The Rift

Chapter 1

It was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. Dense, deep green ferns, trees that seemed to touch the sky. Flowers of every color, every shape and every size, burst from the ground. Bright birds flew among the trees; the grass was warm and soft on my bare feet. The sun, directly overhead, cast a warm light over the jungle. Any kind of plant or vine that you could imagine, it was there. Things that didn’t actually exist, like ridiculously large purple fruits, flowers as big as I am, and small, snuffling creatures the size of my fingernail.

This all seems wonderful, but I can tell you the best part was the smell. Imagine the best thing you have ever smelled. Cookies fresh out of the oven. Roses, lilies, or tulips. Maybe it’s the smell of rain, or freshly mown grass. Combine them all together, and multiply it a few times. Then you’ll have an idea of what it smelled like in there. I stood, in shock, just sniffing the air for several minutes. The jungle moved around me, in some strange rhythm that I didn’t understand. Birds and beasts trudged around, looking for food. Noises assaulted my eardrums, from cracks and squawks, to the faint rustle of the wind. Plants swayed softly, occasionally disrupted by the movement of a critter.

In short, this was the best dream I’ve ever had.

I began to explore, feeling the delicate foliage, wandering through the endless trees. I watched the animals, beautiful creatures, with feathers the colours of the rainbow, or fur as soft as satin. A shimmering butterfly, with reflective wings a fabulous turquoise, makes a home on my upper arm, but as soon as I move, it flashes away. I walk for what seems like ages, through the beautiful landscape. But for some reason, I don’t get bored. I don’t even get tired. Not once do I want to stop. I was really happy there. It made me happy, being in that jungle. I don’t think I stopped smiling the entire time I was there. But that’s the whole point.

When I got hungry, I grabbed one of the large, purple fruits dangling from one of the trees. Biting into its flesh, it had the texture of a nectarine, but tasted like candy. I munched on those as I walked, the juice dripping down my chin onto my shirt.

The air was slightly humid, clouds were gathering far in the sky, and I hoped for rain, but no such luck. The clouds disappeared, leaving clear blue sky in their place.

I stopped at one point, to look at the crystal stream I came across during my travels. The water was the clearest I had seen in my entire life, I could see my refection perfectly in its surface, like it was made of glass. The water was cold, and contrasted nicely with the hot sun. I hadn’t seen any people here, so I stripped off my clothes and relaxed in the water. Tropical fish flitted in the current, but they left me alone. The sun warmed my face, I closed my eyes, alone and happy.

The happiness startled me at first.

I had been so sad, so tired, and worried, that I hadn’t been this happy for a long time. It was a new sensation. I was hesitant to accept it at first, scared it would be ripped away from under me. But as I relaxed, the feeling filled me up, encasing my person. Drifting in the current, I fell asleep.

Which confused me, because at the time, I had still thought it was all just a dream.

I flunked the math test. I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t study, but I was still disappointed. I had sat there in class, doodling on my paper, working on my face drawings. The picture I ended up with was a girl, with long, wavy, caramel coloured hair, standing on the edge of a rift. The picture was wonderful, although my mark wasn’t.

It wasn’t until I got home when I realized the girl looked kind of like me.

I collapsed on the couch, tossing my bag to the side, and unravelled my headphones. It wouldn’t be another hour until my parents got home, and the whirlwind of worry began. They would ask how my math test went, and I would have to lie, and they would find out I lied eventually and then they would yell, but I’d rather postpone the yelling for later, so I lie. But for now, I can forget.