Trying to completely ignore the whispering voice in her ears, Poppy stopped just about where she remembered the door being. Except the door wasn’t there, but in the middle of some bushes and trees, she could see a tunnel that seemed like the perfect size for her to fit inside. It looked pitch black inside, and there were dark green leaves growing around it. After she finally decided to go in it, she crawled inside, and she couldn’t see anything. Not long after, she could see light, and something at the end that looked like a door, except it was covered in thorns and sharp sticks, that were keeping the door shut and hidden.

After taking longer than expected, Poppy was finally at the end of the tunnel and she was absolutely covered in mud. She trudged over to the door, and with no more energy, she started pulling off the branches trying not to get hurt. But she was only losing more energy and getting more scratched the more branches she tried to pull off. She pulled as hard as she could, and she finally got her first branch off! Except there were still so many more, she couldn’t even count them. Each time she tugged them off, they hit right back in her face, scratching her really hard. As soon as Poppy realised the door handle was visible, she heaved as hard as she could, and she felt like she almost pulled her hand off, but before she knew it, she was back in the corridor of the emporium. But she was dry, she was not muddy or met, almost as if nothing had just happened. 

Guiltily, Poppy quietly tiptoed back to the front of the emporium, she went behind a wardrobe, and then behind some curtains,and then she was back at the front. MrGold looked at her with a stern look on his face, “ I see that you are back. Did you find what you wanted?” Poppy nervously shook her head. 

“Well,” Mr Gold explained, “ you can visit lots of wonders, but you can’t undo the past, so you won’t ever find what you expect in the rooms. Still, you can always go back another day.” He put down the small, golden frog he was painting, looked up and smiled. “ Come again soon,” he said, holding the door open.

Poppy walked onto the street, ready to hop on her bike, and turned around one more time. But Mr Gold disappeared as well as the emporium. But there wasn’t one last trace of the emporium, and it had completely gone as if it was never there in the first place. She felt a shiver of magic go through her body and shivered. Maybe next time, she thought whilst cycling away. Maybe next time.

Whilst she was too distracted about the emporium disappearing, she didn’t realise she was being followed by a small frog. It hid inside a bush in front of her house, the same colour as itself, and was watching her as she hopped off her bike and went inside. The frog leaped up and down and let out a sigh. It had all the time in the world.

It was a lovely, wooden cottage with leaves and flowers growing up the walls and around the windows. The door was half open, and without thinking, she stepped right inside. Her heart was beating quicker than ever, as she expected and it wouldn’t stop. The house had everything you could possibly imagine and want: a warm, welcoming sitting room with a sofa, that almost seemed as cozy as a bed, and a fireplace that was burning softly; a tight kitchen with red cutlery and pans; a table, that seemed to be ready and prepared for three people; and a big plate with a pile of freshly made toast.

“Hello,” called Poppy, as she waited for and wondered if she would get a reply. But it stayed silent. She quietly and slowly started walking up the creaky stairs. She checked all the rooms, but there was nothing, even though the beds were well made and everything seemed to be perfectly clean. The walls were a grey sort of blue color, and the bed sheets were a bright purple, and suddenly she started wondering if she had just stepped right into the story of the three bears.

When she was drawing and writing in the book, she secretly hid in something that she wished for most, but she didn’t expect it to come true. There was nothing to prove that a woman was living there. She had never met her Mum, but she was sure she wasn’t there. Something didn’t 

feel right, and she started to worry. And that was when she heard it.

A few minutes later, she heard that same sound again. Quickly turning around, she pushed open the bedroom door. Suddenly she heard it once again, but louder, loud tapping on the floor every few seconds. She peeked around the corner, looking down the stairs. She finally found the courage, and quietly went down the stairs step-by-step. Once she was finally down, she opened the first door she saw, which led to the sitting room. Nothing moved or made a sound. Except the loud, repetitive tapping on the floor.

The next moment, she heard it once again, but this time, it was slower. She spun around, and ran through the long sitting room, all the way to the kitchen. It was then that she saw it: a large silhouette trudging towards her;  huge brown eyes;  and razor sharp claws, stomping on the ground. She didn’t need to think about it, and she pulled the door open, and slammed it right after herself. 

She ran back up the pathway and through all the trees. But there was nothing except for trees, and then more trees. It felt like it would never end, and she was lost. She felt like all different types of shadows were following her. Until suddenly, she a whispering voice saying, “Come back!”