A World Away: Realynn's Journey

By Andrea Leaphart Hill

The world is rapidly changing---and not always for the best. Do you ever want to leave this world and wonder if there is a better place in our galaxy? Would it really be better? How would you get there? Well, run with Realynn through her story of events, and shell show you the WAY!


After Realynns parents are killed, she goes to live with her aunt Ananine, who is a little weird and mysterious. Aunt Ananine is a naturalist, who dabs into a lot of medicinal concoctions. One day, aunt Ananine answers a knock at the door which leads to her disappearance. The abductor leaves behind a message that threatens Realynns life and the time of its return. Petrified, Realynn searches the house for clues. She finds none and in her frustration, she falls into a deep sleep. In her dream, she receives clues to help her. Following the instructions in her dream, Realynns journey begins. In her quest to find her aunt and to save herself, she is led to many strange places-- worlds away from her own. In the end, she gains possession of several valuable keys, but will they be worth keeping?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jul 3, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469102894

Andrea Leaphart Hill

Andrea Leaphart Hill is a southern craft artist and teacher by nature, but who is also a writer at heart. She holds a BS in Human Services and has spent most of her life working with children either in the public schools sector or state funded programs for youths. She has an artsy approach to writing, enhanced with a bohemian style. Her stories are filled with whimsical characters, charming little towns, curious children and unfamiliar places. She loves adventure, fantasy and spiritual teachings. Andrea is creative, inspirational and a wonderful wife and mother of two teens.

Book preview

Copyright © 2008 by Andrea Leaphart Hill.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in

any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,

recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission

in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the

product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance

to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

48621

Contents

THE ABDUCTION

A TRIP TO NIMBULA

BACK IN BAINBRIDGE

THE CHILDREN SPEAK

A DEMON FOLLOWS

THE LAND OF THE CHILDREN

THE FLYING FISH

PLANET PLEASORA

GOING HOME

48621-HILL-layout.pdf

This story is dedicated to my children,

my nieces and nephews and Realynn.

You all have the power to write your own life

and the keys to change your world.

THE ABDUCTION

On a mild summer day, out in the midst of pure country nostalgia stands a modest old cottage surrounded by beautiful foliage, trees, and flowers all dotted throughout the yard. It is absolutely cute and charming in every way, just like the girl who lives there. The lovely young miss Realynn, who is thirteen years old, with silky straight black hair sprawling over her shoulders and big brown eyes in the middle of her perfectly round face, complements this scenic picture as she sweeps the front porch. But all is not well in this setting. There is much turmoil surrounding Realynn’s cottage and her town. Unfolding in the days ahead, trouble will descend on this peaceful place; and Realynn, who sweeps on, is unaware of the fact that she is right in the middle of it.

It’s a sunny Saturday, in September 2018, Realynn and her aunt Ananine are busy doing household chores. Aunt Ananine is very proud to have her niece in her life, especially since Realynn helps cook, clean, and manage the house all in good cheer.

At the age of seven, Realynn came to live with her aunt after her parents were killed in a sudden home invasion. She narrowly escaped the fate of her parents by hiding inside a small chest. Frozen with fear, she remained unseen and unheard. This saved her life. Realynn has only a few memories of her parents, but in an inexplicable way, she senses that they are always near. She suspects that Aunt Ananine knows more about the deathly invasion but is unwilling to talk to her about it.

Aunt Ananine is a weird person, but in a good way. She has the ability to put odd things together to make unique pieces of art and invent useful things around the house. Aunt Ananine is unconventional in all her ways, and while some may view her as peculiar, others see her as being very creative. But Aunt Ananine has a problem; she dabs around into too many things (mixing chemicals, crossing different plant species, and reading magical books) that she creates more problems than she solves. There are many experiments that she has conducted that did not turn out right, and today is no different—yet another one of her experiments has gone bad. Although Aunt Ananine means well, her experiments don’t go well. Humming along, Aunt Ananine is in the kitchen baking a special batch of cookies. She has been working hard on these cookies all morning, trying to find all the right ingredients. Finally, she is ready to taste them and share them with Realynn.

I baked chocolate chip cookies with a special ingredient in them, she calls out to Realynn, with a pleasing smile upon her face. Aunt Ananine yells out again in a louder voice, Do you hear me, Realynn?

Realynn smiles from the porch. She knows her aunt is too quiet to not be engaged in some type of activity. She walks down the long hallway leading to the kitchen. She washes her hands at the kitchen sink and grabs a cookie as she sits down at the lace-covered table. Mmm, she says, chewing slowly while looking up at the kitchen window over the sink. Since Aunt Ananine loves to talk, she is steadily talking (more like thinking out loud) to Realynn. Realynn isn’t listening because she tends to zone off into a daydream when she’s eating and rarely remembers anything that her aunt has said. However, this does not stop Aunt Ananine. She can have a conversation all by herself!

Aunt Ananine continues to talk as she puts two more cookies on Realynn’s plate. Just before she can ask her aunt what the special ingredient is, there is a knock at the front door.

Knock-knock! Aunt Ananine proceeds down the hallway toward the front door.

For the next five minutes, Realynn continues to eat her cookies and drink her milk. After eating the last cookie, she realizes that her aunt isn’t talking to anyone. Suddenly, the house feels creepy. It’s too quiet. Something is wrong, Realynn thought to herself. Realynn gently gets up from her seat. She eases into the hallway outside the kitchen. Realynn tiptoes down the hallway toward the living room. Her heart is throbbing—Ba-boom . . . ba-boom . . . ba-boom.

I can’t believe I’m acting this way, I’m acting like I’m in a horror movie, she murmurs to herself.

So she pulls herself together and starts walking in a more mature manner. She steps confidently into the living room. Struck with bewilderment, there was no one there—no Aunt Ananine, no visitor! Realynn is extremely puzzled. She did not hear anyone leave the house. As she stands in the middle of the room, she scans it with a stunned look on her face. Sighing, she then flops down on the sofa where she notices a gold piece of paper on the coffee table.

Ummm, she says to herself as she reaches for the paper. It is folded in half with symbols written all over it. She unfolds it, and in giant print, it reads, YOUR AUNT SUMMONED ME FROM MY WORLD. I HAVE COME TO TAKE HER AWAY TO MY HOME, AND IN TWO MONTHS, I WILL COME BACK FOR YOU!

Realynn gasps and falls to the floor. In a faint voice, she cries, My aunt is gone! Realynn is in a state of shock and all alone and frightened, she weeps. Somehow she manages to pull herself together to go find her star-covered blanket for security and comfort. The soft blanket helps her to think better. Then, she remembers what her aunt had told her, Big girls don’t cry, so put your big girl panties on and deal with it. Realynn’s attitude changes, and now she tries to get to the bottom of her aunt’s disappearance.

She wonders, "What is the special ingredient