A world of glass

Des lay on the grassy fields watching the clouds parade by. The wind was gentle and the sun made the grass blades glisten.

Up on the hill, the village and was nothing more than dollhouses with tiny figurines. Amongst them was her brother, Andy chased after Maggie, their white dog. Des burst into laughter when her brother clumsily tackled the huge dog.

She almost forgot it wasn't real.

The girl was breathing dreams and absorbing the illusions for so long. She barely remembered what it was like to live beyond the glass boundary.

A little dismayed, Des rose with a reluctant sigh. She dusted off the bits of soil on her threadbare frock and headed down the hill.

On the way, she pulled out her necklace and twisted the pendant open.

Des unfolded the small slip of paper that tumbled out into her to read for the umpteenth time.

I'm Deslyn Banks, 17 this year.

My actual birthday is 23rd of July.

My parents are Joe and Linda Banks.

We're relatives of the Duchess Tessie, and live in a manor near the palace.

Then, there was a gap. An empty space that seemed to conceal an ugly reason of her entrapment. The paper merely carried on saying...

You're trapped in a glass bubble.

It's an illusion.

Don't forget.

And further down, someone's name was scribbled hastily.

Theodore Winston

Des could barely remember much about that guy. All she had left of him was a small scene, frozen in her mind.

It captured his beautiful smile and carefree laugh. The boy's fossil grey eyes were crescents on his beaming face.

Were we something more than friends? Des wondered as she kept the slip.

The reason she wrote the name remained an eternal mystery in this paradise.

"Deslyn!" Her brother yelled.

Des had just enough time to snap back before a white blur pounced on her. Maggie pinned her down and gave her face a wet, sloppy lick.

"That's enough, Maggie." Andy hauled the huge dog off. But he wasn't strong enough to hold its weight. They crashed on the meadow, in peels of laughter.

"Did you get the basket from Aunt Lora?" Des asked when they finally stopped.

"Yup," he raised a hickory basket.

"Let's go back then. It's almost lunch time."

Andy didn't budge.

"Wait a minute, sis," a frown was forming on his face. "Who's Theodore?"

Her heart plummeted a thousand storeys.

How could Andy possibly know? Perhaps he meant was someone else.

"...Theodore?" she questioned tentatively.

"Yeah. He told me to give you this."

Her brother fished a tiny glass bottle from his pocket. It was smaller than her thumb but large enough to store a tiny scroll.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Andy gave her a smirk.

"No, Andy. I don't know who he is." She told him curtly.

Then, Des pluck off its cork and shook the scroll out carefully. Words on the paper drained blood from her face.

Hang in there. I'm coming.

T.W.