And So It Begins

It was a giant pile of crap. Well, not really crap. “Crap”—like the things you’ve had for a really long time that you wanted to get rid of but you also wanted to spend time sorting out first, and then it gets to be an even longer time and they start to fall apart a little and then a lot. And then you move them to a giant pile in your front yard so you can finally get rid of them, but they’re just sitting there looking sad. That kind of crap.

Janet looked at it, then over at Ian. “So. What do you think?” She sounded tired, her voice slightly hoarse, but her eyes sparkled all the same. “Help me get rid of it?”

Ian sighed.

He stared at the pile, which seemed to shift under his gaze and then actually shifted, a metal folding chair clanging against some old suitcases as it slid to the ground with a thump. “I didn’t think there’d be this much.” He glanced at his car—an old blue Honda—and then back at the mountain of things. “It’s gonna take a bunch of trips.”

Janet laughed. “With the car? No.” A breeze blew her hair a bit, and she pulled it back, tying it with a hair tie she’d stuck on her wrist. She was pushing eighty, but the motion was cute, almost childlike.

She gestured behind her, to a large fire pit on the side of the yard. “Just help me haul it over there.”

Ian’s eyes widened. “You’re burning it?” He trailed behind Janet as she hunched over, lugging out a box of papers. “Wait, wait, let me do it. Jesus, Janet, lift with your legs.”

Janet snorted. She shoved the box at him and leaned back over the pile, searching for anything flammable.

Ian eyed her curiously, hugging the box as he walked to the pit. It was already set up with a large pile of wood. “How did you get it all out here? And why stop short?” He gestured to the pile of wood. “The pit’s literally like ten feet away.”

She rolled her eyes. “Took a while to sort out.” She tossed a pair of shoes his way. “These, too.”

He dropped the box on the pile and headed back for the shoes. They were a dark brown leather, studded with holes. He grimaced as he picked them up. “How long have you had this stuff?”

“Too long.” She pulled on a suitcase, and it popped open, nearly knocking her in the head. “You want to get the fire started?”

Ian grunted an affirmation as he threw the shoes in. He knelt over the wood, expertly stacked, and picked up an old matchbox. He held it up, studying it. “Old school. When’s the last time you built a fire, Janet?”

She sat with her back to him, eyeing the contents of the suitcase.

She lifted up a small cloth bag.

“Janet?”

She jerked, turning towards him. “I, uh . . . it’s been awhile. One of the grandsons . . . Henry. He taught me. Boy Scouts.” She turned back, attention once again on the bag.

Ian grinned. “We were in the same troop.” He turned back to the pit as he pulled out a match, striking it and throwing it into a pile of kindling. It lit, and a tiny yellow flame began to glow there, catching quickly across the smallest pieces. It was a clear, sunny day, and the fire almost melded with all of the rest of the brightness, except for the smoke.

Ian watched the glow and took in a big breath as he turned back to Janet and her junk pile. “Alright. It’s started.” He strolled over, kneeling down next to her. “But I’m pretty sure half of this won’t burn, so what are we going to—” He glanced at her.

She sat with the bag in her lap, a collection of small items scattered across the ground in front of her: a necklace, a dagger, a vial filled with a viscous liquid, a doorknob.

She held a picture in her hand, pulling it close as she looked back up.

She turned, looking more than a bit flustered. “Didn’t realize these were here.” She held out a hand. “Help me up!”

Ian started to grab for her, but a snap from the trees behind them made them both whirl around. Ian stared hard at the trees, searching. He thought he saw something. He moved a bit closer. “Is someone . . .”

Janet sighed. And then she laughed. And that’s when I knew I was caught. “You can come out, Fi. I know you’re there.”

So, I did. And I have to admit, they seemed very surprised to see me. And that was surprising considering I’d been standing in sparse collection of trees watching them for a good ten minutes. I really expected Janet to notice sooner. She was losing her edge.

Ian turned to Janet, taking a step back, and Janet grinned as she picked herself up and dusted her pants.

“She’s an old friend.” She raised her eyebrows at me. “Who hasn’t visited in a very long time.”

And that was true. It had been far too long since I’d gotten to see my Janet, and she was looking surprisingly elderly. But that was to be expected. She still felt the same, though. And Janet wasn’t why I was there anyway.

“I need help.”

“I figured.” Janet glanced at the items on the ground. “You brought these?”

“Just in case—”

“I’d never forget. You know that.”

And I did. But it was nice to hear anyway. I moved in closer, and the boy, Ian, edged away from me. I almost laughed, but Janet seemed concerned for him, so I decided to be polite. I held out a hand to him. People like to do that here. “I’m Fiona.”

He grabbed my hand. “Ian. Parker.”

And then I gripped him and pulled him along.

He stumbled. “Hey!”

“No time, Ian. We need to get going.” I glanced at him. He didn’t seem like much, but if he was the one, he was the one.

Janet trotted after us.

Boy, could that woman trot.

“Fi. If you’re doing it this way, at least tell him something.”

I paused. That might speed things along. “You’re needed to aid the Great Rebellion of the Turningtree Territory against the incompetent rule of the Kingdom of Gert.” I glanced back at Janet. “There. I explained it.” She chuckled softly.

“Not that it will really mean anything to you now,” I said, turning back to Ian, “But I guess it makes sense for you to have some context.” I paused because this actually did feel a bit rushed. Maybe I, too, was losing my edge. “And it’s nice to meet you, and we really do need to go, but I do apologize for making you uncomfortable.”

Ian attempted to pull away, and I let him think that maybe he could. People like to feel in control.

“Janet?” He cried out, and she rushed over to him with some of the items I’d left her.

She handed him the vial and the dagger, which I promptly took away—the dagger, not the vial—and then I let him take the doorknob as well because why not.

“Ian. I know this seems nuts, but trust me, it’ll all be fine.” She started to hand him the necklace, but I shook my head.

“That’s for you. That and—” I looked at the picture still clutched in Janet’s hand, and I knew she understood. She smiled at me, her eyes a bit brighter than before, if that was even possible.

“Thank you.”

“Of course.” And I meant it emotionally but also factually because of course the picture would be for her. What would Ian want with it?

Meanwhile, I could tell that Ian was starting to realize that I may have been faking it. He definitely wasn’t pulling free. So I grabbed him again, but more like a friend might grab someone? I tried really hard to make him understand. “You’re part of this, and you always have been, but no one knew until now.”

It didn’t seem like it helped.

Ian’s eyes widened as he stared at the vial and the doorknob in his hands. He was going into some sort of shock.

I pulled him along towards the trees behind the house.

Janet patted him on the back, still keeping pace with us. “I swear, I—” She sighed. “Honestly, Ian, I didn’t plan it. But it’s all going to make sense as you go, alright? Fi will explain, and . . . “ She stopped in her tracks, watching as I pulled him away. “I’ll see you when you get back,” she called.

And I knew she would, though I had no idea when that would be. When I glanced back at her again, she was looking down at the picture I’d left her. The one of us as girls. My favorite. Her favorite, too, if I remembered correctly, and I did.

It was strange seeing her. She looked so different, and I was exactly the same. But there you have it. Life is weird.

I turned away then because I hated goodbyes and also because we were headed into the trees, and I really didn’t want to run into one. I had Ian to watch over.

“Alright, Ian. It’s time!”

Time for what? I’m sure he was thinking it, and on some level, so was I. I took the necklace from around my neck, held it in the air, and watched as a purple glow surrounded us. It got brighter and brighter, and then we were gone.

What Happens Next?

• Option 1: Fi and Ian transport themselves to a deserted forest in a parallel world. They need to get to a tavern on the other side of the forest to await instructions, but the road to get there is treacherous.

• Option 2: Fi and Ian begin to transport themselves, but in the midst of things, Ian actually breaks free. They find themselves in a parallel world but in separate places. Ian will have to figure out where he is and what he’s doing by himself while Fi searches everywhere to find him.

• Option 3: Fi and Ian transport themselves, but not to a parallel world—just to another place on Earth—and Ian has to help Fi navigate things as she tries to get back home to her friends.

• Option 4: Something entirely different—what would you like to see?