The Map Girl – Part 1 (IP)

Azram Mazra, the great cartographer looked down at the map of Ormalu; the land that he had drawn out of blue and green cosmic inks and his gigantic but noble heart sank.

Tears were spreading across the map; rips, caused by the forces of evil, appearing in its magical fabric.

“Harmony must be restored to Ormalu. Any more of this and Ormalu will be torn completely asunder”, he said, stroking his beard that was made of white, whirling cloud.

Rolling out a new sheet of parchment, the map maker dipped his phoenix feather quill into an inkwell of starry space and began to draw a picture of a girl, dressed in a long silken gown of sky blue and gold, with golden bangles upon her wrists and ankles; golden shoes upon her feet; eyes that sparkled like precious diamonds and hair that was all the colours of the rainbow.

And, when he had finished every last detail of the picture and blown onto the page so that the magical ink would dry, the eyes of the picture began to move and its eyelids started to blink; then its chest rose and fell as, coming to life, it began to breathe.

“What? I mean, where? I mean, who?”, said the girl he had drawn, her painted eyes widening as she looked up at him in awe and started to shake.

“I am Azram Mazra; five infinities tall and nine eternities old. I am the great cartographer; drawer of worlds; a wizard and a giant if you like, although some see me as a god. It is I who have drawn you out of magical ink and I shall call you Mapella. I intend you to go down into the land of Ormalu; one of the maplands that I created and restore what has been torn in twain”.

Then, reaching his ancient and gigantic hand deep inside the flat surface of the parchment upon which Mapella was drawn, he encircled her with his fingers and pulled her out into his world.

Mapella was unsteady on her feet at first, stumbling and falling over onto the vast plateau of his work desk but Azram gave her his giant forefinger to lean upon and, gripping hold of it, she climbed back onto her feet.

Then, upon the tip of his smallest finger, there appeared a blue satchel and, taking hold of it and examining it, Mapella saw that it contained a scroll and quill.

“The scroll is a smaller version of the map of Ormalu”, he said, “Step upon it and it will take you wherever you wish to go within the mapland and the quill is filled with that same magical ink of which the mapland is composed. Draw anything using that pen and it shall become real. Do you understand?”.

Mapella nodded though still very awestruck and as confused as any newborn who has just emerged from the womb.

“Good”, said the great Mapmaker smiling; his smile seeming as broad as the rings of Saturn to little Mapella, “And do not fear. Whatever happens within the mapland, I will be watching over you”.

Then, having said all that he wished to say, the gigantic wizard snapped his thumb and forefinger together which, Mapella thought, sounded like thunder and lightning and then she was no longer in his immense workroom but in the land of Ormalu.