Claire shivered in the corner; her tiny hands clasped around her ears. Her chest heaved in the air, and her frame shook as she let out a stifled breath. Squeezing her eyes shut, she took another breath in and pushed herself up to her feet, tottering over to her bookcase, the bright and colourful spines calling to her once again. Gently she ran her fingers across the sea of books, before stopping on one. Her favourite one.

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Claire pulled the well-worn book off the shelf before throwing herself into bed, the warm covers bringing a red glow to her cheeks. Her fingers ran over the book cover, the shiny letters of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” bringing a smile to her tear-stained face. Slowly, she pulled on the red velvet ribbon that hung out of the top, the book opening to the last page she read, the words blurring together. Settling deeper into her pillow, she brought the book up to her face, and slowly her eyes began to dart across the yellowed pages.

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Around her, the room began to shift, her walls melting into a vast green field, as far as the eye could see, dotted with rose bushes and an arching castle off in the distance. Above her, a blue sky filled up her ceiling, the soft clouds calling out to her. The shouts that her ears once feared, slowly began to fade out, the buzzing of a million tiny bees replacing them. The little girl wondered around in amazement, glad to be back in her safe little space again.