Sitting on the lustrous, orange docks, I wondered how Kōgi and I were going to ever get back.

  “Oh, don’t get too upset about losing your way. We will just have to pinpoint a way back,” Zevo said in hopes of comforting.

  While I looked at my watch, I noticed that the clock was still ticking and if the time was right, two days had already passed since we had been lost in this alternate dimension. But however, the days didn’t seem to fully pass in this world yet. In fact, for one cycle of a day here was about 30 hours by my watch. By this time, I genuinely believed that Kōgi was right about the whole turning back thing; however, I did not say a word about the predicament. As I observed my surroundings, I noticed similar structures corresponded with the beach we were at prior to this. The rocky cape with a small cave was in the same location, the bushes were inland except for the vegetation had much darker tones. A dark spiral tower replaced the area where my family’s vacation house was.

  I concluded that if I went into the tower, I might find an answer, but if it were anything like last time, I was to be finished. What if another cataclysmic event occurs and I never wake up again? This raging conflict between my head and heart took place for hours, forcing me to analyze each little, tiny, micro detail about what could or would happen if I were to walk into the door of that never ending spiral, towering beyond the clouds.

  Finally I got up to the decision towards inviting Kōgi and Zevo to come along with me to the tower. Luckily, they both agreed to at least walk me to the entrance of the place. Surprisingly, the tower was unlocked and easy to get into.

  Once inside, the dimensions of the building were far more different than what it had looked from the outside of the place. From the looks of it, the building just appeared to be a regular hotel building, like the ones on Earth, except… there were people on Earth instead of deserted nothingness. Instead of guests coming and going, eating breakfast and checking in and out, constant chatter, there was only a creaking sound as we transversed the floor.

  At the entrance in the lobby, the hotel read: “Come enjoy the resort of the Enchanted Suites!” I pondered whether or not there was anyone in any of the rooms.

  Suddenly a strange, bizarre tune came from an upper story I was to believe. It sounded in a way exceedingly familiar. The music-box melody continued. Quick to action, I walked up the plush stairs. The second floor contained hallways with a series of doors. Kōgi, Zevo, and I checked each door. Locked, they were all locked. On the walls, there were paintings that gave a generic vibe. Among these were a painting of a starry sky, a painting of a dog, and a painting with a lady looking into the distance with a red scarf. Zevo advised that we take a closer look at these paintings to see if there were any clues within them. Upon closer inspection, the paintings not only were on the walls, but seemed to be merged with the walls, not simply hung on the walls. The hallway created a circular pathway that led back to the staircase.

  The third and fourth floors looked almost exactly the same as the second floor. We decided to split up with Kōgi exploring the third floor, Zevo searching the fourth floor, and I keep venturing upward.

  The fifth floor appeared similar except for this floor had some extravagant potted plants with a tag that read, “Experience the mystery, signed your secret admirer” as I walked on the fancy plush carpet to get a closer look at each potted plant, a crash that sounded like metal clanking together startled me, squealing from all the thrills. Suddenly, the pathway to the staircase disappeared. Instead of the crashing sound resonating throughout the hallways, the sound disappeared as immediate as it started as if someone were there to dampen the sound. In fact, the music box no longer played, nor was there any other indication of the outside world beyond the floor I am on.

  As I analyzed my surroundings, I took note of what items were movable. I could pick up the plants. Once I picked up the smallest plant, a medium pitched sound cued. Does this mean I am on the right track? Suddenly, one of the doors sounded like someone was trying to open one of them from the other side. Approaching the door, I cautiously tried to open it and surely enough, it opened! Inside the small room was a mesmerizing brightly painted wall with a giant spiral on it. Absorbed by the wall, I could hardly focus on what else was in the room. I closed my eyes and felt around the room. Tip–toeing a few steps more, I noticed some shelves and boxes. When I opened my eyes, I concentrated on the boxes. Each box had a number from 0 to 9. There were five cubbies in the shape of three squares within the shelf. The size of the square cubbies were exactly the size of each box. Perhaps that means I should put in these boxes in a specific order? As I started trying to put the boxes in, there was a low pitch beep every time that I finished putting in both boxes. Does that mean that the outcome is wrong? Surely there was a better way than brute forcing each arrangement I needed to find more clues without looking at the spiral on the wall. When I looked on the ceiling, there was a spiral that was created using squares with increasingly larger sizes. At first, I thought that it could be 1, 4, and 9 for perfect squares, however, there were 5 spaces and not 3. The spiral looked like a snail shell. Could it be a Fibonacci sequence? After placing 1, 2, 3, 5, and 8 into the cubbies, that same medium pitched sound from the hallway became audible. Once I exited the room, I noticed that the staircase reappeared. The sounds from the music box were once again present.

  As soon as I got to the sixth floor, I saw a small, black cat that dashed away as quick as the sound of the crash from earlier. The savage hiss scared away the green guard mouse concealing a golden key that I am guessing was the key to unlock the door to where the music was coming from.

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  The tiny mouse squeaked and squealed, dropping the key. I picked it up, as the mouse ran away and I rushed inside the mysterious room only to discover a music box with a microphone projecting the sound. Alerted from hearing the sound of the door opening, a tall, dark, peculiar guy came out of the wood. As I looked closer, he had qualities similar to a brown bear. Rounded ears and fluffy arms with dangerous claws attached. Shirtless, the bear was only wearing black shorts. Appearing somewhat youthful, the bear said with a poetic voice, “You are here,” with a dramatic pause, “You are finally here. I have waited long for this day. Now I have received my pay.”

  This guy’s magnificent, arranging words seemed so thoughtful, wise, and sinister. I knew to that point that he was original and real. I could not believe it at first but this was the first real live talking being that I had seen from this world and he was something of a persuasive literate technician.

  Appealed by his words, I asked him how long he had been here in this empty hotel.

  “As long as I can remember, babe,” he answered. “My name is William Lysander, but you can call me Will.”

  “Well ok. My name is Marie and I am glad to meet you and don’t call me babe!” I replied.

  “Well, hey, I did not know your name, what did you want me to call you? Also, for another fact in to withhold, I am one of the ten masters of this world. I am the master of literature.” Will added.

  “What exactly does that mean?” I queried in bewilderment.

  “Well each master is over an extraordinary thing. And when we unite our powers, who knows what will happen,” he described.

  “Wow, cool, so I was just wondering do you not know….” I began.

  “But the thing is…. we can’t unite… we have been put under some debilitating spell that binds us to our domains. For instance, my domain is this hotel,” he explained.

  “Where is everyone? Why is it so deserted around here? Shouldn’t a hotel be more lively?” I asked with genuine curiosity.

  “Well, that’s another predicament. You see, when this spell was casted, several residents of the community also mysteriously vanished.” Will responded.

  Wandering into the bathroom, I fell on Will and he hugged me. So this is what a bear hug is like? I would think that it would be much more harsh, yet his embrace was so gentle, strange to do so since we had just met.

  “I’m just so glad you are here. You don’t know how lonely it has been in here for who knows how long I have stayed here! The mice and cat are fun to be around, but they are not the best with conversation,” cried Will.

  Although I was a bit in shock, I realized that he meant well and was really just excited to converse with someone for the first time in an unspecified duration. Even though I did not know him, my actions seemed to come naturally when trying to calm him down. Will seemed enthralled to hear about everything that has been happening to me, the world I came from, the stark contrasted in color of each place…

  We were chatting with one another until Zevo and Kōgi caught up and barged in, producing dents in the metal door. I had almost forgot that they were still on the other floors, exploring the doors to see if any of them would open up.

  “What are you doing?! You were supposed to be finding a way back home not this!!!” Kōgi yelled frantically.

  “Hey, no it can’t be, are you one of the ten masters??” Zevo remembered in astonishment. “I’ve heard about you guys. You are magicians that have animal-like forms and I remember there was a bear. Is that you?”

  “Why yes. And you two know Marie? Why you two must be lucky to have such a wonderful person to hang with.” Will confirmed.

  ”Why yes we are,” Kōgi said, trembling, slowly disarming himself.

  Will explained, “Well, I suppose you guys will need this music box. No, it is not just an ordinary music box, it can fit lots of objects inside of it with magic. You can fit all the other special items inside this box. With it and the other nine special items from the other masters, you will be able to return to where you came from. These ten items hold the power of each one of us and since we cannot unite together as ourselves, these items are the only way. All of you will be able to return to where you came from, this includes that caterpillar turtle thing and that echidna as well. You would have been able to return home now, but….”

  “But what?” I exclaimed.

  “You will have danger on your path, but you can overcome them, the closest place you might encounter the next master should be at a library. Just trust me and you’ll see.” Will responded.

  “Them? Who’s them?!” I alarmingly exclaimed. No response… “Ok then, whatever, I will do that,” I said while Zevo and Kōgi were outraged by his petty descriptions of them.

  The music box was stellar; other than fitting an impossible amount of items inside, it has a clock on the front of it that ticks slower than my watch does, something that looks like a record on top and the golden key the mouse was guarding actually fits the hole to wind it up for the music and to open it, meaning I will not need to bring the adaptable microphone along. Inside the box is a mirror and a frame to put a picture in. Strangely though, there is no picture in it yet. Time to have a group photo, but wait, there is no camera….

  “Wait, you can’t go on like that, you’ll freeze to death! It gets absolutely cold here and without proper garments, you won’t stand a chance. Here take some of these clothes in this hotel. Here take them, I won’t mind. Also take these supplies too,” William said handing me the fishing rods, clothing, and such.

  Wow, I had not realized that the only thing I was wearing was my orange and pink bathing suit. After choosing the clothes I wanted, I stuffed them all in the music box. Along with the bikini, watch, sketchpad, and journal, I had also brought along a small, waterproof backpack that I can keep the music box in.

  “Take care, I’m sure we’ll meet again,” William said as we waved good-bye.

  In high hopes of succeeding in a way to get back home, I hopped around the room in complete happiness. By this time, I knew that this would turn out to be an exciting, breath-taking adventure and an experience that most could not even imagine.