CLARA ROCCHICCIOLI took third place in the 2024 Wangaratta Young Writers Award year 10/11/12 story category with this piece. The competition was jointly run by the Rotary Club of Wangaratta, and the Rotary Club of Appin Park Wangaratta. Oooo I had no idea what I'd signed up for. The scroll appeared in my locker one morning, tied with a silky ribbon that shifted between the colours of the rainbow. It read, 'Would you like to host an Extra-Dimensional Exchange Student from the Sorcery Islands?' Beneath the heading, the paper swarmed with fine print, but I didn’t spare it more than a glance. My friend, reading over my shoulder, laughed, joking that I should sign it. I laughed too, at first, but then it began to seem like a possibility. The Sorcery Islands sounded like a setting out of one of my books. Someone magical, stepping into my ordinary, mundane life? I could not resist. I signed the space at the bottom of the scroll, and it vanished. Even after seeing the scroll, an Extra-Dimensional Exchange Student appearing at my front door seemed impossible. I had almost forgotten about it until the day, a month later, when Fennella Forestwind arrived. "Audrey, who is this?" asked my dad from the front door. I looked up from my book, seated in a chair in the lounge room. I'd been too absorbed to notice the knock. I couldn't live without books, the same way I couldn’t live without food or water. They were a way to escape the monotony of my daily life. I had spent my younger years waiting for a portal to open or someone to be abducted by a dragon, and even now, as a teenager, I was still hoping for a bit of magic to enter my world. The second I saw Fennella, I knew it had arrived. She seemed very tall on first impression, but that was the effect of her hat. It was broad-brimmed and tapered, like a witch's hat, but the point crinkled, looped and zigzagged in ways that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Fennella’s hair, as I later discovered, changed style and colour depending on her mood. At that moment, it was rapidly flickering between options as if trying to decide what would be the most appropriate. Her eyes were bright purple and almost glowing. She wore a long, oversized dark brown coat covered in colourful pockets of all shapes and sizes. Lastly were the mismatched hiking boots, which seemed a little too big. Fennella was a colourful, exuberant, magical tornado. "I’m Fennella Forestwind, of the Sorcery Islands, your Extra-Dimensional Exchange Student," she said brightly, eyes sparkling. "It’s absolutely splendiferous to meet you." "I think you might have the wrong address," Dad stammered. "I wasn’t aware of any exchange." I tried to think of something before he could send Fennella away. "Didn’t you get the e-mail?" I asked. "You had to click on the link, then create an account, sign in, but first, before you did all that, you had to connect to the internet..." Dad waved a hand dismissively. "You know how I am with technology. Come in, Fennella, I’m so sorry the house is in a mess. I wasn’t expecting visitors." He paused and glared at us. "Wait- this isn’t some sort of joke? I’ve never heard of the Sorcery Islands." "I am no joke. I can prove it," said Fennella, unfurling a scroll. "I can help tidy your home, too." She pulled a dusting rag out of one of her pockets and made a complicated gesture in the air. The rag flew from her hand and dusted the top of a nearby bookshelf, before folding itself neatly and returning to her pocket. "I might need to sit down for a moment," gasped Dad, staggering away. I smiled at Fennella, dizzy with excitement and disbelief. "I’ll show you to your room." Within a week, we were close friends: Fennella showed me how to fly her enchanted broom, and I taught her how to ride a bicycle. My family, lacking imagination, were slow to adapt and politely ignored her magical ways. Fennella hadn't needed to study a language to participate in the exchange: the enchanted amulet she wore allowed us to understand each other. Magic was commonplace in the Sorcery Islands, and for Fennella, it was as natural as breathing. It was almost thoughtless, the way she flung spells around at random: levitating her school books, enchanting her pen to write an essay for her. Wherever Fennella Forestwind went, magic was sure to follow. "Can I learn how to use magic?" I asked her. Fennella shook her head. "No. It’s a talent people are born with. I’m sorry, but you haven't got even a crumb of magic potential." "Why haven’t people from the Sorcery Islands come here before?" I wondered. "If you know my dimension exists, why not visit more often?" Fennella winced. "To be honest, I shouldn’t be using any magic at all while I’m here. You've seen how everyone reacts. It was decided long ago to minimise contact between the Sorcery Islands and your dimension. Widespread magic would be too disruptive to your world." "Is there any way for me to travel to the Sorcery Islands? Maybe I could go on exchange, like you." "It depends whether your school offers the program. It’s very highly regulated. I had to apply one year before the exchange." My hope had been wrecked on a sharp reef of rocks, and now it sank slowly beneath the waves. So deep that sunlight could not reach it. Once the exchange was over, magic would be gone from my life forever. I would be back to my ordinary self in my ordinary world. Perhaps you understand now, Sorcerer, why I was the one to step through the portal instead of Fennella. I knew I would be returned home, but it was enough just to see the world from my books, and the magic that existed outside of my imagination. All that I needed to do was organise a simple distraction.
