The magician found Ren’s question quiet amusing, even though he was a bit surprised “A riddle? No, no, no, no, no” he said, waving his hands in a dismissive manner. Clearly he hadn’t expected that, did he really give out that many riddles? “No, I have no intention of giving riddles, not yet anyways. But in all seriousness, this world truly exists like many other worlds hidden from the human eye. All of them, just waiting to be explored! Sounds like an adventure, don’t you think?” Although he didn’t give much detail, from the way things were going it seemed like the prospect of another world will only be explained more regardless.

When Hell continued asking questions Swetini looked overjoyed. This was the sort of curiousness he liked. “We’ll be leaving very soon, hopefully. I’ve the perfect way to get there too, a door, a magical door in fact. According to the city’s records it’s been in this shop for awhile, a long while actually. Was owned by the previous owner of this shop I believe. He was a carpenter, or so they say.” For a moment, Swetini looked at Lily, and as doing so let her know that the last bits were details concerning the one answer he gave her. He only needed the “how”. Looking back at Hell, he continued, “The sunlight looks like any ray of sunlight, only it’s something you can touch. It’s sort of dusty looking, you can’t miss it. Like powdered gold. And the rainbow, it doesn’t move at all. It’s fixed in place. What it does do is disappear, but that won’t be a problem. As long as the sun stays up it will be visible.” W hen it came to the question concerning the prize he shook his head no, “Can’t tell you. It wouldn’t be a surprise if I did. And that wouldn’t be fun, now will it? But I can tell you this, you may share it if you wish to, it’s how you will share it that might be the issue. But as long as the person you’re sharing it with has the same mindset, things will be okay. Also, I would rather not you leave anyone behind if you win. I’d like to see that most of you get back.”

At the sight of the dog plush, Swetini smiled. A companion doll, a great sign of great imagination! It was one of the wonderful things about children. And the girl was thinking about the long term too, another good thing. “Yes, you may bring anything you like. Odds are the days in that world may change, and the more prepared you all are the better.”

As Christopher glared onwards he would see that once again the magician was frowning. He almost looked disappointed in a way. Never before had he met such a skeptical child, and to say the least he wasn’t very impressed. But he still listened to the child regardless, his head lifting slightly up at the sound of “reliable information”. He met the child’s stare with a mix of concern and calmness, for the course of a few seconds. When Lily spoke up, he looked at her too, and the stores atmosphere seemed to change again. It felt tense, but it also felt like the store’s age was leaking through its walls, mingling with the tension. It seemed like the magician was in thought, remembering something maybe. After a moment he lifted a finger, as if he had just remembered something. “I have just the thing for the two of you! Wait here, please. I’ll be back in a jiffy!” With that, Swetini walked into the back room, closing the door behind him. A number of sounds soon followed, sounds that hinted that he was looking for something. Moments later, when he had found what he was looking for, he came out of the backroom carrying in his hand what looked like an old worn out journal. He walked back to the spot where he was standing before with both eyes on Christopher, and when he reached there he looked around at the rest of the children. Holding the journal up so they all could see, “This is the book that holds all of your answers.” On the outside it looked like an ordinary journal with a brown leather cover and yellowed pages, some of them sticking out slowly. The binding was still in touch despite threatening to peel off in some places. It looked around a hundred years old, give or take a few years, yet was preserved well enough to be readable. “This belonged to the carpenter I mentioned earlier. I found it hidden in the cupboards in the basement. Would you believe no one touched this place? It starts out like an average journal, the average day-to-day records. The life seems very quiet at first, but around half-way through he starts writing little stories, which according to him was told by his granddaughter, named Lucy by the looks of it. All of them took place in the same place, another world full of candy and gingerbread people, a giantess even. And the candy there is actually made out of pure sunshine. Interesting, isn’t it?”

“However, something happened before the stories could go into more detail…” As he said this he was flipping through the pages, as if looking for something. Then he paused, and held the journal up. The page on the left was halfway full, with a neat cursive handwriting that looked as if the person writing it took his time. The date at the top read, December 31st, 1908. But that was the end of it. There were no more passages after that. “In the last entry he wrote of the disappearance of his granddaughter, and then after that, nothing.” Swetini brought closed the journal and held it against his side. “I looked into the possible reasons behind this of course, spending much of my time in the public library and such. It should be noted that many thought I was crazy when I announced that I was opening my shop here. Some said this place was haunted by the spirit of a young girl. Can you believe that? Haunted. While I was cooped up in the library, I found plenty of articles related to this Lucy girl. According to them, she went missing, on the exact date the former owner of this shop stopped writing. Of course he was blamed for her disappearance. Poor man had a stroke three days after New Years. The shop hasn’t been touched ever since… And then I came!” After finishing his little tale, Swetini looked around the room to see how the children would respond.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Katydid's eyes widened, her mind whirring Door... Lucy... another world... three to death... She suddenly smiled, a bright grin forming. This is just like the book I'm reading! Will there be Talking Beasts? And Marsh-wiggles? Unicorns and fauns? Dryads and naiads? Satyrs and Dwarfs? A White Witch to tempt us and attack us and for us to kill? "Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all of those things—trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones." She giggled. Perhaps what we are doing now is the dream, and we really belong in the Otherworld. While she was talking she pulled out a thick book and held it to her chest, the title clearly visible; "The Chronicles of Narnia."

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Jillian had stood outside the shop in thought while the other children had trailed inside. Just for a moment she felt as if she might be getting into something a little deeper than just a contest. Rather than feeling any amount of dread a wave of joy swept through her from the tip of her hair on her head to her shoe covered toes, making goose bumps raise on her arms and a smile spread across her face. She moved into the store discreetly behind the other children and chose to stand close one of the walls of candy that wasn’t crowded by the other children. She watched the small bickering happen between a few of the boys that were in the shop. The stress in the store didn’t fade her smile any. She looked around at the colorful decorations and enjoyed the sweet fragrance in the air.

She waited paitiently, watching all of the other children as they squirmed about where Mr. Swetini could be. Jilli~Bean knew that he would show up, she just had a feeling. Her feelings were rewarded as a puff of smoke enveloped an area of the store and fireworks went off. Jilli giggled with utter delight as she opened her bag to capture some of the candy that fell from the ceiling. She also scooped some off of the floor, thinking that some of the other children might want some of the ones that had dropped in her area and any leftovers she could take back to her Dad’s hospital with her for some of the patients she liked to visit.

Unwrapping a lemon flavored sucker and popping it into her mouth, she listened to Swetini and the children discussing what the contest would entail. Some of the children didn’t seem to trust what Swetini was talking about but the idea of another world enthralled her. She also found it interesting to hear about the fact that rainbows always moved away when you approached them because one time she had stood in a rainbow with her grandmother, but that was a long time ago and maybe she had been in another world then…The possibilities were sliding into her brunette head with every word Swetini uttered.

Other worlds meant possible species of plants and animals that might have healing powers that could save lives here. Other worlds could also mean new diseases though too…She was tempted to ask a few questions but held back, not wanting to bother Mr. Swetini with more useless banter before getting into the competition. She kept her vivid smile as she closed her nearly full bag and continued listening to the others, thinking to herself.

Ren lowered his head and slunk back in the face of Swetini’s answer confused and unsteady. “There’s just no way! It has to be some sort of trick.” He struggled to believe what the man was saying and it distressed him how easily nearly everyone had accepted it, especially when all the other who went to wherever it is never came back… Unless by not coming back he meant that they just never came back to his store. They could have just moved away or something… maybe… hopefully. The more he thought about what was going on the fishier it all sounded.

The boy lost in thought returned to the moment when Mr. Swetini revealed the old diary. He instantly perked up, that caught his attention. “A real diary from a carpenter who lived right here in Crome over one hundred years ago!” It was a brilliant piece of local history, and the first thing that Mr. Swetini said that he didn’t doubt. Ren knew an old book when he saw it. He practically grew up around them. The stories told to the man by his granddaughter he had much less faith in. He looked at eh man curiously at the mention of the haunting. “First other worlds and now ghosts?” This day was just getting weirder and weirder, but at least that was somewhat believable. Strange he never heard about it though. Maybe he just didn’t spend enough time investigating local events, but he could easily go look up those same articles at the library.

He was going to ask to see the diary, but something Katy said caused him to turn. “Hey!” He called to her sounding as if she had caused him a terrible offense.. “What about,” There was a slight pause as he collected himself. “What about, all the great leaders, and battles fought, exploration and discovery, the rise and fall of peoples? What about how we all came to all live here in town, all the real stuff that happened? All that is much more important than anything written in some silly old story.” He glared at the girl. Stories were stories and the real world is the real world. Nothing would change that no matter how much someone wished it to be.

Stories may not be real to you but I believe they are true accounts of other worlds. She lifted her head proudly and her eyes lit up with passion, Each story is a different world, each better than the last. With Enchanters in dressing gowns, evil alien clowns that feed on children, the plot and deception against the Moor, seven angels aganst the worm, a witch and her differently-sighted worker, a killer with a god complex. Each one is real with their own worlds, loves and losses, wars and heroes. What is real to you may just be a "story" to someone else.

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Chris stared in surprise at the old book in Mr Swetini's hands when he walked back out, he listened calmly to his short speech and the extract with wide eyes and his fingers twitched at his side. He kept his eyes locked on to the book, only paying slight attention to the other children talking, there was much more important things to think about. More immediate, helpful items, one of them being at an italian sweet-makers side . A diary...of an old man, could be reliable, he has no apparent reason to lie, and if he's telling the truth, even second hand information could be useful. he muttered quietly to himself, a few seconds passed as his expressionless eyes stared blankly at the book, looking past it into something else. His right hand twitched once more, then he suddenly snapped his gaze from the book to Mr Swetini and smiled brightly, his eyes gleaming with happiness, awe and innocent curiosity. In a slightly quieter, more musical voice he asked childishly Mr Swetini Sir? I wonder if I could borrow that diary please. If everything you say is true, it could hold valuable information that would benefit us in our quest and ultimately, you. So if it isn't too much trouble, may you loan me, actually... I suppose us, that journal, sir? he finished happily, a completely different child to the one a few seconds ago.

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“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Is real, Hell, Sin whispered feverishly to his brother, no one else close enough to hear, Tha stuff we make up, is real. Then he beamed brightly, his blue eyes lighting up with excitement and grabbed his brother's wrist with both hands, vibrating in happiness. Yea, Hell whispered back then said clearly to Swetini, his eye brightening like his twin's, Will we fight munsters? Will there be mag'c? Sin asked. They alternated questions rapidly, almost too fast for the others to catch. Will we git ta fight? Cin we 'ave swords an' maces an' bows an' arrows? Will this be lik' a medievel adv'ntur? Or is it lik' one 'f th' sci-fi tv shows? Will there be spaceships? Will there be aliens? Cin we fight th'm too? Cin we change inta an'mals? Will we ride horses? Cin we drive a car? Cin we be warriors? Cin we be mages? Cin I be th' Hero? Will we fight a big bad guy? Cin we stay there for'ver? The last question was said in unison, both children bouncing and giggling.

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“Well at least I can prove that the stories I read are real.” He spat back. “Caesar and Atilla, Plato and Xerxes. They were real.” He stopped there unsure of what else to say. Sin and Hell throwing questions back and forth weren’t helping either. Each felt like another blow. Between the three of them he felt defeated. Everyone believed it seemed, even Mr. Swetini. The last thing he wanted was to end up arguing with everybody. Ren decided it was best to keep his mouth shut and slunk back towards Lily. Even worse Chris had asked for the diary already. The boy took a deep breath to calm himself but Sin and Hell’s final question literally made his jaw drop. “Forever!?” The word escaped his mouth in a whisper, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Do they mean that? Would they really stay in some storybook land forever if such a thing were possible?” The question baffled him even more than their preferred nicknames. For the life of him he could not comprehend it. He needed some time to think. This was getting to be all to much.

Lily found the diary and the story Mr Swetini told fascinating. It only made her all the more curious. Magical worlds, a girl that disappeared, haunting...she wished she had a pen to write this all down. Already her mind was whirring at all the new ideas for her make-believe adventures. Of course by the sounds of it, maybe there would be no need for her to make-believe it...

Lily was pleasantly surprised by Katydid's enthusiasm and passion for stories. She also noticed how much warmer and nicer the girl looked when she smiled. Maybe my first impressions about her were wrong, she wondered.

As for Ren's arguement, she sighed, but patiently stayed silent. She knew what Ren could be like - they'd had long discussions on this type of thing before, and they both agreed to disagree. She reckoned he'd be proven wrong, sometime. Until then she'd accepted that he wasn't going to change his views. So she waited patiently for him to say his bit and walk back over to her.

"You didn't have to be so harsh, you know," she said to him, keeping her voice low. She wasn't going to argue with him too - he knew where she stood. But just in case he didn't, she decided to make it clear.
She turned to Katydid. "That's what I've always been wondering," she said brightly, pleased to find a common interest. "And the stories you've read sound fascinating - I've read some of those myself, I think they're wonderful. We should swap books sometime." She smiled warmly at the girl.

Then she leaned back over to Ren, not wanting to make him feel completely abandoned. "I know you don't feel comfortable with this," she said quietly, "I don't either, not really. There's something really strange about this whole thing. But aside from the fact that it doesn't seem true, isn't it exciting? Come on," she nudged him with a smile, "where's your sense of adventure gone?"

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Hiryu: Doc's bag is a portal. She's actually from another dimension and when she jumped into it, she ended up at a desk with a browser open on this site. That's how she found it.
We have a Doctor Who thread now. Doctor Who threads are cool.

That would be nice... She tilted her head, thinking, Another story fan, I wonder what other books she likes... Have you read Neil Gaiman's Coraline? Creepy as heck with a good story and great characterization. "She kept us, and she fed on us, until now we've nothing left of ourselves, only snakeskins and spider husks. Find our secret hearts, young mistress."She shivered slightly with a smile. I love stories that give you goosebumps.

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

"Oh that one," Lily said animatedly, I haven't read that one yet. It always seems to be out of the library whenever I go to read it. But I love stories about other worlds! Like His Dark Materials, Chrestomanci, The AfterDark Princess, Howl's Moving Castle, The WindSinger, Narnia, The City of Masks, IceMark, Peter Pan...oh, and that one about the girl who found another world when she fell down a rabbit hole. I like that one..." She stopped herself, realising she was babbling on too much. "But I would very much like to read Coraline sometime," she smiled.

Then she wondered. "Mr Swetini," she asked politely but eager, "So where is this magical door you were talking about...?"

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Hiryu: Doc's bag is a portal. She's actually from another dimension and when she jumped into it, she ended up at a desk with a browser open on this site. That's how she found it.
We have a Doctor Who thread now. Doctor Who threads are cool.

Do you mean Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There? You've read Diana Wynne Jones? I cant find anybody who's read her books. Have toy read Hexwood, The Dalemark Quartet or A Tale of Time City? I loved Deep Secret Her eyes widened and she started to panic. Please don't tell me mum! I wasn't supposed to read those books... or own them.

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

“Alright children, settle down” Swetini said, his voice rising above the others. He turned to Katydid and looked her in the eye, “An interesting theory you have there, however…” The magician’s voice trailed off a bit as he turned again to look at Ren, looking him in the eye also. “However, the real world is just as important as dreamt up ones.” He looked back at Katydid and smiled, headstrong and a bookworm, an interesting combination if he didn’t say so himself. “We must remember that our lives are influenced by the history of our reality. In the past, before any of us were born, most stories were made to explain possible reasons behind ourselves and our world’s existence. And the stories we read today were influenced by those same people. I myself am unsure of how this one world came to be exactly. But I do believe this world may exist on a plane much different from our own, with a history of its own. This young lady is right on one account. The people there would’ve never heard of our own history or believe a word of it. They did not believe in Lucy.” Once he finished he looked from Ren to Katydid, making sure that they all agreed (or at least agreed to disagree), and that everyone was calm. He let out a sigh, and turned to face the skeptical boy to see what he wanted.

Swetini looked at the skeptical boy suspiciously, due to the sudden change in demeanor. What had happened to the doubtful young boy that was standing there before? Never-the-less he smiled, “Why of course!” he said handing Christopher the old journal. “Take care of it though, like you said it’s a valuable piece of information. And if you must, record what you see when you get there. Things were bound to have changed since someone last wrote about it.”

When the twins had blurted out their questions concerning the new world, he looked at them surprised. “Stay there? Forever?” Swetini looked a bit worried at the sound of this prospect, even his face had paled a little. The room grew quiet, deathly quiet even. Swetini shook his head, “That would be unwise. Like I said before the people there are hostile to adults, if you were to stay there forever you would no doubt suffer in their hands. And I don’t even know what the do to the adults trapped there. Maybe they don’t suffer at all. I have no idea since there was never an account of human adults in the journal. Although…“ For a moment he seemed lost in thought, but he seemed to dismiss whatever he was thinking of, since he shook his head once again, this time at the unspoken thought. “No, I want to see you all back here. Besides, the objective is to find the ingredient and bring it back, let’s not forget that.” Clearly Swetini was very serious about this whole thing, safety being of upmost importance. If his tone of voice didn’t suggest that, the very look on his face did. “That goes for all of you. You can do whatever you like in the new world, after all I encourage exploration. But whatever you do, do NOT let the new world’s temptations lure you in. Not all nice things are what they seem, and I am responsible for your safety.” He paused, gazing at each of their faces, hoping he was perfectly clear.

Swetini’s frown broke into a smile when Lily asked where the magical door was. “I was hoping one of you would ask that. And now that a majority of the contest’s details were addressed I believe it’s about time I show you this magical door. Follow me, please.” The magician headed towards the back door, gesturing the children to follow. Opening the door, he held it open so the children could enter and then closed it behind them. Inside the back room was a sort of a candy kitchen with plenty of candy in-the-making as well as candy waiting to be sold. Near the other side of the backroom was a storage area filled with packaged candy as well, delivered from local candy factories who made the typical candies one would see in the checkout lines of grocery stores. However, it seemed like a majority of the shop’s candies were made individual, not factory processed, and the candies that were in their early stages seemed tampered with as if the candy maker had been experimenting with various self-made recipes. There two doors on the left wall from where they entered. One probably lead to a small office (where Swetini would keep his recipes), while the other lead to two staircases which either led upstairs or downstairs to the basement. Swetini led the children through that door, and then led them downstairs to a room filled with many old antiques from an earlier time. This was the basement of the famous “Shop of Sweets”.

The basement smelled of old things, with had spider webs and dust here and there, and worn out wood on the walls and ceiling. The basement seemed untouched for the most part although it was clear Swetini entered this room many times before. It was like entering another time period, all of the antiques were around one hundred years old, and most items would never have been used in the current age. A gas lamp, some oil paintings that could be worth thousands, toys carved out of wood including a rocking horse with chipped paint, various chairs and tables some of which were broken or cracked, an old refrigerator that looked like it no longer worked properly, and plenty of boxes filled with papers and books that were aged by time. All of these things no doubt belonged to the carpenter that once lived here, it could be speculated that he made some of the toys and furniture, and hadn’t sold them. Most of his works had a cloud of mystery and beauty about them, and despite their age shined with a dignified glory.

In the middle of this crowded basement was a wooden playhouse that was simple in structure yet big enough for an adult to crawl through, on their knees mind you. It was modeled after the most average house you could think of, the sort a child would draw. In the front there were two windows, with window sills that looked like they could’ve held a flower garden, and no glass or window bars. They were just two square holes on the front of the house. The roof was also achingly simple, with not even a chimney at the top. No, it was just a triangular prism on top of a hallow cube. The door was the only thing that had a slightest bit of detail on it, the carving of what looked like an oak tree, with a flying butterfly in the top right corner. There was no clue on how big the playhouse was on the inside, if they looked through the two windows they would see pitch black darkness. The playhouse gave off a vibe different from the other antiques, like it wasn’t supposed to be there, as if it led to another world. The door that led inside was closed shut, but many of the children would be compelled to open it out of an overbearing curiosity.

“This playhouse was made by the carpenter that lived here as an early Christmas present for Lucy who would often visit her grandpa” Swetini explained. “She enjoyed playing pretend, and the carpenter wanted to surprise her when she visited his house for the entire Christmas Vacation. Who would have guessed that it was this playhouse that served as a door to another world?”

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Now it was Ren’s turn to sigh. Lily had been right. He had been a bit harsh, even if she was trying to put stories and myths above real history. The boy wouldn’t argue any more, everybody had their own views. As Katy and Lily chatted about the book’s they’ve read Ren collected himself. “A whole other world made of candy and populated by giants and gingerbread people?” It was very strange notion, stranger than the fantasy world’s Lily had read about and shared with him. It had to be just a story, just the wild imagination of a young girl who lived one hundred years ago, nothing more. Ren shrugged when Lily turned back to him. He wasn’t aware he actually had a sense of adventure. It died every time he put down a book and returned back to the present. Normalcy was comforting. Besides, there wasn’t much adventure to be had in a sleepy town like Chrome. The boy returned his friend’s smile, but it was weak. “Maybe a little.” He relented. “It’s all just too much. I have no idea what this all means.” Confusion, doubt, and disbelief had long since overwhelmed whatever excitement he may have had about the contest.

Ren looked to Mr. Swetini curiously as he spoke. It was odd to hear the man speak so sensibly after everything he had said already, but the boy was grateful even if he kept up about it being real. If this other world was real, it would have a history, culture, and beliefs all its own. Ren could appreciate that. Our creatures might be myths and legends to them, like theirs might be to us, kind of like in that one book he read. It was an intriguing thought. The boy had nothing against fantasy even if it wasn’t his preferred reading. He just didn’t believe any of it. That’s all it was to him, fantasy. Ren nodded graciously to Mr. Swetini, in tentative agreement; his smile returning. The man’s genuine concern further put the boy at ease, even if the talk of ‘suffering’ and ‘never coming back’ still unnerved him. “It’s all a fake. There can’t really be any danger.” He finally decided. He figured it would be kind of like a haunted house, only he would tempt everyone with sums of candy or something in between parts of the contest. That sounded about right.

“Here we go.” He said quietly to Lily as Mr. Swetini opened the door to lead them down to this ‘magic door’ of his. “Cool, this is where he makes all the candy.” That had excited him, creating all sorts of new recipes to try out and sell to waiting customers. He could only imagine all the ingredients he had just lying around to try out. Mr. Swetini must love his job. The basement however was even more exciting. He didn’t just have the diary. The man had a whole room full of old artifacts. There were boxes and boxes full of books. There were paintings and an old lamp and wooden toys, maybe even made by the carpenter himself! “Oh wow, look at all this stuff.” His eyes when wide with wonder. At the moment he could care less that the ‘magic door’ was in some musty old basement. There was so much to be learned from just being down here. What he wouldn’t give to go diving through all that old stuff. At the very center lie a plain wooden playhouse. “This is the door?” He thought. It was kind of plain for a ‘magic door’ Even so it captured his attention. Ren examined it curiously. He circled it, felt for himself the texture of the aging wood, and stared through the open windows to the pitch blackness inside before returning to Lily’s side. He continued giving it an inquisitive stare. It was old yes but there didn’t seem to be anything all magicy about it. What wonders could lay inside there though. Was there really some other world on the other side of the door? A whole new place to discover and explore with strange and exciting peoples… “No.” He stopped himself, catching the errant thought. “No, no, no, no, no.” There was nothing of the sort through that door. There couldn’t possibly be. He shook his head to shake the idea from his mind. He would open it. He would find out whatever Swetini’s trick is and prove that there is no such thing as other worlds. Ren turned to Lily with a determined look in his eye. “I’m going to go open it.” He said quietly before stepping forward, reaching for the door knob and pulling it open.

Wait! called both boys at once, each grabbing one of Ren's shoulder, Sin's grip much softer then Hell's. Pleas' don't. Ya shouldn't goin till th' magician says, even if ta make sur' you'r goin' ta th' righ' place, whispered Sin, looking frightened into the blackness. An' wha' if yeh git sep-per-ated ferm yer friend, said Hell much more harshly, Then she'll be worried 'bout yeh. Mr Swetini saed it would be dan'rous yeh can' go alone. Hell gentled his grip, making sure he wouldn't hurt the brown-haired boy. Hell then looked at Swetini, Yeh say yer res-pon-see-ble fer ar safty, I t'ink we'd beh safeh there. He pointed to the blackness that show through the open doorway.

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"Yeah," said Lily in response to Katy, "That's the one! I love that book." She paused a moment. "Well I haven't read all her books yet, but I've read Hexwood - that's one of my favourites. I've read Fire and Hemlock too, and the Homeward Bounders. Her books are wonderful." Lily giggled a little. "Don't worry, I won't tell."

Lily couldn't stop a grin of excitement as they were lead down to where the magical door was. She was also very interested in the things they passed along the way; she'd often wondered what it was like behind the scenes of the sweet shop. She was even tempted to reach out and grab a bit of candy, but she knew that would be wrong and stopped herself.
When they got down to the basement, Lily let a "Wow..." escape her lips. Everything was so old and untouched. She wondered if there were ghosts living down there...it wouldn't surprise her.

"So it's just a playhouse," she she said in awe. She was about to step forward, but surprisingly Ren got there ahead of her, which was unusual. She smiled, letting him go first. But then she frowned when Sin and Hell stopped him. Those two were very eager...a little too eager, and that was saying something coming from Lily.

"You think I'm going to let him out of my sight?" said Lily determinedly, "He'll be so very lucky! And he's the worrier, not me. I don't see any real reason why Ren shouldn't go first..." She looked towards Mr Swetini uncertainly, as if to check this. "Can he go first Mr Swetini? Please? After all, he did make the first move...that would be like someone getting to the front of the customer que and then someone pushing infront because they were in a hurry! 'First come first served' the saying goes, right...? But if you really are concerned for his saftey," she said, her voice becoming softer as her attention went fully on Sin and Hell, "That's very nice of you, thank you - but I think Ren can take care of himself. He knows it's dangerous, right Ren?" She clung to Ren's arm, as if to demonstrate that they were by no means separable as Hell had so wrongly assumed.

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Hiryu: Doc's bag is a portal. She's actually from another dimension and when she jumped into it, she ended up at a desk with a browser open on this site. That's how she found it.
We have a Doctor Who thread now. Doctor Who threads are cool.

Katydid got into competition mode. This was it, game on. She put her book and her rubix cube into her bookbag and started chewing on a piece of gum. I want to just rush in, but Ren was first... Therefore I need to let him go first to be polite... Adults prefer polite children... She quietly started to sing to calm her mind from the conflicting issues. Her voice was quiet; almost under her breath but it sounded like she was reprimanding someone, almost yelling at another. Can't you feel that fire/Scorching your soul?/A wounded man's des- Her voice stopped suddenly as she realized Mr. Swetini was still in the room. She clasped her hand over her mouth. I'm not supposed to sing! He'll tell Mum and Daddy and they'll be so disappointed. And I was singing with gum in my mouth, he must have seen my gum and that's so rude! Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes at her thoughts.

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Chris eagerly grabbed the book off Mr Swetini, grinning wildly and immediately opened the first page his golden eyes slowly taking in the precious information, he started to walk after the group on auto-pilot when he noticed some of them walking off but kept his eyes on the book, not really looking where he was going. He stumbled down the steps, leaning his shoulder against the rail down to the basement, he ignored the wonders of the room, choosing to remain crouched over in the journal, at least, until he bumped into Katydid head first. He bounced back against a desk, bashing his hip against it causing him to hiss in pain as he clutched his head with his free hand, closing his eyes tightly. What on earth? he groaned as he forced his eyes open. Oh..oh, I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going. he said quickly to Katydid. With the guilt showing evidenly in his voice he asked Are you okay? I didn't hurt you did I?

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“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”

Brina glanced down the stairs letting out a small sound before slowly descending them. After the time she had taken a rather nasty spill down the stairs at her Aunt's house she had been rather leery of them. When she finally hit the bottom she let out a breath that she had been holding and squished Zed to her. "I'm fine." She mumbled to the stuffy before filing in behind the other kids looking at the playhouse with interest. It was sort of nice, she found herself especially drawn to the door with the pretty carvings in it. Brina scooted around the outside of the group so that she could look into one of the windows, "Do you see anything?" She asked Zed and then glanced down curiously at the plush, "No I don't see that at all, it just looks kinda dark to me. Are you sure your not just making things up?" She pulled back from the house and stepped back toward the outside of the group, it did not really matter when she entered as long as she got to go right? "I'm not scared," she hissed down at Zed, frowning a bit, no not scared at all.

Sitting on her bum, now covered in dust, Katydid was on the verge of crying, I'm going to get sent home. And Mum and Daddy are going to be disappointed. Tears started rolling down her cheeks, Strands of hair falling over her face. I'm going to get sent home and Mr. Swetini probably think's I'm just a rude little kid and I'm nothing... Because I am nothing. Not compared to Keenan and Kitena..

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Ren stopped in his tracks, frozen stiff. His brief moment of confidence had been shattered. Sin and Hell had each grabbed one of his shoulders. The boy’s head darted between the two as they spoke, confused and more than a little nervous. Sin wanted him to wait for Mr. Swetini’s say so before he went. Hell was more worried about him being separated from Lily. “But I…” He managed to sputter weakly before Lily came rushing to his defense. Everyone seemed to think Ren wanted to go rushing in ahead of everyone else. He would have gladly waited. All he wanted to do was open the door and look through, not go in. Not just yet anyway. The boy flushed crimson when Lily latched on to his arm. “Ra… Right.” He stammered with a nod. “I’ll be careful.” There was no need to worry about that, even if it was just some old wooden playhouse, and a lot darker inside that is should be. “I’ll go in when you say it’s ok Mr. Swetini.” He said turning to him. Even with everything that was going on, Ren couldn’t help but notice that Katy had fallen to the ground, with Chris apologizing to her. He expected her to start yelling or something but she just sat there on the verge of tears. “Is she really that hurt?” He wondered.

Swetini only watched as Ren proceeded to open the door, as if waiting for his reaction to the world beyond it. But he was surprised when the twins stopped him, although it was actually a good sign that they did. It showed that the children were willing to look out for each other, something that would help them greatly to keep on the right track. Or, at least until it came to pass that they would have to look out for their own well-being. Still, it proved that it would be harder for the inhabitants of the other world to tempt them too early. He was a bit concerned for the twins’ lives however. They claimed they would’ve been safer in the other world as if there was danger here. The question was, is this world really that bad that they would say such things? Swetini wouldn’t pretend that he knew about the twins’ situation at home, but he could get a hint due to the bruises and bandages that covered the twins’ bodies. That still didn’t convince him they would be safer in the other land, but at least they had each other. Still didn’t stop him from being concerned. “Well it’s a good thing you look out for each other” he commented, “That it is the key to survival. And as for that door, it is only fair that Ren opens it first.” He smiled at Ren, letting him know that he was given the “okay”. “It’s a whole new world behind that door. It’s fitting that a boy with a spirit of adventure would be the one to open it.”

Swetini then turned to looked at the girl with the strong will. She was crying, and was on the floor (no thanks to Mr. Clumsy). She seemed troubled by something. He didn’t know what it was exactly. She was singing so beautifully earlier, a talent not many had. He himself was a horrid singer. Why would such a talent be the cause of her tears? "You may go ahead and open that door”, he told the others (particularly Ren). “I just need to check something...” He then went to Katydid’s side, kneeling down so they could talk face-to-face. “Is everything alright?” he asked. “You were singing so wonderfully before, what happened?” He was speaking in a soft, comforting tone of voice. The sort of tone a parent would have when a child was hurt (physically or emotionally). “Please tell me, I won’t be mad.” He seemed sincere enough.

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Musicmac: "Sam4Books: Always ready to cheer things up with awesome art. Terms and Conditions apply."

Katydid looked up at Mr Swetini. He... liked singing? and he sounded so nice... maybe he was like Air... I'm going to get sent home aren't I? And you're going to tell Mum and Daddy how I've been acting. I've been rude and argumentative. And I was "engaging in an asinine activity". Kee and Kitty would have never snuck out of the house to do something like this... She hung her head. Mum and Daddy will be so disappointed... not only did I sneak out of the house I did to do something so childish...

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You... you really don't get it... do you? I... I love him... I'd die with him. Or for him. That's what you do... how you feel when you love someone. - Impulse

Ren nodded to the man and took a deep breath. There was that term again; ‘Spirit of Adventure.’ He could have shrunk out of existence right then and there. The boy still thought all this was just a contest, an elaborate trick. Mr. Swetini’s sincere insistence was starting to get to him. “Maybe it would be better if Lily opened it.” Ren shook his head. She wouldn’t let him back out now. Lily had already stood up for his right to go first. She would only be more persistent. He looked around. Everyone seemed ready and eager for him to get on with it, everyone except Katy. She was afraid she was going to get sent home, and for arguing with him to. Ren had started it though, and he was still here. As much as he wanted to discover what was behind that door himself, it would be rude to go without her. “Hey, um, don’t be so sad.” He called out, unsure. Ren wasn’t very good at this. “We won’t go without you.”

oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. Chris muttered as he tapped his side and looked nervously at Katydid. blast, what do I do now he thought desperately. This hasn't happened before, how do I make this right, I've clearly upset her somehow, or at least contributed to her unhappiness. What would Father do?...He'ld figure out some way to cheer her up, regardless of whether he'd just met her or not. That isn't going to happen. he mentally groaned as he clenched his free hand and took a deep breath. He walked over beside her and crouched down. Uh, I'm relatively sure Mr Swetini here wouldn't send you home for singing, maybe if it was bad, which I can asure you, most people would agree that it wasn't. he said as he tried to grin reassuringly at her, managing to lift the corner of his mouth in a small half-smile. As for "engaging in an asinine activity" and the rudeness and arguing, well, I'm not positive if this is the right thing to mention, but I dare say that most of our parents would be upset if they all knew that we had gone off to a sweet shop on our own to meet a man who says he's going to lead us all to a magical world for an indefinite amount of time. Chris frowned and considered what he had just said before shrugging it off and continuing. Also, we all have our little vices, like rudeness and arguing, admittedly yours could do with some work. he muttered quietly before continuing but I often misunderstand people and say the wrongs things, sorry if I've done that by the way, now..could you please cheer up, my father says a man should always make it his duty to never let a woman be unhappy and to do everything in his power to stop that from happening, he's terribly old-fashioned, but it seems to work so, is there anything I can do to..er...turn that frown up-side down?

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“One day you wake up and realize the world can be conquered.”