ℱ𝓁𝒶𝓂ℯ𝓈

She had read this book so many times before. But this time was different. Odd. Magical! This time when she opened the book Charlotte saw a picture. Not just any picture,it was a picture of a faraway land. The land wasn’t any land from her book. It seemed to beckon her in. Charlotte jumped into the book and fell. When she looked up she was in her book!

Charlotte tried to steady herself against a nearby tree, but as she touched it, it burst into flames and disappeared. The same thing happened when she touched a blade of grass. Why, she wondered, was this happening? None of the book’s characters did this. What makes me so special?

A dark figure appeared on a hill in the distance. Who is that? She thought, maybe it was a character in the book! As the figure approached her Charlotte realized the figure was a girl- she couldn’t have been more than 10 years old. The girl had long dark blonde hair with a white shirt and a blue skirt. No character in her book looked liked this.

The girl stopped walking and shouted, “Who are you and what are you doing here?”

Charlotte didn’t know what to do. If I tell her I jumped into a book, Charlotte thought, and ended up here she’ll think I’m insane! I wish I was home. When I was-

“I asked what you were doing!” The girl yelled, yanking Charlotte out of her thoughts.

“Oh. I’m- uh.” Charlotte tried to answer but she couldn’t think of an excuse fast enough.

“You’re new in this village, aren’t you? Where did you come from?” The girl said, confusing Charlotte more.

“I don’t know what you mean?”

“Where did you come from? What is your name?” The girl asked curiously.

“My name is Charlotte and I’m from Gladstone, Missouri.” Charlotte replied, more confused still.

“You’re from where?” The girl replied.

“Um... Gladstone Missouri,”

“I don’t think that’s a place,” The girl said, right as Charlotte had a thought: if this girl is from the book she won’t know Gladstone. What are some city’s in the book? Gelto! I’ll say I’m from Gelto!

“Actually, I’m from Gelto. Geltlo, Dowbrooke! And what’s your name, then”

“Well , my name is Tulip. And if you’re from Gelto, then you’ve come a very long way! This is Blomst, Plante! How did you get here?”

“I um... took a bus?” As soon as

she said it, Charlotte regretted it.

“A what? I don’t understand! First, Galdsnow and now a bus! Where are you really from and how did you really get here?”

“It’s Gladstone not GIadsnow and I jumped through a book to get here!” Carmel said stressing the words stone and snow. She realized, now, how much her right leg hurt from the fall.

Suddenly, a woman in the distance shouted “Tulip! Come home! Now!”

“I believe you did come through a book!” Tulip revealed.

“Tulip!”

“I have to go! My house is the first peach one, on the hill if you need me!” Tulip said as she ran away, her mother calling her name again.

“Oh! Okay...” Charlotte said unsure of what she should do next. The sky was getting darker already. Even though a beautiful sunset stretched across the sky Charlotte was far from happy. She was alone, scared, still hurting, and getting increasingly colder by the minute.