The Key to the Castle

Somewhere. birds were singing loudly. They were making Gwen's head hurt. "Be quiet!" she mumbled.

When she opened her eyes, she was lying on something cool and damp. She sat up slowly. She looked around and saw grass, trees, and birds. She was in a forest. But where were her apartment, and the parking lot?"

I'm dreaming," she decided. " Maybe I fell and hit my head. I'll probably wake up in a minute." She struggled to her feet. Something was tangled around her legs. She looked down. "My jeans! Where'd they go? And what's this?" She was wearing a floor length sparkly pink dress!

"Wow," said Gwen. "This is some dream." She reached up. Something was making her head sore. She pulled it off her head. It was a heavy gold crown. She put it back on. "Cool! I'm really a princess. Wish I had a mirror so I could see how I looked."

She started to take a step and got tangled up in her skirt again. "Not so cool," she decided. "This dress is scratchy, too, and the crown hurts. I want my jeans back. Wake up, Gwen!" She pinched herself hard. "Ouch! . Okay, fine. I'm not standing around until I do wake up. I'll go exploring."

She had only walked a few yards when she heard a moaning sound. "What was that? I hope this isn't going to be a nightmare. Courage, Princess Gwen!" she said to herself. "You wanted adventure, remember?"

She forced herself to go around the tree. She almost tripped over a pile of shiny metal that lay almost under her feet. "Yikes!" It was a knight in chain mail and a helmet with the visor down. He was lying on the ground. He moaned again. "Stop that, please." She nudged him with her toe. "Wake up, whoever you are."

The knight turned over, clutched at his helmet and started rolling frantically on the ground. "Let me out of here!" he called, his voice echoing.

Gwen knew that voice. She pulled open the visor on his helmet.

He stared at her. "Gwen? What are you doing in that outfit?"

"Lance!" she sputtered. "Why are you here? This is MY dream!"

"Dream? What dream?" He pulled off the helmet and stared at it, and then at his chain mail. "What is going ON?"

"I don't know!" said Gwen. "I didn't invite you into my dream. I hardly even know you!"

"I didn't ask to be here!" Lance said. "Get me out!"

"I don't know how!" Gwen stomped her foot.

"So why not just wake up?"

"I can't! I tried that!"

"So maybe it's not a dream," Lance said.

Gwen stared. "What else could it be?"

He looked around. "I don't know. But those trees--I've never seen that kind. And those birds--have you ever seen any like that before?"

"No," said Gwen. "Not even in my Mom's Birds of the World Guide."

"So maybe we're not in the world any more," he said.

"We magically flew here? Like in 'The Wizard of Oz' or something?"

"Beats me," he said. "All I remember is, we were in the parking lot, and there was this whirlwind, or mini-tornado or something."

Gwen giggled suddenly. "Carried away by a cyclone?" It is like Oz."

"But there was something you said," Lance said slowly. "I can't remember.Wait a minute!" he said suspiciously. "I do remember. You wished we were a princess and a knight--and now we are! You did this!"

"What do you mean, I did this?" demanded Gwen. "Do you think I'm some kind of witch or something? I can't do magic!"

"But you must have done something," he insisted.

"You're crazy!" said Gwen angrily. Her crown was slipping. She reached up and shoved it back. "How do you think I possibly--Oh!!" she stared at her hand. "My ring! I forgot about it! I was turning it on my finger when I wished! So all I have to is turn it again and wish us back.!"

"O.K.," said Lance, "Then do it, quick! This armor is hot!"

Gwen closed her eyes, took a deep breath, turned the ring around, and wished. "I wish we were back in our apartment parking lot."

She opened her eyes. "It didn't work," she said sadly.

"Your ring's probably just a fake," said Lance. "That's just great. You wish us into a stupid forest and then can't get us back. Thanks a lot."

"Now wait a minute!" Gwen was furious. "You can't blame this on me. If the ring doesn't work then I didn't do it. I hate this place and I hate this ring, so there!" She snatched off her ring and threw it on the ground.

"Hey, wait!" Lance dived after the ring. "Maybe you should hang onto it just in case. What are these markings on it? They look like letters."

"No they're not, they--wait a minute! Let me see the ring." She grabbed it out of his hand. "It looks different. It's not tarnished any more. They do look like letters now." She held the ring up and squinted. "There's a K-and an E, and a Y! Key! T-O-to, T-H-E, the."

"Key to the what?" he interrupted.

She frowned. "I'm working on it, O.K.? These letters are tiny. O.K., I think there's a C, an A, then S,T,L,E. Castle!"

"Key to the CASTLE?" Lance said. They both turned and stared at the trees in every direction. "What castle?" he said finally.

"How should I know? And how can a ring be a key anyway? Even the stone is gone. It must have fallen out." She began searching the ground.

"Hey!" she said. "You must have dropped this." She held out a small book. "It's your medieval book, isn't it?"

"And look," Lance added. "The inside's different too." He held the book open. The lines of print and bright-colored pictures had disappeared. Instead, they saw large handwritten words scrawled across the pages.

"Greetings, Fellow Travelers! Welcome to Adventure Storyland! Your wish for excitement has been granted! You will find thrilling tales in which you shall be the main characters! Simply travel straight west until you arrive at Adventure Castle! The ring you have is part of the key to the castle. The rest of the key will be found near the front door. Unlock the door and enter, and your adventures will begin! But beware! You will need wisdom and cleverness to make your way through the maze of the castle! The key you have is the Entrance Key. The only way to leave Adventure Storyland and return home is to find the Exit Key, hidden somewhere in the castle! Good luck and many Adventures!"

Gwen said, "Adventure Castle! Danger and mazes! It's just like I imagined! Only now.now I'm not so sure I want to try it."

"We haven't got much choice," Lance pointed out. "It says we can only get home by finding that other key inside the castle."

"Okay, then, let's get going," she said. The sooner we start, the sooner we'll get home."

Of course, it wasn't that easy. The forest seemed to go on forever. They grew tired and hungry.

"I hope that castle has a kitchen," panted Gwen.

Eventually they reached the edge of the forest.

"There it is!" cried Gwen.

"I've got it!" said Gwen, and held out a slender golden key. She inserted the key in the door and tried to turn it, but nothing happened.

"Let me try," said Lance, but it wouldn't budge.

"Wait!" said Gwen. "The ring is the other half. Maybe it doesn't work without both parts." She tugged the ring off her finger and inserted the long end of the key into the hole where the pink stone had been. With a click, it became an old fashioned key with a ring on the end.

She handed it to Lance, who put it back in. There was a humming sound. The key began to glow. Lance pulled his hand back. The light grew brighter, and then faded away. Lance tried the key again. It turned easily. The great door swung open with a groan that echoed in the rooms beyond.

Lance and Gwen looked at each other.

"Well, this is it," said Gwen, trying not to sound nervous. Together, they entered the great hall. The huge door swung slowly shut behind them.