The girl looked bored. She was lying on a bed on her stomach with a pillow stuffed under her arm. Her head was lying on her arm like it was an effort to keep it up. She sighed noisily and someone knocked at the door.
   “Come in” she called, sitting up. Her dirty blonde hair fell over her face but she ran her fingers through it forming a perfect part to the left.
   “What’s up?” a boy asked walking in.
   “Close the door” she said and added “I’m bored”
   “You’re bored?” he said holding onto the closed door handle in mock amazement. She smiled.
   “Yes…I have to read The Prince for history and it’s killing me” she flashed him the book and he sat down.
   “This school sucks” he replied making her smile again.
   “It only sucks because you hate work and have no friends yet.”
   “I've only been here three days!” he retorted
   “Great!” the girl said smiling still, “I’ve been here like, forever”
   “So?”
   “So…” she smiled, “so nothing”
   “Exactly” he smiled back. “I’ll be back” the boy said getting up to leave.
   “No, wait! Come back!” she called after him but he had already disappeared out the door. She got up and walked over to it and called out “close the bloody door next time” and shut it. She stretched lazily sighing “oh…my…goodness” for no reason. She looked over at the book, the empty bed in front of her, and walked out of the room.

   *                       *                       *

   Rishi awoke with a start. He was woken by a door slamming and had awoken the cat in his fright. The cat’s eyes stared at him through the darkness. He reached out and petted the black ball of fur which stretched against his leg and started to purr. Rishi felt like he had lived here for years and he missed his real home terribly, though he did not remember what it was he missed exactly. He wished he could talk to someone he knew, but this dream like world just wouldn’t let him go. He had never felt so homesick before. Never felt so alone...to his recollection.
   Rishi and the cat had grown close in the time they had spent together. Rishi considered him close to a brother, and if the cat could talk he was sure he would say the same. He wrote every day in his diary, and had learnt to write with the fountain pen so that it wasn’t blotchy. The previous morning he had written about his predicament;
   “I did not think it possible to have such a bond with an animal. I do doubt, however, that I could have such a bond with any other animal. This cat has some sort of intelligence in him. Some sort of human quality about him. I do not know what it is, but I am sure when I do I will wonder how I could have missed it before.”
   He had in fact been in the underground world for 2 years. In earth years, however, the time was immeasurably huge. His hair had grown long and he swept it back. Every time he wanted to cut it his guide freaked out, and Rishi still didn’t know why.
   “The second day book still will not open, although, I must read the other book, The Prophecy, I had forgotten about it.
   “I cannot remember anything of my past, only things from the day I arrived here. It is quite frustrating, but I am determined to remember everything. The cat is brushing against my leg…I really should name him.”
   Rishi decided he wouldn’t get back to sleep and got up, taking the cat with him to the backyard. He had made a hammock out of rope a few weeks into his stay here because he couldn’t use the other seating provided. He shuddered as he remembered being thrown from the legless chair. Laying on it with the cat on his chest, he used his legs lazily to swing it. The hammock was so relaxing. He felt himself begin to drift off to sleep, and still drifting he heard a voice.
   “I saved ya life boy!” a woman’s voice, “’ere take these. Come-on! Don’t be a lump boy, put ‘em on!”
   “These aren’t my clothes” a boys voice. He sounded afraid and far away.
   “I know boy, yours are ripped up somethin’ good”
   “What’s your name?” the boy asked, obviously curious
   “Mason”
   “That’s a boy’s name!” the boy laughed
   “It runs in me family”
   “Where’s my mother?” the boys voice urgent and high, he was panicking. Rishi tried to rouse himself so he could go help but the now rising sun kept him in place with his eyes squeezed shut.
   “You ‘avent told me your name yet!” the woman tried to distract
   “I want my parents!” the boys voice cried out full of panic and fear. Rishi felt panicked himself. He felt frustrated and scared and held back.
   “Look, are ya gonna tell me ya name or not boy?”
   “Rishi”
   “Yaaah!” The sun couldn’t hold him any longer with the cats claws buried into his chest. Rishi tore himself from his sleep and sat up so fast he almost fell off the hammock. The cat released his claws and sat on Rishi's lap watching him. He was still screaming at the top of his lungs. “It was me!” he screamed, the cat still composed and seemingly unalarmed by this sudden outburst. “My parents—they are dead!” this prompted the cat; he leant up to Rishi's face and rubbed against his cheek as though trying to console him. Rishi was startled, and even more so when he noticed the cats face was wet. He wiped his eyes, and whispered to the cat, “I remember now”. He was still crying and the cat cocked his head slightly but sat up on his lap like before. “They are dead because of me” the cat looked taken aback, he had retracted his head and his mouth was wide open. He looked offended. “I did not see the way!” he cried out, “I could not help!” the cat recovered and began hissing, sending spittle up at Rishi's face. It was Rishi’s turn to be taken aback and retreat. The cat swiped at his face and sprang from the hammock leaving Rishi to his silent tears.
   “I had my first memory today” he wrote, “I am now wishing that I did not remember such a painful past. I was asleep on my hammock, and I began hearing voices…” he was still crying, but the tears didn’t harm the words. They seemed to roll off the pages as though they were made of wax, “he looked at me with such disgust in his eyes. Such hatred. It burned into me. He hissed and swiped at my face and then he jumped down and walked away angrily. It is still bleeding where he swiped me, but it does not physically hurt me any longer. The damage is on the inside. He has not been near me since then. Every time I try to enter the same room he runs out. At best I have seen the blur of his tail as he runs off. It hurts.”
   “What I remember is seeing the men and the death of the farm boys. I ran from my hiding spot because the men said they were heading to the swamp to destroy it. They had oil and torches and vicious dogs. I ran not feeling the ground at all, and in my haste I jumped into the water to get to my people faster. I could not wait for someone to pull me in. the water was so cold…” he looked up from his writings and noticed the cat in the doorway watching him. The cats face was morose and Rishi realized he was still crying and bowed his head. He kept writing, “Mrs. Brush, a lady who worked the food supply raft, was waiting for the farm boys to load it with food. She hauled me out of the water and told me off for being stupid. She would not listen to me, I tried to make her understand what was happening but the cold took over and I fainted. When I woke my mother whispered to me that what ever happened to her and my father I was to stay hidden until it was safe. We hid for a while and my parents decided to make a move and run for it. It was dark; the only light was from the arrows being lit, and the lake on fire. We had tried to go back to warn everyone one last time. You could not really see because of all the smoke and we ran into a man with arrows. My mother shoved me into a bush before I could be seen and my father told her to run and attacked the man. The man had called out and more came to his aid. I blacked out due to the fear and maybe lack of oxygen. I could hear my father say “be brave” and I could hear my mother screaming my name. When I woke up there was smoke everywhere. I could not see my parents, but I knew they were gone. A voice came to me and told me “Run Rishi, they're gone, you must run now” and I did. I almost made it to a nearby village but I blacked out again. Something caught my fall so I guess it was that Mason woman from my dream.” He looked up to discover the cat was leaning over his diary. The cat looked up, as though he had finished reading the last upside down line, and raised his paw to Rishi's wet cheek. Rishi laughed sadly and hugged the cat, “I really have to name you” he whispered, the cat staring into his eyes all the while.

   *                       *                       *

Philip waited for Mirandah to return eagerly. On the nights he did sleep his dreams were full of her, and he awoke to find reality. Rishi's bed stood empty. By the end of the first month he was convinced she wouldn’t be coming back. He still prayed and delivered sermons but his passion was gone, his faith dimmed. Presently he was in his study aimlessly staring at the stained glass window when he was interrupted by his page boy.
   “Father?” the boys head popped through the door, “A word?”
   “What is it?” he said indifferent. He really didn’t care, but the motions said he should so he pretended.
   “We have detained a witch father,” the boy said. “She tried to get in…She said she knows you but that’s preposterous right?”
   “Yes of course.” He muttered, getting up slowly he added, “lead the way.” He followed not listening to the boys ramblings until one piece caught his attention.
   “And she has a rat in her pocket! She wouldn’t let us take it and we couldn’t catch it, but the donkey is in the stables…it’s so old it…”
   “She had what in her pocket?”
   “A rat” the boy answered after a pause. He looked perplexed.
   “Mirandah!” Philip whispered and set off at a run
   “What?” the pageboy called after him, “father, what did you say?”
   Upon coming to the old dungeon, empty for some time now, he yelled “release that woman, she is no witch!”
   The boy shrunk back from his below and stammered “but, but father! She has a rat and dresses like a gypsy and she…”
   “Bring her to my study at once!” he demanded and turned on heal.
   “I'll keep her shackled, father” the pageboy huffed after him.
   “Just bring her” he could be heard calling from the distance.

Mirandah looked worse than Philip had anticipated. Her hair was a mess, and it made her look older. He supposed he looked worse, and unshackled her and told her to sit. His memory gave him déjà vu when he sat and handed her the water pot. She didn’t say anything.
   “I should have you burned” he offered, menacingly.
   “I should have used the backdoor.”
   “It has been months Mirandah!” he spat, clenching his fists.
   “Your nephew is safe” she spat back. Philip turned to hide his tears, and she added softly but determined “if you want to burn me, go ahead. I know my task, and it is done.”
   “Why my boy?” Philip turned startling Mirandah by his tears, “why not someone else’s? He was the only family I had left Mirandah!”
   She was crying too now. “Do you think I loved him any less than I loved you Philip?”
   “What?”
   “I love your nephew like he was my own son, the same as you do. Don’t you think it hurt me to have to take him away? Don’t you think it hurt me that I didn’t get to say goodbye either?” without waiting for an answer she whispered “I remember a time when you wanted me to be in your family. To share your life.”
   “Well feelings change” he turned away from her again.
   “So do personalities I see” she watched his back from her chair in silence. “It feels like I've been gone forever…” she whispered.
   “You have. And my nephew will be”
   “Would it console you if I told you about the land he is residing in?”
   “I do not want to be consoled.” He turned.
   “Please Philip, sit, and let me tell you.”
   “What is there to tell? You fulfilled your fortune, your destiny.”
   “My destiny has only just begun to be fulfilled. I have helped his by filling mine a little more. His story goes on for millions of years. Mine cannot compare. I won't even save the world.”
   “That is impossible”
   “Look” Mirandah said pulling an egg from her pocket “watch through his eyes” the egg became clear and then he saw a picture.
   “It’s broken” Philip muttered, “It’s frozen”
   “It’s not frozen, it’s just slowed down”
   “Well how did you get out of there if it is slowed down?” he asked, closer to her now so he could see, “if it’s a real world” he added.
   “The moment I stepped inside the world it sped up.”
   “Why?”
   “The prophecy says belief in magic. If you believe it will return to normal speed, if not it will slow and could stop…but you will die because you didn’t believe.”
   “Where is this prophecy written?”
   “Inside the egg”
   “You carted my nephew off to god knows where,” Philip bellowed, “because an egg told you too?!”
   “This isn’t just some old egg!”
   “You block head!”
   “Philip!”
   “You absolute egg head!”
   “Philip!”
   “Put her back!” Philip raged towards the heavy oak doors and ripped them open screaming down the corridors, “Put her back! We burn this witch at dawn!”
   “Yes father” one of his pageboys said reaching for Mirandah's arm.
   “No need to pull” she wrenched her arm back, “I can walk by myself!” she left with the pageboys and Philip slammed the door behind them. He retreated to his desk and remembered, in spite of himself, his once prominent affections for Mirandah. He had tried to hide them, fruitlessly; he knew she knew all along. He grabbed a coat from the closet remembering her climbing in there and ran from the room. He decided to go home, but headed in the opposite direction. He walked on aimlessly through the fresh crisp air. The black sky seemed inviting, and the dark streets lonely enough for him to think. He turned into a park and sat on a bench. When he had calmed down he noticed something pressing against his left knee, and reached into his pocket.
   “What on earth….?”