Made with no AI

To Evelyn and Esther

We were sitting by the lake, feeding the koi fish.

Then my sister, Maple, whispered in awe, "There are mermaids in the water."

"Maple, those are just fish. You know that."

Maple didn't answer. She leaned forward instead, her eyes fixed on the rippling water as though someone beneath the surface had just waved at her. The koi drifted away from the shore one by one, leaving a strangely still patch of water that shimmered like someone had scattered crushed glass across it.

Maple walked towards it.

"Maple, be careful. You can't swim. I don't want you falling in."

She kept walking toward it.

"Maple! Get back here!"

She stopped just at the water's edge, her hand slowly reaching toward the glittering patch. For a heartbeat, everything around us seemed to go quiet—the birds, the wind, even the gentle splashing of the koi.

She kept walking toward it.

"Maple! Get back here!"

She stopped just at the water's edge, her hand slowly reaching toward the glittering patch. For a heartbeat, everything around us seemed to go quiet—the birds, the wind, even the gentle splashing of the koi.

Then the surface of the lake rippled upward instead of outward, as if the water itself had taken a slow, silent breath.

Maple fell in.

"Maple!"

I tried to jump in after her.

A sharp gust of wind sent me back to the ground.

I jumped back up and looked for Maple.

She was gone.

Left without a trace.

Left without a trace. 

I called her name until my voice cracked, scanning the water for even the smallest ripple. The lake looked completely ordinary again, as though nothing had happened at all. If it hadn't been for the half-empty bag of fish food lying in the grass beside me, I might've believed I'd imagined the whole thing.

I took a step in.

I heard a voice.

Not coming from the house—it was coming from the lake.

It sounded musical.

Could there really be mermaids?

No, there weren't any mermaids.

Just a small, colorful snake.

"Hello! Where are you from? Do you want to come with me?"

The snake's voice sounded almost like it was singing instead of speaking, every word rising and falling with the water.

I stared at it, too stunned to answer.

"Did... did you see my sister?" I finally managed to ask.

The snake thought for a while.

"Maple… Maple… ah! I think I've seen her around here."

"Really? Can you take me to her?"

The snake nodded.

"But it's gonna take a while."

Not waiting for an answer, it dove into the water, disappearing.

I walked toward the water.

What was I doing?

I was following some talking—no, singing—sea snake.

The water was colder than I expected, but only for a second. As I took another step, the lakebed beneath my feet didn't feel like mud anymore—it felt smooth, almost like worn stone. I glanced back toward the shore, wondering if I should turn around, but the shoreline already looked farther away than it should have.

Wait!

What was I doing?

"Um... one thing. I'm a human, right?"

The snake turned to me.

"Yes. Why?"

"Humans can't breathe underwater."

"That won't be a problem."

I didn't ask any questions.

The snake gave a cheerful flick of its tail and continued gliding deeper without another explanation. I took a nervous breath and stepped beneath the surface, bracing for the sting in my lungs that never came. The water felt strangely light, almost like cool air, and when I exhaled, a string of shimmering bubbles drifted upward as naturally as if I'd been breathing there my whole life.

(Hmm. I wonder what I should call this snake. Charlie? Site? Maybe—)

"My name's Verse, human."

"Verse? That's a weird name."

The snake—er, Verse—just shrugged.

Or, as much as a snake can shrug.

"That's what everyone says," Verse sang cheerfully. "I think Dawn is a weird name, but here you are."

I wasn't sure whether to be offended or laugh. Instead, I just followed as Verse wound effortlessly through the water, humming a tune I didn't recognize while the lake around us slowly became too deep, too wide... and nothing like the one I'd stepped into.

Verse turned to me.

"We're going to my world. Do you want to meet my sister?"

"Sure. Wait! She's another sea snake, isn't she?"

"Songsper," Verse corrected.

"Fine."

A huge Songsper swam over.

"Hello! What's your name?"

I looked at the Songsper.

But I looked a second too long.

I felt my soul leaving my body.

I wasn't in the same place anymore.

Millions of eyes stared at me.

The strangest thing was that they weren't connected to a body.

I couldn't tell which way was up anymore. The eyes blinked one after another, like a wave rippling across the darkness, each one silently watching me as though it had been expecting me. Just as panic began to take over, I heard Verse's voice from impossibly far away, singing my name, and the endless sea of eyes shattered like glass.

Then I was back.

What happened?

I can't believe this.

The giant Songsper looked down sheepishly.

"This happens every time."

"I'm... sorry," the giant Songsper sang, lowering her head. "My eyes do that. They send people... elsewhere. I try not to look at anyone for too long."

Verse swam over and gently nudged her side with his tail.

"This is my sister, Cello," he said. "She's really nice. Just... don't make eye contact for very long."

I decided that was probably the strangest piece of advice I'd ever been given.

Verse suddenly veered to the left.

"Squinter!" he called happily. "How are you today?"

I glanced around.

"Who's Squinter?"

Verse pointed with the tip of his tail.

"Him."

I followed his gaze and froze.

"Verse... that's a mountain."

"No, it isn't."

"...Yes, it is."

The "mountain" shifted.

At first I thought it was a trick of the water, but then an enormous eye slowly opened near what I had mistaken for the peak. A second eye blinked open beside it. The rocky surface rippled as though it were skin instead of stone, and the entire thing let out a long, sleepy yawn that sent a current rolling through the water.

"Oh," I whispered.

The mountain wasn't a mountain.

It was alive.

"Hello, Verse," the giant creature rumbled. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Dawn! She's looking for her sister."

The enormous creature lowered his head just enough to see me better.

"I hope you find her."

"...Thanks," I managed.

Verse smiled.

"See? That's Squinter."

I stared at him.

"I owe several people an apology," I muttered.

"Why?"

"I've called you crazy at least five times since we met."

"You'll probably do it again."

"...Probably."

We continued swimming, leaving Squinter behind. Every few moments I looked over my shoulder, half expecting him to have vanished into the landscape again. Instead, he simply watched us go before settling back down so perfectly still that, within seconds, he looked exactly like a mountain once more.

I wasn't sure if this world was getting stranger...

...or if I was just starting to understand it.

As we swam through forests of waving kelp, a question finally escaped me.

"Verse?"

"Hm?"

"How is any of this helping me find Maple?"

Verse slowed until we were drifting side by side.

"Because nobody can search every world alone," he replied. "You need people who know where the doors are."

"The doors?"

"They're not really doors."

"...There are multiple worlds?"

"Oh, lots! Cloud Kingdom, Lollipop Wonderland, the Trentum Zone..."

We continued swimming until Verse called for Kindle.

What I thought was a boulder yawned.

It was a cat with nine shimmering fish tails.

"So," Kindle purred, circling me once, "you're looking for someone."

"My little sister."

"Maple."

I stared.

"You know her?"

"I know she passed through."

My heart leaped.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know. She didn't stay long."

"Do you know where she went?"

"I know where she could have gone."

She looked upward.

"Cloud Kingdom."

Kindle led us to a shimmering circle of water.

"Just keep walking."

I stepped through.

For a moment, I couldn't tell whether I was falling or floating.

Then my feet touched solid ground.

Clouds drifted lazily overhead.

White stone streets stretched before me.

At first it felt unfamiliar.

Then...

"This is my neighborhood."

Every road was where I expected.

Every house stood in the same place.

It was as though someone had rebuilt my neighborhood among the clouds.

A narrow alley caught my eye.

"I'm going to check there."

The moment we walked toward it, rain began pouring from the sky.

"It rains a lot," Verse explained. "They live on clouds."

"...Fair point."

"You'll want an umbrella."

"I don't have any Cloud Kingdom money."

"...I forgot," Verse admitted.

"You brought me to another dimension without thinking about money?"

"I was excited."

"Excuse me."

I turned.

A young faun stood behind me, holding a small leather pouch.

"You look like you need these."

Inside were dozens of gold coins.

"I can't take these."

"My name's Sara."

"...I'm Dawn."

"I know."

She closed my fingers around the pouch.

"You'll need an umbrella more than I need these coins."

Before I could thank her, she disappeared into the rain.

I crossed the street to a little umbrella stand.

"I'll just take a normal one."

The shopkeeper handed me a simple navy-blue umbrella.

"Three gold."

I paid, opened it, and listened as the rain softened overhead.

"Ready?" Verse asked.

I looked toward the alley.

"...Ready."

I stepped inside.

The cheerful sounds of Cloud Kingdom faded behind me.

Then...

A low, echoing sound drifted through the alley.

It sounded like a cave.

My heart pounded.

I gripped the umbrella with both hands and swung it toward the darkness.

"WHO'S THERE?"

For a moment, only the rain answered.

Then a calm voice spoke from directly behind me.

"...Good afternoon."

I spun around.

Someone stood a few feet away, dressed entirely in black. A long drench coat hung nearly to the ground, dripping steadily despite the rain. A tall black top hat shaded most of the stranger's face.

"Who are you?"

"They generally call me..."

The stranger tipped the brim of the hat.

"...Mr. DrenchCoat."

"What are you doing here?"

"I heard that a young woman arrived in Cloud Kingdom looking for her sister."

"If you know I'm looking for Maple..."

"...I believe I may be able to help you find her."

He led me through Cloud Kingdom until we reached enormous iron gates standing at the kingdom's edge.

I pushed against them.

They wouldn't move.

Mr. DrenchCoat reached into his coat and produced a small brass key.

"This will open the gates."

I looked down at it.

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because someone once helped me."

He paused.

"One piece of advice."

I looked up.

"In the worlds ahead..."

His pale eyes met mine.

"...do not judge a book by its cover."

"What does that—"

A gust of wind swept through the clouds.

I covered my eyes.

When I looked again...

Mr. DrenchCoat was gone.

Only the brass key remained in my hand.

The brass key slid into the lock.

The gates slowly swung open.

Beyond them wasn't another road.

It was color.

Pink skies.

Candy-striped hills.

Trees with swirled trunks.

"Lollipop Wonderland," Verse sang.

"...It doesn't look nearly as dangerous as the name."

"It isn't."

I relaxed.

"...Most of the time."

We followed a winding path lined with oversized flowers that chimed softly in the breeze.

Then...

Something moved.

Just for a split second.

Out of the corner of my eye.

I spun around.

Nothing.

Only an empty path.

"...Verse?"

"Hm?"

"I thought I saw someone."

Verse looked behind us.

"I don't see anyone."

"...Neither do I."

Still...

I couldn't shake the feeling that, for the briefest moment...

Someone had been standing there.

The path curved gently between rows of candy-colored trees.

For a few minutes, nothing happened.

I almost convinced myself I'd imagined the figure behind us.

Then...

Rustle.

The leaves behind us shook.

Verse stopped singing.

"...Did you hear that?" I whispered.

He nodded.

Rustle.

This time it was closer.

Slowly, we turned around.

At first I didn't see anything.

Then I noticed it.

An eye.

Just...

An eyeball.

It peeked out from between the bright pink leaves, completely still, its pale iris fixed directly on me.

"...EW!"

I jumped backward so fast I nearly tripped over my own feet.

The eye didn't blink.

It just... stared.

"...Verse?"

"...Yes?"

"...Please tell me eyeballs don't just grow on trees here."

Verse squinted for a moment.

"...No."

"...That's somehow worse."

The eyeball disappeared behind the leaves.

A moment later, someone slowly stepped out from between the trees.

I froze.

She was tall and unnaturally thin, dressed in a faded gray dress that brushed the ground. Long black hair hid most of her face, except for one eye.

The other...

...was a button.

A small, black button sewn where an eye should have been.

She stopped a few feet away and folded her hands politely.

"Oh," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

I blinked.

"I... didn't mean to scare you."

For a second, I forgot how to speak.

Verse smiled.

"Hello, Ms. LookAway!"

She gave a tiny wave.

"Hello, Verse."

I looked from him to her.

"...You're friends?"

"We've met," Verse answered.

Ms. LookAway lowered her head a little.

"People usually scream before introducing themselves."

"...Sorry," I admitted.

"It's alright."

She smiled.

It was a small, genuine smile that somehow made her look even less frightening.

"My name is Ms. LookAway."

"I'm Dawn."

"It's nice to meet you."

I hesitated.

"...Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"...Why were you watching us from the bushes?"

She looked embarrassed.

"I wasn't trying to frighten you."

She glanced toward the trees.

"I just... have a habit of following travelers."

Before I could ask why, Verse quietly cleared his throat.

"Dawn..."

I looked at him.

"...Whatever you do..."

He pointed toward Ms. LookAway with the tip of his tail.

"...don't look away from her for very long."

The smile on Ms. LookAway's face faded just a little.

"I'm afraid he's right."

She sounded almost... apologetic.

"I can't help what happens next."

For the next few hours, the three of us searched every place we could think of.

"If I were Maple..." I said, looking around, "...I'd head for the biggest lollipops I could find."

Ms. LookAway nodded.

"Most children do."

So that's where we started.

The giant lollipops rose from the ground like colorful trees, some taller than houses. Their striped candy tops glittered in the sunshine while winding peppermint paths curled between them. Every now and then I'd call Maple's name, hoping to hear her answer.

Nothing.

We searched candy stores next.

One smelled like fresh caramel.

Another had shelves stacked floor to ceiling with chocolates shaped like tiny castles and dragons.

One sold nothing but jellybeans, sorted into hundreds of glass jars by color.

"Has anyone seen a little girl?" I'd ask every shopkeeper.

"Brown hair. About this tall."

Every answer was the same.

"I'm sorry."

"No."

"I don't think so."

Each "no" made my stomach sink a little farther.

Even so...

I couldn't stop looking.

Every little laugh I heard made me turn around.

Every flash of brown hair caught my eye.

Every child I saw, for just a split second, made me think—

Maple.

But it never was.

As the afternoon stretched on, the bright colors of Lollipop Wonderland somehow made me miss home even more.

I hadn't realized how quiet Verse had become until he finally spoke.

"We'll find her."

I looked at him.

"You don't know that."

"No."

He smiled anyway.

"But I think she wants you to keep looking."

For the first time since Maple disappeared...

I smiled back.

By the next morning, we'd searched nearly every corner of Lollipop Wonderland.

Maple wasn't there.

She had been.

Everyone agreed on that.

But wherever she was now...

She had already moved on.

Ms. LookAway led us to the edge of the world, where the candy-colored hills gave way to open sky.

"There," she said quietly.

At first I didn't see anything.

Then I noticed a tiny stone archway floating far out among the clouds. It stood all by itself, suspended over an endless blue sky with no bridge leading to it.

"...How are we supposed to get there?"

Ms. LookAway pointed downward.

I followed her finger.

Clouds.

Hundreds of them.

Some were as small as stepping stones.

Others were as large as little islands.

They drifted lazily through the sky, slowly changing places as the wind carried them along.

"You... want me to jump across those?"

Verse nodded cheerfully.

"Yep."

"They're clouds!"

"They're Cloud Paths."

"There's a difference?"

"A very important one."

I looked over the edge.

The drop seemed endless.

My knees suddenly felt much weaker than they had a moment ago.

Verse hopped onto the nearest cloud without a second thought. It barely dipped beneath his weight.

He turned back toward me.

"Come on!"

"I've known you for... what... two days?"

"Mhm."

"And in those two days you've asked me to breathe underwater..."

"Mhm."

"...talk to living mountains..."

"Mhm."

"...meet a lady whose eyes send people to another dimension..."

"Mhm."

"...and now you want me to walk on clouds."

Verse thought for a moment.

"When you put it like that..."

He smiled.

"...we've had a busy week."

I couldn't help laughing.

Then I took a deep breath...

...and stepped onto my very first cloud.

The cloud path ended on a floating island no larger than a playground.

In the center stood a single tree.

Beneath it grazed a unicorn.

Her coat shimmered like fresh snow, and her silver mane drifted gently despite the complete lack of wind. She lifted her head as we approached, revealing bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle with tiny stars.

"You must be Dawn," she said.

I wasn't even surprised anymore.

"I'm Ari."

"It's... nice to meet you."

Ari smiled.

"I've been waiting."

"For me?"

She nodded.

"Travelers usually come this way."

Verse swam happily around her.

"Hello, Ari!"

"Hello, Verse."

She stepped toward the edge of the island and looked out into the endless sky.

"The next world isn't very far."

I looked where she was staring.

"...There's nothing there."

"There is."

Ari lowered her horn.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the air itself made a quiet tearing sound.

Not loud.

Not violent.

Just...

Rrrrip.

A thin crack appeared in the empty sky.

It slowly widened until I could see something on the other side.

Stars.

Thousands upon thousands of stars.

Not painted across a night sky.

Real ones.

Planets drifted silently in the distance. Brilliant nebulae glowed with impossible colors, and ribbons of light stretched across the darkness like rivers.

I stared.

"...That's..."

"Space," Ari said softly.

The tear widened another few feet.

The stars didn't look far away.

They looked close enough to touch.

I glanced back at the floating island.

Then at the universe waiting beyond the opening.

"I'm never going to get used to this," I whispered.

Verse laughed.

"No one ever really does."

Ari stepped through the tear as naturally as if she were crossing a doorway.

She looked back at me.

"Come on."

Taking a deep breath, I followed her...

...and left the sky behind.

The moment I stepped through the tear, I expected to start floating.

Instead, I found myself standing on something invisible.

It felt as solid as a sidewalk.

"...How am I standing?"

Ari smiled.

"Some questions are happier without answers."

I decided she had a point.

Every direction I looked was filled with stars. Some twinkled softly, while others glowed with brilliant shades of blue, gold, and violet. Enormous planets drifted nearby, their rings sparkling like they had been dusted with diamonds. Tiny islands of glowing crystal floated lazily through space, connected by ribbons of starlight that swayed as though they were underwater.

It was so quiet.

Not the kind of quiet that felt lonely.

The kind that made you whisper because it didn't seem right to speak loudly.

Verse glided beside me, humming a gentle tune that somehow didn't disturb the silence.

"This is beautiful," I whispered.

"It is," Ari agreed.

We wandered for what felt like hours, crossing glowing bridges and watching constellations slowly rearrange themselves overhead. Every now and then a tiny comet streaked across the darkness, disappearing before I could point it out.

Then...

A streak of silver shot across the sky.

"A shooting star!" I exclaimed.

Without thinking, I reached toward it.

To my amazement...

...it slowed.

The tiny star drifted gently into my hands.

It was warm.

Not hot.

Just pleasantly warm, like it had been sitting in the sunshine all afternoon.

Its soft white light slipped between my fingers.

I looked at Ari.

"...You're telling me..."

She smiled knowingly.

"...you can catch them?"

"If you're lucky."

I held the little star close.

Back home, people always made wishes on shooting stars.

I closed my eyes.

I didn't wish for money.

Or adventures.

Or to understand the strange worlds I'd been traveling through.

Verse smiled.

"You will."

The hill beneath my feet trembled.

At first, I thought it was an earthquake.

Then the ground...

...blinked.

A single eye, larger than my entire house back home, slowly opened beneath us.

I stumbled backward.

The "hill" shifted.

I only wished for one thing.

Please let Maple be safe.

The little star pulsed once.

Then it slipped from my hands and floated back into the endless sea of stars, shining just a little brighter before disappearing into the distance.

I watched until I couldn't see it anymore.

Ari looked at me with a gentle smile.

"That," she said quietly, "was a good wish."

The last glimmer of the shooting star disappeared into the darkness.

For a few moments, none of us spoke.

Then tiny specks of light began gathering nearby.

At first I thought they were ordinary stars.

But they kept drifting closer.

Hundreds of them.

Thousands.

The lights slowly circled one another, weaving together until they formed the outline of a person.

Arms.

Legs.

A flowing cloak.

A face.

His entire body shimmered with countless tiny stars, as though the night sky itself had decided to stand up and walk. Every movement left trails of stardust that faded only after several seconds.

He smiled warmly.

"Good evening."

I blinked.

"...You are... literally made of stars."

"I am."

Verse bowed his head politely.

"Hello, Korilarius!"

"It's good to see you again, Verse."

Korilarius turned toward me.

"You must be Dawn."

"...Does everyone already know who I am?"

He chuckled, and the stars that formed his shoulders sparkled brighter.

"News has a habit of traveling faster than people."

I couldn't help smiling.

"I've heard that before."

"I imagine you have."

He looked toward the endless sky, where countless stars twinkled in every direction.

"I saw your wish."

I looked down.

"...Can people do that?"

"Only sometimes."

"Did it come true?"

Korilarius's smile became thoughtful.

"Wishes are curious things."

He raised one glowing hand.

"They do not always change the world."

He pointed into the distance.

"...But they always change the person who makes them."

Far away, a faint golden glow flickered between the stars.

"What is that?" I asked.

Korilarius's eyes sparkled.

"Come."

He began walking across the invisible path.

"I'd like to show you something."

We followed him through the silent universe. The golden light grew brighter with every step until it revealed a breathtaking sight.

An entire world floated before us.

Its rivers shimmered like liquid gold.

Its trees glowed softly with silver leaves.

Thousands upon thousands of tiny lights drifted through the air like floating lanterns, each carrying a different color and brightness.

I stopped in my tracks.

"...What is this place?"

Korilarius looked at it with quiet affection.

"This..."

He smiled.

"...is the World of Wishes."

The World of Wishes stretched farther than I could see.

Every glowing light drifting through the air carried a wish. Some shone brightly enough to light the golden trees beneath them. Others flickered softly, as though they were waiting for someone to believe in them again.

"Do they ever disappear?" I asked.

Korilarius nodded.

"Sometimes."

"...When the wish comes true?"

"Sometimes."

"...When it's forgotten?"