while looking off in the distance behind his footsteps…

Crunch…crunch…crunch… “AHHHHHH!” Liam screamed as his face glided against the belly of a wolf…WHOOSH, wind began to blow faster and faster towards Liam’s face as he sprinted away from the wolf. A few steps behind him was the giant claws of a wolf scratching the bare ground. As he continued running, the footsteps began to slow down behind him. Liam began to think of ideas on how to escape this horror, while hiding behind a tree. The ground was covered in dry dirt and leaves. The night was pitch black. Liam began to sneak around and try to find the wolf to relocate where he should hide. The sound of panting began to echo closer and closer to where Liam was standing. Liam grabbed a handful of the leaves and dirt and threw it in the wolf’s eyes. He knew that he could not hide forever as the wolf had better hearing than him. As he ran for his life, he came across a strange wooden cabin.

As he stopped to catch his breathe, the black crow he saw earlier passed him and continued to sit over the wooden cabin and started to screech. Liam tried to signal to the bird to stop, but he kept on screeching. A couple minutes passed and a man came out and started to try to hit the black crow with a broom…

Liam got startled at first, but found this time to take in some information. “Hm… an evil man named Muhammad kidnapped Val…then why isn’t he – ” All of a sudden the broom from Muhammad’s hand turned into a staff. “The orb!” Liam shouted. He finally understood his mission. “I must get that staff away from Muhammad. Without the staff, he’ll only have the power of physical strength without the use of powers.” Suddenly, a bolt of lightning got stuck down, almost hitting the crow. The crow flew away just in time and was standing on top of the tree Liam was standing under. All of a sudden, A leaf began to fall down and it said, “The mission must be complete by midnight tonight. If not completed, your life will end, and Cloudland will suffer.” Liam knew that he had to make a move quick. As he took steps closer to the cabin, the crow began to fly over and screech again. Muhammad came out one more time, but this time without his staff… this was the moment Liam had to make the next move…

As the crow started to distract Muhammad, Liam began to tip-toe into the cabin. “Oh no! Are you okay? Here, I will help you escape, I just need you to be very quiet.”

“Mhmmmm Mmmmm…” Val’s lips were duct taped together and the sounds of mumbling was only existent. Liam began to search around the whole cabin for the orb, but it was no where to be seen. “He must have taken it out with him,” Liam thought. He began to rush outside making a lot of noise, forgetting Muhammad was out there. Muhammad’s head began to turn and the staff magically appeared in his hands.

“Who are you?! What are you doing here?!” Muhammad screamed, taking a step back. “You are not supposed to be here!”

Suddenly, the wooden cabin began to cover up with vines. The only hope Liam had was to get rid of the staff. “HAHAHAHAHA!!” As Muhammad was laughing out of joy, Liam stepped up and quickly grabbed the staff out of his hands.

Liam began to yell, “You have disobeyed the rules of the powers and powers on Earth, and must suffer!!” Liam screamed while pointing the staff at Muhammad. Muhammad began to shrivel up and turn into dust. “This is it! I have completed the mission and beat the evil Muhammad!” Liam said out of excitement. Out of no where, Liam started to hear screaming for help. At this moment, he realized it wasn’t over yet. He must save Val. He started to push his way through the vines causing cuts to form all over his body, but fought through the pain. The chair started to become visible to Liam and he began to cut through the vines faster. He noticed it started to get darker outside and time was running out. His body was gushing blood but he managed to get to the girl. He untied Val from the chair and as he held the hand of Val, everything went dark…

Awakening, Liam returned to Cloudland just as the clock hit midnight. “Well done son. You have completed the mission and will now receive the power of intelligence. You may return home to your father, but must never speak of this adventure.” The grandfather said standing above Liam in his throne.

“Wait! But what about Val?” Liam questioned.

“Val has returned home safely and memories were erased. Now go on, and get some rest as I decide who the next missioner will be…”

“The end.” The teacher said as the bell rang.

“Mrs. Val, can I go to the bathroom please?” A student said standing up.

“Yes of course u can… Muhammad.”

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 15) [Final]

As Dharkanox began to take form, I formed the stance Cirvela had taught me. Speaking of whom, Cirvela saw what I was doing and formed her own stance. My body urged me to attack, but my mind was wary of what might happen if I attacked it before it was fully formed. When it had finished forming itself in the shape of a faceless cloak, Dharkanox drew two massive, jagged, katana-like swords. Then, using the exact same technique as I had just moments ago, It charged at Cirvela and struck her in the side of her head with the butt of its sword. Normally, I would have rushed to Cirvela and see if she was all right, but this time I knew I had to take the opening and attack, which I did. Dharkanox, caught off guard by the sudden attack, was brutally strong. We fought for what seemed like hours, but was probably only a few minutes. Eventually, I thought I saw an opening so I tried to deliver a sideways kick but Dharkanox anticipated the move and leapt into the air. In desperation, I thrust my sword upward and -RRRIP-THUD- Dharkanox fell dead on the ground, a massive rip across its torso area. “Hold on, something’s off.” I thought aloud. Wasn’t Dharkanox the emperor of destruction, or darkness, or something like that?

And then my body exploded in pain.

I looked down and saw the top half of Liberator protruding from my chest, thus confirming my suspicions. Dharkanox had entered Cirvela. Almost without thinking, I staggered forward towards the Galaxian Stone, hoping it would heal me. Seeing I was still alive and moving, Dharkanox/Cirvela smacked my head, knocking me off balance, causing me to fall. Using what little strength I had, I reached outward at the Galaxian Stone. Realizing what was about to happen, Dharkanox/Cirvela darted forward, trying to stop me, but it was too late. My hand landed on the Galaxian Stone, sending powerful energy surging through my body. Liberator was forced out of my body and the hole instantly healed itself. My senses, which had been dulled my the lack of blood, immediately returned to their original heightened level. Because I was so aware now, I was able to whirl around and grab Dharkanox/Cirvela’s wrist, preventing them from using Liberator to chop off my arm. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I said, but only for Cirvela. As for Dharkanox, I forced it out of Cirvela’s body using the power of the Galaxian Stone, which had entered me. I then bonded Dharkanox to the pedestal where the Galaxian Stone used to sit. Now that Dharkanox was taken care of and could never possess anyone again, I turned my attention to Cirvela. I released my grip on her wrist, yet she still let go of Liberator. As Liberator clattered to the ground, Cirvela fell in to my arms. “Starkev,” she croaked, “There’s something you need to know. I’m not your cousin, I’m your sister.”

And then she died in my arms.

 

(Epilogue coming soon)

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 14)

Without stopping to admire the majestic mountain range, which might have been worth it if we weren’t being chased by a whole army, we immediately began scaling the mountain. Minutes later, Xarupte had arrived and he, along with a few soldiers, also began scaling the mountain. Soon, we found what looked like a cave but was actually the entrance to the Outer Galaxian Chamber and scrambled inside. “Look for something to block the entrance with.” Cirvela said. “There’s no time!” I said, pointing to a gloved hand that had grabbed the edge of the cliff we had just scaled, “We need to get the stone, find a back exit and get out of here!” “I’ll hold them off!” Clydia said. “What?! But-” Clydia cut me off. “You said it yourself, There’s no time.” And then I saw the tear rolling down her cheek and realized, she didn’t want to do this, but she felt like she needed to. I probably would have said I should do it if Cirvela hadn’t pulled me from my thoughts, literally pulled me into the Inner Galaxian Chamber. After we entered, a giant stone fell and blocked off the entrance, momentarily plunging us into darkness. But afterward, a few torches hanging on the circular wall ignited themselves, lighting up the room. It was an entirely stone room, the only thing in it being a stone podium with the Galaxian Stone atop it. The stone was a small cube, parts of it solid black, others transparent purple that glowed. Suddenly, the large stone that blocked the entrance rose a few feet revealing Xarupte. Rage and hatred began surging through my veins. Here he was, the man who had killed my mother, my cousin’s parents and kidnapped my cousin. I darted forward ready to strike him down with a single blow.. But I knew I couldn’t kill a king, no matter how evil. So instead of beheading him, I used the butt of my sword to smack him in the forehead, knocking him unconscious. To add to the dramatic effects, the giant stone slammed back down. Had there not been any torches, I wouldn’t have seen the shadowy figure floating out of Xarupte’s body. I had never seen this entity before, but a tiny corner of my mind whispered its name.

Dharkanox.

The Girl in My Mind

I don’t know who she is, but I have her face memorized. I’ve never even seen her outside of my own head. Every time I zone out, her face appears in my mind. Dark skin and long, beautiful braids. Warm brown eyes. Every time I zone out. I know it’s weird. Honestly, I should see a doctor, but it doesn’t bother me, so why should I?

I’ve been seeing her for a long time. Years, probably. I think the first time was when I was 16, and I was laying in bed on a Sunday morning. Her face popped into my head, so vividly that I thought I had fallen back asleep. But you never really see faces in dreams, so I was just confused.

It was a normal part of my life for five years, the same routine of seeing her in my mind every day or two. I had assumed it was just some weird mental thing caused by the stress of living, until last month. I was working in the restaurant I’d worked in since my sophomore year, and she was staring at me through the front window. I stared back, as I was now having hallucinations of her since she can’t be real.

I asked my boss to take a break and she told me I could, as long as I’m back before the lunch rush in about thirty minutes. I walked out the front door over to where I had seen her, but she disappeared around a corner. I ran to find her and managed to get around the corner fast enough to spot her in the crowd and grab her sleeve.

We stared at each other for a few seconds before being yelled at to get out of the way. We walked off to the side of the sidewalk.

She talked first, “You’re not real,”

“No, you’re not real. Are you real?” I asked,

“I mean… I think I’m real. But you’re not real. You can’t be real. How did you recognize me?”

“I see you whenever I zone out. Do you see me too? Like in your mind?”

“Only after I take my meds… I just thought it was a weird side effect. It’s new, I’m just in the testing group,”

I pause, processing the situation, “What’s your name?”

“Cassandra,” she says, “What’s yours?”

“Elena,” I say, “How long have you been on this new med?”

“Four-ish years,” Cassandra replies, “Why?”

“Because I’ve been seeing you for four-ish years. I think the med is making us see each other. Maybe.. like.. ask your doctor about this. Because it’s super weird,”

“Yeah. Will do. Do you have to get back to work?”

“Yeah. I probably should,”

So I went back to work. Thankfully I only had an hour left before I could go home, but I was kind of in shock. I had gone home and stared at the ceiling, not quite sure what to do. I didn’t get her number or anything, so I had no way of contacting her.

Then, yesterday, I saw a headline about a schizophrenia medication that had previously been promising but only changed symptoms, not helped them. Normally, this wouldn’t have been odd since I’m a phycology major and get articles like this all the time. What caught my eye was when I read it, it mentioned a girl named Cassandra Williams, who claimed to have met one of her hallucinations in a restaurant.

I realized that I hadn’t seen her in my head for about two weeks, when before it was every day.

So now she thinks I’m a hallucination. Probably the strangest thing to ever happen to me, but what’s life without odd happenings every now and then?

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 13)

We decided to follow Xarupte and his army.

But since there was only three of us and thousands of them we would definitely get there first. We set out at a grueling pace, hoping to get to our destination as soon as we possibly could. The Hydomian valley soon came into view and we knew we were making good progress. We were always on edge, thinking Xarupte was right behind us. Unlike when it was just Clydia and I, we, more specifically Cirvela and Clydia, didn’t have time to socialize. When we arrived at the Lefomian village, we were greeted warmly by the townsfolk and despite our best efforts not to stay too long, we couldn’t resist one night of sleeping in an actual bed. The next day, we left the village early so the townsfolk couldn’t try and get us to stay longer. Finally, after a long and tiring week, we finally arrived at the mountain.

But Xarupte was only minutes behind us…

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 12)

We bolted through the camp, all three of us bolting as fast as we could possibly go. We quickly made it out of there but continued to run to a nearby area densely wooded. When we finally made it to the woods, all three of us promptly collapsed from exhaustion. “Ugh. I’m never running that fast again.” Cirvela moaned. “Because of the cramps or the lack of breath?” I asked. “Both. And the feeling that there’s an entire army chasing after you, trying to kill you.” she replied. “I’m just happy you’re alive.” I said. “Hey, I hate to break up the moment, but what are we going to do now that we have your cousin back.” Clydia asked. “We’re going to follow this map I stole.” Cirvela announced. “But first, let’s get some sleep.” “Great idea.” I said “Let’s try and make camp over in that clearing.” When we had unpacked what little things we had and arranged them accordingly, Clydia asked, “Hey, how do we know that Xarupte won’t search this area, find us, and then kill us in our sleep?” “Apparently, he’s possessed or something like that. Small things like a prisoner escaping won’t shake his focus.” Cirvela answered. “Well, that means I can sleep in peace tonight.” I said. And then, we went to sleep.

The next morning, we studied the map Cirvela had stolen. “Okay, it looks like Xarupte is going to pass through the Hidomian valley, make a stop at the Lefomian village. and continue northeast to the Prymese Mountains.” Cirvela said. “Look, there’s some more writing under the name of the Prymese Mountains.” Clydia said. “It must be written in Hidomian or Lefomian.” I said. “I know a little Hidomian.” Clydia replied, coming to the rescue. After a minute or so, Clydia’s face went white. “What? What is it?” I asked. “Roughly translated,” Clydia said, “It says ‘Location of the Galaxian stone'”.

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 11)

Whether I admitted it or not, Clydia was actually a great companion.

We quickly became friends and learned a lot from each other. I taught her how to properly wield her sword and she taught me to hunt. All this and we were still covering a lot of ground. Finally, after a long day of tracking we heard noise coming from a nearby meadow. We quickly headed over but remained low as to not be seen. “Yup, that’s the right camp. The tracks lead directly to it.” I whispered. “That flag looks awfully familiar.” Clydia said. “Let’s get closer. I mean, we are going to raid it tonight. Might as well scout out the area.” I replied. So, we crept closer, trying to find any potential entrances or exits. “Wait a minute, that’s King Xarupte’s flag!” Clydia exclaimed. Surprise overwhelmed me, yet I still felt that I saw this one coming. “So that’s what Cirvela tried to tell me.” I muttered. “Who? What?” Clydia asked. “It doesn’t matter.” I said. “Let’s keep scouting.” And that’s what we did.

After a long period of scouting and an even longer period of waiting for the moon to rise, we finally entered the camp. “Xarupte’s big tent is up ahead.” I whispered. “Then your cousin is probably being held in the tent on the right.” Clydia whispered back. Taking every precaution to stay silent, I slipped into the tent. Clydia had agreed to keep watch. There, lying on the ground, wrists and ankles cuffed, was Cirvela. Relief washed over me, seeing she was mostly unharmed. “Cirvela.” I whisper-screamed. She slowly turned her body over, her eyes filling with hope when they landed on me. I put a finger to my lips as I rushed over to her and picked the locks on her cuffs. “Come on, we need to get out of here.” As we exited the tent, Cirvela eyed Clydia suspiciously. “She’s with us.” I said. Then, realizing I forgot to whisper, inwardly cursed myself. “Hey!!” a sentry bellowed, “Intruders are freeing the prisoner!!” “Run!!” Clydia yelled. And we ran.

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 10)

When the sun rose, I had already began to follow the tracks of the hounds. The trail led me out of the forest, through a muddy field and past a village. I thought about stopping at the village to talk with the villagers and get a sense of the nearby land, but I decided against it. I needed to cover as much ground as possible. As I continued to follow the trail, I heard some rustling in the nearby bushes. Reflexively, my hand went to the handle of my sword. “You can come out now.” I called. A small framed body promptly stood up from the bushes. I quickly assessed this person. Female, long blue hair, slightly taller than average, easily wields a longbow, simple clothing, self-confident, very healthy, and a quiver of arrows and sheathed sword carried on her back. Immediately, I knew I was at a disadvantage. If I drew my sword, she might get the wrong idea and put an arrow through me, but if I tried to talk my way out of it she might get suspicious and still put an arrow through me. “Uh, hello?” she said, “Can I help you?” she asked, lowering her longbow. “Actually, you can.” I replied. “Did you happen to see any Hadiic hounds yesterday evening?” “Yeah, they were carrying someone with them. Actually more like dragging her.” she replied. “Well, that someone is the only person left in my family other than me.” I said. “So are you trying to rescue her?” she asked. “Not trying to, going to.” I answered. “Okay,” she said, “could I come with you?” “WHAT?” I said, “We literally just met! I don’t even know your name!” “It’s Clydia.” she said, “And I want to get away from this awful village. Everyone is very self-centered. I barely have enough food to eat, even though I’m the only person who hunts around here.” “Alright, you can come with me.” I said, dully. “And by the way, my name is Starkev.”

The Quest for the Galaxian Stone (Part 9)

I couldn’t believe it.

Cirvela was really gone.

But I couldn’t just stand here and waste time. I had to find and rescue her. Hadiic hounds are unlike any other canine because the first human they see, they immediately become undyingly loyal to that human. And in some cases, the minds of the hounds could be bound to the will of their human master. This was likely the case with the pack I had just encountered because they were immediately hostile towards Cirvela and I. It was getting dark now, so I decided that I would sleep through the night and then I wouldn’t stop searching until I had found her. So I settled down on my makeshift bed and soon fell asleep. I’m glad I fell asleep then, because I knew I had a long journey ahead of me.