Wings Chapter Two

The ground crunched underfoot; thousands of Autumn leaves spread out like a flying carpet before them. Simon looked desperately around, hoping to catch a glimpse of his brother, but all he could see were trees. Hundreds of them. He turned to his sister who had been momentarily stunned into silence and was staring wide eyed into the horizon. ‘Hey,’ he said, ‘We need to find Scout.’

Stella continued to gaze in horror. She suddenly turned around, looking for the elevator doors that had opened a moment ago. But they had disappeared. Simon watched as she walked, arms outstretched, hoping that they were simply invisible, and she could locate them. He snickered to himself, wishing  he could video how stupid she looked.

‘Pinch me,’ she said. ‘Go on, pinch me hard, Simon, this isn’t real. We aren’t here. This is just some crazy dream.’

He looked at her dubiously. There would surely be repercussions for touching her. ‘Umm,’ he hesitated.

‘Oh, come on Simon! DO IT!’ she instructed, waving her arm in his face. He grabbed it and pinched hard, added a twist at the end for his own amusement.

‘Ow! That hurt!’ Stella glared at him. Simon smiled. ‘See, it’s not a dream. Now, like I said, we need to find Scout.’ He hesitantly took some steps, hoping to see the path that Scout had taken. But everything looked the same. Leaves, trees, forest.

He was a city boy. He walked to school, counting down street names, and passing buildings that were as recognisable as his family. But here. How could he find anything without signs?

‘No mobile service,’ Stella announced, holding her phone aloft like a prized trophy. ‘This has got to be some kinda weird game, right? Like one of those Escape Room type things? Did you know about it?’

He glanced at her as she twirled around in a circle, frustration eating at him. Simon smacked the phone out of her hand. She screamed at him. ‘Wait till I tell Mum! You are DEAD TO ME.’

Simon turned away. This was the least of his problems.