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Anna longed for her father's orchards, for the sweet summer breeze and the freedom of cantering through the golden grass fields on her maple grey mare. It seemed now more than wished ever more for the days of sunlight but she could never return to them. For they would forever be a happy memory engraved within her heart and mind, for after all her mother and father were gone. And her parents would be an everlasting dream.

Mary stared down her niece at the opposite ends of the table, who was shifting her fork around her plate continuously, "Don't play with your food. Eat up. It will get cold."

"Sorry," Anna quickly mumbled, lowering her golden-haired head slightly and brought the sloppy and swimming vegetables that had been much too long in the pot to her rosy pink lips. Trying to mask her disgust of the food, she smiled but it faltered immensely. If only her Aunt would let her into the kitchen every now and then, they would have much better tasting meals.

"If you do not eat every morsel, I'll send you to bed with an empty stomach and I'll take your light bulb away."

Anna feigned with fright at Aunt Mary's words, even if she was speaking to her as if she was a little girl. Her mother and father had always encouraged her reading and pushed for her to get an education before they had passed. This would have never happened if the blasted war never happened. Anna and her parents would be back home and there would be laughter and smiles.

Her Aunt Mary's small council house was always so cold and dark and colourless. It seemed her Aunt was too, as it very much reflected her personality. The old woman never smiled or laughed. She had a permeant frown sculpted upon her face. Her grey eyes hard and lifeless and her blond hair was dim, peppered with grey. She was bony, scrawny and withered but perhaps long ago she could have been very pretty.

Anna just wondered how her aunt had ended up like this. From what she could remember her father always spoke fondly of his older sister, a fiery woman who ambulated the definition of happiness and joy. But somehow she was opposite of that.

Maybe it was the turmoil and tragedy of the world war?

"Did you have a nice day, Aunty? Mine was splendid. School was lovely," Anna spoke, switching her fork to a spoon to better eat the sloshy meal and taking a sip of water from her metal cup.

"No," She spoke gravely, her voice hoarse and gritted.

"Perhaps, latter if you'd like we'd could have a game of cards––"

"No, girl. I'm busy," Her Aunt's words carved through Anna like a knife. She tried and tried but her Aunt wouldn't budge. Like an old and ancient unmoving rock she was.

Anna's blue eyes burned with tears and she turned back towards her half eaten meal, willing herself to eat it much quicker and escape her Aunt's presence, "Very well. Next time. . . perhaps."

All that could be heard was the scraping of plates and the patter of the London rain upon the roof and the soft ticking of the grandfather clock. Anna sat straighter in the wooden chair, patiently waiting for her Aunt to finish her meal, to clean and wash up then finally race up to her room and escape to a world of her choosing.

Anna's knee bounced in anticipation, time seemed to lag and slow down and soon as her Aunt Mary's cutlery dropped onto the plate she stood waltzing towards her end of the small table to collect it and moved towards the small kitchen to their right.

Her Aunt stood and bounded out of the room without a word. Anna suspected she was going to her study to listen to the wireless but it was a relief to be out of her Aunt's company as horrible as it sounded. Anna had always hoped that they could be family, proper family seeing as they only had each other but her Aunt always had displayed that it was not what she wanted.

As she washed the plates and cutlery, along with all her Aunt's pots and pans she used to cook the meal in the sink full of warm soapy water. It was a horrible thing to be trapped like a bird in a cage and wanting nothing more to spread her wings and fly. It made Anna ache and writhe all over.

And so Anna began to daydream.

She had always imagined such wondrous things from to flying aeroplanes, climbing Mount Everest and discovering ancient temples and artefacts to going on adventures with Alice to Wonderland or to Camelot and becoming a Knight of the round table or even solving mysteries with Sherlock Homes.

But there were also were other times when Anna she daydreamed of romance within her dreamland adventures. A striking prince in sliver armour mounted upon his mighty steed coming to her rescue to destroy the perilous evil dragon that separated them or perhaps kiss her from her cursed slumber and break the spell casted upon her at her christening.

Anna let out a heartbroken sigh, rubbing her wet, soapy fingers against her blouse and fought the urge to cry, maybe if she clicked her heals together like Dorthy she'd find herself in another world or maybe she could have an adventure of her own.

Knowing that her jobs were completed for the evening, she trudged out of the kitchen following the passage and turned towards her tiny shoe-box shaped room.

Anna pushed open her door, it creaking slightly as she stepped in and turned on the light. The light bulb flickered for a moment before the room was casted with a dim light. The room was the same she had left it this morning. It was neat and tidy, minimal and almost bare. Her small and narrow bed was pushed against the window, with a wooden bed side table and a lamp that was littered with perfect grade papers and tucked carefully under her bed within a painted wooden box was her book collection.

She stared at the black and white photograph of her parents and herself on the day they had spent at the beach when she was six or seven. Anna noticed, despite the ache within her heart that all seemed so happy.

Reaching behind it, Anna picked up the book behind it — Alice in Wonderland. Anna's lips curled, it had been her mother's favourite when she too was a girl. She could remember the Christmas it was gifted to her and opening it by the Christmas tree within by living room by the hearth of the fireplace. Both her parents seated on their matching armchairs in their dressing gowns smiling gingerly at their daughter's delighted reaction.

It was her comfort. It home amongst those pages, familiar and welcoming. Anna sat down on the edge of her bed, it creaking slightly under her weight. Starting at the first page Anna began to read, Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank—

Anna noticed it on the corner of the book's slightly yellowed page. A beautiful butterfly. It's perfect wings patterned with white and gold. Anna noticed how strange and peculiar it was and turned her head tilted her head slightly. Swallowing carefully, knowing that she must act fast if she wanted to save it Anna stood up but to her unamusement it flew, fluttering in the air at ease and out of the room.

Anna disregarded her book, settling it upon the mattress and quickly followed it. The pretty butterfly fluttered down the hall and into the room. The forbidden room Anna realised with distress. She was not under no circumstances enter it —— after all she had promised.

Strangely the door was wide open, no longer locked. Anna glanced back and forth for a few moments down that hall —— an instant war ranging within her and suddenly she stepped through the doorway.

Anna was confused, the room was bare, empty. It's floorboards were coated in dust and then she turned on her heel and saw it.

A full-length mirror, it's frame sewn with engraved swirling flowers and stems. Then at the corner of the frame, Anna could see the butterfly gold and white stagnant and still. She stared at her reflection, her flowing blond hair, her willowy frame, sea blue eyes and her very very confused expression but then she grew bewildered and slightly startled.

She blinked twice in disbelief but it remained. A proud lion's reflection staring back her with golden eyes —— it's manner proud yet it seemed mellow and wise. A magic mirror! Anna couldn't believe it!

Anna reached out, her palm hitting the cool glass. The lion remained, starring back at her intently, it's expression the same.

"I'm sure it's just a moving picture," She whispered to herself under her breath in comfort, before her hand rested against the glass began to glow a flaxen bright gleaming light before she tumbled forwards her whole body consumed by the glass.

Anna was enveloped by cool salt water and kicked with all her strength towards the light of the surface. Spattering and sputtering trying to remove all the water from her lungs, Anna inhaled and exhaled deeply the bright sun shining down and as she looked around all she could see was glittering water all around and an elegant pirate ship moving towards her direction. Oh my goodness! I cannot believe it! Her mind and heart screamed together in both delight and fear.

Suddenly no matter how much she kicked and struggled it didn't seem to help before she was dragged under the water by webbed fingers. Her blue eyes jolted open, despite the sting from the salt water, her lungs screamed for air as she thrashed about, water enveloped her insides with a blur, bubbles from her mouth arising as she struggled for oxygen.

Anna promised herself that she would keep fighting she owed it to her parents. She noticed how the light of the surface faded quickly, the creature kept pulling her downwards but as her eyes began to flutter closed and before she was consumed by complete and utter darkness a figure had broken through the surface of the water and propelled themselves daringly towards her. . .