Rescue Mission to Wonderland

Chapter 1
Rescue Mission to Wonderland Part 1

Chapter Description: When Josh agrees to look after his little sister Kelly and her two friends for a bit, he couldn't have imagined this would include following them through a magic portal. What he finds on the other side isn't for teenagers though and as he continues his journey, he is losing years. Will he find his sister in time?

Prelude:

Josh starred in his math book. He tried to focus – absentmindedly drinking a bottle of cola – but his concentration slipped for a moment and the graphs in the chapter Trigonometry began to dance in front of his eyes.

“Shit!” He cursed, rubbing his eyes.

“Language young man!”

Josh turned around to see his father standing in the doorway. His tone and the sparkle in his eyes made clear that he only meant it half-seriously. Mr. Bernhard knew his son was taking studying seriously right now.

“I hope it isn’t English you study.” The older man noticed.

Josh showed him the front of his math book.

“Then it is okay.” His father said, knowing of his trouble and having long since given up on his seventeen-year-old son’s habit of hefty words in private. “Just be careful with the open door. We don’t want any of our guests going home with a new word or two.”

The guests were of course Amanda and Beatrice, being there on a sleepover with Kelly, Josh seven years old sister in her room next to his.

Josh nodded.

“Speaking of.” His father said satisfied. “Your mother and I go the Brakos for half an hour. Can you have an eye on them?”

“Dad …” Josh had never been particularly fond of playing the babysitter for his little sister.

“Just make sure they aren’t stolen and don’t serve them vodka on the rocks no matter how much they beg.”

Josh grinned. The three girls celebrated the start of their second grade the day after tomorrow. No great risk. He nodded.

“Thanks.” His father said, turning around. “We are near if you need us.”

Josh nodded and turned back to his math book, as soon as his father had left, but couldn’t regain his concentration. His eyes wandered around in his room. A poster of Green Day, one of The Fast and the Furious. Besides the poster a photo of him holding his sister, when she was still an infant – they both looked insecure of this. A football. A map of the USA. CDs he still kept despite Spotify. The model of a car he had once constructed. Himself in the mirror. A dark blond teenager in a sweater of the football-team of his school.

This sweater showed that he supported his school, but now it reminded him of the time he had applied for the team himself and had failed. The memory of that day still stung, even when he felt he had long since moved on. Time pressing ever forward. Monday would mark the start of his last year in High School. Being a senior was something he had dreamed of when starting grade school, but now all he could see was the looming college and the problems ahead of him if he remained unable to get some good points in math. Doors fell shut behind him and new ones opened ahead.

Josh would admit it to no one, but he felt scared.

He wanted to take another sip of Cola, but to his surprise found the bottle empty. Deciding he needed some more fuel, Josh left his room and headed for the kitchen, passing his sister’s room on the way. The door being half open, he heard some giggling and knocked at the picture of Tinkerbell hanging on it, before looking in. The three girls, sitting in a circle in the middle of the room, instantly stopped giggling and looked up at him, their faces seemingly in innocent surprise.

Josh didn’t trust these faces. Despite her smile, he knew his seven-year-old sister Kelly good enough to notice she wanted to keep something hidden. Her friend Amanda – eight – looked guilty, too, twirling her already curly brown hair, though it might be the marks of past trouble. On the kitchen table Josh had overheard his parents saying Amanda’s parents were getting a divorce. Beatrice’s seven-year-old freckled face was harder to read under her red hair, as her green eyes seemed to dare him to try to make her say something. She had once hit Josh’s butt with a sling and never been sorry for it.

“I'm making myself some snack, do you want something, too?” He asked.

The three girls silently shook their head. Josh looked around. His sister’s room was typical little girl’s dream. Horse tapestry, a bed with Elsa motive from Frozen, now also three sleep-bags with motives of princesses, my little ponies and dragons. There was also a pink little-princess-tent in the corner which sides seemed to wave a bit.

“We have cookies!” Kelly’s words came just a heartbeat too quick, as she pointed on the cookie-bag between them.

“And fairy-pasty’s!” Beatrice added.

Amanda put her elbow into her friend’s side, which made both giggle.

Josh hesitated a moment, not quite making sense of the words, but guessing it was either some sort of make-believe or some sweet they had acquired somehow.

“Okay!” He gave in. “If there is anything just call.”

The three girls nodded.

Josh wandered off. There had been something in his sister’s faces, but he couldn’t be sure. His mother always told him he had looked quite a lot like her, when he had been her age, even his blond hair, now a shade darker than hers, had been bright like hers. Josh didn’t feel he could be proud of having looked like a little girl once, so he ignored his mother when she mentioned it.

Having fixed himself a salami-sandwich and grabbed a new bottle of Cola, Josh passed his sister’s room again.

Silence.

Josh stopped a bit startled, only to calm himself down. They probably were just whispering amongst themselves, telling each other oh so important secrets or which boy in their class was cute. If they already were this age which the teenager had no idea of. Still he took a look in the room.

It was empty.

“What the fuck?!”

Josh forced himself to calm down. They hadn’t left the house, he would have noticed it, so they were either in the bathroom, his parent’s bedroom or his own room, waiting to scare him. Or they were still hiding right here. Carefully Josh put his plate on his sister’s bed, before looking under it. Nothing. The closet. Nothing. The princess-tent. It should have been too small for three girls, but its walls seemed to move slightly. Josh knelt in front of it, opening the fabric forming the entrance.

There was something, but not his sister or one of her friends, or even anything he had ever seen. A shimmering, twirling image of a bright, impossible green landscape in the form of a door. A portal. His rational mind couldn’t grasp its existence, so it turned to the next big thing. The girls had to be in there. His sister had to be there.

He could go to his parents, but how could they believe him? In the meantime, anything could happen to them …

“Damn. Damn. Damn.” Josh cursed, feeling less than heroic as he ducked and went through the portal.

The other side:

Josh stumbled forward and landed on his knees. He felt no pain though, as the green grass under him was soft. Dumbfounded, he first starred at it and then the world around him. The teenager first had assumed that the colors he had seen through the portal were changed by it like through a filter. He had been wrong.

It was surreal. The green of the grass. The blue of the sky. The many colors of the flowers. Every color was stronger than normal. Gayer. Not like in a cartoon, but not completely normal either. It seemed brighter than on the other side of the portal. Fuller. Standing up, Josh threw a look back at the portal. It was different from this side. Pink wood formed an elegant looking structure around it, topped by three princess-crowns.

Seeing the way out was still there calmed Josh, but he wouldn’t go back without his sister and her friends. Looking around again, he noticed a small path through the grass, leading to the trees. No signs of any little girl.

Damn!, Josh thought.

“Clam!” He said.

This was wrong.

What the fuck?, he thought.

“What the fluff?” He said.

Am I having a stroke?, Josh thought.

“Fluff,” he tried again without success. “Fluff. Fluff. DOUBLE-FLUFF!!!”

“Hey not so loud long one!” A deep voice told him from behind.

Josh whirled around, but he saw no one.

“Down here.” The voice added.

The teenager lowered his eyes and discovered a sight which made him question his sanity even more than the portal. Leaned besides the wood, stood a gnome – Josh had no better words for this creature – barely reaching his knees, with a long white beard and an even longer red cap! Looking only slightly interested, the creature took a puff out of a pipe and blew a perfect smoke-circle. Josh’s jaw dropped, which made the gnome smile around his pipe.

“I’m John the Tall.” The gnome introduced himself. “Leader of the Guardian Gnomes, honored by our Queen Lyxaria of Telaxia with guarding this portal. As such it is my duty to ask: Friend or foe?”

With this the gnome took a battleax from his back, easily as long as himself.

Josh needed a moment to get himself together. Okay, he had gone through a portal in his sister’s room, so what could he expect? There was a good chance he was still in his room, having fallen asleep over the math-book, but if this was the case, he could at last try to do more than embarrass himself in his dream.

“Neither,” Josh admitted. “I’m Josh Bernhard and search my little sister and her two friends. Have you seen them?”

The gnome observed him a moment.

“The three Guardians came here on invitation of the queen and went to her palace as honored guests”, he revealed. “No one invited you. You don’t belong here. You are too big. This is a world for smaller persons.”

Josh had to bite his tongue not to ask the gnome if this made him its king.

“It is no world for little children either, if they go here without asking their parents.” He replied, trying to sound sensible and feeling for a moment like he was pretending to be adult. “If you won’t help me, fine, I will find them without you.”

Josh turned to go down the path, only to see dozens of battle-axes the size of John’s rising from the grass, their owners hidden by the green. The teenager starred back at the gnome who still observed him with the same expression. John the Tall indeed!

“You are no enemy, so we won’t stop you,” the gnome said after a moment. “Still I advise you to turn back, boy. The Guardians won’t need you.”

“I will convince myself of it.” Josh replied.

And pull them back by their ears if they don’t want to come back at once!, he added mentally.

With this he turned around. The axes had vanished and as much as he tried, he found no sign of them or their owners to be seen in the grass, as he walked down the path. Only after ten meters did he realize he had no idea where this Queen Lyxaria even was!

Anxious to turn around and ask the gnome, out of fear he would force him back through the portal, Josh walked on. Luck seemed to be on his side, for he found a signpost where the path met a larger road made of cobblestones. The letters read: Portal, back where he came from. Icicle Falls and Flower’s Spot, to the right and Sunshine Valley and Leave’s Twisting ahead. Crystal Palace was to the left. That last one sounded right for a queen, so Josh turned into this direction.

Josh walked for a while, meeting no one, despite watching out for gnomes as to not step on one. The landscape didn’t change much. High tress, green grass, colored flowers. Still, everything remained a bit too gay for Josh, somewhat too overbearing happy in a way a little child might find entertaining, but which for him just seemed wrong. It reminded him of his sister’s room.

Thinking of her room, brought him to a question he should have asked himself earlier. How come he hadn’t reached them yet? They had been here just a few minutes earlier than him at best and still weren’t anywhere in sight, given he was on the right way. Had someone or something given them a ride?

These thoughts led to nothing and finally, the bottle of coke made itself felt. Looking around and still seeing no one, Josh walked to a tree and loosened the band of his sweatpants.

“What do you think you are doing young man?” A booming voice asked.

Startled, Josh looked around, discovering no one on the road. Looking back to the tree, two large eyes were staring at him from the trunk.

“AHH!” Josh stumbled backwards, falling over his legs and landing in the soft grass. “What the spell?!”

This was wrong! He had meant to say What the hell!, but before the teenager could even think about it, he heard another voice.

“Language!” A high voice left of his head chided him. “You would think someone with such a bad taste for clothing at last has some manners!”

Josh turned his head to the sound of the voice. There was a flower growing left of him, barely having escaped being crushed by his falling body. The flower’s head was actually a head, with violet petals forming the circle around a yellow face with amber eyes looking at him the way an adult looked down on a misbehaving child. Dumbstruck, the teenager touched his sweater, which excepting the school-team’s sigil was mostly grey, before looking up. He could still see the tree looking down on him with amused interest.

Slowly Josh relaxed enough to realize three things. First and foremost, that he could be happy not to have pissed himself. Second, that he should really have expected to find other creatures than just gnomes here. Last, that there was probably little harm a tree and a flower could do to him.

Josh stared at both plants, weary of being wrong, and stood up.

“I’m sorry”, he apologized. “I didn’t know you could speak.”

“Would it have been better if I had been mute?” The tree asked.

Josh knew no reply to this. Not even trying to rephrase it out of fear that he might lose it completely.

“Since you can speak …” He added carefully. “I must go to Queen Lyxaria. Is this way the right one?”

“Who gets lost so easily shouldn’t walk around, anyway!” The flower commented.

“It is,” the tree answered, more helpful. “But the next smaller way to the right is a shortcut.”

“Thank you.” Josh replied and walked off.

“You haven’t told him that he will get easily lost on the shortcut.” The flower commented, when the teenager was out of earshot.

“I didn’t lie either.” The tree replied dignified. “Watering me! Hmpf!”

“Oh well,” the flower commented and turned to the sun, embracing its warmth.

It was beneath her to tell, but she could need a bit of watering. The sun strangely hadn’t set yet, and it was too warm, despite the seasons normally having changed already. Of course, it was the decent sort of water she craved, best from a fresh, mineral-rich fountain of the mountains.

You can’t get everything you deserve, the flower thought and tried its best to look as pretty as she could be for any wanderer, despite of course not caring at all.

Farther ahead, Josh found the small way branching off the main road to the right, and took it without thinking twice. The three girls had to have gotten a ride, he would have reached them already otherwise, so he had to hurry. This place reminded him more and more of a fairytale; and what these tell about what fairy queens did with little children? His parents had to be back home by now. Would they find the portal?

As Josh still pondered, he felt his bladder again.

“Does anyone here mind if I take a fish?” He spoke out loud, meaning to say piss. “I mean fish … fi … Fluff it!”

Not caring any longer, he relieved himself at the nearest tree and hurried away, before it had a chance to protest.

***

Josh walked for a while and slowly got the feeling he was lost. The way on the ground had become little less than a thin path of earth bordered by some fresh leaves and he could have sworn he walked in a different direction than the one the large street had led to. Either the tree had lied, or he had somewhere lost the way. Or most likely both.

It would have been different, hadn’t the colors not still been of such irritating strange shades. Here in the forest there were less flashy ones, but the brown of the trees still looked deeper, the green of the leaves more vivid. Moreover, the shadows had a certain substance they lacked back at home, seemingly nearly alive on their own. Turing around to look at his own when he passed a small clearing, Josh found it to have the same consistency, wondering for a moment if it truly was alive, waiting for an opportunity to free itself.

“Can anyone or anything here speak?” He asked the fourth or fifth time. “I would really appreciate someone telling me how I get to the Crystal palace!”

“You are on the wrong way.” A high voice said.

Josh blinked and turned to the nearest tree where the voice had come from.

“So, could you …”

“Up here!”

Looking up to a branch of the tree, just a bit over his head, Josh discovered the source of the voice. It was a fairy. A blond, naked, tiny woman, with dragonfly wings, being maybe half the size of his upper arm. He really shouldn’t have been surprised, not after all he had already seen, but he found himself lacking words regardless.

“You are on the wrong way and you are at the wrong place! You shouldn’t be here.” The fairy said, her attractive face looking irritated. “Queen Lyxaria sent me to bring you back to your world.”

“No,” Josh replied, having needed a moment to process this. “No way I leave without my sister and the other girls.”

“The queen promises they will come back unharmed.” The fairy explained. “Nothing bad will happen to them here.”

“I will convince me of this myself.” Josh insisted unimpressed. “If you won’t show me the way, okay, I will find it myself.”

With this he turned around.

“The queen ordered …” The fairy began again behind him.

“Horsedip!” He stopped her, meaning horseshit.

The teenager had barely made three steps, before the fairy was before him, hovering in the air, centimeters from his face. Her blue eyes flashed angrily, making Josh guess that while he couldn’t speak the word, she might very well have understood it. It wasn’t her eyes he found himself staring it, but her doubtlessly female body below. Was it wrong that he felt something rise itself in his pants?

Forcefully Josh directed his eyes on the fairy’s face. He could push her aside, small as she was, but she could probably come back with backup from her queen.

“Look,” he began. “I know you have your orders but there is no way I will leave without the three. So, the fastest way to get rid of me is to bring me to them, so I can take them back.”

The fairy stared at him a moment longer, then she sighed and let her shoulders drop in resignation.

“Fine!” She hissed. “Come with me.”

She flew ahead on a small trail near the opposite direction Josh would have taken.

“To the palace?” He asked, slowly following.

“To the Guardians.” The fairy replied looking back. “They aren’t in the palace anymore, but on a quest given to them by Queen Lyxaria.”

“A quest?” Josh asked, feeling lightheaded again.

“Oh yes,” the fairy confirmed, seemingly taking no notice of his surprise. “They must get the Orb of Seasons back from Lord Lucicon.”

“Sounds dangerous.”

“Don’t worry, they saved this land many times.”

Josh opened his mouth to question the intelligence of a queen sending little girls on a quest and closed it again, knowing better than to strain his relationship with this being. Another question came to his mind.

“Why can’t I curse?” He asked, bushing some branches aside. “Every time I try, something twists the words in my mouth.”

“The queen’s orders.” The fairy answered. “She is a polite queen!”

Josh had no response to this, but wondered why a queen who was so powerful needed three little girls … or anyone to do her work.

They went on. The fairy was anxious to go faster, but Josh sometimes nearly fell over roots and twice had to tighten the laces of his shoes which had become somewhat loose. Once he had to climb over a trunk, which lay on the trail. On its top he wondered if he actually stood on a corpse and hurried to a slid of it. A while later they came to a fruit tree, which colorful fruits looked a bit too ripe, but still tempting for the hungry teenager.

“Can I eat this?” He asked the fairy, holding a blue fruit with yellow spots.

“Only if you want to be blue for an hour.” She replied. “Wait.”

With this she flew to the higher branches and came back with a pink fruit having little red spikes, making Josh wonder how such different fruits could grow on a single tree. Trusting his reluctant companion, the teenager took it and bit in it. It tasted like nothing he had ever eaten before.

“Tasty.” He noticed. “Thank you … What is your name by the way?”

“Rosedew.” The fairy replied.

“Thank you Rosedew.” Josh then said. “I’m Josh Bernhard.”

Rosedew smiled maybe for the first time he had seen her.

“The gnomes told us.” She noticed. “They …”

She stopped, turned her head and listened.

“What is …” Josh began, but Rosedew pressed her tiny hands on his lips, stopping him.

The teenager listened. There seemed to be rustling in the distant underwood. Some creatures which ran around … and giggled. Josh could hear them maybe for ten seconds, until they vanished again in the distance.

“Pew.” Rosedew said, letting go of the human’s lips.

“What was this?” Josh asked.

“Gigglers.”

“Gigglers?”

“You don’t want to meet them.” The fairy said. “Believe me.”

With this she flew ahead again, and again Josh followed, now keeping weary eyes on the forest around him. So it seemed not everything was sun and smiles here. He had known it! Best he brought the girls back as soon as possible, even if they protested. How long had he been here already? What if he had to stay here for days and missed the school-start? How would …

“Hey!” A voice called.

Startled Josh stopped and looking down he noticed a rabbit with a blue vest, standing on his hindlegs on the path in front of him. It looking up at him angrily.

“Have you no eyes?” The rodent asked.

The teenager realized he had nearly stepped on it, despite the rabbit being definitely larger than a regular one.

“Sorry,” Josh replied. “I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

“Pew,” the rabbit replied, grabbing a piece of herbs and waving them at him. “Can’t a respectable rabbit eat in peace?”

“Sorry.” Josh repeated.

Carefully he stepped around the rabbit and joined Rosedew who waited on the other side.

“You are too large to be here.” The fairy stated, shaking her head.

“Compared to gnomes, fairies and rabbits I am.” Josh replied irritated and bent down on one knee to tighten his shoe-laces again, finding the legs of his sweatpants having fallen over them.

“I don’t just mean size.” Rosedew noticed. “A child wouldn’t have missed the rabbit.”

“Children are distracted, too.” Josh defended himself.

“Not of this place.” The fairy replied. “They come here with an open heart and find part of themselves.”

Before Josh could ask what in the hell/spell this meant, Rosedew turned around.

“Listen!” She told him.

The teenager tried, though for a moment he had a definitively too good view on her back and below. This being a place for children, at last explained the lack of clothing. Then he heard it. Again, giggling and something like else …

“Come!” Rosedew said, flying ahead in the underwood.

Josh tried to follow, charging through underwood, but it nearly proved too thick for him. Branches pulled on him and spiderwebs covered his face. He pressed forward and … stumbled on a broad, paved street with his sister, Amanda and Beatrice standing in front of him.

“Josh?” Kelly’s disbelieve of seeing her big brother here was clear in her voice and wide eyes.

“Kelly!” Josh felt a wave of relieve rush over him. “Are you okay?”

“Sure!” His sister replied, as if it was a stupid question. “What are you doing here?”

“Getting you home!” He insisted.

Josh’s words made Kelly go silent, giving him time to get a true look at the girls. All three seemed unharmed, healthy and even happy, as if they were on a trip in Disney World instead of an unknown and possible dangerous land. They still wore the clothes he had last seen them with, but all wore something more, too. Kelly wore a pair of golden armbands with diamonds which seemed to sparkle in the sun. Amanda wore a golden necklace with two pieces a broken ruby heart. Beatrice wore a sword's sheath on her back, while holding a real sharp-looking sword with a sapphire on the silver hilt.

What does this queen think giving a little girl such a dangerous thing?, Josh wondered angrily.

They weren’t on their own though. At his sister’s side was something resembling a dog, with the size of a tiger. It had a shaggy grey fur, a snout and long, hanging ears. Besides Beatrice stood a unicorn – Josh was no longer surprised to see one – with white fur and black mane. Near Amanda rested something which did surprise Josh though. It resembled a snake, if snakes had fur the color of rainbows.

“We can’t leave, yet!” Kelly protested. “We have to go to Lord Lucicon. He stole the Orb of Seasons from the queen.”

“Now it is always summer.” Amanda tried to explain. “We have to get it back or everyone suffers.”

“We will save everyone and you can’t stop us!” Beatrice said cockily, making one step forward after placing her sword back in its sheath.

“Listen,” Josh said, walking closer to them. “I will …”

He didn’t get any farther. The moment he got in reach, Beatrice grabbed him and to the teenager’s total shock lifted him seemingly effortlessly over her head, even as he exclaimed a rather undignified yelp.

“What the FLUFF!” Josh screamed.

His sister, Amanda and even Rosedew starred at him in shock for a moment and then began to giggle.

“Let me down Whatsamiss!” Josh demanded, meaning goddamnit.

He tried to wriggle himself free, but Beatrice’s grip was iron and all he managed to achieve was losing his left shoe, causing even louder giggles.

“Let him down please,” Kelly finally asked, after what seemed a long time for her brother.

Her friend obliged, grinning at the teenager who looked down on her.

“What was this?” Josh finally managed to ask with as much dignity as he could muster with just one shoe.

“Queen Lyxaria gave us gifts to succeed in our quest.” Kelly explained. “I have the Bracelets of Friendship.”

“I have the Amulet of Love.” Amanda said.

“I have the Sword of Strength.” Beatrice told him, proudly laying her arms on her hips. “It gives me the strength of a giant.”

“It is still not safe here.” Josh told them. “Do you think your parents would allow this? Don’t you think they will be scared to death?”

“They don’t even know we are away,” Beatrice replied unimpressed.

“Time moves differently here,” Rosedew explained. “You could spend days here and only minutes pass in your world.”

“Besides we are not alone! We have our companions.” His sister said, stroking through the thick coat  of the creature at her side’s who revealed his teeth for a grin. “This is Drufus.”

“This is Luaf.” Amanda said, kneeling and stroking the snakelike creature who coiled around her arm in response and began to purr of all things.

“And this is Aruna.” Beatrice said, touching the flank of the unicorn which neighed in return.

“Is the fairy your companion?” Kelly asked.

“No!” Josh and Rosedew replied in union.

Both teenager and fairy looked at each other a second in irritation, causing the girls to giggle. It was Kelly who stopped first, looking confused at her brother.

“Have you shrunk?”

Josh opened his mouth to tell her not to be silly, but then he remembered where he was and looked at his hands. The sleeves of his sweater were clearly too long, going over his arms despite him having pushed them back. Also, the sweater nearly went past his waist, while his sweatpants only hung to it due to the band he had retightened. The legs of his sweatpants were over his shoes and socks, both barely staying on his feet. The one remaining shoe wasn’t even close to be small enough for the foot now. Josh wriggled his toes, feeling the free space in it. No, he hadn't become smaller, he realised, but younger. He touched his face, feeling hints of stubbles – this at last – guessing he had to be around fourteen.

Unbelieving he looked up, noticing for the first time how his sister looked larger. Not nearly the same size as him, but still maybe a head taller than before. Only that this wasn’t true. He was one head smaller! Seeing the girls as confused as himself he turned to Rosedew.

“What the SPELL?!” He asked, meaning hell with all demons in it.

At first the fairy looked as confused as the girls, then understanding showed on her fair face.

“Well, I warned you this is a place for children,” Rosedew began. “Since you didn’t want to leave this place, it is changing you into one.”

Josh pointed his right hand on her, opening his mouth for something describing this, despite knowing it would not come out right. Finding he had absolutely no word for it and no strength left, he dropped his arm again.

“We have to leave.” He said, turning to the girls. “Now.”

“No.” Beatrice replied, crossing her arms. “You can go. We are on a quest.”

“The queen relies on us.” Amanda added in a more conciliatory tone. “The whole kingdom does.”

With this the girls and their companions moved past him. First Beatrice, then Amanda and finally Kelly, who stopped by his side.

“You could come with us.” She offered, before following her friends.

Josh looked after them.

“You see they come along fine.” Rosedew told him, flying close to his face. “Let me bring you back to the portal. You should be your normal age on the other side.”

The thought of leaving while he was still a teenager was tempting to Josh, so very much, but seeing his sister walking further away and seemingly getting smaller, made him aware he was still the big brother, no matter his size. Grumbling something undecipherable under his breath, Josh picked up his dropped shoe, made the laces as tight as possible as he could and rushed after the three girls, ignoring the fairy’s protests.

To be continued …