The Land Behind the Mirror | ONC 2022

Chapter 4

The enormous, needle-thin teeth appeared mere inches from Alba's face. She barely had the time to jump far enough to avoid them biting off her nose. The trouble was that she was surrounded by the teeth everywhere she turned as they belonged to the unusual flowers that she had admired mere moments before.

The endless number of plants baring their teeth everywhere she looked made her dizzy. She didn't know where to go, what to do. It was as if they were all around her. She was stuck in a field of horror.

"I am not about to be eaten by some lame greenery!" Alba exclaimed, jumping to her feet, ready to fight however she could. "At least there would be some dignity in being eaten by a T-Rex. This is just humiliating. I will not allow it!"

Her impassionate speech to herself gave her the strength to resist being devoured. Nonetheless, it didn't give her a good strategy because all she could do for the time being was weave and dodge the menacing plants. She was pretty sure that wasn't enough for her to reach safety.

Before she could lose hope or become a salad's main dish, a strange sound that belonged to another world, the one she had left behind along with her sanity, reached her. It reminded her of the sound that a spray bottle made when she was spraying water on her plants back home. However, she was sure that she was just trying to find familiarity in another strange and utterly foreign thing.

What was even more bizarre was the fact that the plants near her started shrinking back into the ground, closing themselves off as if for protection. It reminded her of the way sunflowers dropped their heads to the ground after the sunset, hiding away until the birth of another day.

"I see that you are still in the habit of talking to yourself," a familiar voice from the past said. "It's good to know that some things never change."

Alba swiftly spun around, not believing her own ears, embracing the idea that it was just the most vivid hallucination she had ever had. After all, that was the only logical explanation, wasn't it?

How else could Anastasia be there looking at her with the same familiar sapphire eyes that Alba thought she would never see again?

Although Anastasia's long ebony hair was cut to a short bob and her features had matured over the years, there was no mistaking her. The person who stood there with the mischievous smile on her lips couldn't be anyone else but Alba's childhood friend. Yet, Alba's rational mind couldn't accept the reality of it all. Somehow the appearance of her long-lost friend was the last straw, something that her brain failed to compute.

"You...you are not really here. I am just hallucinating," Alba said, unsure if she was trying to convince Anastasia or herself.

"Is this how you meet your best friend, even if she is just a hallucination?" Anastasia asked, splashing liquid at a plant that started lifting its head up right next to Alba's leg. "Come on, this won't keep them down for long. This way."

Ignoring the throbbing headache and the family of leprechauns which seemed to have taken up residence in her head and were doing a spirited jig, Alba followed her friend. All she could do was focus on moving her legs in Anastasia's direction, as that took up all of her strength and sanity.

Not thinking about anything. Just one foot in front of the other.

"Okay, this should be fine. You can sit down here, get your bearings," Anastasia said gently a few moments later, realizing that Alba was still in shock. "Here, drink this. It will make you feel better. The humidity can be too much for us who are not used to these weather conditions."

Alba took the bottle from Anastasia, drinking up greedily until the last drop. It was water but not only water. It felt as if there was something more in it, something that gave Alba back some of the strength she had lost while running around and sweating her head off.

Finally, she lifted her gaze to look at the person who observed her carefully. Feeling far better than mere moments ago, Alba was finally able to process that it was her friend standing before her, her best friend whom she hadn't seen in years.

"Ana!" Alba exclaimed, leaping to her feet and hugging Ana tightly, trying to make sure that she was real, that she was really there.

"It's nice to see you, too," Ana said, laughing at her friend's enthusiasm, ecstatic that she not only recognized her but was pleased to see her.

"You are really here. Aren't you?" Alba asked, still sounding mildly suspicious of the fact.

"Yes, I am here, Alba," Ana said soothingly, remembering how distraught she was when she first reached the land behind the mirror.

"But how? Why?" Alba started muttering incoherently. "How did you find me?"

Deciding that the first two questions were far too long and complicated to answer in the short time they had available, Ana chose to tackle the last one. Even though she was sure that it would be the most shocking one for Alba.

"Grandma Bertha told me where to find you. Then she informed me that you were careless enough to enter the field of carnivorous plants, so I had to hurry up," Ana said.

"Grandma Bertha?" Alba asked, confused.

Were there more people in the strange land? Did people often get swallowed up by mirrors, and no one knew about it?

Hello, my dear. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.

When Alba looked to see where the familiar voice was coming from, she noticed a brontosaurus standing just in the tree line. It was as if it was too afraid to move closer to her so as not to frighten her. The skin on her body was wrinkled with age, helping Alba make the connection that would have otherwise eluded her.

"Grandma Bertha?" Alba asked again, this time addressing the elderly dinosaur.

Yes. I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. It was rather rude of me. However, Anastasia thought it would be best if she were the first one to speak with you.

"Ana?" Alba asked, confused.

In that one word, there was so much more said. Being Alba's best friend, Ana immediately understood that what her friend needed was an explanation, if not of the world itself, at least of her first experiences in it. The same ones that she couldn't make head or tails of.

"So, when you went to the river, you met Grandma Bertha's granddaughter, Delilah. She tried to greet you, but when you didn't answer, she found it odd," Ana started explaining while at the same time providing Alba with some food to fully regain her strength. "So, after you petted her, she realized that you couldn't actually hear her, so she immediately told her grandmother about it. Of course, after what happened with me, grandma Bertha immediately contacted the HC, and here I am."

"Right, right, of course," Alba said, babbling. "I was rude to a dinosaur who was politely saying hello, and I thought it was the wind speaking. But wind can't speak, can it? But neither can dinosaurs. Also, there are no dinosaurs anymore."

"She is losing it," Ana said, addressing Bertha. "I'll have to use the tranquilizer after all. I sure hoped I wouldn't have to do it as you can never tell how a newcomer would react to it."

It's a wonder she has endured the novelty of it all for so long, the poor dear. Many have done far worse.

"Me included," Ana said, remembering how if it hadn't been for her favorite dinosaur herd, she wouldn't have been alive. "Shh, Alba, I'll give you something to help you calm down. After that, I'll take you to Bertha's place and explain everything."

"Sure, sure, Bertha's place. Why not?" Alba mumbled as Ana slowly injected the drug into her wild-eyed friend's arm. "She's probably living in the castle in mid-air with Toto and Scarecrow and everyone else..."

Then, she slowly drifted off to sleep, a much more peaceful and energizing one this time.

Ana, however, was left to think of the best way to tell Alba everything without overwhelming her. There was a lot to adjust to, and Ana knew that better than anyone else. That was one of the main reasons HC chose her to help Alba.