The Mysterious Land of Brookville

Chapter 1

The Screaming Chaos

It was just a dream…or was it?

Brook’s eyes fluttered shut as she inconspicuously dropped her pen and sketchbook, falling face flat on her vintage bedsheets. The overwhelming energy she experienced felt like she had downed three cups of coffee that night, totally bored out of her mind. Thus, she picked out a pencil and sketchbook from the collection of scattered books on her study table and plopped down on her bed. She drew pictures for what seemed like hours before she finally nodded off.

She lay there, motionless, until she felt a tugging sensation. Before she could figure out what it was, she felt a sharp pain in her gut, tugging even harder. Brook winced and held her stomach. It tugged again. Unable to bear it anymore, Brook opened her eyes to find the cause. She looked around expecting a pencil or a sketchbook which was poking her. But there wasn’t anything. Brook’s eyes widened in terror as she looked around.

The place she was in was a dark mass, without a single drop of sunlight. She gasped as she looked down realising that she wasn’t standing on a solid floor but was falling through the dark mass. Eerie voices rang in her ears as she fell, showing images of people yelling at her. All her previous deeds appeared, reminding her of all the terrible things she had done. The one time she broke her mother’s vase, and the time when she played video games secretively, all appeared within the mist. There were even some faces which she hadn't thought about for quite a while. Brook tried to divert her mind with tears glistening in her eyes, in the hope that it would end soon. But, it didn’t. It went on and on until she finally landed with a thud.

Chapter 2

The Town of Brookville

She groaned and got up, brushing the dirt off her pyjamas. She crossed her fingers, hoping that it wasn’t another round of scary faces. She was already having the worst day of her life…or was she?

This time, the atmosphere she was in gave a totally different vibe. Black spots danced across her eyes as the Sun glared at her. As the spots cleared, she caught a heartwarming sight. An old woman sat near the bakery selling delicious treats that made Brook’s mouth water. Adults bustled here and there heading to the office. A little boy with a hat chased after a golden retriever pup, who seemed to cooperate with the kid’s playful behaviour. Parents sat on benches watching their kids play in the playground. Their laughter was infectious; even Brook couldn’t help but smile. It was wonderful.

Even though she had just arrived, she couldn’t shake off the feeling that she had been there before. The cylindrical shape of the houses, the sweet scent of pastries, the tapestries etched on the floor all seemed so…familiar to her. No one was completely perfect in this world. The slight limp of the old man selling toys, the messy hair of the children, the clutches that a middle-aged lady used; all these imperfections made the world beautiful. Nobody was trying to look good or impress others, they were just being themselves. Just as Brook stood there reminiscing the beauty of the scene she found, a round, pudgy man walked up to her.

Chapter 3

The Chief

He wore a black tuxedo with a bunch of yellow smiley faces printed on, which didn’t go very well with his scrunched expression. It looked like he was trying his level best to look intimidating, though it didn’t work at all for Brook due to his short figure. He was even shorter than Brook herself. He barely had any hair on his shiny bald head, with only some grey streaks near the rim. His face reminded Brook of a seal’s, although she didn’t exactly know why. He studied her carefully as she stood there confused. Finally, he spoke up.

“You do know who I am, don’t you?” he said, gesturing proudly towards his name tag which said ‘POSITION OF CHIEF ‘.

“Uhhhh…chief?” Brooke shrugged.

The chief studied her once more, his expression softening slightly. In the most unexpected moment, he pulled out a dime from his pocket and flipped it, making it to expand and transform into a megaphone and made an announcement which made Brook’s face pale.

“Everyone! Gather around! She has finally arrived after all these years!” the chief yelled excitedly into the megaphone.

Hordes of people gathered around to have a look as Brook was stuck to the floor. She wasn’t used to this at all and she wished she could just turn to run away. After all these years? What did he mean? She looked around, not knowing what to do. Just then, she noticed a faded rectangular sign which said: “Welcome to Brookville!”

Chapter 4

Brook’s Honor

Brook’s heart raced. She had no idea what was going on nor how all of this looked so familiar. There was muttering in the crowd. Did she do something wrong? Was she getting in the resident’s way? For the first time in forever, she really didn’t know. She stood there, expecting to get some kind of punishment. When the discussion subsided, what happened next left her lost for words.

All of the citizens got on one knee and bowed down to her. Brook just stood there with her mouth open, puzzled. The label of the place had her name in it, the citizens were bowing down to her, the chief somehow recognized her, and she felt that she had been there before. She tried to put the puzzle pieces together; however, she still couldn’t figure it out. It was like the puzzle had a hole in it. Just then, an idea popped in her mind. She might be mostly clueless, but one thing was clear: she had done something good for the people in this place.

“Thank you for building this place for us!” a squeaky voice suddenly called from the crowd.

“And for creating our people!” another voice chimed in.

Brook was still baffled.

“Wait! I…I don’t get it. What did I do?” she managed.

“What did you do? You did a lot for us!” the chief scoffed in disbelief.

Brook still didn’t get anything. With a sigh, the chief pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. Worried that it was another tool of his, Brook backed off. Fortunately, she realized it wasn’t one once he unfolded the paper and gave it to her.

Chapter 5

The Drawing of the World

Brook reluctantly took the piece of paper and looked at it. She frowned at it for a moment, trying to figure out what it was. The second she realized, the colour drained from her face. She looked at the chief in disbelief, afraid that her mind was going to have a breakdown.

In the piece of paper was a little kid’s drawing, her 9-year-old drawing, of the exact village she was in. It was no wonder she found the place so familiar as the drawing was a carbon copy of Brookville. All these incidents were making her head spin.

‘It…it can’t be!” she stammered.

Was it her imagination or did the chief stifle a laugh.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you, dear. You created this beautiful place just for us.” He replied gratefully.

When Brook finally got back to her senses, her memory started to regain. She had been here before. She created this place. She even visited this place one time when she was 10. Just as she came to a realization, the chief clapped his hands.

“Now, to appreciate the thought of Brook here visiting us once again, what shall we do? Any ideas?

“Celebrate!” the same squeaky voice from earlier suggested.

“Celebration it is!” the chief exclaimed as he snapped his fingers, causing magical disco lights to turn on.

Brook couldn’t help herself. A smile played across her lips as she watched the children play together and the other citizens having the time of their lives. Brook knew this place. It was her true home, her haven, her second place for shelter. Perhaps, the village of Brookville wasn’t just a dream after all.

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