Leah walked to her room and flopped on her bed with a sigh. “Another long, boring day at school,” she said. “At least I’m home.” She climbed further up onto her mattress. For some reason, she felt exhausted. Ever since lunch, she had been in a tug-of-war with her eyelids. She would force them open, they would gradually droop, and she would separate them again.  She was tired of fighting sleep. Finally, she could let it envelop her like a warm blanket.

When Leah opened her eyes again, it was dark outside. “How long have I been asleep?” was the first question that came to mind. The second: “Why is the bed moving?” Alarmed, she sat up and looked under the frame. A massive green vine was pushing the head of the bed upward! She jumped off. When her feet hit the floor, something felt different. She looked down and gasped. In her confusion about what was happening, she had completely ignored that the floor was covered in lush, green moss. She was now wide awake. She took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes. When she put the black frames back on her face, her eyes were as wide as saucers. Looking around the room, she realized it wasn’t even a room anymore.

Two walls were still up, and she could still see some of the flooring poking through the moss, which gave way to tall blades of grass and tiger lilies. The plants were illuminated by glow worms. She turned and looked around one of the walls that were left. The ocean crashed against the cliff face several yards away. She turned her eyes slightly upward. Even if the glow worms didn’t illuminate the field, the full moon and stars would have allowed her to see everything. A breeze picked up as she stepped out from behind the wall. It was a good thing she still had her jacket on. It was much colder here than it was back home.

She knew it was probably a good idea to stay close to the ruins of her bedroom, but she couldn’t help herself. She wanted to figure out where she was. Maybe she could get a better vantage point from the top of the hill just ahead. Just as Leah was about to step into the grass, a piece of aged paper fluttered by. She grabbed the page. “Welcome to Ireland!” was scrolled across it in black ink. Ireland? A thousand more questions flooded her brain. She looked at the ground and took a step forward. As she lowered her foot, the blades of grass beneath drew into the earth, revealing a smooth stone trail. Not really sure of what else to do in this situation, she walked. She had no idea where she was headed, but maybe whatever was at the end had some answers for her.

As she walked, she found another page on the path. “Please pardon the unorthodox way in which you arrived.” Then she found another: “I hope you will enjoy your time here,”; then another: “I have something for you,”; and another: “Lower the bucket into the well.”

“What bucket? What well?” she asked. As soon as the words escaped her lips, the ground began to shake. She stared ahead in awe. A well of stone brick was erupting from the ground. When the ground finished shuddering, a golden light shone from inside the structure. Cautiously, she stepped forward. On a large rock nearby, there was a wooden bucket and a rope. 

She tied the rope around the handle, then she dropped it into the well. The lower the bucket got, the dimmer the golden light became. When the light had wholly vanished, she began pulling it back up. It finally reached the top. Inside was a book, a pencil, and another page. She opened the book to the first page. “Draw what you see. Be inspired.” She sat the book down and picked up the page. “Continue on the path.” She picked up her belongings and walked on.

The path led her to a small pond. A page sat at its bank. “Look in the water.” She peered inside. All she could see was a reflection of herself and the night sky. Suddenly, a prominent dark figure flew across the image on the water. She quickly looked in the direction the figure headed. “No way,” she said.

She sprinted after it. If this was what she thought it was, this would officially be the best day of her life. She couldn’t let it get out of her sight. She ran and ran until her legs (and lungs) gave out. She dropped to her knees. “Please…just…land,” she cried, breathlessly. As if on command, it swooped down to a small bowl in the terrain just ahead. “Thanks,” she said.

She forced herself up and walked to the top of the rise. It was really there. She had never imagined she would see one. After all, dragons don’t exist! But sure as this night was strange, there it was. It turned and stared right at her. She slowly descended the slope, making sure to maintain eye contact. It just felt like the appropriate thing to do for some reason. “Uhh…hey. Please don’t eat me. Please don’t fly away. I ran for…so long trying to catch up with you,” she whispered. As she spoke, she inched closer and closer. All it did was stare at her and tilt its head. She finally got close enough to extend her hand. It smelled it, then it looked at her. It stood up. She made sure not to move an inch. It began to circle her. She didn’t dare breathe. It leaned in an inch from her face. She slowly raised her hand to its snout. It stayed still. As soon as her hand touched his face, it backed up. It reared back, screeching and extending its wings. Then lowered itself to the ground, wings flattened. It looked expectantly at her with its deep orange eyes. That’s when she noticed a golden cylinder tied around its neck with a crimson cord. She walked forward. It swept a wing under her feet and flipped her onto its back. Before she knew it, she was in the sky. She wrapped her arms around its neck tightly and shut her eyes. Its dark gray scales dug into her jacket. It made her feel slightly more secure (only slightly.) When she gathered enough courage, she opened her eyes again. 

She was terrified, but the view was so gorgeous that she almost immediately forgot. “Oh, the container!” she remembered aloud. Leah turned the cord with one hand until the container sat on the back of its neck. By this time, she was brave enough to use two hands to retrieve the letter inside. “Find Shay. Ash, your winged companion, will help you.”

“Shay? Like from school?” She wouldn’t be hard to spot with her bright pink hair, but what was she doing here? “Why am I even still questioning this? Nothing makes sense here! I should just enjoy it! Come on, boy. Let’s find her.” He screeched and sped up.

They must have flown for an hour or so. Leah didn’t mind. It was easy to think of things to draw while on the back of such a majestic creature. She opened the book she’d been given and grabbed the pencil. She drew ponds, lochs, fields, Ash, the sky, and so much more. She drew until her hand ached. “How long have we been looking?” she thought. It was hard to tell; the moon hadn’t changed position since she woke up here. Leah was starting to feel a little hopeless. “Do you have any idea where she’s at?” Ash simply turned his head and looked at her. “Alright, I’ll just trust you.” She looked down at the rolling green hills and moss-covered stone walls below. At least it was a search with beautiful scenery. “What’s that?” she asked. She pointed down at a large green blob with something neon pink on the top. Was it…moving? “Is that–” Before she could finish, Ash screeched and dove at the mysterious entity. All Leah could do was scream in terror. As they got closer to the ground, she was positive it was Shay. They landed right beside her. 

“Uhm…Leah? What are you doing here?” Shay questioned.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she said, breathless and shaking, “but we know neither of us has the answer to that question. Also, is that a frog?” Now that she was close enough to talk to Shay, she realized her friend was riding atop an enormous green tree frog.

“Yeah. Long story. I got home from school and staring playing a rhythm game on my phone. I fell asleep. I woke up and my room was gone! It was just my bed, two walls, moss, and vines. This is Timmy. I woke up and found him sitting in a giant potted succulent.” As she spoke, she pulled out a piece of aged paper (just like the ones she had received.) “I freaked out at first, but he came right up to me. He was so gentle and, honestly, is he not adorable! I live, laugh, love him! Anyway, this letter was in a golden container around his neck. It says, ‘Please forgive the unorthodox way in which you arrived. This is Timmy. He will get you where you need to go.’ Then I found another,” she said, folding the letter and placing it back in her pocket. “It said something about finding a large basket.”

“Well, I guess Ash and I can help,” Leah said, patting the dragon on his neck.

“Right. That’s a dragon. What’s going on?”

“No clue. I gave up trying to find out hours ago, that is if time even exists right now. Ash and I will fly up as high as we can while still being able to see the ground. You just stay here.”

“Good idea. Thanks.”

Leah fiercely gripped the cord around Ash’s neck. “Let’s go.” He shot into the air like a rocket. By now, she was getting used to the exhilarating breakneck speed of her guide. Within seconds, she could see everything within fifty feet of their previous location. To her left, nothing. To her right, nothing. Nothing in front of her. She tugged the cord to the left. Ash turned. In the distance, she saw the golden light again. “Is that it?” she questioned. Ash let out a gentle croon and looked back at her. She gripped the cord again. He turned back toward the light and sped downward. As they got closer, the light got dimmer. Eventually, Leah reasoned that the basket was the kind used for hot air balloon rides. When they reached their destination, Leah slid off his back via his right wing.

She approached the basket and looked inside. There was a satchel, two books, and yet another message. She picked up the message and read it aloud: “Have Shay and Timmy hop inside. Here is something to pass the time. Enjoy your trip.” She picked up the books. One was titled “How to Speak Bosnian” and the other was “How to Speak Polish.” She beamed. She had always wanted to learn how to speak Polish. “Guess the other book is for Shay,” she said. Ash lowered to the ground so she could climb back on. “I guess you know what to do.” Ash levitated just above the basket, gripped it with his talons, and flew them back to Timmy and Shay, to whom she showed the map. Shay gasped.“Liepāja, Latvia is circled! I’ve always wanted to go there!”

They arrived at Seaside Park, where they watched Queen perform, had a Q&A with Osamu Dazai, and watched a fireworks show. As they were leaving the area of the concert stage, Timmy jumped up. He had another golden container around his neck. The latest message said “Fly to Denmark” (another of Shay’s dream destinations.) They got back into their travel formation and followed the instructions. A golden light shone around a small cottage on the edge of a city. In it was a small kitchen, a comfortable bed, an iPad with piano tiles downloaded on it, and a message telling Leah that when she was ready, to go to Maryland. They made some dinner and hung out for a while. There was a brief moment of silence before Shay spoke.

“Leah, do you think things will go back to normal? I mean, this has been great. I’m just…I don’t know. It’s weird having some pieces of paper tell me what to do.”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Either way, we have a way to get home.”

“You’re right,” Shay yawned. “I think I’m gonna get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“I guess I’ll head to Maryland,” Leah responded, rising from her seat. She picked up the satchel with the book about the Polish language and her other belongings.

“I’ll see you out, then.”

The two waved goodbye as Leah boarded Ash. As they flew, she read and drew. There was another beacon of light guiding the two to a similar accommodation to Shay’s. She finished her last drawing as they landed. Her entire sketchbook was filled. “Now I’m tired. I can barely keep my eyes open.” She rubbed her eyes. She slid down Ash’s wing and hugged his neck. “Good night, boy.”

Once inside, she dragged her feet across the floor and flopped on the bed. She grinned as she looked back on the experience. No one would ever believe her. She could hardly believe it herself! She visited Ireland, Denmark, and Latvia! She watched Freddy Mercury sing live on stage (somehow!) She rode on the back of a dragon and saw a giant tree frog! She also managed to create some of her best art. As she dozed off, she could hear raindrops sprinkling the roof. Everything was perfect.

She opened her eyes. The rain had stopped and she could see sunlight. What? How was she back in her room? Was it all just a dream? It would explain all the wondrous things that happened. She felt a little disappointed. If only it were real. Suddenly, she heard a knock at the door.

“Leah, Uncle Chuck’s coming to visit. You better start getting ready.”

When she started to sit up, she felt something under her pillow. When she pulled it out and saw what it was, her jaw dropped. The sketchbook from her dream was in her hands, filled with every image she had produced. “Wow. I guess that dream really was magical.”