Catty held her breath, her fingers still gripping the table's edge. "Did you see that?"
Serafima's gaze lingered on the window with the typical view of Eterna before shifting back to Catty. "I did. And I think we just discovered the house's… less known side."
"So… this table. Did I just, like… about transporting us into another world? It's some kind of—what, a portal switch?"
"Perhaps. Everything is possible where Rutger had a hand," Serafima smiled. "Let's try not to jump to conclusions—at least, not until we understand what we're dealing with."
Catty was about to push the table again, but Serafima touched her hand gently. "Careful. It seems the house has its ideas about where we're going."
They both stood still, glancing between the table and the window, wondering what lay just a twist of the lever away.
"Though, I suspect there's more to it than simply transporting," Serafima glanced at Catty, a hint of curiosity in her eyes. "Let's try to rotate the other way."
Catty's fingers brushed the table as if testing its response to her touch. She looked sideways at Serafima, who gave a slight nod, encouraging her.
Taking a breath, Catty pushed the table slightly to the opposite side. Just for a moment, nothing happened. Then, the view outside the window slowly began to move, and Eterna's street shifted like a revolving stage again, opening a vast plain of shimmering crystals. They stuck out like corals of glass under an alien sky.
Light refracted through the crystal formations, casting rainbows across the ground. Large, vitreous dragonflies hovered in the air, their bodies catching the light like living prisms.
Catty's eyes widened. "It's… beautiful."
Serafima's gaze remained steady, though her fingers tightened slightly on the table. "We don't know how safe it is there."
As the crystalline landscape sparkled and hummed, Catty's hand hovered near the table, reluctant to turn it again. The rainbowed light glinted off her face, and the girl leaned closer, mesmerized, but Serafima's voice broke the spell, "Remember, we're just testing."
Catty looked back at Serafima, still captivated by the sparkling plain. "So… what we are going to keep looking? Testing out random worlds?"
"Not quite random," Serafima replied thoughtfully. "If we're going to explore, we need to be deliberate. The aim is to find a truly safe place—somewhere this house can stay hidden, far from prying eyes."
Catty nodded, glancing at the table as if it held the answer. "So, a world where the house can slip away. Like a… backup sanctuary?"
"Exactly," the woman said, her gaze steady. "A sanctuary. Where even the most persistent observer wouldn't easily reach."
Serafima continued, choosing her words carefully. "Let's just say, for now, that it's wise not to draw too much attention. Especially with this little one here." She cast a glance at the small dragon curled up nearby.
Catty bit her lip, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Right. Makes sense."
Serafima's smile returned, "Excellent. Somewhere we can rely on if our world grows less welcoming. Somewhere Rutger himself would have trusted."
Catty straightened, her hands steadying on the table. "Alright, then. How do we know a place is safe?"
"We'll get out and check," Serafima replied.
Catty's eyes glinted with curiosity and determination. And they left the house together through the front door.
They stepped into the flatland under a sky that held no sun but was filled with a soft, even light. The air was unnervingly still, and the crystals seemed to freeze mid-motion. Jagged and sharp-edged, they rose like silent witnesses, refracting light.
The crystals varied in shape—some slender and needle-like, others like columns, jutting up from the ground in asymmetrical bunches.
There was a stillness, as if the sound was trapped within the crystals. Underfoot, the ground was polished and deceptively solid. Between the сrystal clusters grew small, glassy mushrooms, so clear they seemed to vanish if you looked at them. They flickered with an inner glow and scattered a faint shimmer across the ground, tiny flecks of light that gave life to the silence around them.
A few large insects, transparent as the world around them, moved across the crystal surfaces. They made no sound as they crawled, and their bodies caught and bent the light. Their movements were precise and unsettlingly smooth.
Catty didn't have time to react when she saw the little dragon's tail flicker through the open door. Her heart treacherously skipped as the dragon slipped past them, gliding with carefree abandon across the glassy surface.
"Hey! Wait!" she called after him, watching helplessly as his tiny claws tapped over the smooth ground like he was meant to be there all along.
The dragon took only a moment for the dragon to spot one of the glassy insects crawling across a nearby crystal. With a gleeful chirp, he crouched low, tail twitching, then pounced. One jump and the insect ended up in his mouth.
A shiver ran down her spine as the girl watched the dragon's jaws snap around the fragile insect. "No! Don't!" she exclaimed, rushing towards him.
The dragon only gave her a defiant look, his eyes gleaming with mischief, and darted away in a flash of the pink scales. Having played enough, he released the prey from his mouth and sprang toward another unsuspecting insect, ignoring Catty's call.
It fell from the crystal's edge, waving its paws awkwardly, and shattered instantly. A high, ringing sound broke the silence and hung in the air for a long time.
"Stop that!" Serafima's voice was sharp, but the dragon was already bounding further, leaving a trail of shimmering shards in his wake as he chased his next target.
The clinking sound stretched through the air, vibrating in waves that spread outward across the fragile landscape. Catty's heart pounded as she saw the nearest crystals tremble, their transparent forms suddenly spiderwebbed with thin cracks that crept along the surface.
Then came a new chime—soft, like a whispered warning. A crack in one of the larger crystals split wider, and the prism fractured in slow motion. Shards broke away and drifted to the ground with a delicate, almost graceful descent. The vibrations coursed through the ground underfoot, each slight tremor seeming to deepen the network of fractures spreading around them.
The dragon, oblivious to the chaos, pounced on another insect, sending more shards skittering. The noise grew louder, each ring sharper, as more crystals buckled and collapsed, one after the next, as if a chorus of bells had been struck at once.
Catty felt the ground shift beneath her, unstable now as if it might give way.
Stolen story; please report.
"We have to get back!" Serafima shouted, her voice barely reaching the girl over the relentless, chiming shatter.
Another crystal formation shattered, its fragments scattering like glass, and the woman grabbed for Catty's arm.
"Now! Before it all falls apart!"
Without a word, they turned and raced for the house, dodging the cascading shards. The sound of breaking prisms echoed around them like a hundred tiny bells.
Catty glanced over her shoulder, her heart sinking. The dragon, still mesmerized by the falling shards, ran behind, bounding after yet one more glittering insect with careless joy.
Without a second thought, Catty sprinted back, weaving between the collapsing crystals. Her pulse roared in her ears as she lunged forward and grabbed the dragon.
The girl snatched him up when shards rained down around them, and the ground trembled beneath her feet. She held the dragon close, shielding him as best she could, and ran back toward the house, barely dodging the crashing prisms.
The sound of breaking formations chased them as she rushed through the door, clutching the dragon tight.
She fell to the floor, and Serafima slammed the door.
"Uh… I don't think that's a good sign," Catty said, rising from the floor.
They stood in the entryway, catching their breath as the last echoes of shattering crystals faded behind them. Catty leaned against the wall, clutching the dragon, who was squirming with pure, unrepentant glee.
"That," Serafima said finally, adjusting her hair with the air of someone who'd narrowly avoided being diced into pieces, "was thoroughly ill-advised. Left him unattended."
Catty gave the dragon a reproachful look, who responded by licking her nose. The girl flicked a few stray shards from his scales.
"You think he's got any idea he almost brought the house down? Quite literally, I might add."
"If he does," Serafima replied dryly, "he's certainly hiding it well. I suggest we don't take him into the next world."
Catty arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And where, exactly, do you propose we leave him? In the wardrobe with toys?"
Serafima's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she inspected the dragon, now eyeing a nearby vase with worrying intensity. "Perhaps something sturdier than the wardrobe. But yes, we need a containment strategy."
Catty huffed, holding the dragon at arm's length as he wriggled, ready for round two. "Maybe some sort of… dragon-proof door lock?"
Serafima gave her a wry smile. "If Rutger had anticipated a houseguest with such an appetite for chaos, I daresay he would have installed a dragon deterrent…" She paused, glancing around the room, and her eyes settled on a massive trunk in the corner.
"Ah," Catty said, catching the hint. "A temporary lodger arrangement?"
"Precisely," Serafima crossed to the trunk and opened it. "If we place a few distractions in here—perhaps a scarf or two and one of those interesting shoes—I suspect he'll be thoroughly entertained."
And they did so. Catty carefully lowered the dragon into the trunk, where he immediately began to gnaw on an old boot, growling contentedly.
After a quick glance at Serafima, Catty slowly closed the trunk lid, feeling a pang of guilt as it latched with a quiet click. For a moment, there was only silence. The girl and the woman exchanged satisfied nods.
The calm was short-lived.
Inside the trunk, a discontent snarl began to build, reverberating through the wood. The dragon's claws scraped against the interior with an insistent scratch-scratch-scratch and then came a loud thump as though he'd flung himself against the side. Catty took a cautious step back.
"Perhaps he's just… adjusting," she whispered hopefully.
A sharper thump resounded, followed by a muffled but unmistakably outraged screech. The trunk rattled as the dragon's claws found purchase on the inside. The lid buckled slightly, and with one final roar, the latch snapped. The trunk burst open, and the dragon shot out, wings flapping furiously, scattering bits of cloth and an old sock in his wake.
Catty stumbled back, eyes wide, "So much for containment."
The dragon landed on the floor, glowering at them with indignation. He lifted a paw as if to say, Nice try, but you'll need more than that.
Serafima sighed, “Right. I suppose the leash it is, then."
Catty glanced around the room, unsuccessfully scanning for anything that could function as a leash, and went to the pantry. There was a dusty magic top hat with a red feather, a stuffed goldfish missing one eye, a wooden ship's wheel from the dirigible, an ornate teapot with no spout, a tarnished brass thimble for the giant finger, a hand mirror with black glass, and a lantern that glowed from within, though it held no flame.
"What about… that?" The girl pointed to a thin chain tangled around a cage for an unknown creature.
Serafima raised an eyebrow, giving the pantry a considering look.
"Ah, Rutger and his fascination with things that may one day be useful." She took the chain and inspected it. "Not exactly ideal, but it'll do."
Catty bit her lip thoughtfully and looked at the woman's dress.
Serafima followed her gaze. With a resigned sigh, she took off her belt, then slipped it through the end of the chain, creating a loop.
"There," she said, securing it with a nod of approval. "A makeshift leash—courtesy of Rutger's drawer of oddities and my sense of elegance."
They turned back to the dragon, who blinked up at them with wide, guileless eyes. Catty slipped the loop gently over his neck, and he sniffed it curiously, clearly unaware that his exploration freedoms had just been considerably curtailed.
"All right," Catty said, giving the leash an experimental tug. "Let's try this again, shall we?"
Serafima gave her a steady look, "Ready for the next world?"
"Only if you are. And this time, we avoid anything that could, you know… shatter at the sound of a sneeze."
"Deal."
Catty's fingers hesitated on the table's edge before she carefully pushed it, sending the view outside shifting like a screen. Eterna's street was replaced by a lush jungle cloaked in darkness.
Covered by patches of glowing moss, tall trees rose from the earth, their trunks vanishing into shadows. Tiny orbs of light floated lazily through the humid air. The light was shimmering, with violet, teal, and blue hues, penetrating the depths of the jungle and casting halos across the leaves.
The ground was carpeted in strange fungi that emitted a warm, inviting glow. Tangled roots wound along the earth, their edges faintly luminous, as if guiding a path deeper into the unknown.
The jungle was silent yet filled with presence—a watchfulness woven into the shadow.
There was no clear path forward, only an illumination that seemed to draw them deeper—an inviting world between quiet beauty and unseen mystery.
"Impressive," Serafima said, taking in the flickering landscape. "And not quite so… brittle."
With a gentle tug on the dragon's leash, Catty glanced at Serafima, who nodded to her.
"Let's proceed carefully," the woman suggested. "The last thing we need is to startle whatever calls this place home."
They took a cautious step forward, the glowing fungi softly lighting their way as they entered the world of the luminescent jungle.
"Hey, slow down, you little troublemaker!" Catty held the leash tightly, giving the dragon an exasperated look as he tugged her forward.
When they stepped further into the glowing jungle, the dragon's attention fixed on the tiny orbs of light drifting slowly through the air. His eyes widened, and with a gleeful chirp, he gave the leash a sudden tug, launching himself upward in a wild attempt to catch one.
"Hold on!" Catty gasped, gripping the leash with both hands as he leaped, teeth snapping at the orb with a mischievous glint in his eye. As if taunting him, the orb floated just out of reach, darting forward with a teasing shimmer. The dragon landed, huffed, and then tried again, leaping higher this time.
"It's not edible, you know," Serafima stifled a laugh.
The dragon paid no mind, entirely absorbed in his pursuit. He sprang again and again, and each jump was a flurry of scales and flapping wings while the orbs danced just out of reach, weaving through the air like fireflies.
Catty felt she was holding back the dragon with all her might. "It's not funny!" she exclaimed, digging her heels into the soft ground as the dragon made another lunge. His claws snapped at the nearest orb, and it darted away as if amused by his antics.
Finally, he paused, looking back at Catty with an expression that clearly said, Just one more try. She sighed resignedly, loosening her grip just a fraction as he prepared for one last leap.
The leash was pulled out of Catty's hands when the dragon bounded up with all his strength and flared his wings. For a brief moment, it looked like he'd finally caught the orb, but it slipped through his claws.
The dragon landed right on a cluster of mushrooms.
The moment his claws brushed them, there was a loud pop. The fungi burst into a swirl of neon hues, sending blue and violet light waves across the ground. Before Catty could process what was happening, the mushrooms released thick clouds of spores. They burst outward in a billowing wave, expanding rapidly and filling the air with a strange, sweet-sour scent.
The cloud spread quickly, forming a dense cocoon wrapped around them in layers, the spores clinging to their skin and clothes. Catty tried to lift her hand to shield her face, but the spores thickened like sticky threads, weaving into an almost solid net around her. Her arms felt leaden, her movements slowing as if she were wading through deep water. She looked over at Serafima, who was caught just as tightly.
The jungle around them came alive. Rustling sounds echoed from the shadows as though something unseen was moving in response. The orbs of light, which had hovered lazily before like curious fireflies, started spinning madly around them.
Catty strained against the cocoon, but the spores were dense. Her heart pounded as she realized they were trapped. The girl could see Serafima trying to move, but the cloud of spores clung to her with a stubborn grip—the jungle intended to keep them here.
The dragon, free of the leash, watched with wide, curious eyes. He chirped softly, tipping his head as if wondering why they weren't following him.