My Accidental Adventure in Glimmerbrook
I never saw the point of fantasy. Why read about magic and talking animals when you could learn real, amazing facts about the world? My favorite book was a thick guide to weather patterns, full of cool facts about thunderstorms and tornadoes.
One perfectly normal afternoon, I was reading in my room when the air started to buzz. My boring blue rug began to spin, faster and faster, pulling socks and pencils into a fuzzy whirlwind. It was a Rug-Nado, and before I could shout “This is impossible!” it sucked me right in.
I tumbled out into a world that was way too colorful. The sky was purple, the grass was bright blue, and a squirrel in a tiny hat tipped his hat to me. “Good day!” he squeaked. I was too surprised to answer.
I had landed in Glimmerbrook, a village that was in big trouble. A clumsy wizard named Barnaby had accidentally made their source of magic—the Great Glimmerfall—disappear. Without its magical mist, the river was drying up, the floating lanterns were sinking, and the talking trees were losing their voices.
A girl named Maya ran up to me, her eyes wide with hope. “You fell from the sky! You must be the hero we were promised!”
“I’m not a hero,” I said. “I’m just a kid who fell through a rug.”
But Maya didn’t listen. She dragged me to the village elder, who handed me my “magic weapon”—a wooden spoon called the Stirrer of Stories. It was supposed to help me stir up solutions. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I had ever seen.
Our quest to find the missing Glimmerfall was a mess. We had to:
1. Cross the Giggling Gorge by walking a tightrope that tickled our feet.
2. Outsmart a troll who loved bad jokes. (I told him a knock-knock joke so lame he cried with laughter and let us pass.)
3. Follow a map drawn by a confused badger that led us in three circles.
We finally found the Glimmerfall trapped in a giant, enchanted soap bubble. The wizard Barnaby was trying to pop it with a very long stick. “It’s slippery!” he cried.
I didn’t wave the magic spoon or cast a spell. I just looked at the problem. I remembered that soap bubbles pop when they touch something dry. I took the boring, normal notebook from my back pocket and poked it against the bubble.
*POP!*
The Glimmerfall burst free, showering everything in sparkling, magical mist. The river filled, the lanterns rose, and a nearby tree cleared its throat and said, “Ah, much better!”
The villagers cheered. Maya called me a genius. Barnaby the wizard offered to teach me magic, but I said no thanks.
The Rug-Nado reappeared then, looking calmer. As I stepped into it, Maya tossed me the Stirrer of Stories. “For your cereal!” she yelled.
I landed back in my room, holding the wooden spoon. I use it every morning. It doesn’t do anything magical. It just stirs my oatmeal.
And fantasy books? I still don’t love them. But I don’t hate them anymore either. My adventure showed me that magic can be pretty ridiculous, but it can also be kind of fun. Now, when I see a book with a dragon on the cover, I might not read it, but I’ll smile. Because you never know when a boring rug might decide to take you on a journey.
THE END
A Note From the Author
Hello!
I want to tell you something funny.
After writing this story, I found out I love writing fantasy. Making up silly places and funny characters is so much fun for me.
But the funny part is, I still don’t really like reading fantasy books very much. I’d rather create my own magical adventures than read about someone else’s.
So, I’ll be over here writing stories about talking animals and magic spoons. But you probably won’t find me reading about them!
Thanks for reading my story!
The Nerdy Gator Kid(TANK)