Toyendale Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Summer watched her sister going to bed earlier than usual tonight. Mum punished her and she deserved it, she thought but deep down she was sorry for her sister. It was already eight o’clock but instead of going to sleep, she wanted to play with Daisy’s toys, the ones she is allowed to use. So she tiptoed towards their toy box next to the wardrobe. Today the box is heavier than before, she thought. She carried it to her bed and opened the lock with a code she and her sister picked. She recalled the moment why they decided to put a code at first. No one is going to steal our toys, said Summer. First of all, you will call me big sister, not Daisy, I am older than you. Now pick two numbers… I will also choose two so that we can protect our toys, declared Daisy snobbishly. From who, questioned Summer. From Crystal Queen, you silly answered Daisy and showed her white-haired creepy looking Barbie to Summer to make her scared. Fine, two and four, said Summer and gave up questioning her dreamy sister.  Daisy picked one and seven, her favourite numbers and she set the lock. There it is, now we have protection, said Daisy with a huge smile. That doesn’t make sense said Summer but Daisy had already been in her dreamland. Summer opened the yellow box in which they stored their favourite toys away from Daisy’s Crystal Queen. Surprisingly she found the Queen in the box. That is odd, she thought. She had never touched the Crystal Queen before. Not because she wasn’t allowed to, but she was a bit scared of it. I am a big girl, she reminded herself. Mother says the Crystal Queen exists only Daisy’s imagination. Just like her sister used to make fun of her by saying that she belonged to a frog family and they found her in the trash. For that lie, Summer cried a whole day and her mother had no choice but to show her birth certificate in order to cheer her up. She couldn’t read the letters, of course, but she trusted her mother and Daisy is a compulsive liar. Summer held the Crystal Queen in her hands. Clearly, it wasn’t the most beautiful Barbie she had seen. It had cold ice blue eyes with really white hair. She didn’t look like Elsa from Frozen at all. That Barbie had a strange look she can't name it. She wore a white long gown with sparkling tulle around her neck like a collar and had some blue and white gems at the end of her dress. There was also a white trail from the sparkling tulle behind her dress but it was overly used therefore she looked like a peacock in Summer’s imagination. Summer gave up playing and decided to go to bed. But just before she put the Crystal Queen into the box, she blinked at Summer which caused Summer to accidentally drop her but instead of hitting the floor the Crystal Queen flew over Summer and she spoke.

‘’Finally, I was looking forward to meeting you. I am Crystal.’’

‘’Me? But you are Daisy’s toy’’ said Summer uneasily. Toys cannot talk, she reminded herself.

‘’I prefer to be called ‘Your Grace’ instead of just Daisy’s toy. Your sister doesn’t treat me well. I want you to take care of me in this world of yours.’’ Summer knew she was lying. Daisy made the Crystal Queen’s hair twice a day and gave her a bubble bath. Her sister changed queen’s clothes, made her new ones each month. Summer couldn’t do such stuff. She didn’t know how to sew.

‘’You are wrong. I cannot take care of you as well as my sister.’’ And she didn’t want that responsibility.

‘’Daisy is so tiresome. I think we will make good friends with you. I heard you like sweet stuff just like me.’’ She asked smilingly. For the first time, the Crystal Queen looked friendly towards Summer. I am not afraid, she told herself.

‘’Yes but I am not allowed to eat much. It isn’t healthy my mum says’’ Summer told her sadly but after reconsidering this offer. She changed her mind. ‘’Hmm…Do you have some? They can’t be mad at me unless they catch me.’’

‘’Yes, but I don’t have it with me. You can come to my castle and try them.’’

‘’You don’t have a castle’’ declared Summer suspiciously.

‘’It is located in your sister’s balcony.’’ Summer had never been in there throughout her life. She heard her sister’s stories about the place but she didn’t know which one was true and which one was false.

‘’I am not allowed to go there.’’

‘’This isn’t fair, little girl. I noticed that your sister doesn’t treat you well. Come with me. I will show you Toyendale. You will have some fun’’ she gave her hand towards Summer and without thinking it through Summer grabbed it. Together with the Queen, Summer soared in the air. She noticed that everything became much bigger than before. Or maybe I am smaller, she thought and looked at the Queen who was flying over her. I am shorter than her. She doesn't look scary anymore. They were flying towards the balcony but it was locked. The Crystal Queen waved her right hand which had a blue bracelet on and pointed her index finger towards the balcony door. It opened itself as if there was an imaginary key. Summer had never tried to open a door by using her fingers. Maybe I should have, she thought. She didn’t know if she should follow the Crystal Queen of whom she used to be afraid. But she wanted Daisy to see that she defeated her by breaking the rules. I wanna see her face when she found out where I am, Summer thought with a devilish smile on her face. Besides, Crystal Queen didn’t look so dreadful since she started to speak to her.

They were in front of the door of her sister’s doll house. Summer couldn’t help herself feel disappointed about the way balcony looked like. Her imagination was ten times better than the reality. It looked so empty. Where was Daisy’s pony pool or her new dinosaur park? There were only the doll house and few dinosaurs next to it. Yes, there were some Barbies she hadn’t seen before but they looked like not special at all next to the Crystal Queen. Yes, she is scary a bit but at least she looks different than the others, thought Summer. The Queen opened the door with waving her right hand and she went to the bedroom. Summer was surprised how Barbies can walk like humans. When she was playing with them it didn’t seem like they were able to walk at all. Their joints aren’t flexible. Summer followed her until the Queen stopped in front of a tin-foil mirror. Then with another wave, the mirror opened and Summer entered into the strange world with the Queen. Before she was able to look down where she is, they began to slide through the colourful waves of lights, Summer could see the world under her. She didn’t feel afraid which was strange considering she always needed her sister to wait for her at the end of the slide whenever they went to the playground. The Queen landed before Summer and two unicorns appeared in a glimpse in front of the Crystal Queen. She mounted the biggest one which had dark blue colour with a golden horn. The one Summer supposed to ride was almost about the size of a pony and it had shiny green colour, her favourite colour. Its horn was black as night but had sparkly colourful dots on it which looked like a starry night. The queen squeezed the sides of the silver unicorn with her legs and two huge wings appeared from the unicorn. Summer did the same, but the wings of her unicorn were a half size smaller. They flew like birds through the realm of the Queen. Summer looked everywhere she could in curiosity. So strange she thought, yet beautiful. They landed after they passed the frozen lake. Summer liked that the air wasn’t cold despite the snow. She touched the ground to feel the ice but it was soft as a cloud and shined like it was formed of jewels.

‘’You will find here more bizarre than the world you came from.’’

‘’This isn’t snow’’ said Summer showing a white ball she made of the piece of ground.

‘’We call it icygem. It is a soft crystal. Unlike in your world, we don’t have seasons in this world.’’

‘’Why icy?’’ Summer asked.

‘’You don’t feel cold but it fears you because it isn't warm either. Follow me’’ she said and walked on a path which looked like frozen too. Summer didn’t remember when they started their journey but it felt so long until they reached the castle. The castle looked like a giant piece of blue stone. It was unbelievably high.

‘’Castle Sapphire’’ said the Queen with a warm smile.

‘’Why aren’t you the Sapphire Queen then?’’

‘’There was once the Sapphire King who had built this castle but he passed away… " she paused for some seconds and continued;"...a long time ago. Now I have it’’.

‘’Was he your father?’’ asked Summer.

‘’Yes and no. You are too clever for a small child, aren’t you?’’ asked the Queen, her eyes didn’t look friendly at all but then she smiled again as before. Summer realised that the Queen wasn’t genuine towards her. She smiled just like Daisy did when she lied to her. Maybe it was time for Summer to leave this place. After all, she accomplished what she wanted to do for ages.

They left the unicorns behind when they reached the front gate of the Sapphire Castle. A huge piece of stone, Summer thought. She didn’t like it much but she was sure Daisy would love it. Summer said goodbye to her new friend green unicorn by touching its face. They left the unicorns behind and walked towards the second gate.

‘’What is your name?’’ she yelled at her new friend, the green unicorn, but no answer came back.

‘’Unicorns don’t talk ’’said the queen when they entered the castle.

‘’But can they?’’ asked Summer.

‘’Yes, they can’’ replied the Queen with a weird look on her icy face and she opened the gates of the Great Hall of the castle. Summer was mesmerised by the look of the Great Hall and she thought, I could live in this place forever...