Seven Devils and a Rose

I searched about the door, looking for a lock or something. Then I found it. It was so obvious, just like in Dad's fantasy books.

I pressed on the nose of the lion statue that protruded from the door. Immediately, the stone wall moved and turned, opening and allowing me access to the outside world.

I rushed out, my bare feet cold against the marble floor beneath me. Again, I didn't remember that there was any marble floor at the entrance of the bathhouse previously, so this place was obviously not home.

Outside, it was dark, with a hint of moonlight in the distance that illuminated a gray hue on my surroundings. And yes, I noticed immediately that this wasn't the back garden of St. James Manor, as everything here looked completely different.

As I stepped out farther, I noticed that behind me and above the bathhouse was the aurora, and I couldn't help but stare at it in awe. So it didn't just appear in the bathhouse. It was outside, too, and stretched high above the sky and even farther, beyond my left and right sides like a sort of barrier between two worlds.

Oh. My. God.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful, and I was mesmerized for a moment. I felt as if I had stepped into a whole other universe and that I was now watching the stars up close. The Aurora, with its multi colors of the rainbow, danced and sparkled while the rays of light shone and bathed the surrounding area in a prism of hues.

Even though it was exquisite and I wanted to gaze at it longer, taking it in and storing the image in the database that was my mind, I knew that I couldn't because time was of the essence.

I snapped back to reality, my mind racing.

Where am I if this isn't home? If this isn't St. James Island? If this isn't America? If this isn't Earth?

I searched around me as I tried to figure out the answer, or at least toss up possibilities of where I could be.

Then it hit me! Oh God! I hadn't been transported to another realm, had I? I mean, that would be just impossible. It is just not tangible.

Then again, Dad's words echoed gently in my mind. Anything is possible if you put your imagination and creativity to it.

"Oh, Dad," I said under my breath, my voice shaking. Why did this kind of thing happen? When we had just talked about it? Was it a sign, a marker, or something?

Suddenly, I noticed that the noise of men shouting was getting louder, and I knew that they were heading this way, toward me.

I narrowed my eyes, searching and trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Boom! I felt the earth shake beneath me, and at the same time, lights burst and exploded brightly in the sky.

Oh Lord, this is definitely World War III, all right.

I instinctively left the bathhouse and ran toward the woods on the other side, my bare feet on the cold, hard earth.

I didn't know how long I ran, but I kept at it like the devil was chasing after me. I sprinted until I felt the cuts against my skin. Holding back groans of pain that desperately wanted to escape my mouth, I kept racing until my heart ached and my sides were sore. It was only then that I slowed down because I frantically needed to catch my breath.

Behind me, I could still hear the voices of men shouting chaotically, getting ever closer.

Are they chasing after me? But why? How do they even know that I'm here in the first place? I had just gotten out of the bathhouse, and I was sure no one had seen me.

"Over there!" I heard one shout.

I freaked out and instinctively started running again. Suddenly, in my panicky state, I missed a step and tripped, and I found myself tumbling down the side of a steep hill, my slender body rolling like a log until I hit the bottom with a puff.