Elanora

“Wha?” I exclaimed.

A floaty holographic thingy the size of a shoebox appeared in front of my face as I was bent over my math homework. It was a clear box with edges that seemed to be made of silver wire. I sat up and the image moved with me. Then a little scene appeared in it, and it started talking. The image was of a woman, in a long green dress and a red leaver vest. She had boots and a belt that matched the vest, and there was a gold circlet with green and red gems on her head. She was on the pale side, with dark brown hair. She was standing with her hands in front of her in a convoluted position.

“Greetings. You have been summoned to the world of Illaria by Gold-Mage Hara Elen. As the summoner is Gold Rank or higher, you may not refuse it. You will appear at the location visible in this box. The summoning will take effect in three hours and fifty-eight minutes. Please place all items you wish to bring with you into the large box that has just appeared around you. You do not need to be in the box yourself for transport to safely occur. You will retain your garments. This message will disappear in two minutes.” The box stated in a monotone voice. 

“What the hell?” I whispered. 

Well, I’d better start planning, safer to assume this wasn’t a prank.I looked once more at the box, and what was visible of the room. The woman was just under six inches tall, so I’d assume a rough scale of an inch to a foot. The room appeared to be a study. The walls were plaster with red tapestries, and the floor was blackish wood. There was a desk in the far corner with what appeared to be several inkwells with droppers and pens with metal nibs. There were a few boxes and organisers on the desk, and several drawers beneath. There was a window on the side wall, and I could catch a glimpse of snow outside it. On the other side of the woman, Hara, wasn’t it?there was a large bookcase with leather and cloth bound books. In front of her appeared to have been a space cleared specifically for my arrival. That was all I could see.

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Now for the box. It was a 3’x3’x6’ box, with the 6’ being its height. That was a good amount of space, but I had a lot to pack. 

To start with, I folded as much of my bedding as I could into a big rectangular prism, 2 feet tall and the full 3 foot square on the base. Then I grabbed a suitcase and packed a wide variety of outfits, a few pyjamas, three dresses, a coat, fleece lined pants, a sweater, a jacket, a pair of light work pants, all my undies and socks, some t shirts and leggings, a skirt, a flannel shirt, and all my jewellery. I changed into a canvas jacket and some heavier work pants, plus my snow boots. I also grabbed my hat, a brown canvas affair that I quite liked. 

Then I added books, all the ones I liked in the house. This left me with about six cubic feet remaining, which I used on seeds, school supplies, chocolate, sugar, a water filter, a solar powered battery bank for my iPad, some aluminum wire, the contents of the medicine cabinet and first aid kit, a few female necessities of the reusable variety, a saw and knife, and a sack of potatoes.

The box was now full, and I had two and a half hours remaining. I downloaded a bunch of documentaries and Mythbusters , and books onto my iPad and a connectable flash drive. Then, as I was home alone and would be for a few hours, I wrote a message to my parents explaining matters.

By the time I felt confident with that I had five minutes left to go. I put the iPad on top of the pile and checked it over to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. I realised I’d forgotten headphones and my yoga ball, and added in three of each. The space now completely full, I had no more time and the world went dark. 

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Hara

I finished the summoning. A powerful one meant to summon someone from another world. Such summoning were not unheard of, and the insights to be gained were valuable. I was the only one in Lasnor capable of performing the spell without chance of rejection though, so they weren’t exactly common either. 

The Archduke had requested I perform a summoning and bring the summoned to meet him as protocol. I now had four hours to make sure all my preparations were complete, before the luck of the draw would make itself known. 

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Still Hara, Four hours later

The summoned appeared before me in the square, as did her luggage. She appeared young, about eighteen, though I suspected she was younger still. She was asleep, as expected, and I moved her to the cot I had had brought in for the purpose. There was noting now to do but wait till she woke. It would be foolish to poke around in her things while she still slept.