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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Kids
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Fairy Tale / Folk Tale
- Published: 10/03/2022
Swing to a New Land
Born 1980, F, from Eagan, MN, United StatesEight-year-old Anna, Maddy’s older sister, waited patiently for her turn. Maddy leaned back and stretched her legs, then bent them as she went forward, her hands holding tightly to the chains of the swing. Higher and higher she swung, her face glowing with the sheer joy of being a carefree child on one of life’s greatest past times. She made herself ready, and then she jumped, flew through the air, and disappeared.
Anna was stunned for just a moment. Had she been the sort of child who was easily frightened, or even the sort of child was frightened only of very scary things, she might have turned to run as quickly as possible into the house, screaming for her mom. But Anna was neither of those. She was a rather extraordinary child. Precocious. Thoughtful. And very curious.
So, instead of running, she hopped into the swing and determined to jump out when she reached what she figured was at least close to the same height that Maddy had been when she had jumped. After a few minutes, she jumped, flew, and landed safely on the ground. Undeterred, she tried again. And again. On the seventh try, it happened. When she jumped, she felt a sort of smack. It wasn’t a hard smack. It was a bit like the sensation you have if you stand on your bed and let yourself fall very straight onto a mattress with the sheet spread tightly across it. Then she felt herself turn to the side and then she was rolled up in what might have been a blanket, but of course it wasn’t. She couldn’t see it; she could only feel it. And then she was going up, up, up, not exceedingly fast, nor too slow. But after a few minutes, it was boring. Anna had just learned about prime numbers, and she started to list them in her head, just to pass the time. She made it to 107 before she felt the upwards motion stop. Then she felt herself being carefully unrolled out of the thing that wasn’t a blanket.
She was lying on her back, staring up. A fluffy pink creature stood over her. It had three things on its face that appeared to be eyes and four small pointy things on the top of its head that were possibly ears. The mouth (this feature was certain) moved and Anna heard, “Oh, dear, another one.”
Anna sat up.
The creature said, “Do you know the other one that looks somewhat like you?” It pointed across the room. Anna looked and saw Maddy sitting ON a table rather than AT the table. She was eating something blue. It looked a bit like a sandwich.
“Yes,” Anna answered.
The creature gave a sigh. “Perhaps you should join her. Go ahead and eat a blinglet if you’d like.”
Anna walked to the table and climbed up. “Gross, your feet are near the food,” she whispered to Maddy.
“I know,” answered Maddy with a wink. “Imagine what our dear parents would say. Anyway, try a blinglet. I have no idea what is in it, but it’s yummy.”
“Sure it’s safe?”
“No, but that creature was nice to me. I decided to be nice in return. If the food is poison, well, I’ve lived six very happy years.”
Anna considered her sister’s words. Still, she felt that was wiser to refrain from the food.
The creature approached them and said, “What were you doing right before you arrived?”
“We were on our swing,” answered Maddy.
“Ah, yes, I thought you’d say that.”
“Why?” asked Anna.
“It’s what they all say.”
“All?” said Anna.
“Yes. The others. Like you. They claim that they were on a swing and that they jumped.”
“The others? Where are they now?” asked Anna.
“They left.”
“Left? Did they go back home? How?”
“We send them back with our slingshot.”
“And it works?”
The fluffy creature sighed. “Yes, apparently it does. We’ve had the same children return. When they do, they have no memory of having been here before. On some days, it’s rather tiresome. We’ve had up to twenty visitors in a single day. We don’t know how to close the portal or whatever it is that allows the travel.”
Maddy and Anna listened carefully. They looked around the cozy, colorful room, both wishing that they could make themselves hold in their minds what they saw. There was a certain sadness knowing that they would forget. Then again, they wouldn’t know, so they wouldn’t be sad, but…well, perhaps it wasn’t the effort to think too hard on it.
The creature said, “Well, would you like, or would you like to stay a while?” It seemed to know and understand what the girls were thinking.
“I’d like to stay and to study this place, but I suppose we should go home as soon as possible. But first, what’s your name?” asked Anna.
“Candacellalina.”
“Thank you for your kindness and for the blinglets, Candacellalina."
The creature gave surprised gasp and said, “That is the first time any visitor has gotten my name right without any practice! I thought you were special, and now I know it for certain! What are your names?”
“I’m Anna, and this is Maddy.”
“Well, it was quite nice meeting you. A few of your kind have been very frightened. This was a pleasant visit.”
“Candacellalina, if we ever return, will you please tell us that it’s not our first visit?”
“I can, but how will you know that it’s true?”
Anna took out one earring. “Maddy, give Candacellalina one of your earrings.” Maddy did.
“If we ever return, these earrings will be proof that we were here,” said Anna.
“Okay,” said Candacellalina. She carefully placed the earrings on a high shelf.
“We’re ready,” said Anna.
The girls followed Candacellalina to another room, down a hall, and to a large oval-shaped room with a huge window. The biggest slingshot the girls had ever seen was locked onto the floor.
Candacellalina loaded Maddy first. The window opened, and Candacellalina said, “Don’t be afraid, Maddy. You’re going to fly, but you’ll be fine.”
Maddy giggled. “It takes a lot to scare me. I’m ready!”
And then Maddy was thrown out the window, which sounds awful, but it wasn’t. Maddy screamed “Whoo hoo!” And then she was gone.
Anna stepped into the slingshot. “Farewell, Candacellalina. This was a very interesting experience, and I regret that I will not remember it.”
“Perhaps you will return. I hope so.” She patted Anna’s shoulder.
Anna flew just as Maddy had. She felt the same smack as before, but this time, down she went and then suddenly she was headed for the grass in her yard. She landed safely out of the swing. She had no recollection of what had just happened.
She turned to Maddy who was waiting for her turn.
“Hey, what’s that?” asked Maddy, pointing to Anna’s shoulder.
Anna looked. On her shoulder was a bit of pink hair.
Maddy said, “Where did it come from?”
“Well, we must look at the facts. This wasn’t here before I jumped. I am absolutely sure of this, because I tied my hair back right before I got on the swing. I would have noticed. And now it’s there. So, something happened DURING my jump.”
“Hmm,” her sister said. “Well, guess what else? You lost an earring.”
Anna’s hands went immediately to her ears. “You are correct,” she said. Then she looked at Anna. “You’ve lost one too!”
“What are the chances?” said Maddy.
“Slim,” said Anna quickly. “Very, very slim. Extremely unlikely.”
Maddy didn’t answer. She was thinking.
Anna was thinking, too.
“Maddy, I think we’ll have to jump again if we want to figure this one out.” She sat in the swing, held on tight, and began to pump.
Swing to a New Land(Marla)
Eight-year-old Anna, Maddy’s older sister, waited patiently for her turn. Maddy leaned back and stretched her legs, then bent them as she went forward, her hands holding tightly to the chains of the swing. Higher and higher she swung, her face glowing with the sheer joy of being a carefree child on one of life’s greatest past times. She made herself ready, and then she jumped, flew through the air, and disappeared.
Anna was stunned for just a moment. Had she been the sort of child who was easily frightened, or even the sort of child was frightened only of very scary things, she might have turned to run as quickly as possible into the house, screaming for her mom. But Anna was neither of those. She was a rather extraordinary child. Precocious. Thoughtful. And very curious.
So, instead of running, she hopped into the swing and determined to jump out when she reached what she figured was at least close to the same height that Maddy had been when she had jumped. After a few minutes, she jumped, flew, and landed safely on the ground. Undeterred, she tried again. And again. On the seventh try, it happened. When she jumped, she felt a sort of smack. It wasn’t a hard smack. It was a bit like the sensation you have if you stand on your bed and let yourself fall very straight onto a mattress with the sheet spread tightly across it. Then she felt herself turn to the side and then she was rolled up in what might have been a blanket, but of course it wasn’t. She couldn’t see it; she could only feel it. And then she was going up, up, up, not exceedingly fast, nor too slow. But after a few minutes, it was boring. Anna had just learned about prime numbers, and she started to list them in her head, just to pass the time. She made it to 107 before she felt the upwards motion stop. Then she felt herself being carefully unrolled out of the thing that wasn’t a blanket.
She was lying on her back, staring up. A fluffy pink creature stood over her. It had three things on its face that appeared to be eyes and four small pointy things on the top of its head that were possibly ears. The mouth (this feature was certain) moved and Anna heard, “Oh, dear, another one.”
Anna sat up.
The creature said, “Do you know the other one that looks somewhat like you?” It pointed across the room. Anna looked and saw Maddy sitting ON a table rather than AT the table. She was eating something blue. It looked a bit like a sandwich.
“Yes,” Anna answered.
The creature gave a sigh. “Perhaps you should join her. Go ahead and eat a blinglet if you’d like.”
Anna walked to the table and climbed up. “Gross, your feet are near the food,” she whispered to Maddy.
“I know,” answered Maddy with a wink. “Imagine what our dear parents would say. Anyway, try a blinglet. I have no idea what is in it, but it’s yummy.”
“Sure it’s safe?”
“No, but that creature was nice to me. I decided to be nice in return. If the food is poison, well, I’ve lived six very happy years.”
Anna considered her sister’s words. Still, she felt that was wiser to refrain from the food.
The creature approached them and said, “What were you doing right before you arrived?”
“We were on our swing,” answered Maddy.
“Ah, yes, I thought you’d say that.”
“Why?” asked Anna.
“It’s what they all say.”
“All?” said Anna.
“Yes. The others. Like you. They claim that they were on a swing and that they jumped.”
“The others? Where are they now?” asked Anna.
“They left.”
“Left? Did they go back home? How?”
“We send them back with our slingshot.”
“And it works?”
The fluffy creature sighed. “Yes, apparently it does. We’ve had the same children return. When they do, they have no memory of having been here before. On some days, it’s rather tiresome. We’ve had up to twenty visitors in a single day. We don’t know how to close the portal or whatever it is that allows the travel.”
Maddy and Anna listened carefully. They looked around the cozy, colorful room, both wishing that they could make themselves hold in their minds what they saw. There was a certain sadness knowing that they would forget. Then again, they wouldn’t know, so they wouldn’t be sad, but…well, perhaps it wasn’t the effort to think too hard on it.
The creature said, “Well, would you like, or would you like to stay a while?” It seemed to know and understand what the girls were thinking.
“I’d like to stay and to study this place, but I suppose we should go home as soon as possible. But first, what’s your name?” asked Anna.
“Candacellalina.”
“Thank you for your kindness and for the blinglets, Candacellalina."
The creature gave surprised gasp and said, “That is the first time any visitor has gotten my name right without any practice! I thought you were special, and now I know it for certain! What are your names?”
“I’m Anna, and this is Maddy.”
“Well, it was quite nice meeting you. A few of your kind have been very frightened. This was a pleasant visit.”
“Candacellalina, if we ever return, will you please tell us that it’s not our first visit?”
“I can, but how will you know that it’s true?”
Anna took out one earring. “Maddy, give Candacellalina one of your earrings.” Maddy did.
“If we ever return, these earrings will be proof that we were here,” said Anna.
“Okay,” said Candacellalina. She carefully placed the earrings on a high shelf.
“We’re ready,” said Anna.
The girls followed Candacellalina to another room, down a hall, and to a large oval-shaped room with a huge window. The biggest slingshot the girls had ever seen was locked onto the floor.
Candacellalina loaded Maddy first. The window opened, and Candacellalina said, “Don’t be afraid, Maddy. You’re going to fly, but you’ll be fine.”
Maddy giggled. “It takes a lot to scare me. I’m ready!”
And then Maddy was thrown out the window, which sounds awful, but it wasn’t. Maddy screamed “Whoo hoo!” And then she was gone.
Anna stepped into the slingshot. “Farewell, Candacellalina. This was a very interesting experience, and I regret that I will not remember it.”
“Perhaps you will return. I hope so.” She patted Anna’s shoulder.
Anna flew just as Maddy had. She felt the same smack as before, but this time, down she went and then suddenly she was headed for the grass in her yard. She landed safely out of the swing. She had no recollection of what had just happened.
She turned to Maddy who was waiting for her turn.
“Hey, what’s that?” asked Maddy, pointing to Anna’s shoulder.
Anna looked. On her shoulder was a bit of pink hair.
Maddy said, “Where did it come from?”
“Well, we must look at the facts. This wasn’t here before I jumped. I am absolutely sure of this, because I tied my hair back right before I got on the swing. I would have noticed. And now it’s there. So, something happened DURING my jump.”
“Hmm,” her sister said. “Well, guess what else? You lost an earring.”
Anna’s hands went immediately to her ears. “You are correct,” she said. Then she looked at Anna. “You’ve lost one too!”
“What are the chances?” said Maddy.
“Slim,” said Anna quickly. “Very, very slim. Extremely unlikely.”
Maddy didn’t answer. She was thinking.
Anna was thinking, too.
“Maddy, I think we’ll have to jump again if we want to figure this one out.” She sat in the swing, held on tight, and began to pump.
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Shelly Garrod
10/05/2022The sisters sure a quite an adventure. Loved this imaginative little story. Great job Marla.
Shelly
Help Us Understand What's Happening
Marla
10/05/2022Thanks, Shelly!
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