Mandy looked at the alien girl. "Do you live here?"
The girl took one step forward, to sit on a nearby rock. "Yes, it's really not as bad as it looks. This is just a small part of Gurra. We have much nicer places. Can I show you?"
Mandy sat in the frame, keeping a close eye on her world. "I have a family, I don't want to get stuck here. My mom would think I ran away, or something bad happened to me."
The girl nodded. "I understand, I have a family too. We have plenty of time, though. Around five sleeps. When Darrack leaves our view, the way to your world will close."
Mandy sighed, and leaned back. "I have so many questions. How is it we are speaking the same language? In my world we have so many different ones, and I only know English."
The girl smiled, revealing sharp white teeth. "What we are understanding is each other's thoughts, not words. I have a special machine that makes this possible."
Mandy swiped a hand into the warm air of her world, then stood. She hopped down, and walked over to the girl.
"My name is Mandy. May I please see it?"
The girl nodded, then pulled a necklace out from underneath her clothes. Dangling from a silver chain was a small gem, cut into many tiny pyramids.
"My name is Zara. I'm the one who opened the window to your world. I hoped someone would come, but there was no way to be sure."
Mandy looked back at the sunny field. "Come see my world. It really is beautiful! I can show you the little creek I wade in."
Zara looked at the peaceful scene, and sighed. "I wish I could, but I have no way of knowing how time works there. It's different for each place."
Mandy's eyes widened. "You mean it could close any time?"
Zara shook her head. "No, from this side I know when it will close. We have lots of time. But in your world, it might be that only a few minutes have passed."
Mandy walked back to the giant stone structure, and put her hand on it. "Are you able to open it again?"
Zara walked over to it, and looked at the golden field. "Only from this side. We think the one on your side will disappear when the time is up. It can be opened from this side once every five hundred sleeps. But we can't really choose what world we connect with. We think about what we want when we touch the panel, but the window itself chooses from many different worlds."
Mandy frowned. "I don't really understand that. But what were you wishing for when you did it?"
She turned away from Mandy. "I was thinking about how lonely I am. I was wishing for a friend."
Mandy put her hand on Zara's shoulder. "I need a friend too. Please come back with me? You can sleep in my room."
"I was hoping you would stay. I also have a mom who would miss me."
Mandy shook her head. "I can't do that, but we can enjoy the time we have. And you can try to open the window to my world again, the next time you are able to."
The two girls grinned at each other, then ran carelessly over the rough terrain.
They stopped at the top of a large rock formation, and looked down at a city full of shiny round buildings. "It's not much further to Verna. Are you tired, Mandy?"
"Not really, but I am a little hungry."
"Come home and meet my mom. She'll give us something good."
"Are you sure she won't mind me being there?" asked Mandy.
Zara grinned. "Of course not. She's the one who taught me how to use the window. As long as I don't leave Gurra, or get anyone stranded here, she's fine."
The two girls walked into the city. Mandy saw many types of people. Some looked like her, but others were even stranger than Zara.
One of the strangest reminded her of a snail, except that instead of a shell, it was encased in a clear material. It had green liquid circulating through it, and every so often bubbles formed close to the neck.
"My house is right here," Zara announced, as she entered a small domed structure covered in tiny mirrors.
Mandy followed, surprised at how clean and modern everything in the house - and the city itself - was. The stark contrast between the place she had first seen and the vibrant world of Verna amazed her.
Soon she found herself looking at a larger and older version of Zara, dressed in a simple but colorful silk dress.
"This is my new friend, Mandy. She came through the window."
Zara's mother smiled. "Welcome to Gurra. My name is Bala. Would you like some food?"
Mandy nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am."
"What do you like to eat, Mandy? Just think about tastes, please."
Mandy did so, and Bala nodded. "I'll fix Zara's favorite dessert."
Soon the two girls were happily eating a sweet flat bread, fried and covered in sugar.
"Would you like to go see the fields we have in Gurra? They're not as nice as yours, they're full of big old Mullers. But it's still a fun place to visit.
"What's a Muller?" asked Mandy.
Zara laughed. "Come on, I'll show you."
To be continued!
Describe what you see:
I see a girl standing in between two worlds. One is very familiar. It has a field, forests, and yellow sunshine. The other world is rocky, rugged, and has either a large moon or a small planet nearby.
Describe what you feel:
I feel like the girl wants to explore. She's probably concerned about the way home possibly closing, stranding her in a strange world.
