The Oak Tree Some where in between the Americas, there is a place in the world that is yet to be discovered by modern man. It is a place where dandelions sing and the field mice dance. It remains undiscovered because of enchantments cast in the lands. These spells not only keep outsiders out, but they also keep you in. Sometimes enchanted objects slip in between the dimensions. They always end up with writers and whisper stories from their home, to the writers. But no person has ever crossed the line... until now. “Lucinda come here and help me right now! The twins have gotten pinched by lobsters from Little Mermaid Bay. Bring the antiseptic ointment and some gauze please,” a woman with a mature voice shouted. Lucinda was currently in her room reading, and not working on her embroidery sampler like her mother asked her to. In truth she already finished it but she didn't want her mothers expectations to go too high. “Coming mother,” Lucinda replied. Lucinda hurried into the bathroom, her short brown hair whizzing, as she grabbed the medical kit. Her brown dress and beige apron almost tore on a wall’s corner. She hurriedly went in to the kitchen knowing how much pain they were in, having been the recipient of such a sting herself (she once snuck out to Little Mermaid Bay). She finally grabbed two candy pops as a surprise treat. Her Papa would be proud. Her father, Robert Allston Smith, had disappeared when she was very young. Apparently he went out on some business and never returned. She knew nothing about her father except what her mother said about him, “Lucy he was a man with incredible talent. And oh his eyes... he had grey dreamboat eyes. I suppose that’s who you get your eyes from Lucinda.” Lucinda's eyes sure were pretty and she was pretty sure she’d once seen one of her classmates staring at her. Sometimes Lucinda liked to imagine that her father was the king of the lands and that he lived in Thumbelina Gardens, the most beautiful place in her world. Lucinda knew that all her mother had from her father was her wedding ring and a mysterious silver key. Lucinda arrived in the living room to a chaotic scene. Her two little brothers, Sandy and Charlie, were kicking and screaming while their mother attempted to calm them. “Mommy, mommy it hurts too much!!” said the brothers in unison. “Oh Lucinda, you’re finally here. Please give me that medical kit, oh, what do you have in your hand?” mother said. “Here’s the medical kit”, Lucinda said while handing the medical kit over to her mother, “in my hand are some candy pops to help calm Sandy and Charlie”. “Now run along Lucy dear, I’ve got some things to do,” mother hurriedly said. Lucinda left the room feeling a bit bored and useless. “Why does my mother always leave me out of interesting stuff?”, Lucinda wondered. Why did she in fact? Lucinda didn’t know at the time that her mother was protecting her from something, but what was Lucinda getting shielded from? Lucinda went to her usual sanctuary to think, this enormous oak tree with twisty branches, located in the middle of a grassy field a short walk from her house. She was pondering on interesting questions of her life such as “ Why does mother not let me do things such as go to school?”, or ,“Why do the twins get to go where ever they please?”, and most importantly ,“Why don't I have a father?” Right then and there Lucida decided that she was going to try to solve the mystery surrounding her father. Lucinda decided that she was going to try to steal that silver key that her mother had. The silver key was old fashioned with a heart shaped handle, and it had little curly-Qs all over it. And even though the style seemed completely out of era, it gleamed like it was brand new. Lucinda headed back with this plan in mind: she would head into her mother’s bedroom as soon as her mother headed into the twins’ room to tuck them in, then she would open the bureau and take the key and quickly exit the room. She had never seen her mother’s room except for the quick glances that she got when her mother opened and closed that door. The moon was up when Lucinda started to execute her plan. The twins got into their beds, and Lucinda knew that this was her cue. She quickly entered her mother’s bedroom. The bedroom had cream colored walls and it had pretty floral wallpaper. In the corner of the room the bureau was propped up against the wall. She walked up to the bureau and opened all the drawers, there was a box in one of them. The box had sliding panels with a part of a picture on them. Lucinda started to slide around the panels and formed a picture, it was the key. Lucinda opened the box and took out a silvery object. It was the key. Lucinda darted out of the door for her mother would be coming in soon. She then did something that surprised her, she ran outside and went to her tree. She was about to sit at her tree but then she noticed some light coming from the tree, a hole in the tree. The light was exiting the hole from a knot in the tree. The hole was in a strange shape, kind of like a keyhole. “That’s it!”, Lucinda thought, “I have to put the key in the hole of the tree!” Lucinda walked up to the tree an inserted the key in the hole. She then turned it. A mechanism then released, there was a flash of blinding light and then something was revealed. A door made in nice cherry wood with a nice bronze handle stood there waiting. Lucinda grabbed the handle and opened the door. She stepped inside and closed the door with a blinding flash. Lucinda knew that she would see her father again, but she would never come back to her home. The door was gone and so was Lucinda. Lucinda was surprised at what she saw on the other side of the door. She was not in a dark field anymore, she was in a cloudy graveyard. This was not your ordinary burial ground; the graveyard was surrounded by a fence and there were cherry blossom trees everywhere. There were pretty little bridges over ponds and the most noticeable thing was the walkway with had the words “People with big achievements” carved into it. The tombstones were in different shapes and sizes. Lucinda was just wandering around when she noticed a different shaped tombstone, it was in the shape of a key with a heart shaped handle with little curly-Qs. It was her father’s key! Lucinda was faltering as she attempted to read the tombstone. She mustered up the courage and read, “Robert Allston Smith, Beloved Husband and Father, Only known human to cross between worlds” So that was it? Her father had crossed between worlds and never came back. Lucinda was suddenly depressed. Why had her father left anyway? She would never find out the answers to these questions. Lucinda crumpled on the ground in frustration. “Why does everything have to happen to me?”, Lucinda wondered. This is what her mother was hiding her from all along. Lucinda started to weep. The weeping turned to sobbing, she sobbed until her tear ducts went dry. “I vow never go back home and to spend my life in solitude because of what happened,” Lucinda vowed. And she never broke her promise. The End