On his first day at a new kindergarten, Emil slips into a strange land where feelings have colours, homes, and secrets of their own.
One morning, seven-year-old Emil woke with a twist in his tummy.
Today was the day. His first day at the new kindergarten.
Mum had made raspberry cereal, but Emil only poked at it with his spoon. His thoughts felt tangled and heavy. What if no one played with him? What if everyone already had a best friend? What if he stood all alone in the corner?
Outside, the park was bright and noisy with birds. Emil walked beside his mother, but his feet felt slow. When they came to a big old oak tree, he stopped and put one hand against the rough bark. The ground gave a tiny shiver.
Emil blinked.
The park was gone.
The trees were orange and purple. The sky was a soft green, like mint ice cream. Little fluffy clouds floated past, smiling at him. Emil stared so hard that his eyes went wide.
“Hello!” said a voice.
A girl with blue pigtails was waving from a path lined with sparkling flowers. “I’m Zuzia. Welcome to the Land of Colourful Feelings.” She bounced closer and her pigtails flashed gold when she smiled. “Here, feelings show their colours.”
Emil looked around. A pink river giggled as it ran between the grass. Nearby stood a blue stone house where someone inside was sniffing softly. Farther away, a red bridge trembled like it was cross with the whole world. On a hill, a small green house sat very still and calm.
Zuzia pointed ahead. “If you want, I can show you where the feelings live. But first we have to cross the Labyrinth of Bewilderment. It changes when it wants to.”
Emil took one careful step closer.
Just then, something rustled deep inside the maze.
Not a leaf.
Not a bird.
Something else.