I had some time before meeting up with Axel and Grandmother for our trip to see Han, so I settled in to catch up on work and e-mail. I hadn’t done that in two days, which wasn’t like me at all. I was in the process of touching base with a few writers about our schedule for the next issue of Natural Living when my eye caught on an e-mail from Luna. It had the subject line: Marshmallow Fluff. That was our secret code from college, meaning ‘this is a big secret.’ My heart raced and I opened her message.
Hayden, I’ve been so worried about you. Ever since seeing you in the mirror screaming and flailing your arms . . .
Wait, what?! I had been waving at her! And smiling widely to show her that all was well. Apparently, my pantomime skills need a lot of work.
I’ve been googling alternate worlds and magic mirrors and even went to the actual library! I keep running into the same matches—basically things like Alice in Wonderland and Narnia (though that’s a wardrobe, not a mirror.) I even re-watched that Star Trek episode when Picard goes to an alternate world and lives a whole life there. You’re not going to do that, are you? Disappear for a whole life, get married, and have children, grow old, and then come back as young you all over again??? I found a few other old novels and movie scenes with enchanted mirror plotlines. And well, you know, a couple of fairy tales like the Beast’s window to the outside world and Snow White’s fairest of them all stuff, but so far, I haven’t learned anything that will help me get you out.
I hope our secret subject line will give this message a chance at getting through to you without putting you in danger. Is someone watching your e-mail account? Can you reach me to tell me what to do to help you get out? Please try—I want to get you back home! I miss you and I’m so worried about you. You are so not in Denmark, are you?
My throat tightened and I tried to swallow. My eyes filled with tears and I felt one slip down my cheek. My friend was not so afraid that she’d run away and abandoned me as I’d thought. She was trying to get me back.
It also was a shock that the DF Satellite let her message through. Any magic that powerful would not be tricked by a fancy subject line. So, for whatever reason, it was allowed. I hoped that my reply would make it through as well.
I spent the next hour writing and erasing a reply to Luna. I wanted it to be exactly right. I’d tell her just enough to calm her down and let her know I was okay. I would leave out the magic of the town and the house. And I wouldn’t say anything about the murders or mysteries that have occurred since I arrived, of course. I’d be a little lighthearted so she wouldn’t be concerned. And I wouldn’t expound on all that I’d learned about mirrors and portals and such. Also, I thought I’d better leave out my family, even though they were such a big part of all this. I feared if I said too much, my message would become undeliverable. Finally, I had a message that felt perfect.
Hi Luna!
I was so happy to get your note! When you saw me, I was not screaming or afraid. I was waving and trying to put on a very happy face. It surprised me to hear that it looked like a grimace of panic. I’m so sorry I scared you!
The story of where I am and how I got here is complicated. It’s unbelievable, but 100 percent true. It would take hours to tell you everything, so I’m just going to give you some important highlights.
You are correct. I’m not in Denmark. Sorry about that, but it was the only way to let you know I was fine without explaining the very weird experience I am dealing with.
You better sit down for this next bit. Well, I imagine you’re at your computer and sitting down, but you know what I mean.
You already saw that the mirror in my room is enchanted. Well, you could say I fell ‘through the looking glass’ and landed in a different world. Yes, I know that sounds farfetched. The world on the other side of that mirror is marvelous (nothing like the Alice experience!)—it’s very much like home in many ways. I am staying in a beautiful home with a family of kind, gracious people.
The weirdest thing about the mirror is that I have no idea how it works. I can’t leave here, unless it sends me back.
Communication from here is spotty. I’ve sent you many e-mails and texts and tried to reach you by phone, only to have the connection dropped or messages bounce. I am very much hoping that you receive this. If so, maybe we can both continue to monitor the mirrors and try to see each other again.
I think this might be way too much for Nana and Granana to handle, so let’s keep this between us until we figure it out, okay? I think it’s best to keep the Denmark cover story for now.
I miss you, my friend. I hope we can be together again soon.
Love and hugs to you,
Hayden
I reread my note. Well, it wasn’t as perfect as the first time I read it, but I felt it was good enough. The situation was so ridiculously absurd that there was no way to soften the blow. I hit ‘send.’
27
Han’s home was not what I expected. That’s not a new concept here in Destiny Falls, I realized. Since he was so James Bond-ish, I was expecting sleek, modern, black glass, and chrome. Instead, I pulled
