Have you ever rolled down the window, out on the open road, and set your hand against the wind, dear reader? You have to angle your hand just right, or the wind will keep catching it and throwing it backward. There’s a point, however, when you find the right rhythm, and your hand glides like a surfer on invisible waves. That’s how Indira started their journey into the unknown. Her hair tossing from her shoulders, hand outstretched, watching the countryside whip past.
Gadget turned out to be an excellent driver.
As the sun began to set, she kept them moving at high speeds across the winding countryside of Plot. Towns would appear, only to vanish just as quickly behind them. The howls chased them for a while, but eventually even they grew distant. Allen Squalls was calculating all the new threats that awaited them now that they’d left the safety of Ordinary. These included wolves, bears, and a mythical combination of the two that he’d creatively named were-bears. Squalls sat up front with Gadget and was discussing the genetic impossibilities of such a creature as their carriage followed the western road toward the mountains.
Indira finally had a moment alone with Phoenix.
“So,” she said. “You’re a dragon?”
He grinned. “I wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. It’s in my Words.”
A knot tightened in her stomach. His Words. She knew from experience that a character’s First Words were a promise and a warning. They’d hear those Words one day, but only if they actually made it into a story. Did Phoenix know how important this tutorial was for him?
Underglass had mentioned that this was an opportunity for Phoenix to prove that his connection with Indira was strong enough to work in their eventual story. Indira guessed that Phoenix had no clue about the other possible romantic lead—or the fact that he’d be unfinished if this didn’t work out. She forced herself to nod.
“It’s pretty cool,” Indira said. “This scenario’s actually kind of fun.”
“I thought we were going to be in a classroom! The word tutorial had me picturing a professor going over theories or something. This is way better.” He hesitated before lowering his voice. “Besides, it doesn’t hurt that we get to do it together, either.”
Indira smiled at him. “No, that doesn’t hurt at all.”
Fire kicked to life in his eyes, ringing his pupils with golden light. Indira thought about telling him how nice they looked, but at that exact moment, Gadget slammed the brakes. There was a stretching second where the world seemed as if it had hit the pause button. And then momentum threw Indira into the side of the carriage. Phoenix was flung into her. She caught an elbow in the stomach and their foreheads collided painfully.
Groaning, Indira pushed to her feet. Phoenix awkwardly untangled himself, his cheeks blooming a brighter red. The two of them crossed to the front of the carriage to see what had happened. Allen Squalls was huddled in one corner, checking himself for wounds.
“I could have been thrown from the vehicle!” he said.
“But you weren’t,” Phoenix pointed out. “Twenty-five percent is looking pretty good.”
The nervous boy had no response to that. Gadget stood in the driver’s seat, framed by an eerie glowing light. Indira wondered if the Stained had come for them. Her hand glided down to the grip of her hammer. She glanced at the Hero’s Journey tutorial for confirmation, but it showed they were still on the same step they’d been on since bursting through the gates of Ordinary. It was the one step that Indira hadn’t immediately understood:
CROSSING THE THRESHOLD
“Whoa,” Gadget said. “You guys have to check this out….”
“Are there aliens?” Squalls called. “Because if it’s aliens, I’m a hard pass….”
Gadget didn’t answer. Instead, she leaped down from the carriage.
Indira finally saw the source of the light. Digital stations—each one about her height—circled a massive stone memorial. It had been built like a sprawling tabletop, the kind a general might use to make a plan of attack before battle.
As Indira climbed down from the carriage, she couldn’t help marveling at the details. The tabletop had been carved to match the surrounding countryside. There were little stone farmhouses and quiet villages and slanting rivers.
At the very center of the table, however, a straight line ran across. The canyon separated those familiar villages from a dark beyond. Indira noticed that end of the table was carved to mimic a swirl of shadows and waiting threats, all on the verge of taking shape.
Indira knew Gadget couldn’t resist playing with tech. She watched as the girl tapped the nearest interface. The display glowed brighter. There was a flash of light, and then the image of a girl projected out onto the road they were standing on. She wore a checkered blue-and-white dress, had brown pigtails, and clutched a little dog tightly to her chest.
Her eyes grew wide as she said, “Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore….”
The image shimmered brightly before flickering out.
“That was Dorothy,” Squalls whispered. “From the Wizard of Oz.”
Another console activated. Another character—and Indira felt certain this was also a famous character—flashed out onto the road. This one was a young boy with a straw hat, dirty overalls, and bare feet. He grinned at them like they were all old friends.
“It’s the little things that smooths people’s roads the most….”
He winked before vanishing like the first image.
“That was Huckleberry Finn!” Phoenix whispered in awe. “Remember, Indira? We studied him in Sympathetic Characters class with Threepwood.”
Indira nodded, though she didn’t remember that. As they stood there, other characters appeared. Old lines written by ancient Authors were recited. It felt sacred to sit there and listen to little snatches from their stories. Indira also noticed that most of the lines had to do with moving forward into the unknown.
The final console cast the image of a young knight. He surprised Indira by climbing right up onto the table. A glowing sword appeared, half plunged into the stone. He gripped the hilt, set his feet, and pulled with all his might. There was a sharp sound as the sword came free in a brilliant flash. Indira knew this story. Almost every character did.
“Good evening. I am King Arthur.” The young knight strode to the edge of the table and looked at them. “This was my moment of Crossing the Threshold. You have come to your moment in the Hero’s Journey tutorial where you will do the same. When I pulled the sword from the stone, everything about my life changed. It was the day that I left ordinary behind.
“The way forward will not be easy. You will find a Road of Trials awaiting you. Strange conflicts. Difficult quests. But the truth—for every brave character—is that your journey cannot begin without crossing out of what you know and into what you do not. It is our greatest calling. Whether it means entering the land of Oz or claiming our rightful title as king, this is the moment that marks your first step into something more.”
He leaped down from the edge of the tabletop. They all watched as the digital king dragged the tip of his sword across the very real road. An actual line formed in the dirt and began to glow with light. Indira found herself mesmerized by it. “Cross this line,” Arthur commanded. “Begin your journey. Become the heroes you were born to be.”
The image vanished.
Indira looked around at the others. Everyone stood a few inches taller. Allen Squalls was the first to speak, and the nervous edge in his voice was barely noticeable now.
“I hope—I hope one day I have a line in my story that everyone remembers. Or a cool moment that echoes through the worlds forever! It’d be amazing to have that.”
Gadget was quieter. “I just want to be chosen for a story. That would be enough for me.”
“Same here,” Phoenix said. “But that’s how each of them started. I don’t think they knew they’d become legends, or that their words would be programmed into memorials. I’d bet each one of them started out like us. Just a character hoping to find a role in a story.”
“What a fine speech!” a voice behind them called. “Fifty more points for you!”
The crew turned to find Beginning strolling up the road. She still had that wide grin on her face. “That was a truly wonderful start to your scenario! One of the smoothest we’ve seen. There were secrets and daring escapes and unexpected friendships! Oh, I knew you all would be up to something good. It’s time now to hand you off to my sister.”
She gestured down the road. Indira looked. The teenage version approached from that direction. Middle was unsmiling. She wore a determined look that matched her tougher appearance. Indira finally understood why she looked the way she did. The middle of the book was where all the true tests waited. In the beginning, things were bright and exciting, the way the youngest sister appeared. What came next would be a true measure of their team’s strength.
It was almost as if Middle read her thoughts, because the girl called out from where she stood. “Come enter my realm. Let’s see what you can really do.”
In the silence that followed, all three of Indira’s crew members looked to her. She thought about all the dreams and hopes they’d just shared. Truths that had nestled deep in each of their hearts. It wasn’t lost on Indira that she had already achieved the dream each of them was still reaching for. She’d been viewing the tutorial as a game, a chance to brush up on her skills.
It was so much more than that for the others. This was their chance to prove their worth. This was an opportunity to cross their own thresholds and find a story that would last forever. Indira looked each one of her crew in the eye. “From what I’ve seen so far, all of you have a story waiting out there. Let’s keep practicing. Let’s finish this quest. Let’s score the highest marks any tutorial has ever seen. Who’s with me?”
The crew responded with a cheer. Phoenix flashed her a smile as they walked back over to the carriage. Indira saw Beginning skipping back down the road toward Ordinary. Middle knelt on a nearby hill, ready to witness the very moment they entered her territory in the land of Plot.
Nothing happened when they crossed the glowing line in the road. There was no special flash of light. None of them grew wings or discovered special superpowers. But Indira could tell that each one of them was sitting up straighter, holding their head higher, their eyes searching the dark horizon for whatever came next.