The Land Behind the Mirror | ONC 2022

Chapter 13

Every house, every structure that Alba saw was so distinct from those surrounding it that Alba found it difficult to focus her attention on only one of them. Her eyes drifted from one splendid shape to the other, thinking what a beautiful mess it was. How much more wonderful it was than the uniformity she had seen in many places back home.

It became clear that Ana's egg-shaped house wasn't even close to being the weirdest one in the neighborhood. There were houses shaped in all matter of strange and beautiful things like flowers and plants, animals and random shapes. Some even had the sleek structure that Alba connected with modern buildings back home. Its futuristic style should have stood out, but it didn't. It fit in perfectly in the place where the uniqueness of the houses seemed to represent the diverse personalities of their inhabitants in one way or another.

"Why egg?" Alba asked, jogging to catch up to Ana, whom Alba didn't even notice walking down the street, lost as she was admiring the newness of everything.

"I guess because I felt like a hatchling when I first got here. Not only was I young, but I also had to learn the laws of the world all over again," Ana said as a shiver ran down her body at the first memories of the new world. "Also, I wouldn't have been alive if Grandma Bertha hadn't found me and protected me as if I was one of her family."

"About that. Why does everyone call her that? She can't be anyone's grandma! She is a dinosaur!" Alba finally asked what had been on her mind for a while.

"It's a cultural thing. We call Grandma Bertha that as a sign of respect. Both for her age and her wisdom," Ana said, smiling gently at the pleasant memories with the elderly dinosaur. "Besides, she is always as kind as the nicest grandmother. So, it just seems to fit."

"I see," Alba said, doing her best to process all the new and intriguing information yet again.

It was still odd to hear how the relationship between the humans and the dinosaurs developed, how interconnected and friendly they were with each other. Especially considering the dinosaurs were far more powerful and could have taken over at any point, yet they chose peace. It was a concept that someone in her position, coming from a world filled with wars and crimes, couldn't fully understand. Especially not in such a short time.

"We are almost there," Ana said, pulling Alba back into the here and now.

She felt like she had missed quite a lot of impressive things about her surroundings because she was overthinking everything. From time to time, she wished she could stop. That she could just enjoy the fascinating new discoveries without trying to fit them into her understanding of the world or what it should be.

"This is it," Ana said, pointing in the direction of a scientific-looking building.

What made it look scientific to Alba was that it was in the shape of DNA. Although it didn't look like the ones Alba had seen before, the two spirals twisting around each other convinced her that it was some version of it.

"That's..." Alba started to say but couldn't think of any words that would be appropriate to describe what stood before her.

"Trippy, right?" Ana said, looking at the building while smiling brightly. "It's one of my favorite buildings here. They actually wanted to make it even higher. However, the law forbids that for environmental issues or something like that."

"I don't think it needs to be any bigger. It's impressive just the way it is," Alba said as they entered the building lobby filled with holograms of both humans and dinosaurs.

"We are pleased to hear you think so as we've worked very hard to get to where we are now," a young man said, approaching them. "Ana called to tell us you two were coming for a visit. She has told us so much about you that I feel like I already know you."

Alba felt uncomfortable at the notion that someone she had never met, even seen before, had so much knowledge about her. It never sat well with her when her friends and family shared too much about her with strangers. Still, she accepted his hand for a handshake with the worst fake smile frozen on her face.

Ana could see right through Alba and gave her an apologetic smile. However, seeing that it wasn't enough to appease her friend, Ana chose to elaborate.

"I was all alone in a world filled with strangers and dinosaurs. I found it comforting to talk about something familiar, to share some pleasant memories. Is it my fault that most of them were with you?" Ana said cautiously.

Alba might not have been happy about it, but she could understand her logic. After all, Ana was much younger when she first fell through the mirror. Ana didn't have her best friend waiting on the other side. It made sense she would do everything in her power to stay sane. Thus, Alba nodded her head sympathetically.

"I can assure you it's all good things. We've heard a lot about your bright mind and adventurous spirit," the man said soothingly.

"You must be Dr. Julius Brown," Alba said, looking at the man with wonder.

He didn't look old enough to be doing mirror experiments for such a long time. On the other hand, how was Alba supposed to know if they had some antiaging drugs or something along those lines? There were far too many things she thought impossible walking around this world, so why wouldn't immortality exist, or at least, longevity.

"Oh, goodness me, no. How rude of me! Here I am prattling about you, yet, I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Dereck Hale, I am only his lowly assistant," Dereck said, not sounding humble despite his modest words. "Didn't you tell her?"

"I thought seeing is believing," Ana answered shortly. "Where is Julius?"

"He is in his office as usual. He thinks he has figured it out," Dereck said, sounding doubtful.

"Then why aren't you with him?" Ana asked, not sounding too sure of success either.

"Food break. I am starving. You know how Julius is. He won't eat or sleep or do anything else when he thinks a solution is at hand," Dereck said.

"And is it?" Ana asked.

"Who knows? You know as well as I do that his brilliant mind has solved every issue we have ever faced. But interdimensional travel? Parallel universes? I fear it might be impossible even for him," Dereck said, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn't care either way.

When he left, Alba couldn't help but stare at his retreating figure with the wheels in her head quickly turning and connecting the dots.

"Wait a minute. Isn't that the guy you said came here even before you?" Alba asked when it dawned on her why the name sounded familiar. "How can he be so coldblooded when his whole future depends on that guy solving the traveling issues?"

"Alba, Dereck was even younger than me when he first got here. This is the only home he has ever known," Ana explained patiently. "I don't think he even remembers the time before he was here."

"But surely he wants to go back to his parents, his friends," Alba said with uncertainty.

"Not really. Dereck's best friend is a dinosaur, and he has built a life for himself here. If he went back, he wouldn't be able to see any of them. Even if he could return, I don't think he would have," Ana said, swallowing hard.

Alba was shocked by the revelation. Wasn't going back home what they were all supposed to do? Being back in one's place, doing things expected of you. Wasn't that the true meaning of life?

"Here we are," Ana said, opening the back door of the building to the most beautiful garden Alba had ever seen.

It was filled with colorful plants and trees making it look like a fairy tale suddenly becoming a reality.

"This is the guy's office? An enormous garden?" Alba said, staring at the garden with joy as well as jealousy.

I prefer to call it my Inspiration Garden.