Lillia in Lolly Land – Chapter I: The Daydreamer

As she shed tears, she heard one student mockingly yelling, “Oh! She’s crying! Not again!”

On a winter morning during an ordinary school day, Lillia sat, as usual, in her chair at the rear of the classroom, listening with annoyance to her math teacher.

The old teacher, dressed in a navy cashmere coat, stood by the whiteboard near the entrance. Her grey hair was neatly styled in a modest white bun.

Facing her, a dozen teenage students, with their heads raised, observed with great interest her every move.

“Lillia? Are you with us?” asked the teacher, suddenly, as she tapped snappily on the girl’s desktop. “Lillia! Are you listening to me? Are you daydreaming again?”

Immediately, the teacher’s high-pitched voice brought the young girl back from her daydreams.

As she woke up, her chestnut eyes half-open, she spotted laughing and mocking faces glazing at her. 

Suddenly, a student sitting next to her, shook her desk violently, making her bang her leg against the chair. The young girl whimpered in pain.

“Lillia’s dreaming like usual,” smirked the boy. “Wake up, our Alice in Wonderland!”

The crowd erupted into a peal of roaring laughter. 

Embarrassed, Lillia curled up into her chair while everyone stared at her curiously, as if she were an alien exposed inside a vitrine.

“Sleepy girl! HAHAHA! Look at ‘er!” shrieked a voice from the corner. 

The whole class erupted a second time with echoes of giggles. 

Desperately, the young girl bit her dry lips bitterly and buried her gloomy face into her pale hands. She didn’t want the students to see her cry. It will make them make more fun of her. 

As she shed tears, she heard one student mockingly yelling, “Oh! She’s crying! Not again!”

With a heart full of distress, the young girl turned her back to them to avoid seeing their hostile faces when she glimpsed Olivia, the new student, smiling kindly at her.

“ENOUGH everybody!” hollered the math teacher furiously, gathering her paper notes rapidly inside her binder.

Lillia rushed through the door as the bell rang, her eyes swollen from crying. She popped into the toilet to wash her face, when suddenly she bumped violently into Olivia.

“Sorry, I didn’t notice you.” She bowed her head.

As she turned to leave, Olivia gently held her hand and said, “Wait, Lilia. I see you’ve been facing some problems recently, haven’t you?”

“Definitely. I don’t know why people insist on mocking me. It’s… It’s… simply because when I feel bored, I can’t help falling asleep sometimes,” muttered Lillia, her cheeks flushed.

“I understand. You don’t need to explain anything to me,” stated Olivia, still holding Lillia’s hand. “Please, forget about that. How about coming with me to Lolly Land? I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.”

“Do you mean Lolly Land, which opened last week? No way, Olivia! Do you want everyone to call me a baby?” responded Lillia, with a light chuckle. “That’s what I’m missing! Instead of Alice in Wonderland, they will call me Lillia in Lolly Land!” 

“Aww! That sounds cute,” said Olivia, smiling. “Well, just think about it, Lilia. Tomorrow I’ll show you some pictures of the place. This is a unique place where you will never feel bored, believe me,” she added as she turned and rushed towards the main door.

“Adios! See you tomorrow, Lillia!”

As Lillia entered the class the following day, she discovered an envelope neatly folded on her wooden desk. 

Turning the envelope over carefully, she noticed the words “Lolly Land” handwritten. Immediately, she realised it was from Olivia.

Instantly, she opened the envelope to reveal numerous photos and an assortment of candies of all types.

For a while, the young girl stared at the photos with hesitation. 

Throughout her childhood, she had always been fascinated by the tales and imaginative bed stories that her mother used to narrate her, to the point that she ended up fusing with their characters.

On some days, she saw herself Cinderella, the delicate girl, in her elegant blue gown, marching gracefully along the royal palace’s stairs, while on others she transformed herself into the brave Queen Zenobia, dressed in her armour, defending ferociously her kingdom against the enemies. 

For the moment, the pictures of the park intrigued her immense curiosity. Thus, she was determined to explore this opportunity. 

“What will happen if I go with Olivia?” she murmured as she hid the envelope inside her drawer. “I always dreamed of exploring a new place where I wouldn’t feel bored. Going to Lolly Land  sounds more joyful than seeing the same silly faces.”

Busy with her thoughts, she suddenly caught sight of Olivia dashing through the doorway. “Hi Olivia!” she exclaimed, waving her hand with a cheerful smile. “I need to talk with you.”