The Moonlight Boy | Ferry's Tale # 1

Land of the Unseen

Ferry tried to open his eyes, but couldn't. He felt like sinking into a soft mattress, deeper and deeper. Yet, the feeling was unpleasant as if falling into the abyss. His heart rumbled in his ears. He felt his body numb, although he was certain his mind was awake. He thought about moving a finger, any finger; he tried in vain to make his thumb move. When his finger eventually flinched, which seemed like taking an eternity, he could finally open his eyes.

At first, he was blinded by a bright, white light coming from all over. He had a strong headache, and he felt like he hasn't been sleeping for ages. He still couldn't open his eyes completely, so he pulled the hood of his cloak over his forehead to protect his eyes from the bright light.

He laid on a green, radiant meadow, the greenest he's ever seen. Every blade looked like emerald-made, gently moving in the wind, bringing tickles to his cheeks. A few steps away, he saw Matilda, also lying on the grass. She looked like she was sleeping.

Ferry got up on his feet, stumbled, and tried to make a few steps. He could barely walk as if something was tied to his legs. He almost crawled to Matilda. When he reached her, he put his hand on her forehead. It was hot. He searched the girl's backpack, then took out a thermos and put some tea on her burnt lips.

"Matt, are you all right?" he whispered, his heart aching.

Matilda opened her eyes and tried to get up. She looked dizzy and she could barely speak. She took a deep breath but seem to choke on the crisp air.

"Where are we?" she said, coughing.

Ferry looked around. He had never seen such an unusual, strange place, yet somehow familiar like he's been there before. They were surrounded by the most beautiful, yet odd flowers and plants. Some of them as if they had faces and tried to tell them something, yet they could hear only the rustling of the grass in the wind. The sun gently shone in the sky, but the light was somehow stronger. Brighter. The colors were more vibrant. The air was fresher, crisper, filled with sweet and sourish fruity scents, as well as scents of herbs, flowers, and bark. It smelled like the earth after the rain. It smelled like wildness.

The sky looked somehow closer and colored stripes were floating in the light of the sunset ahead of them. The children had to shelter their eyes with their hands because of so much brightness. The landscape in front of them was endless. From three sides, the meadow was surrounded by trees, hundreds and thousands of trees, like a sea of leaves rustling in the soft wind that was blowing.

"I think we're on the other side..." he eventually said.

Matilda couldn't believe her eyes. "You mean this place is real? Are we really in fairyland?"

Ferry nodded. After a few moments of astonishment, Matilda managed to stand up. Her gaze stopped on her feet. The thread on her ankle had become thicker and no matter how hard she tried to untie it, she couldn't. Ferry also tried, but the knot was strong as if made by the most skillful sailor.

"What's going on, Ferry? Why can't I untie it?" she said, and Ferry could read the worry in her voice.

Ferry studied the thread. It was thick, yet when he took it in his hand it felt as light as a feather.

"I told you we shouldn't have trusted that old witch," he heard Matilda wailing.

"Maybe you shouldn't complain that much and see where the other end of the thread is going. I'm pretty sure you can walk."

He was right—the other end of the thread was crossing the meadow, going down a small hill to the village with colored roofs that loomed in front of them. They could even hear music and hubbub somewhere in the distance, and laughter and joyful shouts carried away by the wind. It made them curious and frightened at the same time.