Chapter 4

Disregarding the continuous screech ringing in her ears, Anais leant over and landed heavily on her knees. She opened her eyes in awe as she gawped at where she thought the door had been. She wearily stood up on her feet and headed back to the cottage. Quietly, Anais began to cry as she now knew she would be trapped for the rest of her young life. As she entered the door of the cottage, she went to the kitchen to make herself a bowl of porridge. She turned around to face the larder. Anais closed the wooden cabinet door, hoping a nice, comforting bowl of toasty porridge would cheer her up. Soon after, she trudged upstairs to sit on the bed and peer out of the window. She cried into her porridge for a few moments while sadness turned her insides out.

Later on, she finished her porridge and was parched. Anais angrily opened the door to head downstairs, but was confused as when she opened the door because she was sucked into an otherworldly place. She was back, clean, her shoulder healed(from where the bird had scratched her) and found herself unsure of where she was standing. Then she realised where she was. She was back in the burgundy-coloured carpeted corridor of the Nature Emporium. Excitedly, Anais exclaimed and twirled on her heels. As quick as the flick of a switch, Anais ran towards the end of the corridor, so ecstatic that she was finally back where she belonged. Along the plastered wall, Anais slouched down and sat against the wall, so happy she was back in the Emporium. She sat slouched against the wall until she was met with a familiar face.

Chapter 4 p2

“Good evening, Anais,” Mrs Crocus was expecting a visitor. “You’ve been away a while, I see. I had a sneaking suspicion you wrote in my book. You disobeyed me, didn’t you!” Anais bowed her head. ” I had a niece. She looked a lot like you.” Anais lifted her head.
“Auntie? Auntie Bei?” Anais whispered. “C-can I explain w-why I-I , um, wrote in the book?”
“Alright, Anais.” Her aunt replied, wrapping a silvering lock of hair behind her elf-like ear. How long had Anais been gone? After a few minutes of explaining, her aunt turned to open the front door; the bell jingle-jangled. “You can come again another tine. Goodbye.” Lobelia said this rather sombrely as she was unimpressed in her niece but also sad to see her niece go.

Anais hugged her aunt and walked out of the door. She found herself back in front of the quiet , hushed corner enclosed in wall-crawling ivy and faded verdant bricks, nestled in between shopping malls and a bakery. She knew no-one would believe her. She knew she could come back anytime to see her aunt. She was so glad she had gone on this adventure.