When Dreams Become Reality

Mariza's eyes fluttered open to a world that shouldn't exist. Purple trees swayed in a breeze that smelled like cotton candy, and flowers the size of dinner plates giggled when she stepped near them.

"This can't be real," she whispered, touching her black jacket to make sure she was still herself. The turquoise streaks in her messy ponytail caught the strange golden sunlight filtering through heart-shaped leaves.

"Oh, but it is real!" came a cheerful voice.

Mariza spun around to find a blonde girl in a blue dress sitting cross-legged on a mushroom that was definitely not there a moment before. The girl looked about her age, with bright blue eyes and a smile that seemed to know secrets.

"I'm Alice," the girl said, hopping down gracefully. "And you're in Wonderland! Isn't it marvelous?"

Mariza's green eyes widened as a grinning cat's head materialized in a nearby tree, then vanished, leaving only its smile floating in the air.

The Reflection in Still Waters

"Wait!" Mariza called, but Alice was already skipping ahead down a winding path lined with singing daisies.

"Come on! I want to show you something amazing," Alice said, her blue dress swishing around her knees.

They walked until they reached a clearing where a large puddle of crystal-clear water sat perfectly still, like a mirror dropped from the sky. Alice pointed excitedly at it.

"Look into the water, Mariza. Really look."

Mariza knelt carefully beside the puddle, her sneakers squelching in the soft ground. When she peered into the water, her breath caught. Instead of her reflection, she saw her bedroom back home. Three figures paced back and forth around her bed where her body lay motionless.

"El, Feather, Clover," she whispered, recognizing the three goddesses who had raised her. El's black wolf ears twitched with worry. Feather's golden-brown wings drooped sadly. Little Clover looked ready to cry.

"They think I'm in a coma," Mariza said, her voice shaking.

Alice leaned over to look. "Oh my. That's quite serious, isn't it?"