Paradoxica

1

 

            There were four things that Logan Brown knew for sure.  One was that he was twenty-four years old.  That was evidenced by his driver’s license issued by the state of Massachusetts.  The next was that Carly loved him.  He didn’t know why; he just knew that she did.  The third was that he became depressed when his twin sister, Laurie, died of leukemia three years ago.  She was Logan’s everything and now she was gone. 

            The last thing that Logan knew, as he gazed out the bar window in the middle of the afternoon, was that it was autumn.  The various shades of orange, yellow and red leaves were slowly falling from the trees, indicating to Logan that fall was upon him.  He had once read that autumn signified a time for transition and change.  Three autumns had come and gone since Laurie’s passing and Logan’s state of depression had not altered the slightest bit.

            “Harry, I’ll have another beer,” Logan said to the bartender.  It was two o’clock in the afternoon and Logan was already four beers deep.

“Sure thing, kid,” Harry replied.  “So what’s new?”

“Same old,” Logan muttered.  Just then, his phone rang.  “Hey, Car.  What’s going on?”

“Nothing.  What are you doing?” she asked with the same enthusiasm that she always displayed.

“Just talking to Harry,” Logan told her.

Carly was silent for a second and Logan knew that she disapproved of him drinking so early in the day.  “All right, well, in that case, I’m gonna come meet up with you,” she declared.

“Sounds good,” Logan replied.  “I’ll see you in a bit.”  Logan put his phone back in his pocket and took a sip of his fresh, foamy beer.

              “Carly?” Harry asked, verifying who the caller was.

            “Yeah.  She’ll be here in a few minutes.  Can you make her a screwdriver with that berry-flavored vodka?  She likes that,” Logan said.

As expected, as soon as Harry finished mixing the drink, Carly walked through the door.  Her chestnut brown hair cascaded down her back and her green eyes sparkled when she saw Logan.

“Hi, sweetie,” Carly said as she kissed Logan’s cheek and sat down next to him.  “Hi, Harry!”

“How are you, Carly?” Harry asked as he handed her the drink.

“I’m good,” she answered with a smile on her face. 

“You’re out of work early,” Logan noted.  “Did you take a half day?”

Carly sipped her drink through a tiny straw and nodded.  “What have you been up to all day?”

Logan cringed.  He had woken up at noon and immediately drove to the bar, but he didn’t want to tell Carly that.  “Um…  I ran a few errands and then headed over here,” he lied.

Carly looked into his eyes and Logan knew that he wasn’t fooling her.  She knew him all too well, a result of being best friends with someone for six years.  But Logan knew that Carly wanted more than just friendship from him.  She wanted a relationship and a life together, something that was a possibility before Laurie died.  But then he became depressed and knew that if he dated Carly, he would drag her down into his misery. 

I’m quicksand, he thought.

Yet Carly stood by his side through it all.  She was there when he walked into his first college class.  She was there when he and his family got the call from Laurie’s doctor about her diagnosis.  She was there the following night when he nearly drank himself to death.  She was there when they buried Laurie.  She was there when he overdosed on painkillers.  Carly was there through it all and refused to give up on Logan, no matter how badly he crashed.

“Remember when you, me and Laurie went to Miami for Spring Break our freshman year?” Logan asked Carly.

“How could I forget?  I think we were drunk the entire duration of the trip!”

“Except when we went to the zoo,” he reminded her.

“Oh, yeah…  Laurie wanted to see the white tiger they had there and insisted that we go.”

Logan smiled.  “She was so happy.  I think she stood there for a full hour, staring at it.”

“Don’t you remember?  You and I went to find something to eat and when we got back, she was still standing in front of the exhibit.”

Logan’s smile faded.  “Why couldn’t I have been the one to get leukemia?  Laurie was such a good person.  She didn’t deserve to die,” he cried.

“No, Logan, she didn’t deserve that.  But you wouldn’t have deserved it either,” Carly consoled him.

Thirteen beers later, Logan was ready to go home. 

“Let me drive you back,” Carly recommended.  “I only had the one drink.”

“I’m fine,” Logan told her.

“I know, but I would just feel better if you let me take you home,” she pleaded as she reached out for his arm.

Logan pulled away.  “No, Carly.  Stop!” he shouted. 

Carly looked hurt.  Her small face scrunched up and Logan could see that she was fighting back tears.  He knew that she was just trying to help, but when was she going to realize that he was beyond help?

Logan stormed out of the bar and into the parking lot.  After fidgeting with his keys, he finally was able to get into his car.  As he drove home, he thought about how his life had fallen apart. 

There was a time when he was motivated to do great things.  Throughout his school years, he was consistently on the honor roll.  When he was in high school, he was voted senior class president and was the varsity football quarterback.  With Laurie by his side as vice president and captain of the cheerleading squad, they ruled the school.  He enrolled in college to pursue a degree in political science and to obtain a minor in psychology while Laurie majored in non-profit management.  She wanted to make the world a better place through charity work.

But then Laurie got sick and nothing mattered anymore.  When she died, Logan wanted to die, too.  Laurie had it all and had done so much good, but for what purpose?  What was the point in living to achieve success if it could so easily be taken away?

Logan continued driving and continued thinking.  He should have been focusing his attention to the road, but his mind drifted to Carly.  When Logan walked into World Politics, he immediately seated himself next to the prettiest girl in the class.

“Is this seat taken?” he had asked her.

“It is,” she stated, nodding her head.  As Logan began to walk away, she called after him, “By you.”

Logan turned around and laughed.  Not only was this girl cute, but she was funny, too.  A few weeks went by and Logan gathered the courage to ask Carly out, but was sadly disappointed when she told him that she had a boyfriend.

Months passed and the two became the best of friends.  Carly began to realize that her feelings for Logan were much stronger than the feelings she had for her boyfriend, so she broke up with him… two days before Laurie was diagnosed.  Carly was the only thing that could make Logan happy after that, but how could he be cheerful when something so tragic was going on?

Logan snapped his attention back to driving.  He realized he was veering into the lane next to him and needed to focus.  The next thing Logan knew, a squirrel ran across the street, causing Logan to swerve onto the median and into a tree.  He slammed his head on the steering wheel and then everything went black.

 

 

2

 

When Logan opened his eyes, there was only one thing he knew for sure.  He was naked.  Slowly, several things grew to be more apparent.  For one, it was morning.  It was morning and he was naked.  His car was gone and it was morning and he was naked… and the squirrel was staring at him.

“What the hell?” he shouted as he jumped up and away from the furry rodent.

“Please don’t yell,” Logan heard a voice say.  He looked around, but no one was there.  No one, that is, except the squirrel.

“Now I’m hearing things!” Logan exclaimed as he threw his hands up in frustration.  “And where are my clothes?”

“I’m not sure, but I know where to find you some.”

Logan’s head snapped around at the squirrel.  “I’m losing my mind,” he said aloud to himself.  “For a second there, I thought the squirrel just spoke.”

“I did,” he said.  “I’m Bill.”  The squirrel extended his tiny paw in Logan’s direction as he erupted in a fit of laughter.

“Oh, I get it.  I’m dreaming,” Logan declared.  “Ok, Bill.  I’m Logan,” he said as he shook the squirrel’s paw.

“It’s nice to meet you, Logan.  And you’re not dreaming.  Well, not exactly.”

“Says the talking rat.”

“I’m not a rat!” Bill exclaimed indignantly.  “And if you call me that again, I won’t be so inclined to help you.”

“Oh, you’re here to help me?” Logan asked in a belittling tone.  “Ok, Bill.  So if I’m ‘not exactly’ dreaming, what am I doing then?”

“You’re in a different state of consciousness, Logan.  When your head hit the steering wheel of your car, you slipped into a coma,” Bill informed Logan.  “Now, you’re threatened to remain in that state unless a wise action is taken.”

“What do you mean ‘a wise action?’” Logan asked, taking in all of the information he was being given.

“That I am not sure.  All I know is that I’m supposed to help you on your journey.  Oh!  And to give you this.”  Bill presented Logan with a shiny, gold key attached to a matching gold chain.

Logan inspected the key before inquiring, “What is this a key to?”

“Again, I’m not sure, but I know that it unlocks a secret.”

“Well, who gave you the key?”  Logan was growing more and more puzzled and more and more impatient.

“I’m sorry, but this information I am not permitted to tell you.  If you successfully complete your journey, you will find out then,” Bill told him.

Logan took a deep breath and looked around.  He didn’t know where he was, but he wanted to go home.  “Alright, Bill. I’m going to go along with all of this because I’m naked and in need of clothes and you’re talking and telling me that I’m really in a coma.  So, I’m thinking that my only real choice here is to follow your lead.”

“Well, that’s good,” Bill verified.  “Come with me.”

Logan, more perplexed than ever, followed his new friend, the talking squirrel named Bill.  As he looked around at his surroundings, he realized that he was in a lush forest.  Other squirrels jumped from tree to tree and into tiny houses.  Birds sang as they flew freely in the sky and rabbits hopped along the ground and into holes.

“Bill, where are we exactly?” Logan inquired.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Paradoxica!” Bill exclaimed.

“Paradoxica?”

Bill smiled.  “Yes.  So named after the term reflecting a person’s surprise at observing an astonishing phenomenon.”

Logan looked around.  This was as unexpected an occurrence as he could have ever fathomed.  “May I ask where we’re going?”

“I’m taking you to Frank,” Bill told him matter-of-factly.

“Is Frank a squirrel, too?” Logan asked, assuming him to be correct.

“No, no!  Frank is an elephant.”

Logan stopped walking.  “An elephant?”

Bill turned around and cocked his head as he looked at his immobile charge. “That’s right.  An elephant.”

Logan shook his head in disbelief, but picked up his feet and chased after Bill once again.  They continued their walk until they were out of the forest and in an open field filled with more houses.  Logan could see in the distance an enormous house which he was sure belonged to Frank the elephant.  Once they reached the structure, Logan realized how much larger the house was than he initially anticipated.

I guess it would have to be for an elephant to live in it, Logan thought.

When they arrived at the giant front door, Bill looked up at the doorbell that was high above him.  Magically, he flew up and rang the bell, as Logan looked on, perplexed.

“Flying squirrel,” Bill nodded in confirmation when he saw the surprised expression on Logan’s face.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.  “Are there earthquakes in Paradoxica?” Logan yelled.

“No, no!  That’s Frank!” Bill answered as if Logan’s question had been so absurd.

 The shaking soon stopped and the front door creaked open.  On the other side was a large, gray elephant.

“I’ve got Logan!” the tiny squirrel announced to his hefty companion.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Frank said as he extended his trunk towards Logan. 

After inspecting the giant’s long appendage and gazing down at his own, Logan extended his hand in return.

“I’m told you can help me acquire some clothes?” Logan asked, hopefully.

“I’m going to help you with a lot more than that,” Frank proclaimed.  “Please come inside.”

Bill and Logan followed their elephant ally.  As they walked through his house, Logan noticed how lavishly decorated the interior was.  Logan recalled the dollhouse Laurie had growing up and noted that it looked just like that, only many times larger.  Frank instructed them to seat themselves in the living room while he obtained something to dress Logan in.

“Frank is very wise,” Bill told Logan.

“I thought elephants were forgetful.”

Bill shook his head.  “That’s just an old wives’ tale.  It would benefit you to listen carefully to anything Frank tells you to do.”

Logan was confused, but that no longer surprised him. 

What part of any of this makes sense?  He pondered.

Frank soon returned with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.  “This should fit.”

Logan quickly threw the clothes on and was pleased that they were exactly his size.  He thanked Frank who passed a shiny, red apple to him.

“No, thanks.  I’m not really hungry,” Logan stated.

“It would be in your best interest to eat the apple.  I picked it this morning from the Tree of Knowledge so as to assist you along your journey.”

What the hell!  Logan thought as he grabbed the apple and shrugged.  He took a bite and then casually asked, “So what do you know about this journey of mine?”

Frank looked thoughtfully at Logan.  “One swallow does not make a summer.”

Logan furrowed his brow.  “I hate to be rude, as you’ve been very kind, but that doesn’t answer my question.”

“It will, my dear friend.  It will.”

“Well, when does this journey begin?” Logan inquired.  He was anxious to get the answers he needed and get back to reality.

“It has already begun,” Frank said. 

No sooner did he finish speaking, did a bird fly through an open window in the living room.

“They’re on their way!” the bird chirped as he flew sporadically around the room.  “Daniel and his pack are on their way!”

“You need to get going,” Frank calmly told Logan and Bill. 

“Who is Daniel and who are you?” Logan asked the bird.

Frank explained that the bird’s name was Marty and that he was another comrade of theirs.  Daniel, on the other hand, was not a friend.   He was the king of the rats who was banished from Paradoxica when he tried to take over the kingdom with the serpent. 

“The serpent?” Logan inquired.  “You don’t mean…?”

“Yes, the serpent who tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden.”

Horrified, Logan looked down at the half-eaten apple in his hands; the apple that had been picked from the Tree of Knowledge earlier that day.

“You tricked me!” he yelled as he ran out of the house and across the open field.  Bill chased after him, but when he realized that his small legs were of no use, he flew above Logan and cut him off before he could get any further.

“Logan, stop!” Bill begged.  “You haven’t been tricked.  I know this is hard, but you need to trust us.  We can’t help you unless you’re willing to be helped!” 

“Bill, be honest with me.  Why is Daniel after you guys?” Logan asked as he breathed heavily, exhausted from running. 

“He’s not after us, Logan.  He’s after you.  Daniel is seeking knowledge and you are the only one that possesses the type he is searching for.”

Logan didn’t understand.  Since he was the only one who didn’t seem to know what was going on, he couldn’t comprehend what kind of knowledge he acquired that was being sought after.    Logan looked around him at Paradoxica.  It was truly a beautiful place and the inhabitants seemed quite content with their lives.  But for as serene as it was in this magical kingdom, Logan wanted to be reunited with his family and Carly.

“I just want to go home,” he cried.

“I know,” Bill consoled him.  “Time is running out.  We must hurry before it’s too late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

 

Across the field and through the forest Logan and Bill went again, but this time, they were joined by Marty.  Frank had stayed behind, as he knew his size would slow the group down.  The squirrel and bird walked ahead of Logan who followed close behind, sizing up his new companions.

“I have a question,” he finally said after a long while.  “Daniel’s a rat, right?”

“You would be correct,” Frank confirmed.

  “Well, Frank’s an enormous elephant.  Why didn’t we just stay with him so that he could step on them, or something?”

The animals turned and faced Logan.  With confused expressions on their faces, they stared at him for a moment.  Finally Bill turned to Marty and yelled, “Oh!  We forgot to tell him!”  He focused his attention back on Logan.  “Daniel is a giant rat.”

 “Ah!  Well, that figures.”

The group continued walking as Logan pondered how big a giant rat was.  He then began to wonder if the rest of the rats under Daniel’s rule were all giants.  The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became. 

For as far back as Logan could remember, Laurie’s favorite Christmas story had always been “The Nutcracker,” and while Logan always enjoyed the story as well, it frightened him as a child when the Mouse King came to battle The Nutcracker.  He was well aware that the story was fictitious, but the faces of the mice gave him the creeps.

And now he was on some unknown journey, running from a pack of giant rats.  What have I gotten myself into?

“So where are we going?” Logan asked.

No one answered him.  Instead, they continued walking until they reached a large, blue lake.  The water was crystal clear and incredibly still.  It would have been a peaceful and relaxing place had three human-sized rats not been standing there. 

“Well, well, well.  Look who finally decided to join us,” the rat with the crown on his head said.  “Are you ready to hand over the apple?”

            Logan snapped his attention the Bill.  “The apple?” he questioned fearfully.  “The apple I ate?” he continued to whisper in exasperation.

“We would never give you the knowledge that the apple contains!” Bill declared.  “And to ensure that you would never obtain it, we had Logan eat that apple!”
            The three rats glared at Logan.  “Well, then it appears we’re after you!” the king of the rats announced. 

“But why?” Logan asked.  “I didn’t do anything to you.”

Daniel laughed evilly.  “Stupid boy!  You ate the apple and now the knowledge is in you!  Knowledge is power and right now, you possess it all.  You must be destroyed.”  

            Logan began to panic.  Three giant rats were threatening to kill him and all he supposedly had was his mind as a weapon.  Seeing the fear in Logan’s eyes, Marty yelled,            “Grab onto my leg!”

            “What?” Logan yelled as Bill jumped onto Logan’s back.

            “Just do it!” Bill shouted.

As instructed, Logan quickly grabbed onto Marty’s tiny leg as he flapped his wings, making the threesome airborne.  Daniel and his pack tried to stop them, but they weren’t able to stop Marty from flying Logan and Bill over the lake.

“We’re free!” Logan yelled, in awe that he was flying over a giant body of water.

“For the moment,” Marty said.  “But we’re not safe.”

Marty flew for quite some time until they reached land once again.  Once they touched down, Marty fell over from exhaustion. 

“Marty!  Are you all right?” Logan cried out.

“I’ll… be… okay…”  Marty tried to speak.  He had never carried a human and a squirrel across a lake before and didn’t know if he would even be able to do it, but when faced with incredible danger, Marty had no other choice but to succeed.

Logan ran to the lake and cupped his hands, filling them with as much water as he could.  “Drink this,” he instructed Marty.  “You’re probably dehydrated.”

Slowly, but surely, Marty began to gather his strength.  “We can’t rest any longer.  We need to put distance between ourselves and Daniel.”

“Well, let’s get going,” Logan said.  “I’ll carry you this time.”  He picked up the bird that had saved his life and carried him in his arms as they continued their journey.  “I think we’re going to need to create a plan.  I mean, we can’t just keep running.  Eventually we need to fight.”

“You’re absolutely right, Logan,” Bill stated.  “Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, let’s review the facts.  There are a few things we know for sure.  I’m on a journey and need to figure out what this key unlocks,” Logan said as he tugged on the chain around his neck.  “We know that I know something that Daniel wants, except we have no idea what that something is.  Oh!  And didn’t Frank tell me that a summer doesn’t have a swallow?”

Bill laughed.  “No, Logan.  He said, ‘one swallow does not make a summer.’”

“Right.  So what does that mean, anyway?”

“It means that just because you have a little bit of evidence towards something does not necessary prove that you’re right.”

“Oh,” Logan sighed.  “I still don’t see how that’s relevant to anything.”

“I hope you figure it out sooner rather than later,” Bill declared

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

“How did this happen?” Logan’s mother, Maggie, asked as she stared at her unconscious son in his hospital bed.

Carly had finally calmed down and her hysterical crying had slowed to sobs.  “I tried to stop him, but he refused to let me take him home,” Carly told Logan’s parents.  “I tried.  I really tried,” she cried.

Logan’s mother hugged Carly.  For quite some time now, Logan’s parents had considered her to be part of the family.  She would never take Laurie’s place, but they loved her like a daughter.

 “I thought that maybe if I at least followed him…” Carly trailed off.   “But he kept swerving and then he suddenly veered off of the road and hit the tree.”

Logan’s father turned to the doctor.  Marcus was tired of dealing with doctors.  They hadn’t been able to save his baby girl, so how could he believe they would salvage his son?  “How does it look, Dr. Thompson?  And please tell us the truth.”

“When Logan’s head hit the steering wheel, it caused damage to his hippocampus.  If he comes out of the coma, there is a possibility that he will have retrograde amnesia.  But that’s if he comes out of the coma,” Dr. Thompson explained.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Logan’s father asked.  “What are the chances he’ll come out of the coma?”

“Logan can snap back to reality at any time he wants, but he needs to want it.  He needs a will to live and from what we’ve seen from Logan over the years, I’m not sure if his desire is strong enough.”

Logan’s mother joined Carly in her tears.  She already lost one child.  How would she survive if she lost her other one?

“It’s all my fault!” Carly cried.  “I sat at the bar with him.  I watched him drink beer after beer.  I didn’t fight him hard enough for me to give him a ride.”

“Carly, you know as well as we do that Logan can’t be stopped.  Ever since Laurie died, his drinking has been out of control.  You didn’t stand a chance in getting him to quit after a few beers and you certainly didn’t stand a chance in getting him to leave the bar with you,” Marcus consoled his son’s best friend.

He sighed.  After Laurie died, Carly was the only person who had any impact on Logan whatsoever.  No one could get through to him the slightest bit, except for her.  His son had once been so driven and so determined to succeed and then he just gave up.  How could anyone believe that Logan would strive to come out of the coma when he didn’t even care to live?

It was getting late, so Logan’s parents told the doctor that they would return first thing in the morning.

“Are you going to go home?” Maggie asked Carly.

“I think I’m just going to hang back here for a while,” she replied.  Logan’s mom kissed her forehead and then left with her husband.  Once they were gone, Carly looked hopefully at the doctor.  “What if I talk to him?” she asked. 

Dr. Thompson looked at her curiously.

“Isn’t it possible that he can hear me?  Maybe I can convince him to come back to us!”

The doctor didn’t want to get Carly’s hopes up, but cases like that were not unheard of.  “Carly, I encourage you to talk to Logan, but you need to understand that it’s going to take more than that to pull him out of this.”

“I know,” she told Dr. Thompson.  “But it’s worth a try.”

The doctor nodded as he walked out of the room and allowed Carly to have some privacy with Logan.  Carly turned to her best friend with tears in her eyes.

“Why?” she asked him.  “Why are you so stubborn?”  The tears began to run down her face as she took Logan’s hands in hers.  “I know you’re hurting, Logan, and I know that I can’t take that pain away, but if you don’t come back to us, imagine all of the pain your parents will feel.  You are all they have left.  They need you, Logan.”

Carly took a deep breath and looked around the hospital room.  She remembered the times that Laurie had been hospitalized.  Carly would come visit her and always showed up with Laurie’s favorite candy and magazines.  Her face would light up when Carly entered her room and Carly hoped that she would see that face for many more years to come.  She had no idea how quickly Laurie would be taken from her.

While Logan was Carly’s best friend, Laurie was her confidant.  For as much as Carly had loved her boyfriend, she had very strong feelings for Logan and Laurie was the only person that knew that.  Carly knew that it was a secret that Laurie took to her grave. 

She returned to her conversation with Logan.  “Your parents need you Logan, but I need you, too.  What am I going to do without my best friend?”  Carly paused.  “You know, I have this dream that one day you won’t just look at me as solely your best friend, but as something more.  And I really believe that it’s not a far-fetched dream, Logan, but if you don’t come back to us, it’s an impossible aspiration.”

Carly looked at Logan’s face and wished that she could look into his eyes.  We would be so happy together, she thought. 

“Be open to love, Logan,” Carly demanded.  “Let me love you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

Marty’s strength returned to him and he made a full recovery.  With Bill and Logan by his side, they crossed over hills and valleys and mountains.  Growing tired from the expedition, Bill suggested that they take a small break on a mountaintop.

“Are you sure we can spare that time?” Logan asked his trusted companion.

“Yes.  If we don’t rest, time and distance will be of no use to us.”

Logan stood at the cliff and looked over the valley.  The view was breathtaking as the sun began to set, creating an image that looked like a watercolor painting.  The once clear, blue sky was now streaked with orange and purple and red.  It wasn’t long before the moon came up, illuminating the valley.

As Marty and Bill slept, Logan enjoyed the peacefulness of his surroundings, but became disturbed when he heard something rustle behind him.  His heartbeat quickened as he surveyed the area.

Nothing.

It must have just been my imagination, he thought. 

Then he heard it again.  Logan snapped his head around and was face to face with an enormously intimidating lion.  With no other options visible to him, Logan screamed until his lungs felt like they would explode.

Bill and Marty jumped up and were immediately presented with the confrontation at hand.

“HELP!!!” Logan yelled as he quickly stepped backwards.  “Help me, Bill!”
            Logan, fixated on the ferocious beast and not looking behind him, was quickly approaching the edge of the cliff.

“Logan, it’s okay!  He’s on our side!” Bill explained.

“Stop walking!” Marty shouted.

Logan did as he was told.  When he looked behind him, his eyes widened as he realized how close he was to plummeting to his death.  It was the first time in a long time that he actually feared death.  For three years now, it had been a welcomed idea; an escape from the world he was so incredibly miserable in.

“A great force has brought you here,” the lion stated. 

“Logan, this is Thomas,” Bill introduced once Logan had stepped far enough away from the edge of the mountaintop.

“But you can call me Tommy,” the great creature confirmed.  “You must all follow me and fast.”

“Where are we going?” Logan asked.

“I will explain that on the way.  Come quickly.”

As the group that was growing in size made their way down the mountain, Tommy explained the situation at hand.

“She constructed a labyrinth made of trees and vines.  It’s an intricate maze if I’ve ever seen one!” Tommy declared.

“Who is ‘she’?” Logan inquired.  Another lion?  Or perhaps a bear?  Maybe even a frog!

“Why, the Queen of the Kingdom, of course!”  Tommy turned to Bill and Marty.  “Didn’t you tell him?” he whispered.

“No,” Bill replied.  “She told us that we needed to gain his trust first.  He needed to prove a willingness to go on the journey without knowing all of the details.”

Anger was emerging in Logan.  He was putting all of his faith in these talking animals, but they were keeping secrets from him.  “I’m sick and tired of all of this!  I want to know everything that you all know!  No more secrets!” Logan demanded.

“We can not do that, Logan,” Bill said.  “If we tell you everything, the journey is over.  The greater good is lost.  You will be stuck in Paradoxica forever.”

Logan stopped to reflect.  He was annoyed.  He was tired.  He wanted to go home, but what was home?  Emptiness.  Pain.  Suffering.  Sure, his parents were there, but they hadn’t been the same since Laurie died.  They had experienced loss once before.  The second time around would be easier, Logan believed. 

Home had his mom and home had his dad, but neither one was able to relieve him of the emptiness he felt.  The pain that he felt.  The suffering that he experienced day in and day out.

Emptiness.  Pain.  Suffering.

Carly.

Home had Carly.  Carly alleviated some of his anguish.  She filled some of the void he felt in his heart.  She assuaged some of the pain.  She carried the burden of suffering by his side so as to lighten some of his load.

“I want to go home,” Logan announced.  “If you can’t tell me everything, tell me all you can.”

They continued their quest to the labyrinth as Tommy gave Logan all of the details that he was permitted to.

“The Kingdom of Paradoxica had always been a peaceful and pleasant land.  Everything was wonderful here until a few years back when the king of the rats and the serpent tried to take over the kingdom.  Violence erupted all over the kingdom, which disturbed the Queen.  In an effort to eliminate the sadism, the Queen banished Daniel and the serpent from Paradoxica, but things were never quite the same after that. 

But now, as you know, Daniel has entered the kingdom once again and is after knowledge.  With this knowledge, he will be powerful enough to take over the kingdom and rule forever,” Tommy explained.

Logan thought about the last few words that Tommy had just said.  “Ok, but I have the knowledge now, don’t I?  Does that mean that I have the power to take over the kingdom?”

It was Bill that spoke up this time.  “Without knowing what to do with the information you possess, you are not powerful enough.”

“So explain this to me.  Daniel is after knowledge so that he can eventually rule Paradoxica, but the Queen allowed me to have the knowledge.  Why?  Does she not believe that I will ever grasp an understanding of it?  Did she give me the knowledge because I’m the safest one to protect it if I can’t figure out what to do with it?”

The three animals smiled at each other.

“Quite the contrary,” Marty proclaimed.  “The Queen has faith that you will solve the puzzle and save the kingdom from destruction.”

“She built the labyrinth to test your strength, but it’s not to prove anything to her.  It’s to prove it to you,” Tommy clarified.  “Once you realize how strong you are, you are one step closer to completing the journey.”

“Well, then bring on the maze!”

 

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

 

After many hours, Logan and his friends finally reached the elaborate labyrinth.  They stood in front of it in complete awe.

“She sure went to a lot of trouble,” Logan stated with eyes as wide as those of a child in a candy shop.

“Are you ready to go inside?” Marty asked.

Logan took a deep breath.  “Do I have any other choice?” he asked as he felt a paw on his leg.

“You’ve got us, Logan,” Bill said.  “We’re not going to leave your side.”

Just as Logan and his friends were about to step into the labyrinth, a sheep appeared at the entranceway.

“Welcome, friends,” he said in a very composed manner.  “I am Brent, the Queen’s faithful assistant.  I am hoping I find you all in good health.”

Logan looked at his animal friends as the simultaneously nodded affirmatively. 

“Very well,” Brent continued.  “The Queen has asked me to wish you luck on your quest through the maze.  It will not be easy, but shall you succeed and reach the exit, which the Queen is sure you will, you will be graciously rewarded.”

The furry white sheep cleared the way and allowed the journeyers to enter the labyrinth.  Logan glared at the tangled mess of trees and vines that surrounded him.  “Any ideas, guys?” he surveyed the group.

“I suppose we should just follow the path until we reach a fork in our path,” Bill suggested.

They did just that, but it wasn’t long before they were faced with a challenge.

“It’s a dead end!” Logan shouted.  “But how is that possible?  We were never given any options to choose!”

“There must be something we missed,” Tommy declared.

“But what?” Logan asked, exasperated.

“We need to go back.  Look around,” Bill said.

The group turned around and retraced their footsteps, carefully observing the maze in its entirety.  It was then that Logan noticed a sparse area of trees amidst the denseness that created the walls.

“Look!” he yelled.  We can just climb through there!”

“You’re right!” Bill told him. 

Marty flew through the area first, looking to see what other obstacles might stand in their way.  “The coast is clear!”

Upon getting the green light from Marty, Logan and his bunch of animals scrambled through the trees.  It was on the other side that the inevitable fork in the road laid.  “Now what?”

“It’s your choice, Logan.  Left or right?” Tommy asked.

“There has to be some method to this,” he thought.  He searched his brain and decided to go with the instinctive feeling he felt in his gut.  “The Queen wants to do what’s right for the kingdom, so I say we go right,” Logan declared.

All of the animals agreed with Logan’s reasoning, so the group followed the path to their right.  They walked a few steps and then came to another turn. 

“How are we supposed to know which way to go?”  Logan wondered.  “We can’t just keep guessing.”

Follow your heart, Logan heard a voice say.

“What did you say?” he asked as he turned around and looked at his friends.

The animals all looked at each other, confused. 

“No one said anything,” Marty said.

“But I could have sworn…”

Logan, follow your heart.

“Who said that?” Logan asked, looking all around him.  “Didn’t you guys hear that?”

“Are you okay, Logan?” Bill asked, concerned for his charge.

Logan grabbed his head.  He knew he heard someone, but the voice he heard sounded like a girl.  In fact, the voice sounded like –

You know what to do, Logan.

“Laurie?  Laurie is that you?  Where are you?”

I’m always with you Logan.  I’m in your head and I’m in your heart.  Only you know how to get out of the maze.  You just have to believe in yourself.

“But, Laurie, I don’t know.  I need you,” he pleaded.

Silence.

“Laurie?”

Silence.

“Laurie, come back!  Come back, Laurie!” Logan cried.  He dropped to the ground and buried his face between his legs.  He could feel Bill, Marty, and Tommy approaching him, but he didn’t look up.  He continued to cry, missing his sister more than ever. 

She said she’s always with me, Logan thought.  She said that I’m the only one who can find the exit.

Just then, Logan felt something inside of him.  He had to get out of the maze.  He had to do it for Laurie.  He refused to disappoint her.

Feeling empowered, Logan got to his feet.  “Follow me!” he instructed his friends.

Logan turned left.  With force, he continued down the path and then made a sharp right.  He didn’t know how, but he could feel deep inside of him which direction was the correct one.

“How do you know we’re going the right way?” Bill asked.

“I just know.”

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

The group continued following Logan through the maze.  Although they were speeding through it, the voyage was taking a long time, but in that time, Logan did a lot of thinking.

“Thank you,” Logan whispered to Bill who was standing beside him.

“For what?” Bill inquired.

Logan looked at his furry friend.  “For everything.  For taking care of me, and being my friend, and having faith in me.”

Bill blushed and looked down at the ground.  “I was just doing my job,” he said modestly.

“What is your job?” Logan asked.

“I’m an In-Between,” he said.  “I can pass through the stages of consciousness to help save those that need saving.”

“I’m not sure I understand,” Logan admitted.

“Logan, you’re in need of help,” Bill began.  “You’ve been going through life with reckless abandon.  You have no regards for the people that care most about you in life and you have no consideration for yourself.”

It was Logan whose gaze now shifted down to the ground.

“How much longer do you think you can continue drinking the way that you do?  Alcohol can only temporarily alleviate the pain.  It doesn’t take it away.  You need to work through your problems and allow others to help you.”

Logan continued to look down at his feet.  He no longer needed to see where he was going.  He just knew.

“Logan, you incessantly shut the people that love you out of your life.  After you refused to let Carly help you, the Queen sent me to your reality.  Don’t you remember how I ran in front of your car?” 

Logan ceased staring at his feet and shifted his glare to Bill.

“I needed to force you to allow yourself to be helped.  The Queen knew that if Carly couldn’t stop you from making a mistake, no one could.  And if no one could stop you, things were going to get worse.”

Logan sighed, knowing that he was his own worst enemy. 

“I’m glad you’re here, Bill.”

“And I’ll be glad when you can leave,” Bill declared.

Just then, Logan heard a strange noise.

“Do you hear that?” he asked.

“I do,” Bill replied, wondering what was causing the buzzing sound.

Logan turned around to Marty and Tommy.  “Do you guys know what that is?”

The two made curious faces as they tried to distinguish what the sound was that they were hearing.

Marty cocked his head.  “It sounds almost like -- ”

“Bees!”  Tommy yelled as a swarm of hundreds of bees appeared from behind one of the corners of the labyrinth and after them.

“Run!” Logan yelled as all of the animals took off in his footsteps.

Corner after corner was turned, but the killer bees were quickly catching up to their targets.

“Why are they after us?” Logan yelled.

“I don’t know!  This can’t be the Queen’s doing!” Bill declared.

“What should we do?  They’re picking up speed!” Logan shouted in terror.

Bill turned around to see how close the swarm was, but when he did, he failed to see the rock that was in his path.  He tripped over it and fell to the ground.

“Bill!” Logan screamed.  He quickly turned around to help his friend, but the bees were getting closer.

“Go, Logan!  Marty and Tommy can’t get out of here without you!”

“But -- ”

“Go!”

Logan promptly spun around and obeyed the friend that had gotten him this far.  He didn’t want to leave him behind, but how could he jeopardize the safety of his other friends?  The familiar feeling of loss washed over him.  He hadn’t just lost Bill; he had sacrificed him.  Emptiness.  Pain.  Suffering. 

The group continued running until the realized that they were no longer being followed. 

“I think we’re safe,” Marty stated.

“I thought the Queen was your friend!” Logan cried.  “Why would she send killer bees after us?”

“I don’t know,” Tommy said.  “But it’s probably all part of the greater good.”

“To hell with the greater good!” Logan yelled, but his shouts turned to cries.  “We lost Bill,” he sobbed.  Emptiness.  Pain.  Suffering.

Logan took the back of his hand and wiped away his tears.  When his eyes were clear, he was shocked to see that they had reached the exit.  Brent, the sheep, appeared once again.

“Congratulations, friends.  You have completed your task, although I am sure your success is bittersweet.”

Rage ran through Logan’s blood.  He wanted to kill the sheep for being so blasé about the death of his friend.  How could he be so nonchalant when Logan was feeling so much aching in his heart?

When he finally spoke, the only word that could escape his mouth was, “Why?”

“You will see.  You must have faith,” Brent said.  “You must have faith.”

Logan cringed.  How could he have faith when his guide was taken away from him?

“As your reward for successfully making it through the labyrinth, the Queen has asked me to present you with this.”  Brent handed Logan a long, white box with a note attached to it.  “Prosperity is yours.  Use good judgment and remember to have faith.  Farewell, my friends.”

With that, Brent disappeared.  Logan read the note before opening the box.  “It’s time to see what you’re made of,” he read aloud.  “This next part of your journey must be done alone.  Go to the forest unaccompanied and prepare for a hunt.”   Logan carefully opened the box and was surprised to find a shiny, but dangerous-looking, sword.  He pulled it out of the sheath as the sun that was now hanging in the sky again, reflected off of the metallic surface.

“This isn’t very reassuring,” Logan said.  He had a bad feeling that making it through the maze was only another battle won.  The war, on the other hand, was not over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7

 

            Carly sat by Logan’s bedside, wishing that her best friend would come back to her.  As she stared at his comatose body, she flashed back to a time she hated to remember.  She had almost lost Logan once before and the memory was as painful as an open wound.

            It was a couple of years back and Logan seemed more depressed than usual.  Hoping that she could cheer him up, Carly suggested that they go to the pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin for them to carve before Halloween.

            It was a perfect October day.  The air was cool and crisp and Carly had to fight the urge to jump into the piles of leaves that could be found throughout her neighborhood.  When she and Logan reached the pumpkin patch, Carly’s child-like playfulness emerged.  She had an undeniable zest for life, which made it harder for Logan to understand why she was attracted to him.  But on that particular day, Carly’s energy was contagious and Logan couldn’t help but to enjoy himself as they searched for the perfect pumpkin.

            “Look!” Carly shouted as she pointed to a fairly large one.  “It’s the great pumpkin, Logan Brown!” 

            Logan giggled thinking back to his childhood when he would look forward to watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown” on TV.

“Is that the one you want?” he asked Carly, noting how adorable she looked in her cranberry-colored pea coat and cream-colored scarf.

With a gleam in her eye, she nodded joyfully.

“Ok, then,” Logan said as he lifted the large pumpkin from off of the ground to purchase for her.

As they walked home, Carly watched the colorful leaves fall from the trees.  She couldn’t help but be happy.  At that point in time, everything was seemingly perfect in Carly’s world.  Seizing the moment, Carly wrapped herself around one of Logan’s arms.

“Are you trying to get romantic with me?” Logan jibed.

“No!” she laughed, but held him tighter anyway.

A few minutes later, the two were standing in front of Carly’s house.  Just as Logan was placing the pumpkin on her front step, Carly noticed a large pile of leaves directly behind him.  As he stood back up, Carly pushed him, causing him to fall backwards into the pile.  Laughing, she jumped on top of him and the two rolled around in the crunchy leaves.

When their romp came to an end, Carly found Logan on top of her, staring deep into her eyes.  His face inched closer to hers and she held her breath in anticipation of what was about to occur.  Just as their lips were about to touch, Logan pulled away.

“This can’t happen,” he said solemnly. 

“Why not, Logan?” Carly asked in desperation.

He looked even more pained as he rolled his eyes.  “Because you have this false image of me,” he told her as he sighed.  “You don’t want me.”

Carly was frustrated.  “Why don’t you let me decide what I want,” she told him.

Logan sighed another breathy sigh.  “You want a life, Carly, and I can’t give you that.”

Carly was growing angrier and angrier, but also sadder and sadder.  Her eyes filled with tears as she said, “Logan… all I want is you.”

He wiped away her tears and she could tell that he hated the fact that he was hurting her.  “I’m not worth this,” Logan told Carly. 

She didn’t agree with him.  She obviously thought that he was worth it.  Why else would she waste so much time on him?

In any case, they were still best friends, no matter what.  Logan told her that he needed to run home real quick, but that he would be back in an hour to help her carve the pumpkin.

“Ok,” Carly said.  “I’ll bake some cookies while I wait for you.”

Logan smiled and carried the pumpkin inside the house before he left.  Once he was gone, Carly rummaged through the pantry, pulling out all of the items that she needed to bake chocolate chip cookies.  As she mixed the ingredients, she thought about how much she wanted to be with Logan, regardless of the fact that he thought she deserved better.  She couldn’t understand why he insisted on being so foolish.  Couldn’t he see how great they were together?

As promised, Logan returned an hour later, but as soon as he walked through her door, Carly noticed that something was off about him.  She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she knew that something was wrong.  She decided to ignore her instincts and put a movie on as they sat in the living room and turned the pumpkin into a jack-o-lantern while drinking spiked apple cider.

The more Logan drank, the stranger he became.  Carly had seen Logan drunk countless times, but this was different. 

“Are you all right?” she finally asked him.  He was sitting on the floor, so she moved behind him and massaged his shoulders.

“Yeah.  I’m fine,” Logan said.  He stood up and sat with Carly on the couch.  She directed her attention back to the movie, but she could see out of the corner of her eye that Logan was staring at her.

Glancing back at him, she asked, “What?”

Before she knew what was happening, Logan grabbed her face and kissed her passionately.  Carly was euphoric.  She had finally gotten through to Logan and now they were going to be together… or so she thought.

After a few moments, he pulled away and glared at her with a horrified look on her face.  When she saw him, her heart broke into a million pieces.  Then Carly realized that Logan was suddenly shaking.

“Logan.  What’s the matter?” she asked.

His shaking quickly turned to convulsing and his eyes rolled behind his head.

“Logan!” she yelled, fear running through her veins.

And then it came.

Vomit.

Vomit everywhere.

Uncontrollable vomit.

Violent vomiting that wouldn’t stop.

Not knowing what to do, Carly called an ambulance.  Logan was rushed to the emergency room where they discovered that he had overdosed on Laurie’s remaining painkillers.  His stomach needed to be pumped.  Immediately.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to her when they were alone in his hospital room.
            Carly was angry.  Carly was hurt.  She was angry at Logan for doing this to himself.  She was hurt that he did this to her.

“Why did you do it?” she asked.

“Why did I take all of the painkillers or why did I kiss you?” he asked, the words escaping his mouth with utter difficulty. 

“Both,” Carly stated, almost inaudibly.

“I didn’t want to be in pain anymore.  I just wanted to end it,” Logan told her.  “But I was selfish and wanted my last moments to be spent happily with you.”

“And how is that supposed to make me feel?” Carly demanded to know.  “Am I supposed to be flattered?”  The more she spoke, the more livid she became.  “You were selfish and you were willing to inflict unimaginable pain on me.  You led me on with the intentions of leaving me and then making me pick up the pieces!”

Carly’s words stung Logan like a wasp on a hot summer day.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered again.

Carly was silent for a few moments.  “I don’t know if I believe you,” she finally said, as blunt as possible.

Logan closed his eyes.  He had done something horrible and now he was about to lose Carly, the most horrible thing he could imagine.

“I’ll get over this, Logan, and I’ll eventually forgive you.  I just need time,” Carly finally said.  She stood up and kissed his forehead.  “I love you,” she softly whispered in his ear. 

Carly walked out of the room and Logan let out a sigh of relief after hearing her reassuring words.  He knew he needed to fix what he did, but it didn’t change the fact that suicidal feelings persisted to pass through his mind.

Carly shuttered when she remembered what Logan had done that day.  As she continued to watch him sleep in his hospital bed, she couldn’t help but wonder if this had been another one of his intentional attempts to end his life.

 

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

 

On the other side of town, the Browns were looking through old photo albums that were filled with pictures of their children.  These photographs represented happier times to Marcus and Maggie.  The pages were filled with memories of the twins’ birth, family vacations, school plays and birthday parties.  They had been such a blissful family.  Why did it all have to change?

“Remember when we took the kids to Disney World when they were eight years old?” Marcus asked.

“How could I forget?” Maggie retorted.  “After we spent the day in the park, we took them to have dinner with Mickey.  Logan got so exited that he dropped his cake on the floor,” she recalled.

“Yeah.  And then Laurie told Minnie all about the doll she wanted for Christmas as if she was Santa, or something.”

The Browns sat in silence for a few moments before Maggie finally spoke.

“Am I going to lose my other baby?” she cried.

Marcus wrapped his arms around his wife and embraced her as tightly as he could.  “I sure hope not, honey,” he said.  “I sure hope not.”

“Dr. Thompson said that the only way he’ll come out of the coma is if he fights to come out of it.  He said that Logan needs to want it,” Maggie reiterated.  “I’m afraid that he doesn’t.”

“I know,” Marcus replied.  “I’m afraid of that, too, but we just have to have hope.  It’s out of our hands.”

Maggie continued to cry until she exhausted herself.  She went to bed, leaving Marcus with the photo albums.  As he flipped through the pages, he came across a picture of himself with Logan and Laurie on their graduation day from high school.  His children had all of the potential in the world.  They could have made it a better place.  He couldn’t understand why his angel on earth had been taken from him.  He couldn’t understand why his other angel could possibly be the next to leave his life.

Marcus left the albums in the living room and went into the kitchen.  He grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass on the rocks.  It killed him that the one thing that could ease his nerves was the same thing that could inevitably kill his son.  He looked into the glass and paused.  Then, as if his arm was acting as a separate entity from his body, he threw the glass of whiskey across the room.  Upon making contact with the wall, it shattered immediately.  Glass sprinkled down to the tile floor like a hailstorm in the winter.

When Maggie heard the ruckus, she came bounding from their bedroom, not knowing what had caused the commotion.  She saw Marcus kneeling on the floor beside the broken glass, tears streaming down his face.  The last time Maggie had seen her husband this emotional was at Laurie’s funeral.

“Honey?” she whispered as she walked towards Marcus.  When she was close enough, she gently and reassuringly put her hand on his broad back.

Marcus buried his face in his hands as he continued to sob.  Maggie joined her husband in his misery, crying over the shattered glass and their shattered lives.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8

 

Logan was alone.  His instructions were to go to the forest unaccompanied, so his friends, obeying their Queen, had no choice but to leave him.  Fearing the unknown, Logan started out for the forest.  It took quite some time, but he finally made it back to the place that he had first begun his journey.

When he reached the opening to the forest, he found a note tacked to a tree.  Logan detached the small, white piece of paper and read his instructions.

Follow the clues,

Reach the end,

A devastated life,

You shall mend.

Logan turned the card over and found his first clue.

How far can a dog run into the woods?

Logan smiled.  He had heard this riddle so many times before.  “Halfway, because then he’s running out of the woods,” Logan announced aloud, pleased with himself for knowing the answer.

It then occurred to him that his next clue in this scavenger hunt would be found in the middle of the forest.  With his sword sheathed by his side, Logan entered the woods and headed as far within it as he could.  As he trekked to his next clue, he couldn’t help but wonder how much more difficult they would become.  Logan knew he was being tested, and simple riddles were not going to prove his desire to go home.

His expedition was a lonely one.  He had grown accustomed to having his animal friends by his side to protect him and keep him company.  Logan hated to admit it, in fact, but he missed them.  He especially missed Bill.  His guilt was eating away at him for sacrificing his buddy for his own benefit.

After a while, Logan finally discovered his next clue lying on top of a large, gray stone.  He quickly approached it, but hesitated before picking it up.  Logan knew he was given the sword for a reason, so he was cautious before making any sudden moves.  He still had no idea what to expect on this ludicrous journey.

Logan carefully lifted his second note from off of the rock.  He unfolded it and read his next message.

I am a path situated between high natural masses.  Remove my first letter and you have a path situated between man-made masses.  What am I?

            Logan was frustrated when the answer didn’t come to him immediately.  He closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could. 

Natural masses, he thought.  “Natural masses could mean mountains,” Logan reasoned out loud.  “Or they could be hills… Hills!” he yelled.  It occurred to Logan that the path that was being referred to was a valley. 

It makes sense, he thought.  Because if you take away the “v,” you have the word “alley,” which is a path situated between buildings.  Man-made buildings!

  Highly encouraged, Logan ran out of the forest and headed for the valley.  This time, the trip didn’t seem so long to him.  He was motivated and knew he was going to succeed.  He was going to succeed and he was going to do it all on his own.

When Logan reached the valley, he suddenly realized that he had a lot of ground to cover before he would find the next clue.  Slightly discouraged, Logan continued his search.  That’s when he heard something that caused absolute fear to surge through his body.

“There he is!”

Logan looked up into the hills and nearly stumbled over backwards when he saw Daniel standing with a few of the rats from his pack.

“Get him!” Daniel demanded.  “Get him now!”

Immediately, the rats began running down the hill and towards him.  Not seeing any other options, Logan ran as fast as he could in the opposite direction.  As he ran, his eyes continued to survey the area in search of his hidden clue.  Fearing for his life, Logan’s heart raced over a mile a minute.

Run, he instructed himself.  Run faster or die.

Daniel and the rat pack were quickly catching up to him.  As Logan continued to run away, he suddenly felt something hitting his leg.  He promptly looked down and saw the sword.  With no other choice, he turned and faced his enemies, drawing the sword from the sheath.  Immediately, the rats ceased chasing Logan and stood motionless.

“Oh, yeah?” Logan taunted.  “Who’s afraid of the big bad sword?”

 The rats’ eyes were as wide as quarters.  Logan was impressed with how much power his sword obviously held.  That’s when he suddenly felt a presence behind him.  When he turned around, he was head to head with a spotted leopard.  Now, it was Logan’s eyes that widened.

“The time has not arrived,” the leopard said.  “Climb on my back.”

Logan hesitated.  Without Bill to guide him, he had no idea if this member of the animal kingdom was a friend or a foe.

“I know where to find you next clue!” the leopard yelled.  “You must listen to me.  Get on my back.”

The feeling in Logan’s gut was telling him to trust the giant cat.  Swiftly, he mounted the leopard and was instantly swept away from his vermin enemies.  As the leopard bounded through the valley, he introduced himself to Logan.

“I’m Gary,” he declared.  “By orders of the Queen, I’ve been following you ever since you began your scavenger hunt.  I was instructed to make sure you stayed out of trouble and to protect you if need be.”
            Logan was slightly insulted.  Didn’t the Queen have faith in him?  And why did Gary seem to think that he couldn’t take on Daniel and the rats?  After all, he did have the sword. 

Then again, could I really take on a horde of giant rats alone?  Logan pondered. 

When he realized that he wouldn’t have been able to, Logan decided to warm up to Gary.

“Thanks for jumping in and saving me,” he finally said.

“No thanks necessary,” Gary modestly stated.  “Now about that clue.  You correctly presumed the location from the last note; you just didn’t realize there was another riddle written on the back of that message.”

“Another riddle?” Logan asked.  “I guess when I was able to answer the first one, I got overly excited and anxious,” he admitted.

“Well, lucky for you, after you took off for the valley, I memorized the riddle for you.”

Logan was elated.  “Thank you, Gary!  What is it?”

“Let me see,” Logan’s protector said.  He cleared his throat before proceeding.  “Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me.  I’m double, I’m single, I’m black, blue and gray.  I’m read from both ends, and the same either way.”        

Logan thought hard.  “This is a much trickier one,” he declared.  “Do you know the answer?”

“That I don’t,” Gary admitted.  “But with the knowledge you possess, I’m sure that you can solve the mystery.  Have faith in yourself Logan.”

Gary finally stopped running.  Logan climbed off of his back and the two looked around them.

“Do you think we’ve lost them?” Logan inquired.

“I believe so,” Gary stated.  “For now, at least.”

Logan sat down on a boulder and pondered his last riddle.  He repeated it over again in his head.

Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me.  I’m double, I’m single, I’m brown, blue and gray.  I’m read from both ends, and the same either way.

“I just need to analyze the poem,” Logan said.  “I need to break the riddle down line by line.  ‘Pronounced as one letter, And written with three.’  That means that the answer is a word that sounds like a letter, but is spelled with three letters,” he deduced. 

“That sounds right so far,” Gary encouraged him.

“What was the next line?  ‘Two letters there are, And two only in me’?  Does that mean that of the three letters in the answer, two of them are the same?”

“I think so!” Gary exclaimed as he leapt up from off of the ground.  He couldn’t deny that he was proud of Logan.  

“Ok,” Logan said as he took a deep breath.  He knew he was close to solving the riddle.  “‘I’m double, I’m single, I’m brown, blue and – Oh!  I know what it is!” Logan shouted.  “An eye!  It’s an eye!  It sounds like the letter ‘I,’ it contains three letters, but the ‘E’ is repeated, everybody has a pair that can be brown, blue, or gray.”  Logan didn’t even need to continue.  He knew it had to be an eye!

Logan’s excitement was soon diminished.  “But how does that relate to the valley?” he asked.

Gary, presented with an opportunity to assist his new pal, felt exhilaration within him.  “I know where the next clue is!” he exclaimed.  “There’s a river within the valley that runs in the shape of an eye.  When you stand at the top of the hills, it looks like the valley is looking up at you!”

“That has to be it!” Logan yelled.  “Can you lead me there?”

“Hop on!” Gary roared.

 

 

 

 

 

9

 

Another day greeted Carly when she opened her eyes and found herself in a chair beside Logan’s bed.  Sunlight streamed into his room and onto Logan, almost illuminating his body.

“Good morning, Carly,” she heard a familiar voice say. 

When she followed the direction of which it came from, she was surprised to see Charlie Cook standing in the doorway.  Charlie, who had been nicknamed Cookie, was Laurie’s ex-boyfriend.

“I heard what happened,” Cookie said as he approached Logan’s bedside.

Carly couldn’t believe her eyes.  Cookie had been Laurie’s high school sweetheart, but when she got sick, Cookie broke up with her.  Laurie was a reasonable person and understood why Cookie was afraid to be with her, but she was still crushed. 

Logan wasn’t as reasonable as his twin sister.  He resented Cookie, hating him with a deep passion.  Logan viewed Cookie’s rejection of his sister as one of the facets that limited her morale.  If Cookie, her true love, had very little faith that Laurie would win the battle her disease, how could she have faith that she would conquer it?

Carly looked hard at Cookie and began to stutter.  “I don’t know if… um… Cookie, I just don’t think,” she stammered.  Carly took a deep breath.  “I don’t know if it’s wise for you to be here.  The Browns will be back anytime now and if Logan wakes up, I don’t know how thrilled he’ll be to see you.”

“I understand,” Cookie said as he stared down at the floor.  “Do you?”

“Do I what?” Carly asked Cookie.

He looked up at her and gazed directly into her eyes.  “Do you understand why I did what I had to?”

Carly looked away and at Logan, breaking Cookie’s glare.  Cookie had been the love of Laurie’s life and he gave up on her.  Logan was the love of Carly’s life and she refused to give up on him. 

She fixated her gaze back at Cookie and bluntly replied, “No.”

Cookie closed his eyes.  “Sometimes it’s easier to let go sooner rather than later.  It would have just been harder down the road.”

A fire grew inside Carly.  “Harder for you!” she accused.  “Laurie died without your love.  Do you think that was easy for her?  She needed you more than ever at that time and you were selfish and only looking out for your best interest.”  Carly paused.  “I’ll be damned if I let Logan go when he needs me the most.”

Cookie backed away from Logan’s bed and headed towards the door.  “I think I should probably go,” he said.  He hesitated for a moment.  “I’m sorry.”

Carly wanted to tell Cookie that he should be sorry, but who was she to condemn anyone?  Instead, Carly took Logan’s hands in hers and rested her head on his chest.  With that, Cookie walked out of Logan’s room and out of the hospital.

Soon after Cookie’s departure, the Browns arrived with several shopping bags.  Carly couldn’t help but notice that they looked like they had had a rough night.  They wore their emotions on their faces just like she wore her heart on her sleeve.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Maggie told Carly as she placed the bags down on another chair in Logan’s room.  “So I was up baking all night.  I thought you might be hungry.”  She removed several plastic containers from the bags and handed them to Carly. 

When Carly opened the container, she found that they were full of oatmeal raisin and pumpkin cookies, chocolate chip muffins, and apple pastries. 

“The pumpkin cookies are still warm,” Maggie told Carly.  She held the container up to her nose and inhaled the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Maggie handed Carly a thermos.  “It’s French Vanilla coffee,” she told her.  “I thought you might need a pick me up.”

Carly was appreciative of Logan’s mother’s kindness.  “Thank you for thinking of me,” she said.

“It’s no problem.  You know that,” Maggie told Carly.

“Do you want to take a little break?” Marcus asked her.  “Go home and shower maybe?”

Carly looked back at Logan.  “No.  I’m okay,” she said.  “I want to stay here.”

Marcus put his arm around Carly and pulled her towards him.  “You know that he loves you, right?” Logan’s father asked her.

Tears filled Carly’s eyes and a single drop escaped as it trickled down her cheek, leaving a moist trail down her face. 

“He does,” Marcus assured her.  “He’s just afraid.  But I know, Carly.  A father always knows.”

“Carly, we need you to do us a favor,” Maggie said.  “If something happens to Logan -- ”

            “Maggie, don’t talk like that!” Carly shouted.

            “Listen to me, Carly.  If something happens to Logan, promise Marcus and me that you will remain in our lives.  You’re like a part of our family and we don’t want to lose you.”

            “I promise,” Carly said, almost inaudibly.  “But Logan is going to come out of this.  He is,” she stated. 

            Logan’s parents smiled at Carly unconvincingly.

            “He is!” she shouted.  “A best friend always knows.”

            Carly grabbed a handful of cookies and poured herself a cup of coffee.  She wasn’t sure if it was wise to tell the Browns that Cookie had shown up, but she didn’t want to keep any secrets from them.

            Looking down at the ground, Carly said bluntly, “Cookie was here.”  She didn’t look up from the floor, but she could feel Maggie and Marcus’ stares. 

            “What did he want?” Marcus asked.

            “He just came to offer his condolences,” Carly answered.

            “Well, he’s not welcome here,” Marcus replied.  In his opinion, he irrationally believed that Cookie was one of the reasons that his daughter gave up her fight with her disease.  He couldn’t comprehend how anyone could be so selfish as to break up with someone who needed faith and love in order to survive.

            Carly closed her eyes and winced at the pain of realizing that her will to wake up every morning was founded in the hope that Logan could one day love her.  She wanted Logan to wake up, but even more than that, she needed Logan to wake up.  If he didn’t, how would she survive without him?

 

10

 

            Standing on top of a giant hill, Logan looked over all of Paradoxica.  It really was a beautiful place, but he was more than ready to get home.  When he looked down into the valley, he saw his ticket home staring him in the face.  Literally.  The eye-shaped river was like something out of a fantasy novel.

            “So now what do we do?” Logan asked Gary.

            “We probably need to make our way down the hill and to the river,” he offered a guess.

            The pair headed down the lush hill and into the valley.  Both were quiet as they cautiously watched their footing, being careful as to not stumble and fall down the steep knoll.  It was Logan that finally broke the silence.

            “I want to go home,” he declared.

            Gary nodded at him.

            “I want to go home,” Logan went on, “but I will never be able to live with myself knowing that I killed Bill.  Why did he have to die?”

            Gary took a deep breath.  “Things are not always what they seem.”

            Logan paused.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

            The great leopard hesitated once again.  “All I’m saying is that there is a reason for everything.  Destiny.  We’re all here for a very particular cause.  Our lives have meaning when we find what that motivation to live is.”

            “So Bill’s purpose in life was to die for me?” Logan shouted.  “How is that okay?  How is it acceptable?” he continued to yell.

            “Logan, it is what it is,” Gary told him.  “You must not get side-tracked.  There are still other riddles to be solved if you are to get out of here and back to your home.”

            Logan nodded as he attempted to calm down.  At the moment that he was finally able to relax, he discovered the next clue attached to a small toy sailboat beside the river.  It surprised Gary when he saw a thoughtful look spread across Logan’s face.

            “What’s the matter with you?” Gary asked.

            “The sailboat,” Logan stuttered.  “Laurie bought me one just like that for Christmas one year when we were children, maybe nine years old or so.”

            Carefully, Logan picked up the sailboat and held it up towards the sun.  There, under the tiny trinket, were the initials L.B.

            “This is my sailboat!” he exclaimed.  “How did it get here?”

            Logan detached the note, which he knew to be his next clue.

The more you take away, the larger it becomes? What is it?

“I don’t get it,” Gary stated.  “How can you take something away and make it bigger?  It’s just not possible.”

Logan looked intently at the sailboat that he still held in his hands.  He thought back to when he first received it on Christmas morning.  That year had been the first that the children decided to buy gifts for each other.  They worked hard for months, cleaning their rooms and taking out the trash, trying to raise enough allowance money to purchase the perfect present for one another.

When Logan and Laurie woke up on that snowy Christmas morning in Massachusetts, they were delighted to see that Santa Claus had come and left meticulously wrapped gifts for them under their tree.  Giant bows and ribbons adorned all of the boxes that were displayed under the dazzlingly illuminated pine.

They tore open each of their gifts until all that was left were the ones that they had bought for each other.  Logan proudly presented his twin sister with a stuffed animal, as she had a love for the zoo and its inhabitants at an early age. 

Logan was delighted to see how pleased Laurie was with his gift, but was then equally excited when she gave him the sailboat.  He couldn’t wait to place his small action figures inside and let the boat set sail down the river behind his house.

Without thinking, Logan leapt up from off of the floor and ran towards the back door in the kitchen.  When he swung it open, it was then that he remembered that his backyard was blanketed in snow.

“Logan Brown!” his mother yelled.  “Get back inside!”

“But the river!” he whined. 

“Logan, when the snow melts, then you can send the boat down the river, but until then, you will just have to wait.  Put the boat in the bathtub if you want.”

“But the men have to be outside!” he continued to whine as if his mother just didn’t understand.

“Logan!” Laurie exclaimed as she got an idea.  “Let’s put our winter coats and gloves on and we can go outside and dig a large hole!  We can fill it with water and have the boat float around in there!”

Leave it to his ambitious sister to find the solution.  The kids snuggled themselves up and raced outside, carefully digging a hold in the snow and then filling it with warm water.  The game didn’t last long as the elements wouldn’t quite work to their advantage, but Logan and Laurie were pleased just the same.

“Logan, it’s impossible,” Gary stated again. 

“It’s not impossible if the object is a hole!” he shouted excitedly.  “The more of the hole you remove, the larger it becomes!  We need to dig!” Logan declared.

Down on his hands and knees, Logan scraped away at the soil as Gary pawed along with him.  Suddenly, the two felt the ground begin to shake.  Perplexed, the two looked around, only to see Daniel and his men racing down the hill towards them.

Logan’s eyes widened with fear.  Daniel’s ban of rats had increased in size.  He didn’t know how he was going to fight them off with Gary alone.

“The sword!” he heard from behind him.  “Use the sword!”

When Logan turned around, he saw a giant black bear bounding towards him and Gary.  On the bear’s back was another creature, an otter, perhaps, holding a sword that looked similar to his.

Logan drew his sword just in time.  He had never used one before, but it seemed to have a mind of its own.  One by one, Logan’s enemies went down as the bear and the otter also assisted in fighting them off.

The battle raged on as Daniel stood back to disappointingly watch his men get defeated.  He hadn’t expected Logan to get so strong so fast.  The boy had come to Paradoxica a hopeless mess and somehow managed to become a wiser man.  In the time that he had spent in the magical land, he had grown and began to use his knowledge to save himself.

Daniel had doubted Logan’s capabilities for advancement.  He didn’t think that Logan could use his knowledge to empower himself, but he had, and now, knowing that he would be defeated, Daniel decided to retreat. 

The boy still has a long way to go, he thought to himself as he escaped back into the woods.

 

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

 

After all of the rats had been destroyed, Logan collapsed onto the ground, out of breath and out of energy. 

“You did it!” the otter exclaimed. 

Logan continued to try to catch his breath.  “Thanks… to you,” he said.  “Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m Joe,” the bear said.  “The Queen sent me to defend you from your enemies.  She was proud of how far you had gotten in her hunt and asked me to assist you.”

“And I’m Adam,” the small creature introduced himself.  “I have a very special gift for you.”

Logan looked at the otter with curiosity.  He was anxious to see what gift he was going to be given, but was too tired to sit up.  He closed his eyes as he listened to Adam’s words.

“You’ve made it a long way and while you’ve done it with the help of some friends, you’ve still accomplished things you never could have before,” Adam stated.  “With that being said, I present you with your estranged friends.”

Logan immediately opened his eyes and looked around him.  He was delighted to see Frank, Marty and Tommy surrounding him.  For as happy as he was, Logan was still disappointed that Bill was not there.

“Oh, wait,” Adam said.  “I think I have something else for you.”

Tommy shook his head from side to side and out of his mane popped Bill.

“Bill!” Logan shouted.  “I thought you were gone forever!”

“It appears that I was just another instrument in the Queen’s test,” his squirrel friend told him.  “You sacrificed something you love to help others, but also showed a will to live yourself.”

Logan thought about what Bill was telling him.  Before he had gotten to Paradoxica, he didn’t care about anyone or anything.  He didn’t even care if he lived or died.  So much had changed for Logan over the course of his time spent in Paradoxica and he knew that he had become a better person.  More than ever before, he knew that he needed to get home.  He needed to get home to his parents and Carly.  They loved him and needed him, he knew.

One swallow does not make a summer, Logan remembered.  He now understood what Frank had meant.  Just because Laurie’s death was evidence to him that life wasn’t worth living didn’t make it necessarily true.  There was more to life than just death.  Logan understood that now.

“The hole!” Logan yelled when he remembered what had been going on before the attack.  “Help me dig, guys!”

All of the animals quickly assisted Logan.  Frank used his trunk to move the dirt from the ground as Marty pecked away and utilized his wings as an impromptu broom of sorts.  The rest of the animals all used their paws to dig until they finally came across a small, white box buried deep within the earth.

“Here we go,” Logan said as he reached inside the hole.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11

 

Another day had passed and Carly was still beside Logan’s bed.  She had gone to her home for a brief time to take a quick shower and freshen up, but then she immediately returned to the hospital.  Carly refused to not stick by her best friend; she just wouldn’t allow it to happen.

As she sat in her chair in Logan’s room, she watched an old movie that was playing on the TV.  She tried to focus on the plot line, but her mind was obviously elsewhere.  Carly was wondering where Logan was.  Sure, physically he was lying beside her, but where was he mentally?  Was he dreaming or was his mind completely blank?  If he was dreaming, was it a good dream or a nightmare?  Carly had no way of knowing what her best friend was going through.

When she looked over at Logan, she couldn’t help to notice that he seemed to be smiling.  It was a faint smile, but it was there. 

“What’s going on in there?” Carly asked out loud, fully aware that she wasn’t about to get an answer.  She got out of her seat and stood over Logan to get a closer look.  Suddenly, his eyes opened abruptly. 

“Logan!” Carly screamed with excitement.  “Logan, you’re awake!” 

Carly’s excitement soon turned to confusion when she realized that, although Logan’s eyes were open, he didn’t appear to be looking at anything in particular.  It was as if he was staring off into a far away place.  Just as quickly as they opened, they soon closed again.

Carly, scared and frustrated, immediately called the nurses into Logan’s room.  She explained to them what had just occurred.  As they checked on Logan, Carly began to cry again.  Her emotions had been toyed with.  For a brief moment, she had truly believed that the love of her life had come back to her.  Carly had hoped that Logan’s will to live would bring him home to her, but she was beginning to doubt her dream would ever come true.

“What happened?” Carly cried after Dr. Thompson arrived and reviewed Logan’s charts.  “Why were his eyes open, but he wasn’t looking directly at me?  It’s like he wasn’t making a connection with reality.”

Dr. Thompson sighed, as he knew that he was going to have to let this young, naïve girl down with his news.  “Carly, sometimes these things happen.  Logan is still very much in a coma, but since his brain is still functioning, involuntary movements can still occur.”  He sighed again.  “I’m very sorry, Carly.  I really am.  I know this didn’t make things easier for you.”

The nurses filtered out of the room and Dr. Thompson sympathetically rubbed Carly’s back before he exited as well.  Alone once again, Carly continued to cry.  Her sadness soon turned to anger as she approached Logan’s bedside.

“You know what, Logan?  I think you can hear me.  I think that if I talk, you have no choice anymore but to listen.  So I’m going to talk and you’re going to listen,” Carly declared with authority.  She had never spoken harshly to Logan before and didn’t know where this sudden burst of empowerment was coming from.  “Logan Brown, I have stuck by your side through everything, regardless of whether it was good or bad, and we both know that there have been some pretty bad times.  But Logan, I can’t turn into you.  I can’t become so consumed with grief that I let it destroy my life.  I love you, but I can’t let you take me down with you if it’s not actually with you.”

Carly took a deep breath before continuing.  She turned her attention away from Logan and looked around the hospital room.  The walls were stark white and the fluorescent lights were harsh on Carly’s eyes.  The many machines in the room had blinking lights and made beeping noises which indicated things that Carly had no sense or knowledge of.  The smell of ammonia and cleaning fluids were beginning to burn her nose.  This was no place for a girl like Carly to be.  This was no place for anyone to be.

 Carly began to speak again.  “So Logan, here’s your ultimatum, and it’s really quite simple.  This or me.  You can choose to live the rest of your life in a coma if you want.  That’s your choice and I have no way of convincing you otherwise.  But if that’s what you decide, then you’re doing it alone.  I’m not going to stand by and watch you die.”

The sadness that had turned to anger turned back into sadness once again as the tears streamed down Carly’s face.  She had been so emotional for the past few days that she didn’t even realize when she was crying anymore.

“So Logan, pick me.  You see, if you wake up, I know that things can change.  I know that you’ve made the decision to allow things to change.  And I will stay by your side and help you through anything.  But you need to wake up or I’m done.  I’m done and I’m walking away.”

Carly collapsed back into her chair.  She closed her eyes as she mentally gave Logan until the morning to wake up.  If he didn’t, she’d walk out the door and not look back.

 

*                                  *                                  *                                  *

 

As Logan reached inside the hole to unveil the box, he could feel something strange run through his body.  His heart raced and the blood in his veins began to pulse.  He felt sad, but he couldn’t understand why.  How could he be sad when he was so close to finding his way back home?

I’m not the one that’s sad, Logan realized.  It’s Carly.  I can feel her inside of me.

Quickly, Logan retrieved the box.  He knew that he needed to get back to Carly fast.  Something within Logan told him that if he didn’t, he was going to lose her forever.  He dusted off the box before removing the white lid.  There, inside, was a small, green and brown turtle.

“It’s about time!” the turtle shouted.  “I was beginning to feel a little claustrophobic in there!  And it was getting kind of hard to breathe.”

“Who are you?” Logan asked.  He knew that whoever this turtle was, he was about to bring about another task for Logan to complete or another obstacle for him to jump. 

Whatever the case may be, I’m ready, Logan declared to himself.

“Well, I’m Timmy.  Timmy the Turtle.  And seeing as you finally got me out of that box,” he said with disgust, “it’s apparent that you’ve solved all of the riddles thus far.  So I offer you my congratulations.”

“Thank you,” Logan said.  “So am I to guess that you’re going to give me my next clue?”

Timmy smiled.  “You’ve guessed right, my friend!” he exclaimed.  “If you answer this riddle correctly, I will offer you an opportunity for advancement.  And trust me, you want this, man.  It’s pretty darn good, if you ask me!  I mean, this is the chance of a lifetime.  With this you can--”

Logan began to realize that Timmy was a very talkative turtle.  “Okay!  Okay!” he laughed as he interrupted Timmy’s babbling.  “What’s the clue?”

Timmy stopped his rant.  “What am I?”

Logan looked at him.  “You’re a turtle.  Timmy.  Timmy the Turtle.”

“No!  No!”  Timmy shook his head in disbelief.  “For such a smart guy, you’re dreadfully impatient.  Let me finish; I’m setting the riddle up for you.  You need to guess what I am.”

Logan was annoyed with Timmy’s insult, but what could he really expect from a talking turtle.  Especially one that had been cooped up in a box underground for an undetermined amount of time.

“Let’s try this one more time,” Timmy said.  “What am I?  You can see nothing else when you look in my face.  I will look you in the eye and I will never lie.”

Logan was confused.  This was the toughest riddle of all.  Then again, if the prize for figuring it out was as great as Timmy claimed it was, the challenge needed to be difficult.

“You can see nothing else when you look in my face.  I will look you in the eye and I will never lie…”  Logan repeated out loud.  “I don’t know.”

“Think hard!” Marty encouraged Logan as he fluttered through the air.

“I know you can do this,” Bill chimed in as he reassuringly rubbed Logan’s leg.

Frank scratched his head with his trunk.  For such a wise elephant, even he was having a hard time solving this riddle!  Logan and the animals continued to ponder as Tommy paced along the river.  Something swimming around caught his eye and he looked in the water to see what it was.  As he did so, he caught his reflection in the water.

“I know the answer!” Tommy yelled with excitement.  “Look,” he instructed as he pointed to the river.

Logan moved towards him in an attempt to see what Tommy was talking about.  When he looked down, he saw himself staring back at him.  Slowly and methodically, Logan repeated aloud, “You can see nothing else when you look in my face.  I will look you in the eye and I will never lie.  It’s my reflection!  That’s the answer!”

Logan jumped with joy, but as soon as he did, there was a sudden bright flash of light, almost like lightening.  Logan felt strange and then he realized that he was floating.  He was floating around in nothingness.  Before he could comprehend what was happening, he was thudded to the ground and became aware of the fact that he was no longer by the river with his animal friends.  Standing over him was a beautiful, white swan.

“Who are you?” Logan asked as he held his throbbing head in the palm of his hand.  “And where am I?”

“I’m Melissa,” the swan said.  “And these are my little children, Nicholas and Connor.”

Logan turned to see the swan’s baby ducklings waddling around next to him.

 “Welcome to Achievement Island,” Melissa said as she outstretched her wings and presented Logan with the enormous body of water that surrounded him.  “And this is the Lake of Solved Mysteries.  Congratulations, Logan.  Your journey has been a daunting one.  In order to reach this point, you were faced with many tasks to prove yourself to the Queen of Paradoxica.  You were forced to come to terms with the fact that you need companionship in your life.  In doing so, you needed to trust newfound friends.  You experienced sacrifice and came to terms with the fact that there is life after loss.  You were faced with enemies that you were able to defeat with your strength.  You used your vast knowledge to solve riddles that, at first, seemed impossible to answer.  In doing all of these things, you’ve grown as a person and proved that you have a will to make your life better.”

Logan was mesmerized by the swan and all that she had just said.  He knew that he had come a long way, but it never quite occurred to him all of the elements that had gotten him to that point.  In order to get home, Logan needed to want it, but there was more to wanting something than just saying that it was something you desired.  You needed to be motivated and you needed to be determined.  You couldn’t just give up when giving up was the easiest option.
            “Remember your key, Logan?  The one that Bill presented you with when you first reached the Kingdom of Paradoxica?”

Logan put his hand over his heart where the key dangled from his neck, tucked beneath his shirt.  He reached around his neck for the chain and removed the key.

“Bill told you that if you took a wise action, you could use the key to unlock a secret and leave Paradoxica.  Well, you’ve done it, Logan!  The Queen has the secret and is ready to present it to you as soon as I present you to her.”  Melissa paused, allowing Logan to take everything in.  “Are you ready?”

Everything around Logan went white when Melissa wrapped her wings around him.  When she released him from her feathery hold, Logan realized that he had been transported to yet another place.

“Where are we now?” he asked as he inspected his new surroundings.

Snow blanketed the land as it slowly drifted down from the sky, glittering as it fell to the ground.  Logan knew that he should have felt cold, but he wasn’t.  The warmth he felt inside of him was regulating his body temperature.

In front of Logan, Melissa and her small ducklings stood a giant ice castle that sparkled in the sun.  It was the most spectacular sight that Logan had ever laid his eyes on. 

“Welcome to the Queen of Paradoxica’s castle,” Melissa declared proudly to Logan.  “You’ve come a long way.  Your key will unlock the gate.  Good luck, my friend.”

And with those words, the swan and her ducklings disappeared into thin air.  Logan looked down at the ground, expecting there to be webbed prints in the snow, but there were none.  His feathered friends had left no trace that they had ever been there.

Logan gazed at the castle, giving it a long look up and down before approaching the iron gate.  Carefully, he slipped the key into the lock, almost surprised to find that it fit like a glove.

Down the icy hallway Logan traveled, his heart racing with anticipation.  When he reached the Queen’s chambers, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door.  He realized that he was about to come face to face with the one responsible for putting him through the ringer and causing him to fight his inner demons and to find his inner strength.

“You may enter,” a voice from inside stated.  “For an instant, the voice sounded familiar to Logan, but he knew that that couldn’t be.

When Logan entered the Queen’s enormous room, he was immediately mesmerized by the great creature that stood before him.  An exotic white tiger stared back at him with kind eyes.

“Hello, Logan,” the Queen said.

“Your highness,” Logan replied as he took a polite bow.

The Queen gazed at Logan, almost like she was waiting for a moment of clarity from him.  “Logan,” she said as she stared deep into his eyes.

Suddenly, Logan couldn’t move.  He felt paralyzed.  The familiar voice.  The kind eyes.  He didn’t think that it was possible, but it was.

“Laurie?” he cried out.

“Yes, Logan.  It’s me,” the white tiger said with a nod.

Logan dropped to his knees is disbelief.  He knew deep within his heart that this was his departed twin sister.

“Logan, our time is short,” Laurie said.  “And there is much to explain,” she went on.

Logan stared at his sister, ready to hear all that she had to say, all that she couldn’t have said before.

“You were brought to Paradoxica because you were headed down a dangerous path.  The alcohol.  The carelessness.  The recklessness.  It needed to stop,” Laurie told her brother.  “You needed to realize that your life must turn around.”

Logan continued to gaze at Laurie, taking in every word that she spoke.

“Logan, life is about living and you can not live if you don’t stop wallowing in the past.  You need to let me go.”

“But Laurie --” Logan interrupted.

“No.  You must listen to me.  I know that you love me, but no amount of grief is ever going to bring me back to your world.  You must love others, such as the ones that love you.”

Like a scolded child, Logan turned his attention down to the ground.  “Like Carly,” he whispered almost inaudibly.

“Yes, Logan.  One such as Carly.  She needs you and you need her.  Open yourself up to the possibility that there is more to life than pain and suffering.  There’s love.  It exists in all of us, we just need to find it and nourish it.”
            Suddenly, Logan’s entire body began to tingle.

“What’s happening to me?” he asked, obviously frightened.

“You must go now, Logan.  Know that you are strong and can make it through anything, no matter how difficult it may seem to be.  I have faith in you.  Have faith in yourself.”

Logan held his arms out in front of him and saw them beginning to fade away.  Quickly, he looked back up at Laurie.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” Laurie replied before Logan disappeared, making his exit out of the Kingdom of Paradoxica and back to his home.

When Logan opened his eyes, the first person he saw was Carly, asleep in a chair next to him with her head rested on his bed.  He couldn’t stop himself from smiling when he realized how much she loved him.  Carefully, he extended his arm and gently stroked her soft, brown hair.  Carly stirred slightly and soon lifted her head from Logan’s bed to find him staring back at her.

“Hey,” Logan croaked.

Carly’s eyes widened and soon began to tear.  “I thought I lost you forever,” she cried as she took Logan’s hand in hers. 

“Same here,” he replied.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Better than I have in a long time,” Logan told her unquestionably.  “Car, I love you.”   

Carly sharply inhaled.  “I love you, too, Logan.”

 As the two lied together in the hospital bed, Logan caressed Carly’s arm as he stared out the window.  It was then that he noticed the squirrel perched on the ledge.

“Thanks, guys,” he whispered to himself, hoping that his unbelievable animal friends and sister knew how appreciative he was to get a second chance at life.