‘Come and see us everyone, welcome to a land of fun.’ Scarlett looked at the mechanical snowman singing outside the attraction with a sneer on her face. Her mother had brought her to Westenden theme park for her birthday and she wanted to go on the Giant Rollercoaster or the Terrifier, but she was short for her age, and didn’t reach the required height. Now mum was pushing her and Toby, her kid brother, towards Winterland. She despaired. Clearly this trip wasn’t going to be as much fun as she’d hoped.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7jislAzBR 維尼
The elf on the door was a man in a costume, and a cheap costume at that, with fraying ends and since the belt was sewn into the costume the whole thing hung loosely. What was the point? Scarlett wondered. Either have a proper belt, or don’t bother. He put down the Cornish Pasty he was eating, scattering crumbs on the counter and took the tokens from her mother. Even at twelve Scarlett knew that wasn’t hygienic.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡCw5wH3ku0i 維尼
Toby was pulling excitedly at their mother’s arm. The kid had no discrimination. She was grown up enough to know this was a lot of cheap tat designed to get money out of her mum.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gA2ZzcK2g 維尼
Letters over the doorway spelt ‘Winterland’ in snow-capped letters, and the door underneath looked like a real castle door until the ‘elf’ opened it and Scarlett saw that it was thin and rocked before it opened, like their shed door.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡDRb8gl6L0z 維尼
The corridor inside was dim, with scenes which lit up when you pressed a button. Toby was stopping at each one, and smiling at what was revealed, but he was only four, too young to know better. Scarlett hung back, bored. Looking back she saw a side-corridor. Curiosity was only there to be satisfied as far as Scarlett was concerned, so she walked down it, wondering why she hadn’t noticed it when they passed it first time. There was another elf there, and a wizard. Their costumes were more authentic looking, and the lighting effect which made it look as if gold stars were coming from the wizard’s wand was wondrously effective. It looked like real magic.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFFMvZnbzs 維尼
‘Do you want to play a game?’ The wizard asked. He moved around her, his wand still emitting stars.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuAc9kJvVI 維尼
‘What do I have to do?’ Scarlett knew the warnings about not talking to strangers, but her mother was close, and instinct led her to trust the wizard, who fished in a pocket of his purple robe. Scarlett was surprised, she was sure his robe had been blue when she first saw him. He drew out a necklace. Scarlett looked at it. It was beautiful; the stones on it looked like ice.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡbOKfChwMLh 維尼
‘Just keep the necklace on and enjoy the show, but don’t let Itham here get it.’ He gestured towards the grumpy looking elf at his side. ‘As long as you have it, you can stay in our magical land.’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kH1ny1AFD 維尼
The necklace was cold as he put it on her neck. The stones looked even more like ice. A cold drop of water trickled down her neck.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8giCfAek9c 維尼
‘Hurry up then, it’ll melt out here.’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0FBeLPA7Jq 維尼
Scarlett rushed through the door he had opened, wondering where it had suddenly appeared from. She turned and saw the wizard putting the wand into the pocket of his red robe. He vanished. Scarlett blinked. Yes, he had definitely vanished. Scarlett yawned and sat on the tiled floor.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0yrKJwBd7Z 維尼
She woke up lying on a bed of snow, but she didn’t feel cold. The elf was creeping towards her with an evil look on his face. Hastily she rose, and ran across the fairy-tale landscape covered with snow. Blue lights hung from trees and she wanted to stop and have a look, but remembered what the wizard had said, she needed to keep the necklace away from the elf or she would have to go back. This world shone with beauty and she desperately wanted to stay. Running up one of the hills she could see for miles. This wasn’t a theme-park; this was a magical real world. Multicoloured stars shone above her, pushing tints into the snow, and making her necklace shine with different colours. She ran up to a river, and saw mermaids and mermen playing in the water. With Itham running close behind her she followed the river looking for a bridge. Although she wasn’t tall, Scarlett’s father was, and she was used to running after him so beating an elf was no problem. She could hear his puffs getting further behind her as she neared a castle.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PPiNQ2xCt 維尼
‘My lady.’ A knight in armour bowed before her, she passed another who did the same thing. The nearer she got to the castle the more knights were joined by grandly dressed men and ladies, like something from one of the fairy story books that Scarlett had discarded.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6YgdqTc4J 維尼
‘Princess Scarlett, where have you been?’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdZCuFzsQ3 維尼
Scarlett’s mum had lost the ‘will-we-make-the-money-last-till-the-end-of-the-week’ frown that usually hung on her face from Wednesday onwards. Instead she wore a bright smile and a stereotypical fairy-tale crown. She looked at the necklace.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7gXKBgho0 維尼
‘Do you want to keep it?’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdjC83jIxy 維尼
‘Yes please, I like it here.’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡkemRmihmA0 維尼
‘So do I, but I don’t know how we’re going to keep that elf away.’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAjfBQ4RuS 維尼
‘Easy I’m sure this castle has a safe. If not we get somebody to build one and lock it away.’ The world seemed to be ideal but … ‘Is there a Prince Toby?’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡsxPC4mo1aK 維尼
‘Of course.’8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡYFJNq1Chko 維尼
Perhaps Winterland wasn’t perfect, but Scarlett didn’t mind. Eventually she grew up to be a beautiful princess, married a prince and lived happy ever after. You may think that sometimes she would hanker for the ‘real world’ of a high rise council estate, smart phones and television. But she never did.8964 copyright protection325ＰＥＮＡＮＡlHS8K8Zath 維尼
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