World of the Whimsical

As Alice and I took a few moments to warm up to each other’s presence, I discovered a card sitting on the table. It was made of gold, and a single word was engraved on it – platforms. My eyes widened – I sat the card back on the table and pulled out the scroll.

Impossible. This is some kind of sorcery. What is this!?

I looked at Alice, then back at the scroll. “Did you send this to me?”

Alice replied, “Yes.” The worried look on her face made my heart sink. Her hands were cold and shaky when I held them.

“Alice, what’s wrong!?”

Alice looked directly into my eyes. “That’s the puzzle I need to complete in order to pass through the Gateway.” I gave her a firm hug. She was shaking, struggling to keep from crying.

I wanted to assure Alice that there was nothing to worry about. Though, I didn’t see this as the right time or place. I also didn’t have a clue what she was talking about. What’s the Gateway? What did she mean by the “puzzle?” So many questions.

In addition, didn’t we just meet like – I don’t know – five seconds ago? I found her asleep under a random table in the middle of this…empty room. Though, I guess it’s time for me to return the favor and help someone in need.

“Alice, it’s okay,” I said with a sigh. “Maybe I can help you out. Or, if you want, we can complete the puzzle together.”

“Really!?” Those eyes – my goodness!

“Yeah, of course. Though, I have a quick question – what’s the Gateway?”

Alice started giggling. “You aren’t from around here, are you?”

I sighed and shook my head. “No, I’m not. Look, let’s just get to the puzzle. I’d hate for you to be stuck here forever.”

We started making our way towards the exit, which was to our left. Assuming that the puzzle would be right outside, I shoved the doors open, only to find another hallway. Alice burst into laughter. Though, it wasn’t due to my foolish haste, but rather my annoyed expression.

“Oh, Simon!” Alice cooed. “You’re so funny!”

I held the door open for Alice, and we headed to the puzzle. Eventually, we found a large gate that glowed brighter as we came closer to it, then opened on its own, revealing a walkway filled with crystals, stars, and drapes of light. The floor was soft and warm, like walking on a pillow. I felt as if I’d stepped into the palace of a cosmic queen.

“The puzzle is just up ahead,” said Alice. “Keep going down and make a right.”

At the end of this magical walkway was a sight that was hard to describe – a chamber, grandiose in its size and beauty. As far as the eye could see, there were large crystal formations that glowed; some of them were larger than cars. The air was filled with clouds of glitter. I’ve never seen anything like this.

The chamber was split by a vast body of liquid – I wasn’t sure what it was, but I didn’t want to find out. Massive structures that resembled mushrooms rose from the lake. They varied in size and color and formed a path from one end of the chamber to the other.

“So, this is our puzzle,” I said. “This should be a breeze.”

“It isn’t as easy as it appears to be,” Alice warned. She pointed at some of the clouds of glitter. “The sparkles you are seeing everywhere – they’re actually spores. As you breathe them in, you become lighter.”

“Meaning…”

“Yes. We must be careful of how high and how far we jump. All it takes is one careless mistake…”

“Well, good to know.”

I gazed at the structures for several minutes. The first one was about as high as a single-story building. The second was even higher and farther away.

I’ll admit, I underestimated this puzzle – it even made me a little nervous. My heart rate started to steadily increase. However, I didn’t come all this way just to stop right here. I had to do this. We had to do this.

I mustered all the physical and mental strength I could, then took a deep breath. The nervousness quickly faded. Finally, on the count of three, I leaped to the first platform with all my might, and Alice shrieked, “Simon, wait!”

I opened my eyes. Alice was looking on, absolutely bewildered. Now full of pride and relief, I jumped off the platform, took her hand and said, “Okay, Alice, let’s do this!”

On another count of three, I jumped back on the first platform with Alice. Then, we jumped to the second. Then the third. Then the fourth.`

Soon, we were halfway to the other side. I grew too confident, though, and I miscalculated the jump to the seventh platform. Besides landing face-first and nearly breaking my neck, I was fine.

“Simon!” Alice shrieked. She rushed to help me get back to my feet. “Simon, are you okay!?”

“I’m okay!” I blurted out. “I hurt my pride a little bit, but I’ll be fine.”

“I told you, all it takes is one careless mistake! Come on!”

With Alice pulling me along, we resumed our trek across the chamber. We jumped up to the eight platform. Then, the ninth. And finally, the tenth, and one final leap to the other side. I took a few moments to catch my breath.

“We did it,” I said in between breaths. “We made it across!”

We cheered, ran into each other’s arms, and started jumping for joy, nearly tripping at one point. Alice was so emotional that she became teary-eyed. I didn’t know what to do; I just froze for a few seconds and let myself get lost in her cerulean eyes.