My mum did not wake up during the night, and she was a light sleeper, so I thought, maybe the whole episode was a dream. So I went downstairs to make breakfast, and wondered idly whether someone from the second dimension could eat three dimensional food. Would they explode if they did? As I was putting some bread in the toaster, my mum entered the kitchen.
'You don't know anyone called Petal, do you? I'm getting a lot of calls from people who think I am her.'
'Petal?' I said shakily, and my heart sank. So, it wasn't a dream after all.
'No, I don't know anyone called that,' I said.
'I've been awake since 8, and already, 3 people have rung me up and called me Petal. When I say it is the wrong number, they have all said, 'but this is the number she's always had, and it sounds exactly like her!''
'Well,' I gulped. 'Something very strange happened last night, and it might be what that's to do with.'
As I spoke, Kirsty walked into the room on her cardboard cut out like, completely flat and papery legs. 'Oh, hi,' she said. 'Are you...'
My mum stared and opened her mouth. The only thing she could think to say was, 'Hello. What's your name? And...Why do you look like that?'
'I'm Kirsty,' Kirsty said nervously. 'I'm trying to get back to the second dimension.'
'You look just like Rachael except two dimensional,' my mum gasped. Poor Kirsty, everyone was viewing her as some sort of monster.
'Kirsty's mum is called Petal, and your numbers have got swapped between the dimensions,' I said.
When Kirsty went to the bathroom, my mum had another text from one of Petal's friends. She whispered, 'Who is she, and who is Petal? How on earth could this happen?'
We both laughed, I could barely hold it together.
'I think it could have happened in Wattpad.' My mum looked at me like I was crazy.
'What do you mean? How could this have anything to do with Wattpad?'
'I don't know, but I think it had to do with someone called ThePortalMaster,' I whispered. My mum looked even more alarmed.
'Look, I don't want to get any more calls for this Petal person. I don't know what you've done, but you need to sort this out.' My mum's voice was very irritated, but them she started laughing. Then, Kirsty came back into the room on completely flat legs.
'Sorry, we weren't laughing at you, we're laughing at the situation,' I explained to her, feeling terrible at the sight of the anxious, self conscious Kirsty.
'Well, Kirsty,' my mum said in a hesitating voice. 'Can I get you anything to drink or eat?'
'Maybe I can have something to drink, but I can't eat any three dimensional food, it would be too risky.' My mum opened her mouth to protest and then stared at Kirsty's flat frame.
'Well. I'll just have to think what you can eat then. But you must have some water. Or, how about some coffee?' That was always what my mum said to people.
'Thanks very much,' Kirsty said. My mum poured her some coffee and she struggled to pick up the three dimensional handle. I felt so sorry for her. 'I'm so sorry guys. I know this is really weird.'
Just then, Kirsty got a call on her mobile. She answered the stiff, flat device.
'Dad?' she said. 'Please don't worry -'
'Hi, Rach,' my dad said to Kirsty. 'Look, I'm getting some odd calls on my phone from a guy who keeps calling me Cucumber. Do you know anything about this?'
