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In this room are two women, one gray and sixty years old, one just thirty and red-haired, both wearing elaborate outfits. The younger casts a spell.
In this room is now also a third person. (On whom the elder woman promptly also casts a spell, which she had at the ready.)
Matilda in Elcenia
missnicegirl
The third person is a girl of about six or seven years old, wearing a neat blue dress and a red ribbon in her hair, sitting on the floor with a book in her lap.
She looks up. She blinks at the two women.
"Excuse me," she says politely, "where am I, please?"
She looks up. She blinks at the two women.
"Excuse me," she says politely, "where am I, please?"
"You're in Elcenia," says the older woman.
"Shouldn't I send her back? She can't be more than six," says the younger.
"No rush, as long as she isn't frightened, I think," says the elder.
"Shouldn't I send her back? She can't be more than six," says the younger.
"No rush, as long as she isn't frightened, I think," says the elder.
missnicegirl
"I'm seven," says the little girl. "And I'm not frightened at all. Where is Elcenia? Is it a city or a country or a planet or something else?"
"Elcenia is a world," says the elder woman. "What's your name? I'm Kerah and this is Terali."
missnicegirl
"I'm Matilda," she says. "It's nice to meet you both. Why did you bring me here?"
"We're looking for more worlds with interesting things in them," says Kerah. "Sort of like going exploring, except we can do it from right here. What sort of world are you from?"
missnicegirl
"I don't know what I'm comparing it to," she points out. "What sort of world are you from? Yours seems to have a lot of magic."
"It does," agrees Terali. "We're both wizards, for instance. Is there only a little magic in your world?"
missnicegirl
"A lot of people think there isn't any at all. That's how little there is."
"Huh. But you know of some?"
missnicegirl
She nods.
"I can do this," she says, and she closes her book and puts it on the floor in front of her and looks at it with great concentration. It lifts a few inches into the air and then settles down again.
"I can do this," she says, and she closes her book and puts it on the floor in front of her and looks at it with great concentration. It lifts a few inches into the air and then settles down again.
"Sorcery," diagnoses Kerah.
"Is that about it?" wonders Terali. It doesn't sound like sorcery is what they were hoping for.
"Is that about it?" wonders Terali. It doesn't sound like sorcery is what they were hoping for.
missnicegirl
"What's sorcery? Is it a kind of magic you have in this world? Is it different from wizardry?"
"Sorcery is different from wizardry," says Kerah. "Sorcerers are born, wizards are educated. Sorcerers can move things around without touching them. You probably aren't exactly a sorcerer, but if all magic in your world is moving things without touching them it's similar practically."
missnicegirl
"It might not be. I haven't been doing it for very long; I'm not sure yet," she says. "What can wizards do, besides bring people from different worlds?"
"Oh, lots of things. You're under a translation spell right now so you can understand us when we speak Ertydon. The ceiling is wizard magic, too." The ceiling is gently glowing with white light.
missnicegirl
"That's neat!" she says, beaming. "Could I learn to be a wizard?"
"Probably not. We've found that people from other worlds don't have channeling capacities, and we know that if we went to your world we wouldn't be able to cast any spells there," says Terali.
missnicegirl
"Aww," she sighs. "Is there any magic in your world I could learn?"
"You might be able to learn witchcraft," says Kerah. "I'm not sure, but there's no obvious reason why not."
"Witches make potions. Things for headaches, shampoo, it depends on the witch."
missnicegirl
"We have shampoo in my world but it is not magical," says Matilda.
"Neither of us know very much about witchcraft," says Kerah.
missnicegirl
"Oh, well. Why are you looking for interesting worlds? Do you want to learn magic from them? That would make sense."