Ficticia

By Catherine M Mullins

Sean lives an average ten-year-old life. That is, if an average boy's life includes every fantasy book, video game and movie he can get his hands on.

 

Little does he know all that will change when he wakes up in the middle of a snowy night. The creature he sees outside his window will make sure of that.

 

Afer all, you never know what realms can open up with a simple unicorn ride...or disappear forever.

 

If you like fantasy, fairytales, and worlds where danger lies around every corner, than you'll love Ficticia. Ride the unicorn yourself by picking up a copy of htis high fantasy tale.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Catherine Mullins
• Release date: Sep 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201526467

Book preview

Chapter One

Sean woke up in his bed, blinking with the feeling that something had called him. As he looked out his bedroom window, he noticed a giant object standing in the snow in his backyard.

Sean pulled the heavily filled quilt off and touched his toes to the icy wood floor. Shivering, he grabbed his baby blue robe, the one his grandmother had made him, and slipped it over his shoulders, shoving his feet into his tiger-face slippers at the same time. He tried to look at the clock, but it was too dark to see. The only thing he could see was the late-night moon glowing in the freshly fallen snow outside and the strange object, as large as a tractor, but not the right shape.

Tiptoeing past his parents’ room ,(they wouldn't mind him going out by himself at night, would they? Either way, he wouldn't let them find out he'd done it) he slipped through the big oak front door and crunched through the silvery white powder into the night.

Sean could barely make out the strange shape from this distance. Something on either end of it was flowing in the gentle breeze that drifted snowflakes down from the heavens. Dad hadn't gotten any new equipment for the farm that Sean knew about. And large white objects didn't just grow in the snow overnight. Sean's curiosity was growing, and as he stood there trying to puzzle this strange thing out, he felt the call again.

It wasn't a voice. He hadn't heard the call. It was a feeling deep down inside that something had uttered his name.

As Sean got closer, the bright white object began to take shape. Its nose was long and thin, its neck muscular and stiffly arched, its body perfectly crafted, its tail blowing in the wind, and on top of its head grew out a long silver horn. There, in Sean's very own back yard stood a pegacorn.

Who are you? And what are you doing here? asked Sean.

Would you like to ride on my back? the creature asked. Its voice was soft and warm like a velvet cushion by the fireside.

Sean went to climb on the creature’s back and noticed two beautiful wings attached to its side. This wasn't just any pegacorn, this was a pegacorn.

They flew up and away through the night sky, counting the stars as they went. Better than opening presents on Christmas morning or eating cake on his birthday—flying through the sky on the pegacorn was the best time Sean had ever had.

As they flew back down to earth again, Sean felt disappointed. He had hoped the flight would last forever.

Will you be back? asked Sean as he climbed off.

I will come back tomorrow night, if you like, responded the peg acorn.

Sean nodded vigorously.

Sure enough, the next night, Sean opened his eyes and saw the pegacorn waiting for him. There was no feeling in the world like having a magic animal waiting for you, Sean decided…especially one that would let you fly.

And, also like the night before, the pegacorn took Sean into the night sky, and they flew so fast the wind couldn’t keep up with them.

There is something I must ask of you, stated the peg acorn as they skipped from cloud to cloud.

Sean would do anything for a creature that took him flying.

What is it? asked Sean.

A war between the lands of imagination and reality is on the verge of breaking out. All the imaginary creatures of the world will cease to be, and human beings will forget how to imagine altogether should this war take place and be lost. I need a small boy to help me stop this atrocity from occurring.

This sounded horrible to Sean. What would be the good of life without imagination? Without mermaids, and centaurs? What would be the fun of going on? How could there be any good stories? What would Sea daydream about in school? And Sean didn’t want any creature to die, especially not something as beautiful and wonderful as the pegacorn.

What do I have to do? asked Sean.

It is very dangerous and there is a chance you won’t succeed. There is a chance you may even die, said the peg acorn.

Sean hadn’t thought of that.

Was imagination really worth risking his life for? If he died, Sean would never see his parents again. A tear welled up in Sean’s eye.

Will I go to heaven if I die? asked Sean

I don’t know, replied the pegacorn, I can’t see into your soul. But if you do go to heaven, you will meet many pegacorns and other imaginary friends of mine and fly and play with them all you like.

That certainly made the thought of death bearable. Sean would miss his family terribly, but riding pegacorns for eternity might make it worthwhile. And maybe someday, his family would ride with him."

When do I start? asked Sean

Right now, if you wish, responded the peg acorn. And, with that, Sean hopped on the animal’s back and took off with him into the sky.

Chapter Two

Sean and the peg acorn landed by a large stone castle in a land Sean had never seen before. This is the Land of Imagination, stated the pegacorn as Sean dismounted. We who live in the land call it Ficticia. Everything humans have ever imagined lives here. And this castle is where your tasks must begin. Inside is a princess who is very ill. Your first task is to fetch her water from the Singing Spring and give it to her to drink. When you have finished, return to this spot and I will take you to your next task.

What’s the Singing Spring? asked Sean as he turned from the castle to the peg acorn. But the peg acorn was gone. Sean mounted the hill in front of him, crossed the drawbridge, and knocked on the large wooden castle door.

Who goes there? Asked a voice inside.

M..m..m..me, stammered Sean. The voice had sounded so husky and deep that Sean was frightened. M..m…my name is Sean, Sean continued. The peg acorn sent me.

Ahwa, hw,hwa,hwa! the voice roared with laughter.

The door opened, but Sean didn’t see anyone.

Down here! the voice thundered.

Sean looked down and saw a mouse in a suit of arms. Sean immediately felt a little less afraid.

Well, speak up boy, the mouse boomed. What are you here for?

I want to help the princess, Said Sean

How did you hear about the princess? asked the mouse.

The pegacron told me, responded Sean.

By Jove, maybe you did see a pegacron, said the mouse. Well, usually, no one sees the princess without an appointment, but since you’re just a little boy, and you say a peg acorn sent you, then you best come on in.

Sean followed the creature clanking in his metal-wear through the halls of the castle where various other creatures, fauns and fairies, giants and dwarfs, elves, and centaurs, all gathered, merrily eating and drinking. It seemed like one big party, and Sean would have wondered what such company was doing celebrating at a time when the princess was so sick if he hadn’t been so engrossed in watching creatures he had only dreamed of mingling with each other. What Sean didn't know, was that there were so many princesses in this Ficticia place, one’s getting sick never seemed all that serious.

After passing through hallways, secret passages, and the obligatory spiraled staircases, Sean and the mouse finally reached a tower that wasn’t all that far from where Sean had entered.

It sure took a long time to get here, said Sean. Why did we travel so far when the tower was so close?

I thought you’d expect it! said the mouse in a shocked tone. You humans from the Land of Reality are always building castles over here like that! Never a livable one! You should see Sleeping Beauty’s. That one required enough rooms to lose an old lady with a spinning wheel in it, but the author didn’t think what all else that many rooms would mean. Costs a fortune in cleaning supplies alone.

How did you know I was from the Land of Reality? asked Sean.

Pegacorns only bring people from the Land of Reality, the mouse harrumphed. Everybody knows that.

The mouse rapped on a large wooden door, and an old lady opened it.

Got one from the Land of Reality to see the princess, stated the mouse.

Well, he better hurry or he’ll miss her. She won’t be around for long.

Sean went in and found the princess lying in a bed surrounded by an entourage of ladies-in-waiting. Sean didn’t recognize the sick princess lying in bed as one of the princesses he knew from any stories, but that was because he hadn’t read this one.

The princess was lying in the bed breathing heavily, and was as pail as a ghost.

I need to bring her water from the Singing Spring, said Sean, not sure what to do next. Should he have tried to go to the spring first? Would that have been the protocol?

The head matron said, she’s had plenty of water, and gestured to a mug of foul-smelling brackish liquid. No wonder the princess was sick. Sean hadn’t known anything about medieval well systems or how