Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Portaling was a very strange feeling, like being pulled apart and then put back together all within a few seconds. Part of me felt like when I’d been put back together, the portal gods had forgotten a few pieces. I grabbed my head and shook it, trying to ignore the ringing in my ears, but I still felt wrong.

The ground beneath my feet squished like a mat of sponges as I stumbled, disoriented from the sudden pull away from the godmother academy. "Where are we?" I gasped out, trying to steady myself.

"Got me," Robbie said as he looked around with a mix of wonder and confusion on his face. "This place is... Wow. "

Jessie stood still, taking in the surroundings. "It's like walking into a child's daydream," she said.

I glanced around and it struck me how right she was. The sky was a mishmash of pastels and watercolors. Trees with leaves made of crinkled tissue paper swayed gently. Their trunks looked as if they were rolled out of clay by unsteady hands. Creatures that defied logic bounced and fluttered around us, each one outlined as though sketched with a thick crayon and filled in with enthusiastic scribbles.

"Feels like we've been thrown into a picture book," I tried to make sense of the animated landscape.

"Or a coloring book waiting for someone to stay within the lines," Robbie added as he watched a creature that resembled a cross between a rabbit and a fluffy cloud hop by, leaving faint glittery trails in the air.

"Let's just hope the artist isn't in a scribbling mood," Jessie said, half-joking but her gaze remained sharp, scanning for any sign of danger or familiarity.

"Guys, do you smell that? It's like a box of crayons," I said, nose twitching as I tried to place the familiar waxy scent .

"No, but I smell watermelon bubblegum," Robbie said, looking slightly bemused.

Jessie sniffed the air, her eyes closing for a moment. "Smells like pizza to me, and now I'm hungry." She rubbed her belly in emphasis.

"What does this mean?" I asked as unease creeped into my voice.

"It means this place smells differently for all of us. Somehow. Must be magic," Jessie said, looking around with a curious glance.

"But why are we here? What happened?" I asked, my thoughts clearing now that my brain feels like it’s screwed on straight.

Robbie looked confused, but Jessie looked thoughtful. "Somehow, we must have fallen into the same portal that Jaylyn fell into. This must be where she ended up when she disappeared."

"Yay!" I said, grinning. "We found her! We figured out this whole thing, and we can bring back Jaylyn and clear my name."

Robbie gave me a funny look. "Except, we haven’t technically found her yet."

He was right. "Where is she then?"

Jessie looked around. "Has to be here somewhere."

"Should we look around for her?" Robbie asked.

A yellow creature shaped like a spring bounced past us. When I shifted, it froze. Two tiny eyes turned in my direction, and then it coiled like a snake and bounced so high up that I had no idea where it’d end up when it fell. However, the clouds seemed to swallow the yellow thing right up.

"Are we safe, though?" My concern grew with each oddly shaped cloud floating overhead.

"Could be dangerous, but doesn't seem to be," Jessie said, her gaze still vigilant. "We need to take this seriously. Should go back, tell the headmaster, get the hunters, then come back with a team."

Everyone nodded agreement, though I could see the allure of adventure twinkling in Robbie's eyes. I pulled out my black stone, the one supposed to whisk us back, and clutched it tightly. Nothing. Not even a glimmer.

"Let me try," Jessie said, retrieving her stone with determination etched on her face. Robbie followed suit. Still nothing. Our collective worry was palpable.

"Stuck," Robbie said, and we knew it was true.

"Why though?" I asked, looking at Jessie.

Jessie shook her head. "I don’t know. I didn’t think this was possible."

"Wait, what's that?" I moved toward a splash of color on the ground. A polka-dotted sock. Picking it up, I gently rubbed the soft, stretchy fabric between my fingers.

"Jaylyn's," Jessie said. "She had socks just like that."

"Could we use this to try to find her?"

Jessie took a second to answer, then nodded. "We might be able to.

She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the sock. With a bit of swinging of her hips and a flicker of her wand, her wand suddenly jerked in one direction. "She’s this way!"

We took a few steps forward when her wand made a strange sound, like electricity, and fell, pointing at the ground. Jessie shook the wand and did her movements again, the swinging of her hips and the flicker of her wand. This time, only the sound like electricity came.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The spell worked for a few seconds, but then it didn’t. I don’t know if it’s this place, or something else, but I don’t think we can count on the spell to find her." Jessie sounded disappointed, and I was right there with her.

"Well," Robbie said, "at least we know she’s here and she’s that way. That’s more than we knew a few minutes ago."

"Way to go with the positivity," Jessie said, and they exchanged a high five.

"I guess we’re going to need to explore a bit to find her, and then see if she has any ideas about how to get home," I said, more to bolster my own spirits than anything else. We set off, each step cautious yet full of resolve.

We hadn't walked far when a rustling sound made us stop in our tracks. Out of the underbrush rolled a creature so bizarre that it took a moment for my brain to register what I was seeing. It had wild fur, every color you could imagine, shifting and changing like a kaleidoscope with each movement. Two large googly eyes on stalks wobbled above its head, looking in different directions.

"Wow," Robbie broke the silence. "That's a Goozleflump if I've ever seen one."

"What’s a Goozleflump?" I asked, unable to peel my eyes away from the mesmerizing display.

"No idea," Robbie shrugged, "but if it were a thing, that's what it would be called."

Before we could further ponder the name Robbie had coined, more Goozleflumps emerged from the surrounding underbrush. There were easily a dozen of them. As we studied them cautiously, the Goozleflumps came closer, babbling in a sing-song language that sounded like a toddler's gibberish mixed with wind chimes. We tried talking back, but our words only seemed to amuse them as they mimicked us with exaggerated, playful gestures.

"Hello?" Jessie said, her voice rising with uncertainty.

"Hel-looo," one said, drawing out the syllables until it became a melody.

Their antics quickly escalated from amusing to disruptive. One tripped Robbie with a swipe of its tail, sending him staggering into me. Another snatched Jessie's hat right off her head and wore it jauntily atop one swiveling eyestalk. They danced around us in a blur of colors, sometimes jumping onto our backs, expecting piggyback rides, or rifling through our pockets with nimble fingers, searching for treasures.

"Enough already," Robbie laughed, trying to dislodge a Goozleflump from his shoulder.

"Okay, okay, let's keep moving," Jessie said, retrieving her hat with a huff.

We managed to extricate ourselves from the mischievous creatures and continued our trek through this crazy realm. As we went, we encountered more fantastical beings; there were fluffy clouds with faces floating lazily above, clay-like critters squishing along the ground, and stick-figure birds flapping paper-thin wings overhead.

"Every single one of these creatures looks like something out of a five-year-old’s imagination," Jessie said, wonder lacing her voice.

"Like they've been colored into existence," Robbie added, his blue eyes wide with amazement.

I paused, considering the creatures and the landscape around us. "Doodle," I felt the word fit just right. "We're in Doodle."

And with that, we moved through this realm of wonder, laughter occasionally breaking through our concern, searching for Jaylyn among the insanity. This was truly a place of wonder and imagination. At any other time, I think I’d love being here.

We stood at the edge of a river that swirled with colors like melted wax. I squinted across, trying to spot anything that might resemble a bridge or steppingstones, but there was nothing.

"Want to check again which direction to go?"

Jessie pulled the sock she’d put in her pocket out and did her spell. Instantly, the wand pointed ahead. Across the river, and then there was the electrical sound and her wand fell once more.

"So, she’s that way," I said. "At least we know that."

"Any ideas on how we're supposed to get across?" Robbie asked, scratching his head .

Jessie shrugged. "Maybe we should walk along the bank, see if it narrows somewhere?"

"Wait," I pointed. A massive creature lay sprawled across the river, its long neck creating a natural bridge. "What about walking over that?"

Robbie grinned. "Is it asleep?"

"Looks like it," Jessie whispered.

"But is this a good idea?" I asked.

Robbie’s grin never faltered. "I say when in Doodle, do as the Doodles do."

I laughed. "Then let's not waste time."

With cautious steps, we climbed onto the creature's back. Its skin felt like warm suede beneath my palms. The only movement came from the creature’s even breaths. We tiptoed across, holding our breaths, but just as we reached the midpoint, the creature stirred.

"Uh-oh," Jessie squeaked.

It lifted its head, and we clung on for dear life. It wasn't a violent awakening, but the gentle sway made my stomach lurch. The creature began to trot along the riverbank, carrying us as unwilling passengers.

"Look out," I yelled as we neared a bend. The ground below seemed different, softer, almost bouncy.

"Jump," Robbie shouted.

We leaped off, and the ground cushioned our fall. I bounced slightly, relieved. Falling from that far onto the hard ground would no doubt result in a broken hip, and I knew how miserable recovering from a broken hip was due to a friend who had done so some years before.

"That was something!" Robbie said, and I almost thought he wanted to say, "let’s do it again."

"Let's keep going," Jessie said, dusting herself off.

Further into Doodle, we stumbled upon a forest where trees danced. Limbs swung and roots tapped in rhythm to a whistling tune emanating from a circle of stones. For a minute, we watched in silence. Trees were hardly nimble little things. They were huge, and as they moved, the ground shook. Still, there was something almost graceful about how they moved along with the tune coming from the circle of stones.

"Do we try to go through that?" I asked.

"Very carefully," Jessie said, and our little group cautiously made our way forward.

"Watch your step," Robbie said as a branch narrowly missed his head.

I ducked, but then had to leap to the other side, as a tree nearly crushed me. We got separated as we darted between the trees, but none of us were quite able to get to the other side of the trees. My stomach twisted. We were going to get hurt.

Nearly stepping on one of the whistling stones, I had a momentary break from the trees. The creatures seemed to know enough to at least not destroy the source of their music, but Robbie and Jessie weren’t so lucky. They were ducking and diving, panting and looking exhausted, in the center of the trees. I didn’t know what to do to help them.

"Can you stop them?" Jessie asked me, dodging another tree.

"Stop them?" I asked.

"The stones from singing. Maybe if they stop, the trees will stop dancing! "

She was right!

Looking at the stones, I tried to think of a way to quiet them. First, I just tried to pick them up and roll them over, but they wouldn’t move. Not even an inch. When I put my hands over one of them, the melody quieted, but not enough. Then, I had an idea.

Focusing, I summoned flowers from my fingertips and stuffed them into the whistling stones. The music halted, and the trees slowed their dance until they stood still, like regular trees.

"Nice work," Robbie complimented.

"Thanks," I said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Let's find Jaylyn."

We pushed through the stillness of the forest, the silence a stark contrast to the previous cacophony. I led the way, scanning the landscape for any sign of Jaylyn. The trees, now motionless, cast long, twisted shadows across our path, making the vibrant ground beneath us appear like a patchwork quilt.

"Any idea which way?" Robbie asked, breaking the silence. His face was set in a determined frown, eyes constantly moving.

"Let's follow the river," Jessie pointed to where the colorful water snaked through the land. "She might've used it as a guide, especially since now it’s curving in the same direction my wand pointed."

"Good thinking," I said. We adjusted our course, keeping the multicolored flow on our left.

As we walked, the terrain changed underfoot from the texture of clay to something that crunched like dried leaves. Small creatures, drawn with bold strokes, skittered away from our steps, their laughter-like chirps fading into the distance.

"Look at this," Jessie said, crouching to inspect something half-buried in the clay-like soil. It was a scrap of fabric, the same shade of purple as Jaylyn's favorite hoodie.

"That's hers, right?" Robbie asked, his voice a mix of hope and worry.

"Definitely." I knelt beside Jessie, a surge of energy coursing through me. "She's been here. We're on the right track."

"Then let's not stop now," Robbie said, and we moved on with renewed vigor .

Every so often, we'd find another clue, a footprint, a strand of black hair caught on the jagged edge of a paper maché rock, a smudge of charcoal on the ground that looked suspiciously like a handprint. They were breadcrumbs, leading us deeper into Doodle.

"Jaylyn," I said periodically, hoping for a response. But the only answers were the echoes of our own voices.

"Stay sharp," Jessie said as we navigated around a cluster of bright-colored bushes. "We don't know what else is out here."

"Or who else," Robbie added with a glance over his shoulder. His usual humor was nowhere to be found, replaced by a protective alertness.

As the sky above us began to darken, shades of blue giving way to streaks of deep purple, our pace quickened. We had to find Jaylyn before night fell completely.

"Over there," I pointed toward a flicker of movement among the trees ahead. My heart leaped. "It could be her."

We raced toward the spot, dodging pastel wildlife and leaping over roots that seemed to squirm back into the earth as we approached.

"Jaylyn," Jessie's call joined mine as we closed in.

But it wasn't Jaylyn. Instead, we stumbled upon a clearing where the ground was littered with pencil stubs and eraser bits. In the center stood an unbelievable creature, its body a swirling mass of glitter and glue.

"Whoa," Robbie said, momentarily distracted by the spectacle.

"Keep looking," I pulled their attention back to our search. "She has to be close."

Night descended fully, and the realm of Doodle transformed. Stars appeared overhead, glowing like stick-on jewels against a black construction paper sky. The world took on a dreamlike quality, but our mission kept us grounded.

"Jaylyn," We continued to shout, unwilling to give up, driven by the thought of our friend alone in this fantastical place .

"Come on," I said, gripping Robbie's hand for a moment before releasing it, needing the connection, however brief. "Let's find her."

And with that, we plunged deeper into Doodle, our determination undimmed by the encroaching darkness.