#TrappedInTheGlobe

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Snow Globe Reality Shaina Tranquilino December 4, 2024

Inside the shimmering glass dome, the snow never stopped falling. Ethan, a boy of twelve, stood in the middle of the tiny village square, surrounded by miniature cottages and pine trees frosted with artificial snow. He’d been trapped here for what felt like weeks, though he had no way to track time. The sky inside the globe never changed; it was always the same pearly haze.

The last thing he remembered before waking up in this strange place was his sister, Lily, shaking the snow globe on the fireplace mantel. Her laughter still echoed in his ears, a cruel reminder of his current predicament.

Ethan had tried everything to escape. He’d screamed, jumped, and thrown snowballs at the glass, but it only left him breathless. The snow globe, it seemed, was a world entirely separate from the one he’d known.

One day, while wandering the small, empty village, Ethan stumbled upon an old, dusty shop that wasn’t there before. The sign above the door read "Antiquities and Oddities." He pushed the door open, a tiny bell tinkling overhead. Inside, an old man sat behind a counter, polishing a crystal ball.

"You seek the way out," the man said without looking up.

Ethan blinked. "You know I’m trapped?"

The man gave a dry chuckle. "You’re not the first. And you won’t be the last."

"How do I escape?" Ethan asked, his voice desperate.

The man gestured to a small, glowing quill on the counter. "Write a message to the real world. But be warned, the message must be clear, and it must touch someone’s heart."

Ethan grabbed the quill and looked around for paper. The old man handed him a piece of parchment. Ethan thought hard. What would Lily notice? What would make her believe him?

He began to write: Lily, it’s me, Ethan. I’m trapped inside the snow globe. I need your help. Remember when we built that snow fort last Christmas and you said you’d always protect me? Please believe me. Shake the globe three times, then hold it close and say my name. Please.

The quill glowed brighter as he finished the message. The parchment folded itself into a tiny paper airplane and flew straight into the glass wall of the globe. Ethan watched in awe as the paper passed through the barrier and disappeared.

Days—or what felt like days—passed with no response. Ethan began to lose hope. He sat in the square, staring up at the unchanging sky. Then, one day, the snow stopped.

A booming voice echoed around him. “Ethan? Is it really you?”

He looked up to see Lily’s enormous face peering into the globe, her eyes wide with disbelief.

“Yes!” Ethan shouted, jumping to his feet. “Do what the message said! Shake it three times and say my name!”

Lily nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. She shook the globe once, twice, three times. Then, clutching it close, she whispered, “Ethan.”

A bright light enveloped him, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the living room floor. Lily was crouched over him, the snow globe cradled in her hands.

“You’re back!” she sobbed, throwing her arms around him.

Ethan hugged her tightly, his heart pounding. The snow globe sat on the floor beside them, now empty, its once-bustling village gone.

“Let’s never touch that thing again,” Ethan said with a weak smile.

Lily nodded, pushing it far away. As they sat together, the snow globe’s faint glow dimmed, leaving nothing but a fragile glass shell and the memory of a world that was better left forgotten.