Would reside in fancy little houses ,
And be dressed in shoes
And hats and trousers
In a world of my own ."
- A World of My Own, Disney's Alice In Wonderland
A young woman stares into your face, an eyebrow arched in a mixture of confusion, curiosty, and suppressed laughter. She has a wild look to her, with feathers in her thick, wavy hair, but her clothing is modern. On one arm she carries a basket with a blanket inside.
"Are you okay there, 'weary traveller'?" There is a hint a of friendly sarcasm in her voice. "Where did you even come from..." She glances around you casually, thinks on it a moment, then holds out her hand to you. "Well come on then," she says, "I do have work to do."
She leads you onto a sunlit path of soft dirt. The way is lined with large flowering trees, their petals floating on the breeze and scattering over the ground. Looking back in the direction you came, you can see you were in a dense forest.
"Yep, you're pretty lucky I found you. You could have been stumbling around in there for days," says the stranger.
She smirks at you and continues to lead the way. Although her tone is slightly condescending, the little sparkle in her eyes suggests otherwise. This is starting to be a pattern. Where could this odd girl possibly be taking you?
The thought leaves you as quickly as it came when in the distance you notice the path opens into an enormous clearing. Within the clearing is an equally impressive lake. You can make out several large buildings, some fenced pastures, and what appear to be various creatures. You can see them clearly playing, chasing, roaming, and lounging as you come closer... and closer. The clearing is even bigger than it seemed moments ago. Closer still, you must be squeezing the girl's hand because you suddenly feel her squeeze back.
"I know," she says, peering at you from the corner of her eye. "My name is Sabre, by the way. Guess you might want to know that."
She sets her basket down gently at the start of the wooden dock you have come to. Taking your other hand, she looks into your eyes and sighs a little. Her thumbs run over the back of your hands almost nervously.
"This land," she begins, glancing all around, "is called Artonia. The lake there is named Lucid, and this creature sanctuary is my home. We call it Lucid Blue, after the lake.. Obviously." She shakes her head a little. "Anyway, I don't know who you are, or why you're here. But I do trust you, I like you. Please prove me right. These creatures are very special, and they have so much to offer to the right people."
Will you follow Sabre into Lucid Blue?
