Another Dimension
This illustration of the dark forest was inspired by a picture Amelie could see from where she was writing.
Another Dimension
By Amelie Yong, 8
Melbourne, VIC
Chapter 1
After dropping their twin girls off to camp for one week, the parents returned home to find an old bag that had some mysterious things inside it. When they opened the front pocket, they found an old book they couldn’t read because it was in a different language. When they opened the main part of the bag, they were surprised to find that it was glowing with light.
“Should we go and touch the light?” the mum said.
“I don’t know,” replied the dad.
Carefully, the mum reached into the bag. With her other hand, she grabbed the hand of her husband. In that moment, they both got sucked into a portal. It felt scary and they were screaming.
Suddenly, they landed with a THUMP! on the ground that felt hard and somehow they were separated. All around them were dark spooky haunted trees and they were lost. They started calling for each other, but they couldn’t hear each other. All they could hear was the wind moving through the trees, and distant wolves howling.
Somehow they were in another dimension.
Chapter 2
The mum looked around in every direction. Her heart was beating fast. How was she going to find her husband? How were they going to get home to their kids?
Just then, she spotted something in the shadows. It was getting closer and closer…she was shaking in fear.
“Hello,” said a mysterious voice.
“Who goes there and who are you? Show yourself now,” said the mum, despite her fear.
Meanwhile, the dad thought he was in a maze and this maze had no way out. He sat on the dusty ground and was about to give up when a wise man appeared.
He put a long, bony hand on the dad’s shoulder. “Don’t give up,” he said in a voice that instantly calmed him. “I am a wise man and I have been here for as long as you can imagine. I’m still trying to find my way out of this horrible place.”
“Who are you?” the dad replied. “Did you also come here through a portal?”
“It was a very long time ago,” the wise man said. “I remember finding an old bag in front of my house… when I opened it, there was a -”
“Light,” the dad said with him.
The man’s eyes lit up. “Yes. How did you -?”
“The same thing happened to us.”
“Us?”
“Us. I came here with my wife. But now I’ve lost her.”
Chapter 3
In another part of the forest, the mum was trying to figure out who was the mysterious voice that was slowly walking to her. When the mum asked questions to the mysterious voice, it did not reply. Its shadow just came closer, closer, and then closer. Then she gasped and quickly ran away as fast as she ever could but her legs weren’t fast enough.
The voice talked for a moment again and said, “I am a bad guy and I’m going to catch you and tie you up so I can cook you above a fire and I will eat you!”
The mum fainted on the hard floor. When she woke up, she found herself above a fire. Some parts of her clothes were burning, it smelled like burning cotton, and she had no hope left. She cried with lots of tears. The tears dripped on the fire, hissing and turning to steam, and she kept crying. The more she cried, the more the fire was starting to be less hot, and with the final drip the fire was out.
“Yay I’m not burned,” said the mum.
“How dare you,” the baddie said. “Now I must go and make another fire and you better stay there or else.”
When the man was gone, she quickly untied the rope and ran as fast as she could. When the man came back he said, “Noooooo…!” He started sobbing.
The mum heard his cries from deep in the dark forest. She kept running until she found a wall, and another wall, and she kept turning corners until she was sure he would never find her. The only problem now was that she was very lost, and she still had no idea where her husband was.
Chapter 4
The mum continued walking. How will we ever get out of here? She thought, her hope and energy fading.
Just then, she spotted a glowing light in one of the walls.
“Should we touch it?” she remembered saying to her husband just a few hours ago. Or was it days? How long had they been here?
She was afraid to touch it. What if it was another portal that took her somewhere else, and they were never in the same dimension again? But if she stayed here, the baddie might find her again and try to kill her once and for all.
She went in the light and took a BIG risk. Somehow it led her to her husband. Maybe the forest wanted to cheer her up, and it did. Suddenly, it didn’t appear so dark and scary anymore. She teleported right behind the baddie and kicked the baddie and punched him so hard a portal appeared on the ground and he was sent to another dimension.
Chapter 5
The mum and dad saw each other. They cried with tears of joy and promised each other that they would stay together to get home to their kids. It was night time and they had to camp outside because the big day was ahead of them and they had to get ready. This day was getting brighter each moment. It was like the forest wanted to help them.
The next day, it was the day they had to go home. Their kids had five more days until the parents had to pick them up. The parents were walking deep into the woods when their legs were getting tired of walking for hours. They found a tree to lean and sit beside and had no hope left. They cried and cried. Their tears went on the ground and the more they cried the tears started to open another portal that showed a picture of their small house. They raced into the portal and it took them back home.
Now they were REALLY happy. They didn’t know they would miss home so much, but they were so grateful to be back safe and sound.
Chapter 6
Five days later, the parents went to camp and picked their children up from school.
“How was it?” the wife said.
“It was great!” the twins said together.
“What did you get up to?” the girls asked.
“Ummmm, same things… like… usual,” the parents said at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.
Back at home, the parents threw the old bag, with the old book inside it, straight into the bin truck as it was going past. They didn’t want their kids to ever find it. As the truck was going, the bag seeped through the floor and went into another dimension.
About the young writer
Amelie is a regular participant in our Writing Mentorship program, and our school holiday Story Camps. This story was inspired by a bag that she made.
You’ll be able to read another of Amelie’s stories in our 2025 Writ-Bits Anthology, alongside many other young authors in from the WOAF community!
