I need to find my way back home

"First, I'm going to take you to the Helpers Association, and then we will go eat at my house."

"Sure! I would love to meet your parents and siblings."

"I don't have siblings; I'm an only child."

"That's Cool! I have two siblings—besides Anton, I have an older sister named Lea And they both are annoying."

"I wish I had siblings. I don't have anyone to play with at home. Mom and Dad are always busy."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

"How did you and Anton get separated?"

"It's just a long story."

"I love long stories."

Emma laughs.

"Okay, I'll tell you once we find Anton."

"Well, then we should hurry! Let's run."

Frieda starts running as soon as she says that.

"Wait for me!" Emma runs to catch up with her.

They reach the Helpers Association. Surrounded by huge trees, it is a big wooden building. A banner hangs at the top of the building that reads "Helpers Association."

"The receptionist knows me; she would love to help us. Her name is Anika, and she's about the same age as my mother. Let's go."

They open the door, and Anika, the receptionist, sits on one side.

"Hi, Anika."

"Hi, Frieda! What brings you here?"

"I made a friend. Meet her—this is Emma, and she's searching for her brother, Anton."

"Oh Hi, Emma."

"Hi, Anika."

"Let me check the list of missing persons. Oh, here it is—Anton."

With hopeful eyes, they listen to Anika.

"Anton's parents came by a few hours ago and took him home."

Anika smiles.

Emma looks perplexed. She glances at Frieda, who, being happy for Emma, says, "You were needlessly anxious. Your parents found your brother. But wait… you look like you aren't from this town. So, who took your brother? Only people from this kingdom can complete missing person applications in a few hours."

"What's going on?" Anika chimes in.

"Nothing to worry about. Thank you for helping us, Anika."

"No worries!" Anika smiles.

They step outside the building.

"Who took my brother? How did he even end up here? This doesn't make sense. I need to find those people. Frieda, I need your help!"

"I'm always ready to help my friend, but you need to tell me your story so I can understand what's going on."

They go to a nearby park and sit on a bench. The sun is high in the sky, but a light breeze is blowing. They sit together, and Emma's face is tense.

"So, what do you have to say?"

"Promise me you won't tell anyone."

"Yes, I promise."

"Also, it might be hard to believe, but..."

"It's okay."

Emma looked at Frieda with soft expressions, and in a gentle voice, she began to say, "I think I passed through a portal." 

"What?" Frieda asked, taken aback.

An hour passed, with beautiful sparrows singing on the tree branches around them.

"So, you are saying that you and your brother Anton are not from this world? You both passed through a portal, and that house is the portal?" 

"Yes," Emma confirmed. 

"Now your brother somehow ended up in the hands of who knows what kind of people," Frieda said, concern evident in her voice. 

"Yes," Emma replied.

"I don't know whether to believe your story, but I am not the type to think too much. So, you don't have to worry. I believe you, and we have a problem here. We need to get to your brother. I will help you. Let's go."

Touched by Frieda's words, Emma started to cry. She hugged Frieda, saying, "Thank you."

"I'm all for hugs, but friends don't need to say thank you. It must be hard for you, and I'm here for you," Frieda reassured her.

They got up, but Emma had a worried look. "How do we find out who took Anton?" she asked.

"We will have to go back to the association and ask Anika for the details. Let's go," Frieda replied.

They headed to the association, went inside, and asked Anika for information. 

Out in nature, Frieda said, "It would have been more difficult if Anika wasn't the receptionist, but now we know where to go." Both girls grinned at the thought.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Since you are not from here, you might not know about the kingdom. I would love to hear about your world as well. But first, we need to focus on you gaining knowledge about this kingdom and this world." 

"Yes, Frieda, I would love to hear about it," Emma responded eagerly. 

"Let's head to the kingdom first, and I will keep you updated with the information you need," Frieda said.

They walked to a large area surrounded by huge trees. The place that Frieda referred to as the kingdom consisted of large wooden houses. The animals and people here were very different from what Emma had known until now. 

Their clothes, including Frieda's, looked very different. It seemed as though they were made from fabrics she had never seen before. The animals were somewhat similar to those in her world, but they had very different shapes. Everything was so intriguing to observe. to observe.

Emma began to feel intimidated by the way people stared at her, but Frieda's smile was all she needed to feel better. Their goal was the station, where they needed to purchase tickets for their travel to a different town within the kingdom. However, the path was filled with obstacles ahead of both Emma and Frieda.

"Oh, it looks like I'm out of some materials. We should first stop by my house, if that's alright with you, Emma?" 

"Sure," Emma smiled back.