Trish was short for her age with sun-kissed olive skin and light brown hair which was always tied up. Her clothing was adorned with colourful patches and her shoes were scuffed and stained. She would seem completely normal if you were to ignore her brilliant silver-blue eyes. She spent her days playing with the children of her town and exploring every nook and cranny of her small town and gardening with her grandma

One warm spring day as she was planting some asparagus,

she asked, “What is beyond the forest surrounding our town?”

“Nothing much,” replied her grandma, “there are miles of wilderness before the next town!”

Even with her grandma answer, she couldn’t help wondering what was out there. What were the people of the other towns like? What creatures lay deep within the forest? What adventures does it hold? She wondered for days, then days became weeks and weeks became months.

Until, one early autumn morning, during a round of truth or dare her friend Alice who was eagerly awaiting her turn got called to go next.  

“I dare you to take a picture of you touching the back of the cave!” She said giddily.

As they headed over to the cave at the edge of her cozy town she pulled her camera and her flashlight out of her pastel yellow backpack. She took a deep breath and headed in.

The cave was narrow and dark so she turned on her flashlight. The click of the button echoed throughout the cave. As she was walking through the cave she felt that something was off with the cave. It was narrower and darker than it had seemed from the outside.

“I’m sure the end is soon,” she thought aloud as she wandered, “It can’t be too much longer!”

    But the cavern kept going  it wound through the ground, it was dusty and cobwebs got stuck in her hair.

After what felt like hours, she saw daylight.

    “It wasn’t a cave at all!” she remarked as she adjusted her bright red hat to block the blinding sunlight.

     She stepped out and was greeted not by the lush forest she was used to, but a dry barren desert.  It was a place that she never could have imagined. It looked as if it hadn’t seen water for years, and all the bushes and shrubs were dead.  

Intrigued, she cautiously went to explore. Before she left she tied her hat to a near-by bush because she knew its fluorescent colour would help her find her way back to the cave easily.

Soon she had strayed far away from the tunnel. From this distance she could see a bubble which was larger than any house and taller than any tree. It was eerie and strangely familiar to Trish. She then released that was her home! She had been living in a bubble! 

She grew hungry so she decided to eat the sandwich she had packed for the day.

Just before she began to dig in, a small creature scuttled by and began to beg for food.

The creature was canine-like and had a long striped tail. Its ears were large and pointed. It had dark matted fur which almost masked how thin it was. The creature looked as though it hadn't eaten in days.