I woke up at dawn, feeling like I was being rocked side to side. Sitting up in bed, I glanced around, taking in the room once more. It felt like the little cabin had decided to stretch its “legs” and do a little dance. What in the world was going on? I couldn’t help but recall my favorite childhood fairy tale about Baba Yaga and barked out a command:
“Hey, cabin, stop it!” And just like that, the rocking ceased.
The cabin obediently stilled, though I could still hear the door creaking as it swung open and shut. I jumped out of bed, grabbed the broom, and cautiously crept toward the exit. There was no way this rundown shack could start dancing on its own! Someone had to be behind it. It’s no wonder I’ve always loved Ukrainian folklore and devoured fairy tales from all over the world growing up. Even though everything happening right now felt like nonsense or a horrible dream, I burst onto the porch with the broom in hand.
“Who’s messing around out here?” I demanded, scanning the clearing.
A little ways off, under a tree, there was... No, I think it was sitting, a small blue dragon with tiny wings. Was that really a dragon? I blinked hard, but the creature didn’t disappear. Next to it, leaning against the tree trunk, stood a tall, dark-skinned guy in blue baggy pants, a white embroidered shirt, and high red boots. His black hair flowed in the wind, reaching down to his shoulders. When he saw me, the young man snapped to attention and muttered:
“Good morning, Customs!”
“What kind of customs am I to you?!” I snapped. “Get lost while you’re still in one piece, or I’ll whack you with this broom!”
“No need for the broom!” he squealed, while the little dragon at his feet bared its teeth. “I got word yesterday that a new Customs post opened up here. I just want to get home. I visited Prince History, and I’m exhausted from all these business talks. Plus, my Vasylina isn’t even home... I don’t know where she’s gone... It’s like she fell off the face of the earth...” He sighed heavily.
“What’s this History nonsense? Who’s Vasylina? This is just the forest near my village, Kashtanka,” I thought to myself.
“Hey, buddy, what’s your deal? Read too much fantasy or something?” I asked, tilting my head as I studied his bizarre outfit, and especially the “dragon.” Was that a costume or what? There’s no way it could be real!
“I haven’t read anything,” the clearly confused guy grumbled. “Just let me through, okay?”
“Let you through to where? Into this wreck of a place? There’s nothing in there but dust and spiders!”
“Man, you’re clueless, Customs! I can tell you’re new at this,” the guy threw up his hands in frustration. “Are you gonna let me pass or not?”
“Listen, pal, I got lost in the forest yesterday and stumbled upon this cabin by accident,” I said, pointing inside. “I stayed the night, and now here you are this morning, going on about some History place! Are you guys doing some kind of role-playing game out here? Oh, I get it now. Totally! People come to our village all the time for these kinds of games... The spots in our forest have such a cool vibe. And your outfit... You’re a Cossack, right? But why the dragon? Where’d you even get such an original costume?”
“What games?!” The guy looked just as stunned as I was. “I’m telling you, I traveled to a neighboring principality that’s connected to my kingdom by a special passage. We used to have just one Customs post, but a new one opened yesterday. This one’s closer, so I figured I’d use it!”
“Hold up... Are you saying this principality is called History?” I asked, my mouth practically hanging open in shock.
“Yeah, exactly! Finally, you get it! Where are you even from? Who put you in charge here, Customs?” He seemed to be getting annoyed.
“I told you already: I got lost in the forest!” I shot back with a huff.
“Got it,” he sighed. “You really don’t know anything...”
“So, maybe you can explain it to me?”
“Will you let me into the cabin?”
“Fine, come on in if you’re not afraid of the mess,” I said, stepping aside to let him pass.
But seriously, what a weird situation... Kingdoms and principalities? And who was this guy supposed to be? I watched as he whispered something to the strange little dragon, tied it to a tree, then carefully climbed the three rotting steps—nearly falling—and bumped his head on the doorframe before finally making it into the kitchen.
“Hmm...” he drawled, looking around the interior of the forest cabin. “Customs, why’s it so...”—he paused for a moment—“dirty in here?”
“Seriously? I warned you. I’ll say it again: I got here last night, there was no one around, so I figured I’d crash here instead of sleeping in the woods,” I shrugged.
“So, you really don’t know anything,” he said again with a mysterious smile.
“How about we finally introduce ourselves, and you can tell me everything, okay?” My head was spinning from all these bizarre events.
“Sounds good!” my guest agreed.
“Sorry, I can’t offer you anything to eat—I’ve only got raw mushrooms, some nuts, and berries,” I said sheepishly, settling on the bench across from him.
“No worries,” he replied. “I’ve got everything with me. I’ll treat you today!”
He opened his bag, pulled out a flask, two containers of food, and carefully set them on the table. Then he took out a metal mug, a set of fork and spoon, and a knife.
“Sorry, I’ve only got one mug,” he sighed sadly.
“No problem, I’ve got something,” I said, grabbing my thermos—it’d work as a cup.
Inside the containers were buckwheat porridge with meat and a vegetable salad. It all looked and tasted familiar to me: buckwheat, cucumbers, and tomatoes. The flask held herbal tea, flavorful and aromatic.
“Alright, spill it: who are you, where are you from, and what’s with all these kingdoms around here?” I asked, picking up a spoon.
“I’m Prince Valdemar from the kingdom of Lapriconia. Vasylina is my fiancée, a prince’s daughter...”
“Hold on, how many of these kingdoms and principalities are there?”
“Customs, how would I know?”
“Hey, stop calling me Customs. I’m Mariya, or just Masha.”
“Alright, Masha,” the prince agreed easily. “This forest cabin is a passage between worlds, you get it? It stands at a crossroads...”
“What kind of passage? How does that work?” I blinked in confusion, not fully grasping what he meant.
“Just like that. All worlds are connected to each other. And there are special places—passages. You really don’t know anything?” Valdemar asked again.
“Honestly, no. I’ve only read about this stuff in books.”
“Books tell the truth.”
“But those were fantasy stories!” I protested. “Or fairy tales!”
“And who said fairy tales are made up? There’s a grain of truth in every story,” he pointed out with a sly squint.
“Okay, Valdemar, don’t mess with my head. Tell me about this crossroads.”
“Fine, listen up. You’re the keeper of this passage, or as we call it—Customs. This cabin of yours stands on the western lands of the principality of History...”
“Wait! Where’s my world? Where’s my village? And for that matter, where’s my country, my planet?!”
“Which world are you from?” the prince asked cautiously.
“I’m from Earth, the country of Ukraine...”
“A forbidden world!” Valdemar paled. “It’s been closed off for years! How did you even get here?”
“I have no idea...” I shrugged. “Like I said, I got lost.”
“You must’ve found some kind of passage from your world to this one.”
“Okay, so how are you planning to get from here to your Lapriconia?”
“Through the door!”
“What door?” I asked, confused. “There’s only one door here—to the bedroom. And that one, the front door,” I nodded toward it.
“No way. There’s got to be at least one more.”
We both got up from the bench at the same time and started carefully inspecting the kitchen for another entrance or exit. Sure enough, on the left side of the stove, we found an unassuming wooden door. I approached it and gently pressed the handle. The door swung open easily, and I froze on the threshold. Before me stretched a vast field. The forest was gone.
“How is this possible?” I asked the guy peering over my shoulder. “Where did the forest go?”
“It’s possible. This is an entrance to another world. And this entrance isn’t in a forest—it’s in a field. Beyond this field, a city starts,” he explained.
I couldn’t say anything to that. Too much information, too many questions.
“Alright, if this entrance or exit works for you, then go ahead. I need to think!”
“Got it! I’ll be right back! Just gotta grab my dragon!”
“Hey, wait! You’re gonna drag that creature into the cabin? This place will fall apart! Have you seen the size of your dragon?”
“It won’t fall apart,” Valdemar assured me before slipping outside.
A few minutes later, he returned, leading the dragon on a leash. It was the size of two German shepherds! And such a sky-blue color, with beautiful eyes. It didn’t seem aggressive at all, though I was still reeling from seeing a real live dragon for the first time and couldn’t quite believe it was real.
I watched my morning guests with fascination. Valdemar waved at me, smiled, mounted the dragon, and took off into the air. I closed the door behind them and, returning to the room, sank onto the bench. I was scared. I didn’t know where I was, or more importantly, how I’d ended up here. I was now Customs. I was in a cabin at the crossroads of worlds. And how many worlds there were, I had no idea.