"She looks like a lesbian!" "Why does she dress so weird?" "Ew, here she comes."  People say in disgusted tones as I walk down the hallway of my horrible school. I don't understand why people treat me so badly. Being different was supposed to be good. Thinking to myself as I am walking to my locker. Gathering my things I rush out the door.
Looking down at the gray, cracked sidewalk, something shiny in the grass caught my eye. Picking it up I examine the object. It's a pencil. It had squiggly lines and was made from some unknown wood. I can't wait to try it out.
Walking to my room, I get out a piece of paper and begin to draw a crown with sparkling blue sapphires and white diamonds. The crown itself is a luminous silver with graceful swirls. “It’s beautiful!" Running my hand across the drawing, it seemed to fall through the crown. I felt something cold and metallic, pulling my hand away, I shriek. Hesitantly, my hand reaches through the paper again. Only this time I grab the cold object and yank it out of the paper.
It's the crown! As beautiful as it was on the paper with twinkling sapphires and glorious diamonds. Walking to my mirror I try it on. The sapphires match my wondering eyes and the silver stands out against my maroon hair. Carefully, I take the crown off, setting it on my desk.Picking up the magical pencil I start to draw a cloak with little white snowflakes that seem to be moving inside the cloak.When light hits the snowflakes they would sparkle like Pixie Dust.
Finishing my drawing I stand up and run my fingers over the drawing. I am not surprised when my hand falls through the paper. I feel something soft. I pull the cloak out of the paper and look at it with awe. Bouncing to the mirror I put them on. I look like a princess. While admiring myself in the mirror I think, maybe if I could pull things out of the paper why can't I go into the paper? I pick up the magical pencil and start to draw a snowy landscape. I have always loved snow. The background has majestic mountains and the trees sparkled when yellow light hit them. There was not a cloud in the deep blue sky. Finishing my landscape I put on my cloak and crown and grab the pencil. Setting the drawing on the floor by my bed I climb up and stand on the edge. I take a leap. All I could do was scream as I was falling. Hitting the ground with a thud, I slowly get to my feet. "I did it!" It's just as beautiful as I imagined it.
After a few hours of walking, I realize it's rather lonely. Putting my hands in my pockets, I feel the magical pencil and an idea comes to my head. Since I'm still inside the paper, can I still create things? I start to draw a rabbit in the snow. It has fluffy gray hair, I give it the ability to talk. I step back, the snow starts to glow. There is a bright flash and at my feet is the rabbit.
I pet its tiny head. "Who are you?" it says with wonder.
"My name is Ruth. What's yours?"
"I don't know,"
"But everyone has a name."
"Not I" said the rabbit."
"Your name is Lepus."
I tell Lepus about my home life, my therapy, self harm, and my horrible school. Lepus said "You only get one life, you shouldn't spend anytime hating yourself or everyone else. Treat people with kindness even when they are mean to you. Sometimes people fear what's different."  This made me feel a little better about my life back home. Out of the blue I heard a noise.
"What was that?" I ask.
All of a sudden a huge wolf came stalking from the woods. "How was this created? I didn't create him." I say. The wolf growled, showing its glistening white teeth. "What do we do?"
"You must defeat him."
"But I don't know how."
"Of course you do, think about it."
Hitting me, I start to draw a bow and arrow. It comes to life and I aim for the wolf. The wolf starts running towards me. I fire and it plunges straight into the animal's heart. With one cry it falls over and lays still.
"I did it!"
"Yes you did child. Now it's time for me to go, for you have learned all from me that you need to know."
"But who will be with me?"
"You will find someone soon."
"I will miss you."
"Don't worry. I will always be with you, just remember what I have told you."
Then with a bright flash the tiny gray rabbit is gone. Tears start streaming down my face but I keep walking.
Time passes before I take out the pencil again. I think I'm going to make another friend. I draw a beautiful white dove. A bright light flashes, right before me is a dove.
"Hello what's your name?" I ask.
"I don't have a name."
"Columba will be your name." I say.
I start to walk with my new friend perched on my shoulder. "What do you think about yourself?" asked Columba.
Giving this some thought I replied "I hate myself. I'm not good enough, smart enough, or pretty enough."
"Why do you think of yourself this way?"
"That's what people tell me." I say.
"Child, beauty is not only skin deep, your beauty come from within you, the beauty of a gentle soul. This beauty will never disappear and is worth very much to those who love you."
Maybe I'm not so bad.
"Caw caw" came from the sky. We freeze in our tracks. "I didn't create that either." A huge crow comes swooping down, almost grabbing me. I start to run with Columba flying beside me. The crow was too fast. Swooping down it grabs me lifting me into the air. "Help!" I shout but no one can hear me. The crow drops me. I tumble to the ground but something catches me. It was a huge nest. The crow came flying down, landing on top of me, crushing me. I fumble for my pencil. I start to draw a sword. I grab it and fight the creature. It keeps lunging towards me but I finally catch it off guard, stabbing it. The sword glowed and the creature explodes in a bright flash. Columba comes flying in.
"Well done child."
"I must leave you now. You have learned." And with a flash of light she disappeared.
I come to the mountains. I pull out my pencil and start to draw a lion. It has a fluffy, golden mane and the rest of his coat is a bright, golden color. With a flash of light, it comes to life
"Hello lion."
"Hello child."
"Your name is Leo."
We start walking up the mountain. I tell Leo about my life back home and about my anxiety and how I feel stuck in my life. Leo says, "New doors will be opened when you become bold enough to knock."
"Hiss hiss" A noise comes from behind rocks towards the top of the mountain. I have another visitor. Maybe when I create good things, bad things are made as a side effect to have a balance in this world. I know what I must do, I must face this creature to get to the top but this one will be more difficult to defeat. I draw a bottle of dark, red liquid. With a flash it's there. I pick up the bottle and start to make my way up the hill. I look back at Leo, he gives me an encouraging nod. I run to the top, all of a sudden the snake lunges at me, we start to alligator roll. I manage to get the bottle open and dump the contents on the snake. It starts to sizzle and with a flash of light it's gone. I look down at myself. I had been bitten. Leo comes up to me and examines the wound on my arm. He licks it and when he pulls away I am healed.
"Thank you"
"You're welcome. It's time for you to go home now. You have learned all that you can from this world. I will send you home now and the pencil will not have any more magical powers. Remember what I have taught you about courage and strength and you will do just fine in the real world."
The world starts to spin and I could see my room. With a blink of an eye I was there. No time had passed.