Walterville

Walterville.

One evening while at my Aunt and Uncle's house, my cousin, Alanna, walked out of the room, and something not entirely different walked back in.

I had been visiting all week and on this particular evening, we had been sitting in a kind of small parlor that had a strange little folding door that led to a room in the basement that had a table with games, and one with a puzzle half completed.

Alanna and I had not seen each other since we were teenagers. We had been thick as thieves, and this had been an interesting visit. We had both moved back home due to circumstances: she had left her partner, and I had quit my job.

While both our families supported us in all choices, her family was enjoying her return much more than mine. I had come, into open arms, for a stay to give my parents some space.

Imagine my surprise, when expecting to see my cousin walk back in the room, I looked up from my book and I saw...her, just smaller. It was as if the whole of her body was reduced, maintaining the same proportions, like the place she was from was also smaller in scale. She was even wearing the same clothes.

I stood up and walked over to her in awe. She looked at me and smiled. At that moment, the cousin I knew walked in and over to us. I heard my aunt say, as if from a distance: "What are you doing? Don't show her!"

Alanna, miniature Alanna, and I formed a circle and when I touched their arms, a sort of dizziness came over me. The room, the world, I had been standing in was swirling into oblivion and I closed my eyes, breathed, and let whatever was happening, happen.

I felt my feet beneath me again so I opened my eyes. I was standing in a green grassy place. My cousin said, "this is Walterville", and the two Alannas scampered off, hand in hand, leaving me to my own devices.

Quite a bit of time had elasped when I finally made my way over to a structure that seemed lively. When I went inside, I saw my cousin sitting on a leather couch of "normal" size.

"I have so many questions!", I said. She simply smiled and tucked her head under the arm rest and started to disappear by crawling in. By the time I crossed the room to reach out and touch her disappearing feet, they were gone too.

Clearly it was some sort of portal, so I approached, all of a sudden ready to leave this place. I sat where I saw Alanna sitting and mimiced her head tuck.

What I found inside was a tunnel like space, of the same leather the couch was made from. I started crawling through, not taking care to look around where I was, only wanting to get through the uncomfortable pathway. I was filled with uncertainty that I would even make it back to my own world.

I saw paws around me, as if some creature was walking over me. I stopped crawling, slowly looked up, and saw the underneath of what appeared to be a tiger.

I stayed where I was. The tunnel had become oppressive. and dangerous. Gratefully the tiger had not seen me, but I had no idea of what else I might encounter in here. Alanna, neither one, was to be seen. And when I looked side to side, the leather place did not seem to be a tunnel at all.

It extended in each direction, low not opening in height, like it was some sort of "in between" place about 4 feet high that I was lost in.

I felt panic start to set in. It was heavy. And just like my journey to Walterville, I closed my eyes and breathed.

My eyes shot open, I gasped for breath. I was in my room but this could have been no dream.

I got up, reoriented myself in my world, went to the bathroom, then back to bed.

What dreams came after that were full of adventures with MY little self as my travel companion. We went to the home of others together who also knew of both worlds. There was a secrecy attached, an element of danger, and honestly I could not tell you much more.

When I woke for the morning, I was home. I spent the morning wondering what dimension I had visited, was it out there or in one of the many dimensions existing in my own brain. Would I be able to go there again?

Does a, could a, map to such places even exist?

Only dreams will tell.