A Normal Life

CHAPTER ONE: A NORMAL DAY

It was dawn on a bright spring morning. Mandy Wilther was ust waking up.

"Oh, no," Mandy moaned as she rolled out of bed and put some clothes on. "Mom! I've gotta get a new alarm clock! This one's broken, again!" Mandy called out her bedroom door. "Mom!?" she called again. There was no answer. "Where is she!?" Mandy muttered as she thumped down the stairs.

Mandy, I'm at the store. Be home soon. Love ya! -Mom

"Great! No how am I gonna get to school!" Mandy said exasperatedly as she read the note left on the counter. She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

Ring...

Ring...

"Croncher High School, Ms. Karmal speaking. How may I help you?" said a young woman's voice.

"This is Amber Wilther, Mandy's mother," Mandy said in a perfect imitation of her mom.

"Yes, what can I do for you today, Ms. Wilther?" the woman's voice said.

"I would like to excuse my daughter from school today. She's not feeling well," Mandy said while opening the refrigerator to find something to eat.

"Do you realize this is Mandy's third excused tardy this week?" the woman's voice turned suspicious.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. Oh, look at the time! Please just excuse her. She'll be in tomorrow," Mandy said hurriedly as she hung up the phone.

"Well, where should I go today?" Liz asked as she stuffed half a banana into her mouth. "Uh-oh!" she said as a car pulled into the driveway. She quietly slipped out of the back door.

"M! I'm home!" Mandy's mom, Amber, called as she opened the front door. "M!" she called again as she walked into the kitchen. "Oh... It's time for school... That's where she must have gone... I wonder how she got there..." Amber mumbled, almost as if she were in a daze as she started putting the groceries away.

"Well, now that I'm out of the dungeon and away from the jester, whaat should I do?" Mandy asked herself as she walked down the alley behind her house.

"Excuse me, young damsel...," an extremely frazzled looking man with a long white beard said as he stepped out of the shadow in from of her. "I seem to be lost. What year is it?" the old man asked with a grin.

"Wha..." Mandy paused for a moment looking the man over. "Are you okay, mister? You don't ook so good..." she said hesitantly.

"I didn't mean to scare you, just please, miss, tell the year, or at least the century..." the man asked, now looking around the dank brick alley as if fascinated.

"Uh, well, it's the year 2004..." Mandy stated as she carefully started walking back towards her house at the end of the alley.

"Really? I'm in the twenty-first century? Well, thank ye. By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I am the great and powerful...," he said with an over-dramatic pause, "Merlin. Your name is..." He asked with a grin that made Mandy want to go somewhere and throw up. She thought people who were happy all the time must have something wrong with them. This 'Merlin' seemed like one of those people to her.

Then, he sneezed......



CHAPTER TWO: A-CHOO!!!

Before Liz could think of what to do next, everything went dark.

"Um, hello? M-Merlin? Are you there?" Mandy whispered. When there was no response, she crept to her right, where the wall of the alley should have been. Mandy felt something cold and wet. As she moved her hands over it, she realized that it felt more like grass than the brick wall of the alley that she had known since childhood.

"Where am I!?" Mandy thought to herself. She felt her way along the wall of grass until she came to a door. She pushed the creaking wooden door outward then stepped into the warm night.

"What happened? Why's it nighttime?" Mandy thought to herself as she looked out into a small town. It seemed to be filled with thatched houses, much like the one she just came out of. When she heard footsteps drawing near, she quickly hid behind a nearby bush. When the sound passed, she stepped out to explore where she now was.

"Ye there, wench, what arst thou doing out after dark?" a young man in chain mail asked as he stepped out from one of the larger buildings.

"Uh... I'm lost, I think..." she said.

"Oh, so ye're lost, are ye?" the man asked sarcastically, while rolling his eyes at her. "Ye just happened to get lost in the smallest bale town in all of England, have ye now? Well, let me take a look at ye," he said as he walked around Mandy.
"What is a young lass like yourself doing wearing men's breeches?" he said with humor in his voice as he turned to face her.

"Uh... Umm..." Mandy stuttered, "Look over there!" she said pointing off to the right. As the knight turned to look, she ran.

"Hey! Ye there! Stop where ye are! In the name of King Arthur, stop!" he called after Mandy. but, she was not listening, she just kep thinking about what that man had said about being in England.

"I can't be in England! That's another country! It's even on another continent!" Mandy thought as she kept running. "Maybe having mom sign me up for cross country running wasn't such a bad thing," she thought as she heard the clanking of armor grow fainter in the distance. A few yards from where she stood trying to catch her breath was a barn with its doors wide open.

"I guess I'll stay there for the night. Maybe I'll figure out things in the mornin," Mandy thought as she went into the barn. It was too dark to see much, but it smelled like there were cows about. She found a soft pile of hay and went to sleep.



CHAPTER THREE: GABBY

"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"

The sound of a rooster made Mandy roll off her pile of hay.

Well, so much for all this being a bad dream..." Mandy murmured as she got to her feet. "But, since I'm still here, might as well make the best of it," she said as she looked around. It was a decent sized barn with two horses and a cow in the pens. She was just trying to figure out what to do when a small girl walked into the barn.

"Oh, 'ello! I didn't think anyone should be in here," the little girl said cheerfully. She walked over to a stool and bucket that right outside the cow's stall. "Would ye like to help me milk old Bessie?" she asked Mandy.

"Uh, I guess so..," she said uncertainly.

"When we get visitors they usually stay in the house, not the barn. Oh, how rude of I, me name's Gabriella, but ye can call me Gabby. This here's old Bessie," she said indicating the cow. "Have ye ever milked a cow before? I have to every morning, and every night! Sometimes me hands get sore. Do ye have chores ye have to do? I have lots. I have to milk Bessie, here; collect all the eggs from the chickens; and help mama cook. What's ye're name? I didn't catch it," Gabby said all of this in what seemed like one breath.

"Oh, my name's Mandy. You can call me M if you want, that's what my mom always calls me," Mandy said, still stunned by how Gabby was able to say so much all at once.

"Why do ye talk so funny like?" Gabby asked. "Well, it don't matter much. If ye meet me cousins, they'll make fun of ye. Mama tells me to ignore them, and they'll stop. But, they never do," the girl sighed. "We can milk Bessie later. come on! Mama would love to meet ye!" Gabby exclaimed as she grabbed Mandy's hand. Before she knew what was happening, they running towards a house. Mandy tried to get her hand free, but Gabby was stronger than she looked.

"Mama, look! We have a visitor, we do!" Gabby stated as she pulled Mandy through the doorway.

"Haven't I told you not to just invite strangers to stay with us? said a woman who Mandy assumed was Gabby's mother. "Well, by the look of it, you don't have any place to go, do you?" the woman said as she looked over Mandy wih a critical eye. "Well, I'm Margaret. How long will you be staying with us?" Margaret asked with as much calm as Gabby had energy.

"I'm not sure...," Mandy mumbled.

"I would expect you're hungry. I can get you some decent clothes as well," she said as she observed Mandy's bright orange shirt, denim jeans that were too baggy, and her bright blue sneakers.

"Well, hello. Who do we have here?" a gruff looking man said as he came in behind Mandy and Gabby.

"Hi, papa! This is Mandy, she's going to stay with us a while... If it's okay, that is...," Gabby added as an after thought.

"Canaan, would you please put the cot in Gabby's room? I'll get dinner started. Gabby, would you help me?" Margaret said more as a command than as a question.

"Well, Mandy, Gabby's room is right this way," the man who Mrgaret called Canaan said as he walked up some crude stairs cut into the side of the house. Mandy followed him up the stairs and into the second door on the right. "This is where ye'll be staying. I'll go get the cot. Be back in a jiff," Canaan said with a smile. Mandy looked around the room. There was a rather small straw mattress in the middle of the floor. On one wall was an eloquently designed tapestry. About that time, Canaan came in with another straw mattress and a plain brown dress. "Me nephew, Gregory made that. He was qsuite talented with the threads. Now he's at Camelot. Did Gabby tell you, he's Sir Lancelot's squire. Oh, Margaret told me to give ye this," he said handing her the dress.

Mandy stayed with the family for quite a while. she started to forget how long she had been there. Everyday she and Gabby would get up with the sun and do chores around the house. She got so used to the routine, she wasn't sure if she had been there for a couple of weeks or a couple of months.

During the week Canaan went to work at the family's blacksmith shop that he owned with his brother. It was in the duke of Rhinechester's courtyard. Canaan's family had owned the shope for nearly three generations. Mandy had only been there once when Gabby and her delivered lunch to Canaan.

After what Mandy thought must have been at least two months, she decided to tell Gabby where she came from. They sat down next to Bessie's stall, and Mandy told Gabby everything that happened. When she was done explaining, Gabby's eyes were the size of saucers.

"I knew there was something wrong with thee! Especially when ye didn't even know where the loft in the barn was or how to wash ye're clothes by the river! Ye didn't even know how to dress ye're self!" Gabby cried out. Mandy still hadn't gotten used to wearing the old brown dress. "I think I know where Merlin will!" Gabby exclaimed after a moment.

"You do! Where!?" Mandy asked.

"Well, there's going to be a tournament! Merlin never misses a single tourney! Gregory wil be there, too! We can stay with him if we go!" Gabby practically screamed at Mandy.



CHAPTER FOUR: THE TOURNEY

"Okay, lets do this," Mandy said.

"Yeah, just the way we practiced," Gabby agreed. With that, the two girls walked into the kitchen where Margaret was baking some bread.

"Oh, mama," Gabby said, calm for once. "Ye know about the tournament coming up, do ye not?" Gabby asked, sugar coating every word.

"Yes, I do believe Gregory will be there. Why?" Margaret said simply, even the slightest trace of suspicion.

"Will Sir Lanceot be there?" Mandy asked. "I've heard about him and would love to meet him," she said, trying to help Gabby along as much as she could.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Canaan said Mandy didn't even see him sitting by the fire. "I was planning on going to Camelot to see Gregory anyways. It would be nice to have some company on the way," Canaan said with a warm smile. "We can go tomorrow, after I collect my pay from Duke's manor."

The next morning, Canaan came and woke the girls when it was still pitch black outside. By the time the trio got to the duke's estate, the sky was just getting light enough to see. The manor was bigger than anything Mandy had ever seen. It had four turrets and a moat that was filled with such dirty water it looked green.

"What's in there?" Mandy asked as she looked down into the murky water.

"I'm not sure. Some people say there's a water dragon down there. Personally, I just think it needs a good wash. Now, the two of ye, stay here. I'll be back quicker than ye can say 'fire breathing dragon,'" Canaan called as he walked over the drawbridge. Mandy stood shivering in the chilly morning air. It was so cold she could see her breath come out in puffs in front of her. Gabby seemed perfectly comfortable in the cool air. The two of them stood silently until Canaan came back. When he came back, he had a bulging pouch attached to his belt that jangled with every step he took.

"Okay, off to Camelot!" Canaan said with a smile at the excited looks on the girls faces.

It was near dusk when they finally got to Camelot. Canaan got them a room in a nearby inn. The three of them woke to the sound of people and animals bustling about. they got up and set out for the festivities. It seemed there wasn't a das person in the world. Everyone was smiling and having a wonderful time. There were carts everywhere with people selling anything you could think of. All of the streets were packed full. Mandy even saw groups of people sitting on the tops of buildings. There was dust and dirt flying every which way from the wagon wheels and peoples' feet. They slowly made their way to a field where small pavilions were set up all along the edges.

"Look! Look! There's Gregory!" Gabby cried as a young man with chiseled features and brown hair walked towards them. He was wearing a bright green tunic with a scabbard at his side. Mandy could see jewels encrusted in the hilt.

"Sire!" Canaan said with a mock boy at his newphew.

"Uncle! My! This is such a pleasant surprise! Gabby! Look at you... You must have grown at least a foot since the last time I saw you!" he hesitated when he saw Mandy. "I'm sorry, I don't believe I've had the please," he said with a smile.

"Oh, how rude of me. This is miss Mandy. She's been staying with us for a while," Canaan explained.

A bugle sounded somewhere over the noise of the crowd. "Well, it sounds like you three better go get some good seats. The joust will be starting soon. Sir Lancelot is the first one up. He's going up against a Sir Galahad. I've never heard of him before. I'm sure Launcelot will win," Gregory said. Mandy could see how Gabby got so talkative with hardly breathing. With a smile, Gregory turned and disappeared into a pavilion that was the same color as his tunic.

When the three of them got settled, the bugle sounded again. The crowd cheered as a knight dressed in all red charged out from the left side of the field with a lance in his hand. An even larger cheer roared when a knight dressed in bright green rode out with a spear at the ready.

"Mandy, look! That's Sir Lancelot!" Gabby shouted at Mandy over the crowd.

As Mandy was screaming with everyone, she caught sight of Merlin the wizard.

"I'll be right back," Mandy said to Gabby as she pushed through the crowd to get to Merlin.

"Ah, I thought I would be seeing ye here," he said with a smile as Mandy came to a stop beside him.



CHAPTER FIVE: MERLIN

"Yeah, uh, hi...," Mandy wasn't entirely sure what to say.

"I bet ye're wondering what ye're doing here, aren't ye?" Merlin said with a twinkle in his eye. "Do ye still believe I'm some crazy ruffian?" he said with a bit of sarcasm.

"Er, no... Can I ask you something?" Mandy said.

"Ye just did, but I guess you can ask me something else," Merlin said with a chuckle.

"Er... How did you send me here? Why did you send me here? Was it to teach me a lesson or something? What sent me here? I bet is was that sneeze, wasn't it?" Mandy asked, feeling something like Gabby.

"whoa! Easy does it. Just one question at a time, please," Merlin said with a chortle.

"Well... How do I get home?" Mandy asked, slightly more confident.

"Ooh, a tough one. That's not that easy to answer. You see, this isn't like the Wizard of Oz. You don't have any magic slippers to take you home with a click of your heels," Merlin said suddenly serious. "This is the thing. When I accidentally sent you here I had a head cold that I must have caught when I was jumping around in time. It seems to me it was the sneeze that sent you here. My mom always told me I should cover my mouth...," he explained.

"Do you have any ideas at all to get me back home?" Mandy asked. "By the way, what happened to your accent?"

"Oh, oops... About that, I was actually born in the USA in the year 2068," Merlin said, turning slightly red. "Pertaining to your first question, I think I may have an idea. But, before we can try anything, have you told anyone where you are really from?" he asked, serious again.

"I only told Gabby. She promised she wouldn't tell anyone. she's really very good at keeping promises. Look, there she is," Mandy said pointing Gabby out of the crowd. Canaan and Gabby were standing by the green pavilion talking with Gregory. The match was over. Mandy didn't even see who won.

"Go tell her if she tells anybody.... If she tells anybody... I know! If she tells anybody she'll be in trouble with the great and powerful Oz. Trust me, it'll scare her to secrecy," Merlin added with an amused look at Mandy. "Then, tell her family that you found your Uncle Waldo and will go home with him," Merlin said, the twinkle in his eyes shining brighter than normal.

She did as she was told. When she told Gabby about the Great and Powerful Oz, Gabby looked around very quickly, then took a step closer to her father. But, the hardest to say good-bye to was Canaan. He had acted like the father she never had. Even though they'd only known each other for a very short while, she felt like he was part of her family. With a final good-bye, she slowly headed back to Merlin.

"You do realize it's for the best that you go. You have a bright future ahead of you. Trust me, I went and checked it out," Merlin said. "Now, no one here, except Gabby will remember you. She'll only remember because you told her the truth," Merlin explained.

"Will I remember anything?" Mandy asked.

"Yes, you will," Merlin replied. "If my calculations are correct, it's time to be getting you back home," Merlin said with a friendly smile.



CHAPTER SIX: HOME

Mandy felt a sudden gust of icy cold wind, then everything went black.

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

'Beep!'

"M, sweetie! It's time to get ready for school!" Mandy heard her mother call from downstairs.

"I'm home!" Mandy said eagerly to herself as she look around her familiar room.

"M! Did you hear me!?" amber called again from downstairs.

"Okay, mom!" Mandy called as she turned off her alarm clock. She looked down at herself and saw she was still wearing the old brown dress. She went over to her window and saw it was dawn on a bright spring morning.

THE END