A Castle Made Of Dreams

WALLACE GASPED FOR AIR. He hadn’t needed it since he could breathe fairly well underwater but it had already been a reflex ingrained into his memory. He was pulled by his collar, dangling in the air and soaring over the seas. Yet, instead of panicking about how he was too far above sea level, he stared ahead of him in a daze.

The events of the last few minutes of his life had been the most bizarre things he had ever encountered in his life. Before his very eyes, humans had been transformed into animals, mermaids surfaced into existence, breathing underwater became possible, and a mermaid was now in his debt. If anything, Wallace expected himself to wake up in his bed next, tucked under his covers with golden morning sunlight spilling through his bedroom windows.

Alas, that was not the case.

“You alright there?” Paige asked, a hand on the broomstick to steer while the other hoisted Wallace up to sit behind her.

He nodded a few times slowly, finger trembling from the harsh wind and drenched clothes. The air nipped at his skin, pasting the damp clothing against each and every crevice of his body. Although the weather was warm and comforting, the winds proved to be malicious.

Paige stared at his quaking figure, biting her bottom lip anxiously. Worried, she gently patted his shoulder once, then she said, “We’re almost back at the castle. Hang in there for a bit.”

Her words went in Wallace’s left ear and out the other. All he could hear in his mind was the mermaid’s melodious voice, crooning at him, promising him a favor in return for her life. Since he wasn’t native to this land, Wallace wasn’t sure what he could ask or what he should.

They arrived back at the castle in a flash. Unlike the first time he was there, Juliet wasn’t present at the courtyard. The doors were shut, pavement deserted and empty. There wasn’t a single soul in sight.

Paige hopped off the broomstick. The second she landed on the stone pavement, she held out a hand for Wallace to take. When he hesitated, she didn’t urge him. Instead, she stared, caramel eyes pooling with swirls of luminescent gold. Even when a gust of wind blew, sweeping her fire-red hair around in a dance, Paige didn’t blink.

Her silence compelled Wallace to finally take her hand, leaping off the broomstick while his other hand cradled his body tenderly in the frigid cold.

“Let’s get you out of your wet clothes.” The girl yanked at his hand, tugging him along with her.

At the doors, she didn’t stop to think for even a second, simply barreling straight towards it. The large wooden doors creaked open on its own, spreading wide open for Paige and Wallace to pass once they were close enough. After they got through, the doors closed on their own will, unmanned.

Wallace’s eyes trailed after the curious contraption, his mind whirling with possibilities on how that door could’ve possibly worked. The mechanics he understood didn’t seem to apply to this new bizarre world Paige had brought him to. Hence, the only thing he could possibly think of that could work such a large door was none other than—

“Magic,” Paige supplied for him, thoroughly reading his mind. She had caught his stupefied glance at the main doors and thought she had better explain a few things if Wallace was to stay. “Magic is different for every caretaker in this castle. Some specialize in botany and potions, others, like me, train in transfiguration and transmogrification. Juliet, the head caretaker of this castle, is in charge of the mechanics of this castle. The building’s wellbeing is in her hands. Anything that happens within these walls is in her line of sight. Heard of the phrase ‘walls could talk’?”

Wallace nodded, lips pursed. He wasn’t sure if he liked what Paige was implying.

“If walls could talk, Juliet is the only one that can listen.”

The stone walls led on forever. Only illuminated by sleek candlesticks, the corridors held an ominous bearing to it. The floors were lined with red carpets that were threaded with gold, leading them down the path endlessly.

When they finally stopped, they were at a fork in the road. Another set of doors stood before them. Though it towered, it was much smaller when compared to the main doors they had just passed. Both paths on the right and the left led to staircases that spiraled up and down.

With another tug, Paige pulled Wallace towards the doors. Just like the front doors, they opened without having Paige to push them, opening wide. Once it held a crack, Wallace was hit by a wave of aromatics. Fragrances and spices overwhelmed his senses, flooding out of the room and spilling into the corridor they came from.

Although it was at first a huge barrage of tantalizing scents, the smells started to take the form of foods Wallace recognized. He could smell freshly baked shepherd’s pie, a heaping portion of savory grilled seafood, creamy potatoes, and sweet cakes. The scene before him also proved what he smelled to be true.

In a large hall filled with rows and rows of tables and benches, more than a hundred children gathered along with their caretakers. They sat at the tables, gossiping merrily with their friends as others busied about serving food and clearing plates. An assortment of food lined the tables, ranging from starters to desserts. Drinks filled goblets and the plates were stacked to the brim.

It was a feast for the senses.

“Welcome, Wallace,” Paige said with a smile, slowly letting go of his hand. “Welcome to the Neverland Orphanage.”