The Hidden City

I wrote this story when I was in the college, I wanted to apply with it in a competition but my circumstances went above this, so here I’m this is my first work, and I hope I did it well as I wanted, maybe it’s not perfect, but it’s real, and I love it.

Chapter One: the feelings of the Wizard

Once upon the time, In one of the ancient times for planet Raiden the human empire was full of a lot of kingdoms, and in one of these kingdoms starts our story with our friend, the king’s wizard, through the ages the northern lands were always abandoned with no sign of life inside it, there were so many attempts for exploring these lands from kings, wizards and even scouts from this kingdom or other kingdoms, but all the attempts were crowned with failure, but this didn’t stop our friend over here to carry on and explore these lands, from his early age and till now he has had feelings that there is something over there calling him and waiting to be discovered, and the wizard was reading his father’s diaries as well, that his father always wanted to go and discover these lands, so he also wanted to achieve his father’s wish,

One day the wizard made up his mind to go and discover the northern lands, and with his little owl he decided to go to these far lands, the kings opinion was that the wizard should not go there, but the wizard told the king about what he feels about going there, and the king was surprised! and said that it’s not common to hear him saying this, as he always follows his mind more, but this time his feelings are telling him to go there!, so the king let him go and advised him to take care of himself and to take enough food with him and he might find something there, something couldn’t the previous people find, and the wizard’s father was one of those who couldn’t find anything there, or at least that what our friend here thought, the wizard just took some water, some bread and the king insisted on giving him some apples with him, and with his owl the wizard carried on to his long way journey, hopefully to find any form of life over there into the northern lands, the wizard set out and took with him the necessary tools and equipment and took his little owl with him, and our wizard begins his long journey to the northern lands

Chapter Two: the water wall and the crystal shield

After a long journey the wizard finally reached the northern lands, and his search starts from there, he started searching everywhere looking for any sign of life out there, but all of his attempts failed to find anything here, he couldn’t find any sign for a living creature or water or even planets, all what he found was sand and rocks and more sand and rocks, and everything was telling him to go away from here, and he was feeling weird, as he always follows his mind not his heart, but he just said in himself that his intuition brought him here, so no need to follow my mind anymore, so the wizards feelings and intuition was the leader that the wizard is following in this journey, and he reached places that he couldn’t reach ever using his mind, and every time the wizard gets closer he find that his feeling has increased, and his eyes are lying on him, and his mind contradicts him, but he didn’t care and carried on farther and farther till he reached a great rocky hill, but his friend the owl told him that if he is going to keep like this they will be out of food and water, and they will die of starving and thirst as there is only two apples to eat and they are running out of water, but he also didn’t listen to the owl, as his feeling were so great towards moving on forward that he is very very close to find something, and he reached the end of the rocky hill and found nothing at all but the rocks and sand everywhere, and only then his feeling become greater than ever, and he felt just going there, the owl started warning him that if they got farther they will die defiantly!

But he didn’t care and kept walking in the middle of nowhere, and every time he gets closer his heartbeats are getting faster, till he reached a big wall of stone and he just felt he wants to touch it and when hi did he found what nobody could ever believe, he touched the stone wall and his touch was just like a drop of water falling into a large clear water lake, he extended his hand to touch it again and he had the same felling, but this time he just decided to push his arm and his full body inside this wall, and it was like passing through a large water barrier, and when he opened his eyes he found what he was looking for all this time, he found what no mind could ever believe to be excited in these barren desert of the northern lands, he looked up and saw why the place was hidden all this time, he found something like a great crystal shield preventing any one to see this place, and it was transparent, so no one ever could see what is inside it, they will only see what is behind it, which is the desert of the northern lands…..

Chapter Three: two apples solved everything

After the wizard passed through the water wall he opened his eyes to see the place he found, he saw green lands and waterfalls, he saw a beautiful shapes of gardens full of flowers of all colors, he saw animals and beautiful little birds and butterflies, he found life forms that he have never seen before in his kingdom, and after taking a deep look into the place, the wizard started to walk around the place quietly at the height of his happiness, and the owl was also surprised with what she saw in this strange beautiful place, and while they were walking they found what is more surprising, they found a very short creatures doing various things, such like picking flowers and planets, playing with birds, and drawing strange shapes on papers and sand, and it seemed to be an engineering works, and they looked to be very smarts and will doing and also very shay, and they were just like humans but remarkably shorter compared to humans, the wizard asked the owl to scout the surrounding place, and he started opening his notes to draw the little creatures that seemed to be dwarves, the owl left to scout, then suddenly and while the wizard was watching those creatures and drawing them in passion a strange and giant thing appeared in front of the wizard, it was also similar to humans as well but much taller not just from the little creatures, but also from the humans themselves, and other giant creatures appeared and they were helping the dwarves, the giant creatures showed to have strength, courage, emotions, and feelings that fit their huge size,

The wizard was more amazed by what he saw and when he kept watching he was even more impressed by what he realized! The giants and the dwarves were very friendly with each other and there was a great and strong harmony between them, they were integrated into everything they do together in an unbelievable way! the dwarves were like the mastermind, while the strong giants were using their physical strength to help the weak tiny dwarves, the dwarves were planning and designing, and the giants were applying it to make it more than just ink on paper or engravings on the sand, the wizard also recognized the strong friendship between both of them, so every little dwarf had a close giant friend, they were just incredible,

the wizard was watching the giants and the dwarves carefully with great passion and admiration, and he was writing down and drawing everything he sees in his little diary, and while the wizard was watching the giants and the dwarves, the owl was still scouting around, and while she was standing on a tree branch one of the dwarves saw her, and he started getting closer to the owl to see her close, but when the owl realized this she flow away, but the dwarf started following her, but the owl was very fast and quite to make sure she loses the dwarf and got back to the wizard to tell him about her scouting mission, and the wizard decided to get closer carefully to give a nearer look at these wonderful creatures, but what the wizard and the owl didn’t expect, is that the dwarves have a good smelling sense, and the one who saw the owl followed her to the wizard’s place, and while the wizard was writing down his notes, the dwarf saw the owl on the wizard’s shoulder but he didn’t see the wizard as he was hidden into the leaves, then he came on up to surprise the owl as he was playing with her but he saw the wizard!

The little dwarf was shocked, he saw the wizard holding his notes and watching the rest of his friends, then the wizard looked at him and waved with his hand saying hi while smiling, the little dwarf screamed and ran to one of the giants and climbed to his shoulder and pointed to the place of the wizard to the giant, and that took the other giants and dwarves attention, and they all were watching the spot that the little dwarf saw the wizard on, so the wizard decided to appear for them after he found that he is spotted, and found himself in a big trouble!

The wizard came up and put his bag and his notes down, and tried to talk with the giants and the dwarves, but they weren’t able to understand a single word of what he said, the giants and the dwarves made a circle around the wizard and the owl, and every time the wizard looks behind, the dwarves get scared and hide behind the giant’s legs, and when he gives them his back they look at him again, the wizard tried to use his mind to get out of this tied situation, and he came up with an idea, he bent down and put his hand in his bag and when the giants and dwarves saw this, the dwarves got to hide behind the giants and the giants took the attacking mood, and when they were just about to get on the wizard he took an apple out of his bag! Then the wizard decided to take a bite from the apple and make a sound that shows how delicious it is, the dwarves looked to each other and made an expiration that showed how amazed they are with the strange food he got, then the wizard makes a bold move and throws the apple to one of the giants to taste it, when he did throw it all of the dwarves got behind the giant, and when the giant ate the apple that was very small compared to his hand, it was very delicious for him, then the wizard decided to take the other apple to give it to one of the dwarves, but the owl was angry because this was her apple, as they had only two apples, the wizard toke it anyway and wanted to give I to a little dwarf, but the dwarf was very shay and was hiding behind the a giant leg, so the giant noticed that the dwarf was shay and the wizard wants to give the apple to him, he kindly pushed the dwarf telling him to go and take the apple from the wizard, the dwarf looked to the giant and turned to the wizard and decided to walk slowly towards him, and he took the apple form him, the other dwarves were watching curiously waiting for their friend to taste the apple, the dwarf looked at his friend and to the giants then he took a bite from the apple, then there was a silence for a second and suddenly he was very surprised with taste of it, then everything turned over and all the dwarves stopped felling shay or afraid from the wizard and they started to come over him and play with his stuff and to climb on his shoulder, the wizard was extremely happy with this, then one of them suggested to take the wizard to the city hall and hold a feast on his honor, the giant who toke the apple putted his arm on the ground and the wizard stood on his arm with his owl and the giant left him on his shoulder with dwarf how took the apple from him, the wizard was very excited that he is going to discover the city more and more with these beautiful creatures as his journey goes on.

Chapter Four: it wasn’t a peach juice

it was just a few minutes and they reached the center of the city in a big crowded group headed by the giant who is caring the wizard, the giants, and the dwarves made a big feast on the wizard’s honor, and he was on the head of the table as he is the guest of honor. But the wizard realized a strange thing, the seat that the wizard sets on is just like the king’s throne, which was very weird as his throne is the only one among all the other kingdoms that is looks different and unique, the dwarf that took the apple from the wizard was sitting next to him and he was also feeding him with his little short hands as an expression of his thanks to the wizard, the wizard looked at the owl as she didn’t want to give her apple to the little dwarf and his looks were saying: are you convinced now that I was right?! while the owl kept eating in silence.

Everyone finished their food and it was time to rest, but before this, they gave the wizard a yellow drink that smells and tasted like a peach, they were using it as a stomach laxative and it was a very nice drink.

Everyone finished his food and the night has come, the dwarves created a small house for the owl, and the wizard was playing with the dwarf who took the apple from him, he used the light spell on him and it was not harmful of course but it’s funny and colorful, then the dwarf pretended to be injured and fall on the ground in a funny way, and the wizard came on him and the dwarf open his eyes a little bit to see if the wizard is still looking at him and the wizard was actually looking at him in a funny way too like he was saying to the dwarf get up I catch you, then the dwarf came up from the ground and started laughing and running around the wizard, it was a real good time.

The wizard came to sleep and he was looking for a bed to sleep but the giant’s bed was very big to sleep on and the dwarf’s bed was very small, so he found that the dwarves had already made a suitable bed for him, and everyone slept in peace.

The next morning everyone woke up except the wizard, it turned out that the drink he had was not a peach juice, it was a deep sleep narcotic and it had the peach flavor, the wizard didn’t know.

The giants and the dwarves tried to wake the wizard up but he wasn’t as he was still under the influence of the narcotic, the owl saw this and decided to fly back to the kingdom to bring some help.

An argument happened between the dwarves and the giants about the reason that made the wizard be like this, they had quarreled and each decided to leave the other alone after today.

Chapter Five: the first dwarf to win the Oscar

two days later and the wizard waked up from his deep sleep, the dwarves saw him and they were very happy, they moved around him and showed their happiness that he is okay, the giants saw him too, but they greeted him and waved their hands for him from distance they didn’t go to him, the wizard pointed at the giants telling the dwarves to go to them but the dwarves refused and didn’t want to go to the giants, then the wizard concluded that they had a fight while he was sleeping, and one of the dwarves shoed him that the owl’s house is empty, and the wizard concluded that the owl returned back to the king and she will bring him here and he didn’t want anyone to discover this place as the wizard is sure that the other kingdoms will take advantage of this place and they might ruin it and harm the giants and the dwarves as well, so he had to think about a smart plane to avoid all of this, and after a while a great idea came up to his mind, and the first step is to make the giants and the dwarves together again and he knows how to do it.

While the wizard was thinking and making his plane, the owl had just returned to the king’s palace, and when he saw the owl alone without the wizard he immediately knew that something must had happened to the wizard, the owl tried to explain what happened to the king but he thought that a group of bandits have interrupted his way, so he order his minister to gather an army to go to the northern lands, and in less than an hour they were all prepared to go and rescue the wizard that don’t want anyone to rescue him.

The wizard started to gather the giants together so he can speak to them hopping that they will understand him and before he start to speak he stumbled upon one of the dwarves and he got angry and throwed a spell on that dwarf so he fall down, the dwarves and the giants both started to look at each other and to the wizard and showed that they are very angry, the wizard saw this so he took the dwarf who fall down and start running from them and the dwarves climbed on giants and they started chasing the wizard.

The wizard’s plane succeeded and the dwarves and the giants are friends again but against him so he had to get into the second part of his plane, the wizard reached a ledge and jumped off it using his magic and reached the other side with the dwarf, and the giants reached the same ledge with the dwarves on their shoulders and they started screaming at the wizard with anger and the dwarves think of a way to reach the wizard on the other side, so they started drawing an engineering paint and it was like a bridge to the wizard so they can get their friend from him, the giants started to follow the dwarves paint on the sand and they co-operated again and become one untie as the wizard wanted, and they made it and they built the bridge together and passed to the other side towards the wizard, and when they were approaching the wizard he raised his hand with the stop sign and he poked the dwarf that was with him and he was like opening his eyes searching if there is anyone looking at him and then he waked up! Yes he was pretended to be a sleep and pointed to his friends that he is okay and hugged the wizard, and actually that was the deal between him and the wizard, to use the fireworks spell and to pretend to be a sleep so the giants and the dwarves will be reunited again to save their friend, and when the giants and the dwarves looked at the wizard, they understood what he wanted to say when he gathered them, despite the current anger between both of you, you still holding in protecting each other, and even despite any kind of disagreements that could happened between you, eventually the only thing that you truly have is each other, cause no one will ever care about you like yourselves taking care and protecting each other from anything that could ever hurt you or disturb your peace, so isn’t it the time to become friends again?

The giants and the dwarves looked at each other and started crying and hugging each one in a very lovely scene and the wizard was watching them and drawing them in his note, but he stopped when the little dwarf hugged him in a lovely way, then after all of this they decided to go back to the city again carrying the wizard and the little dwarf and they were very happy, very safe, and very warm, on the other side the owl was leading the army to the wizard’s location but she was exhausted and they decided to take a rest and continue on after a while tell the owl gets her power back.

Chapter six: Magic, Goodbyes, And memories

The giants and the dwarfs already finished building the bridge to the wizard and the little dwarf, and they are taking the wizard back to the city, the dwarfs and the giants were very happy they become friends again, and that the wizard and the little dwarf are both OK, they reached the city and the wizard showed that the owl is going to bring people here so they need to support the Shield that keeps the city hidden from anyone, so they carried the Wizards to the source of the camouflage spell, and they started to teach the wizard the kind of magic they are using to hide the city like this, how it works, how to use it, and how to stop it, so the Wizards can improve the shield with them,

On the other side the owl took enough rest and with the king’s men they were on the way to the Wizards location, but the king noticed that the place the owl is taking them to is similar to him before, like he knows this way, and the king kept moving with his men following the owl in order to save the Wizard,

in the city, in the source of the camouflage shield, the wizard finished learning the basic things about the spell that keeps the city hidden and transparent like this, and he used his magic with the giants and dwarfs, and they supported the shield together, when he finished, he felt the king’s men are getting closer to his location, so he told the giants and the dwarfs that he needs to go.

the giants showed how sad they are when they knew that the wizard is leaving them, and the dwarves started to circle around the wizard and cry as their lovely friend is going to leave them, the wizard hugged the dwarves lovely and warmly and he got up to say bye to the giants especially the one who took the apple from him when they first met them, then this giant lifted him on his shoulder and the dwarfs climbed up on the giants shoulders as well, and they all went to take the Wizard to the place they first met,

they reached the place, and the king’s men we’re about to reach the city as well, the wizard got off the giant shoulder and he bid them farewell, and headed to the waterwall, but before he passes the Shield’s waterwall the dwarf who took the apple from the wizard on the first when he entered the city called the wizard, the wizard stopped and looked at the little dwarf and the dwarf gave him a special necklace with a green crystal with the cities motto engraved on it, and he leaned down and hugged the little dwarf, then he got up and gave one last look to the hidden city, the dwarves and the giants together, then he carried on his way and passed the waterwall.

During this time the army was getting closer from the place of the waterwall, but the wizard realized that they are coming towards him, so he got up and went quickly to one of the directions away from the shield direction, and in that way they will think he came from this point, the army went closer towards the city then the wizard came up from the right side of the army and call them, they felt so happy that the wizard is still alive, and that the bandits didn’t attack him, then he came to the king and when the king saw him all the frustration that was in his face disappeared and he hugged the wizard very tough like a father hugging his son, and the king pointed to the army that they’re going back to the Kingdom, during the walk back to the Kingdom,

the king said to the wizard: what happened to? You made the whole Kingdom feel worry about you

the wizard replied: I just had heatstroke and lost consciousness a little bit.

but the king wasn’t stupid, he realized the Nicholas around the Wizards neck, and he laughed a light sarcastic laugh, and he took out a Nicholas that was the same shape as the wizard’s one, he was hiding it around his neck all that time!

he said to the Wizards: where exactly did you get this headstock?

The wizard noticed that the Nicholas with the king that he was hiding was the same as his own, so he wandered a little then realized that the king already knows about the hidden city with the giants and dwarfs, but he didn’t tell anyone about it because he was afraid that the humans will ruin the city and terrorize its residents.

The king interrupted the wizard’s thoughts and asked him again: where did you get this headstock?

The wizard laughed and said to the king smiling: I got it from the same place you got your throne from.

The king laughed and said to the Wizard: well, I’m happy that you noticed this,

The wizard said wonderingly: so, you already know, but how is that possible?!

The king said to the wizard: let me tell you a story, when I was a Prince and before I become a king me and your father we’re best friends, and we felt the same way you felt, and we decided to follow our sense by going where no one gone before, we searched there a lot and while searching me and your father got attacked by bandits, and we had to defend ourselves against them, we dodge them and your father got injured badly, during this we escaped from them, and while I was carrying your injured father and we were moving into the border of nowhere suddenly we got hit by a big tree and we fainted together, when I woke up I found the dwarfs and the giants around us they were taking care of us and your dad was about to die his injure was very bad and the dwarves couldn’t save him, they were very kind, but your father achieved his live dream, to see this beautiful place that he always believed that it’s existed and made me believe it myself, before your father dies we decided together to keep this place a secret from the other Kingdoms to protect it, I think I should have told you this long time ago, but if I did you wouldn’t have discovered this place yourself and I guess they liked you very much.

The Wizards was impressed by what the king said and he was very proud of his father, and the wizard realized that his father’s real wish was that his son finds this place as well.

He was very emotional in this moment, then he said to the king: if you knew that I was going to discover this place like you and dad did, why did you let me go there?

The king said to him: because that place chooses its visitors, and it did choose you, so all I had to do was to let you go to it and let it guide you to its place,

This is the hidden city in the northern lands

And the king returned with his army along with the Wizard and his little owl to their Kingdom in peace.

The End