A Quixotic Dream

It was a balmy day, the summer vacation had come to an end. Ira was standing in her balcony enjoying the last of her holidays. She had spent her entire vacation reading fantasy and supernatural books- one of her favorite subjects. Up until now, it had been one of the best vacations of her life all anent storybooks but tomorrow was going to be her school reopening day, a day she both dreaded and awaited. She so eagerly wanted to meet her friends but at the same time all she wanted to do was read books snugly.

Lost in her own conflicted battle of irrational emotions, she suddenly heard a squeak from her side. Ira turned around with a soft gasp. And what she saw shocked the bejesus out of her, there stood in the air an entrancing and spellbinding pixie-like creature. "Why so sad Ira?" asked the creature in a similar captivating voice. "Whoo.. ar... are yo... you?" stammered and stuttered Ira in a voice which sounded very plain, boring and dull as compared to the heavenly being's in front of her. "Don't worry dear. I'm Reenè, a guardian angel from the world of Rothschild- a place of deities and numens." "Well, why are you here then, away from your home?" Ira asked in stupefaction. "To help you, dear. You seem a little distressed. What's the matter?" the angel asked in a soothing tone.

Still a bit perplexed from the ongoing events, Ira answered, "Tomorrow it's going to be the first day of my school after the summer holidays. Although, I am excited to see my friends; I wish I could have a longer vacation for me to enjoy more." "Is that all?" asked Reenè in an inquisitive voice. "Umm.. Yes." "So, how would you feel if I offered you a ride to a magical and wonderful place? Just to lighten your mood." "Is that possible? You can do that?" Ira's interest piqued. "Of course it is!" "Then I am all game," she said in an eager voice. "Then close your eyes and be ready for a thrilling adventure." Ira's excitement was at its peak but she did what she was told to do. She heard some mumbling, "What are you saying?" "This is an incantation to take us to the Wonderland- a city of magic, charm, and enchantment."

After a few seconds of wait, she felt the rustling of the breeze. A very close sound reached her ears, "Now you can open your eyes." Beyond exhilarated to see her surroundings, Ira quickly opened her eyes. In front of her was a green, grassy land which stretched for miles and miles, lush green meadows, tall trees which looked as if they were touching the blue, misty sky above it, sparkling, crystal lake and birds of vivid colours which Ira had never seen before. There was a petrichor smell in the chilly air, a sense of pleasance and a feeling of calm accompanied it. "Wow!! this is wonderful," said Ira finally getting out of her stupor. "It has to be 'cause it is the Wonderland!" "It is indeed breathtaking and beautiful!" exclaimed Ira. "Come, let me show you around." Reenè once again instructed her to close her eyes and started murmuring a spell. Suddenly, out of the bolt of the blue

Ira felt as if she was floating in the air, devoid of gravity. She opened her eyes and much to her surprise she indeed was. "Oh my God!" she said in astonishment. "Now you can keep up with my pace. I have spellbound you and given you the ability to fly." "This is gonna be a whole, new enriching experience." "Let's go," this was all the warning Ira got before she started chasing after Reenè. "Wooohooo!" she shouted in the sky; it felt a little weird but an out of the blue escapade. They soon stopped in front of a huge tree with an ever bigger trunk. "Rocky, it's me Reenè," Reenè shouted in an elevated voice. "Whom are you calling?" Ira curiously asked. "You'll see," was all she got in reply.

Shortly, out of nowhere appeared a red-tailed, exotic and old appearing parrot. "Hello dear! And who do we have here?" it asked in a cheerful voice. "This is Ira, a good friend of mine. I bought her here to show the talking hub of Wonderland," teased Reenè. "Hello Ira! You are a beautiful, young lady and I, the most handsome parrot in the entire land of Wonderland would like to heartily welcome you in the land of magic." Overwhelmed at seeing a talking parrot Ira muttered greetings under her breath. "I'm sure our dear Rocky must have given some falsified introduction about him but I'll like to tell you that Rocky actually is the oldest talking parrot in the entire land and is a loquacious old friend of mine," Reenè said in a resigned pitch.

After a long and entertaining conversation with the talking parrot, Ira learnt a lot about the marvellous creatures of the place. At mid noon Reenè took Ira for sightseeing of the serene scenery. Overall it was a memorable and unforgettable experience for her, one that'll always remain green and fresh in her memory. "It's time for me to leave you now. However it was awesome meeting you Ira. You are a great person, don't ever let yourself down in stress or anxiety." Hearing these words from the angel, Ira felt sorrowful and sad, she wistfully pleaded her to stay but Reenè had no choice. "I'm sorry but I really can't dear!" she quietly said. Adding on a departing note she reassured Ira, "I'm sure we'll meet some other time in the near future. But for now, I have to take your leave. Bye!" Ira bade a grateful goodbye to her with a heavy heart. This was going to remain evergreen in her soul; it had been such a flamboyant and flabbergasting occurrence. “Trrrriiiiinnnnggg..... Trrrinnngg... Trinnggg..." suddenly an annoying voice reached her. "Uh, what is this infuriating sound?" she mumbled. "Get up Ira. Or else you'll be late!" now the same sound was along with a known antagonizing voice. "Get up..." now Ira had started to shake. "What? What is it?" she jerked up and asked in a husky voice. "Get up sleepy head

You don't wanna be late for your school reopening," her mother said. "What?" Ira muttered to herself and suddenly she realised. Shaking her head she sighed, "So it had all been a dream then and an unrealistic one at that." 

Jamie, her dog came to her and started licking her, making her forget about the fantasy for now. But it was nevertheless going to be ingrained in her memory forever. Reenè had undoubtedly taken her on an enticing and remarkable journey.