Emi

By Ian Primeaux

One night while waiting for her father to get home, ten year old Emi wanders around her home when she accidentally drops her teddy bear into a mysterious chest. Anxiously going in after it, Emi falls into the chest and is teleported to a strange new world. Not long after waking up in this new world she is saved by her teddy bear who has come to life and grown several times her size. During her journey to find a way back home Emi meets several new friends including a royal guard, a scientist, and many others. Her focus changes from looking for a way home once she begins uncovering clues that her father may actually be in the strange land also! With the help of her new friends Emi embarks on a journey that will change her life forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ian Primeaux
• Release date: Jun 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781636491134

Ian Primeaux

I am an independent author just trying to get more people to read my stories. I self published my first book in September of 2020 and have been working on writing and promoting ever since. I am currently working on a large fantasy series but would like to branch out to other genres and see if I can base them in the world I have created. My books are available physically and digitally, I also have free digital short stories. I took inspiration from my first book and series from things like Alice in Wonderland and Final Fantasy. My goal is to always have something to write.

Book preview

Emi

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2020 by Ian Primeaux

Other books by this author-

Stories from Roa: Arlo’s Journal

Emi: Foreign Lands

CH1 A Strange New World

Emi stared out of her bedroom window. The heavy rain blurred her vision and the dark sky provided no light to assist. She hoped to see the headlights of her father’s car pull into the driveway. It had been two hours since the time he normally got home. Every now and again lightning would illuminate her yard giving her an opportunity to see. At the same time thunder would roar causing her to shut her eyes. With each boom she would grip the arm of her teddy bear tighter, wearing out the already ragged material. The bear was a gift from her father. Knowing it was his when he was a child made it all the more precious to her. Another hour went by and her father was still not home. She began to worry. Her first thought was to run downstairs and tell her mother. A second thought reminded her that she was afraid of her mother. She walked over to her bedroom door and opened it slowly stopping each time it would creak. Poking her head out she saw the light from the television shining around the corner at the bottom of the staircase. She then carefully walked downstairs one step at a time trying to be as quiet as possible.

Once she made it to the bottom, she peeked out from behind the wall. Her mother was sitting in front of the television passed out with a half empty bottle of wine in her lap. As she made her way tip toeing to the front door she tripped on an empty glass bottle and fell to the floor with a loud thud. Her hands quickly covered her mouth to hold in a scream as she looked over at her mother. After confirming that she was still asleep Emi went over to the door. There she flipped open the mail slot hoping to see any sign of her father but the rain was too intense. She wiped the water from her face and slowly made her way back to the stairs. Before returning to her room something caught her eye in the hall. A rope that she had never seen before was hanging from the ceiling. She was certain there was no attic in the house. Either way, something had peaked her interest. Emi walked over to the rope and looked up. It was a good few inches out of her reach. But it was too dark for her to see what it was attached to. She walked over to the light switch and stretched as much as she could to flip it on. The hall light came on for two seconds before a wine bottle flew into the hallway crashing against the wall. Shut off that damn light! her mother yelled in a drunken slur. She quickly jumped up and flipped it back off. Her heart pounding, she held her teddy close to her chest and shut her eyes tight. Emi sat still for several minutes before opening her eyes to see that her mother was passed out again.

Thankfully she had just enough time to see what the rope was connected to. There was in fact an attic in her house. With no light to see, she walked down the hallway swinging her arm above her head to try and grab the rope. When she felt it brush against the tips of her fingers she stopped and bent down holding both of her hands slightly above her head. She took a deep breath and put all the force she could into one big jump. As soon as she felt the rope again she immediately closed both of her hands. This time she managed to grab hold of it. Because of her height and how long the rope was Emi found herself hanging from it swinging side to side. Before she could figure out a way to open the attic door she felt herself slowly being lowered back to the floor. The wooden door creaked loudly as it rubbed against the metal frame of the entrance. She held her breath the entire time staring at the light from the television in the next room. A ladder then slid out crashing down to the floor in front of her.

Her heart was pounding. Typically any small sound would wake her mother but she still saw no shadow coming from the living room. After a few seconds of deep breathing she calmed down and turned to the ladder. She was hesitant to climb up. Seeing the darkness above made her second guess her curiosity but she was too interested. She stuffed her teddy half way in the neck hole of her shirt and climbed the ladder. Once she was high up enough to see she began inspecting the area. There wasn’t a sliver of light to be seen. Just then a flash of lightning lit up the room. The thunder that followed caused her to shut her eyes but not before she caught a glimpse of her surroundings. There was a big open space in front of her. She crawled into the attic keeping her head down as she explored. Without any light it was terrifying being up there. She wondered why her father never showed her the attic. He made it a point to not keep secrets from her. An entire room that no one ever mentioned seemed like a big secret to her. As she made her way further into the attic she hit her head on something.

Looking up she saw a large wooden chest with an old rusty padlock. Lightning flashed for a few seconds through the attic window. She noticed that the lock on the chest was open. Curious, she removed it and lifted the lid. There was only more darkness. She reached her hand into the chest to see what she would pull out but felt nothing. Eager to see what was inside she jumped up balancing her stomach on the rim of the chest. With both hands now she tried to feel for anything to grab onto. After a few minutes of no luck she swung her legs down to push herself out of the chest. After dusting herself off she felt that something was missing. Then she realized that her teddy was no longer tucked in her shirt. In a panic she quickly jumped over to the chest. It was nowhere to be seen. Even with the occasional flashes of lightning she saw no sign of it. She had to go in to get it. She couldn’t bear to tell her father she lost it in a place she probably wasn’t supposed to be. Once again she balanced herself on the rim of the chest this time swinging one leg over to sit. She looked down into the darkness. Even though she was a bit taller than the chest it seemed much deeper than it looked. Swinging her other leg over she lowered herself down. She was holding onto the edge of the chest, her arms fully stretched out. Something was wrong. There was no surface for her to land on.

She suddenly felt something pulling her down. It got harder and harder to hold onto the edge of the chest. She could feel her hands slipping. Just then she saw the lid begin to close. Afraid of her hands being crushed, she released her grip and fell down into the chest. The wind whistled around her as she fell. Emi closed her eyes and tried to think of anything else. Then she remembered the time she had fallen from the tree in her backyard. Her mother was yelling at her to come down but her father encouraged her adventurous spirit. She stepped on a weak branch causing it to snap and send her to the ground. But before she hit the dirt her father was there to catch her. He smiled handing her the teddy and said I’ll always be there to catch you.

The scene replayed in her mind until she eventually passed out.

When she finally awoke she found herself in a strange forest surrounded by grey decaying plant life. Leaves from nearby trees fell to the ground and turned to dust as they hit the dirt. Looking down she noticed that she had fallen onto a large flower. Her clothes had become covered in red pollen. Running her  hand back and forth over the fuzzy center of it caused more pollen to rise up. Crawling over to the edge to inspect the petals she found that they had a very rubbery texture. As she peaked her head over the side of the petals she could see the ground below. Worried that there was no way for her to get down Emi lunged back to the center of the flower causing it to rock in that direction. This gave her an idea. She slowly crawled backwards to the edge of the flower until she was laying on the petal. Just as she thought, the flower began to tip in her direction. She held on tight as she was lowered to the ground. Once she felt safe enough to let go she stepped off of the petal and backed away from the flower. The stem looked like it was rotting away. Emi looked around at the forest. Being on the ground made everything seem more frightening. Just then she remembered dropping her teddy down the chest and going in after it. Emi looked up at the sky in hopes of seeing some hint of where she fell from. Unfortunately all she saw was a normal blue sky. She walked over to the decaying flower and sat under it. Her teddy was gone, she was in a strange place, and her favorite shirt was covered in pollen. She tucked her head between her knees and cried. With all that’s happened so far one thing was more devastating to her than anything else. All she could think of was if she would ever see her father again.

A rustling in the nearby bushes interrupted her sobbing. She looked up and saw a wolf like creature emerge from the forest. Its fur was pitch black. It ran its nose along the ground sniffing back and forth, moving closer and closer to her. Emi told herself to get up and run but her body was frozen with fear. The creature made its way to her feet and sniffed the pollen on her pants. It stopped for a moment and looked up at her with its bright white eyes then flashed its fangs. She quickly rolled out of the way just as the beast opened its jaws to snap at her. The creature snarled at her then let out a piercing howl. Seconds later several more wolves arrived and began circling her.

She looked all over for a way out of the perilous situation. Then she saw the decaying flower stem. It looked like a big enough space for her to squeeze into but she would have to be quick. She waited as the monsters drew closer. Her heart pounding harder with every step they took. Just as they were a few feet away she kicked some dirt up into the air and backed into the stem. The distraction bought her about two extra seconds but it was enough time for her to slip away barely escaping the creature’s fangs. She sat down inside the stem scooting as far back as she could. The wolves bit and clawed at the opening slowly chipping away at the stem. All Emi could do was cover her head and hope they wouldn’t get to her. At that moment she remembered something her father had told her. She was playing in the back yard and a small swarm of bees had started to chase her. She placed two fingers in her mouth and started whistling frantically. Her father then ran out of nowhere and saved her. He took her into their house and praised her for remembering the whistle. Anytime you’re in danger just whistle and I’ll be there to save you.

She quickly positioned her fingers and whistled as loud as she could. The wolves backed away for a moment scratching their ears. Emi looked outside the stem hoping to see her father there to save her. But no one was coming. No one was going to save her. She fell back into the stem and cried. As the creatures moved closer the ground began to shake. They all turned their attention to one direction. Emi poked her head out and saw trees in the distance falling one by one. The ground shook violently then a large creature jumped out from the forest. Before she could see what this new monster was Emi ducked back down into the stem hiding her face. She could hear the wolves whimper and cry. The thought of an even bigger creature terrified her. She hoped that they would all go away and she would be sent back home.

The noise stopped. She was too afraid to stick her head out and check the area. Suddenly the stem was ripped from the ground around her. She turned carefully and slowly to see the creature that she thought would soon end her. It was her teddy. She felt at ease but confused. The creature holding the decayed stem looked exactly like her teddy but much larger. Its mouth was sewed shut. It had the same two uneven button eyes. The left arm was even worn out from where she always held it. The only difference was that the paw pads on its arms and caps on its feet looked much more rough and durable. Teddy? she asked. Teddy made no noise. He picked her up onto his shoulder and took her away from the area. She looked back to see what happened to the creatures. They were gone. Teddy, where are we?

As Teddy escorted Emi through the forest she carefully examined her surroundings. It seemed like the further they went, the less terrifying the forest was. Trees weren’t as grey and the animals they passed weren’t as hostile. A butterfly with glass wings landed on Teddy’s ear right next to Emi. She reached out to touch it but Teddy swatted it away before she could. What was that for? she cried out. Teddy remained silent and stayed on his path. She huffed and crossed her arms. I just wanted to pick it up. Why are you being so quiet? Can you even talk?

Teddy said nothing. His silence only worried Emi. The creature that saved her looked exactly like the teddy she dropped in the chest. But with no way to be certain she couldn’t feel absolutely safe.

As they continued on their path Emi noticed her surroundings beginning to change even more. It seemed like the forest was disappearing. The further they got, the less trees surrounded them. They began to see more plants and shrubbery. The inhabitants of the new area seemed almost tame. Not a single creature they passed even glanced at them. It was as if nothing was a threat to them. A white bird landed on Teddy’s ear. Can I pet this one? she asked sarcastically. Reaching her hand out, the bird hopped on her wrist and began to chirp. As soon as it touched her she was overcome with an intense feeling of peace. No longer worried about if the thing she was riding was in fact her teddy. Not even concerned with being in a strange place. The bird made her feel happy. Teddy came to a stop and the bird flew away. Her temporary happiness was gone. What was that bird? What did it do to me? she asked staring at her hands. Looking forward she noticed that Teddy had brought her to a cabin in the middle of a garden. It was surrounded by a large flower bed wrapping all the way around it with a giant tree overlooking everything. Emi looked up and saw dozens of nests filled with the white birds. Their nests were made from purple flowers growing in the garden below. Just looking at them made her feel warm inside. What is this place?

Teddy swung his paw and struck the cabin door once. Emi could hear footsteps from inside. Back so soon? a voice asked. The door slowly creaked open as an old woman stepped out. She wore several layers of brightly colored paper thin robes with a few small bags hanging from a thick rope around her waste. What have you brought me this time?

Teddy knelt down revealing Emi to the woman. Oh my! she said shocked. Come in come in! she took Emi’s hand and invited her into the cabin.

Are you lost child? the woman asked offering her a seat. Emi sat down and examined the cabin. It seemed much bigger on the inside. Most of the furniture looked like it had been hand carved from wood.

Where am I? she asked.

You’re in my cabin. If you want a more specific answer, you’re in the Goddess Gardens.

Emi was still confused. And where is that?

The woman wasn’t sure what to say. Where are you from girl? she asked with an interested look.

Emi felt scared again. All she could think of was not being able to get back home. Her breathing stuttered as she inhaled and began to weep. The woman threw a blanket over her and held her shoulders tight. Now now child, there's no need for that. We’ll figure out how to get you back home so you can see your father.

Emi stopped and looked up at the woman. How did you know...

She was interrupted by a familiar sound. They heard loud piercing howls coming from outside. Emi instinctively covered her ears and closed her eyes. She wanted no part of what was coming. Don’t worry child, the woman said grabbing a staff from the side of a bookshelf. We’ll handle this.

She walked out of the cabin and into the center of the garden. Teddy followed right behind. Emi walked over to the window standing up on her toes to see out into the garden.

Teddy stood right behind the mysterious woman. Don’t go charging in this time. Let me take care of the small ones and if the big one shows up then you can move, she ordered. Teddy stood still with no expression. Three shadows emerged from the edge of the garden. The wolves from the forest had tracked