A Castle Made Of Dreams

WALLACE COULDN’T BREATHE.

His heart was still, muscles tensed and air clogged painfully in his throat just at the sight of Paige. She had a daring smile that was colored by courage and shrouded with mystery. With the black witch’s hat on her and the forest green dress that swung with the smallest of movements, Paige looked otherworldly while Wallace felt painfully mortal.

“I can’t possibly leave,” Wallace stammered. Between every breath, his eyes darted over to Paige’s outstretched hand, his own ones itching to grasp it. “I have a family here, a job that I adore, and friends I cherish.”

“Those are all things that can be found where I come from,” Paige offhandedly answered, shrugging. “All of those things and more.”

“What could possibly matter more? What I’ve listed are all of the things a human needs.”

“You live without the feeling of magic.” Her hands dropped down to her side. Paige took a step in front before the ball of her foot lifted from the ground. She glided like a bird, cruising through the air and cutting down the distance between them in a mere second. “Just having what is needed is not called living, it’s merely surviving. To live is to obtain your desires and be able to enjoy your days. Have you truly ever lived?”

Although Paige was much shorter than Wallace, her words seemed to be looking down on him from way above. Those words weighed heavily on his head, suppressing him and keeping him from speaking. Truthfully, there was nothing Wallace could reply to that.

Paige had hit the nail on the head.

So, all he could do was stay rooted to the spot as Paige pressed her cold palms against his cheeks. They cupped his face, delicate fingers grazing his flesh with a feather-light touch.

“Are you brave enough?” She asked, her words barely above a whisper.

“Brave enough to?”

“To dream. To live.”

His Adam’s apple bobbed, watching as Paige reached a hand into hidden pockets of her chiffon dress. She pulled out a small golden acorn that had a matching chain, holding it just in front of Wallace’s eyes so that he could see the details of the pendant clearly.

“Take your time to consider,” she said, clasping Wallace’s hands and opening them so that his palms faced upward. Paige pressed the necklace into his hands before cupping his fingers inward, holding the necklace in place. “When you wish to travel to the world of dreams, simply put this on.”

“What is this?” he asked, “a necklace?”

Paige wore a secretive grin, “a kiss.”