"Ginuuye? What do you think it is?" Anorhe asked her sister.

"I don't know," Ginuuye replied. "But whatever it is, it's not magic."

"How do you know?" Anorhe was too young to understand magic yet.

Ginuuye tried to explain. "It's too...solid. And too complicated. But if it was magic, I'd say it was a portal."

Anorhe's eyes lit up. "Can we go through?"

"No!" Seeing her sister's disappointment, Ginuuye said, "How do you think Mama would react if she found out I'd let you go through a mysterious portal, unprotected?"

"Um...she'd be angry." Anorhe looked at her feet, then looked up again. "But won't you be protecting me?"

Ginuuye sighed. "Well, I suppose if I go first and make sure it's safe on the other side, there shouldn't be a problem."

Anorhe smiled brightly up at her big sister.

"Stay back for now," Ginuuye said sternly as she approached the portal. "You must stay right there until I come back."

Anorhe nodded eagerly.

Ginuuye instinctively held her breath as she stepped into the portal. Nothing happened. She let the air out, finding she was actually a little disappointed. But before she could step out again, it took her. Ginuuye felt as though she was being dragged through the air by her innards, going faster and faster.

"Shut it down, now!" someone yelled. The voice sounded very far away.

"My God, there's actually something in there!"

The feeling slowed and stopped. Ginuuye opened her eyes and found herself trapped in an invisible cage, looking out at a shiny place full of very white people.



Dr Albert and his research team stared in shock at the girl who had materialized inside their experimental box. She stared back, but her face expressed fear rather than the team's shared amazement.

"This can't be real," someone said.

"But it is real," Dr Albert replied. "It is all too real. Let's get her out of there."

Two other scientists went to open one side of the box. Dr Albert ducked through the opening and approached the strange girl. She looked somewhat wild, but also quite intelligent. Her skin was very tanned, but her tangled hair was light in color. Her eyes, wide open in fright, were a shade of blue that appeared almost purple under the bright laboratory lights. Albert held out his hand to her.

"Don't be afraid, dear. I won't hurt you. Just come out of here."

Her eyes met his, and he felt a slight shock pass through him. Then the girl reached out and grabbed his hand, and followed him out of the box. As soon as she was out, she fainted.

"Poor kid's in shock," one of the female scientists said. "Would you like me to take her to the spare sleeping quarters?"

Dr Albert would have taken the girl there himself, but just then the important phone started ringing, so he nodded to the woman and put the girl in her arms.

"They want to know why we've stopped, Dr," said the man who answered the phone.

Dr Albert took the phone and held it up to his ear. "Yes, I understand, sir," he said. "The thing is, there's been an unexpected...complication."