The office looked like a small library. Antique furniture littered the office, it was old like the old man. Bookshelves covered three of the walls, floor to ceiling. It was warm inside and smelled like freshly baked bread, coffee and the scent of old books. His cold body welcomed the heat.

The light shining in from the bakery made life much easier for him. He didn't have to battle with a flashlight. He took the backpack off his back and started filling it with the loot he found in the drawers. The old man didn't keep many valuables in his desk. A couple of watches, an old ring, two antique looking envelope openers and a pocket knife.

Getting up from the desk he walked over to a cabinet made of cedar wood. It was filled with old leather bound books. Going through the books, dust tickled the back of his throat. Clearing his throat he headed to the open door that lead into the bakery. Maybe there was some money in the register.

When he stepped into the bakery area a floorboard creaked under his feet. Pausing, he listened for any sign of movement. A minute passed without any sound, except the old clock chiming behind him in the library. Behind the counter he stood in front of one of the oldest cash registers he has ever seen. Trying to figure out how to open it, he accidently pushed a button. A drawer thuds open with a caa-ching and the clinging of the coins inside. He froze in apprehension.

A couple of loose coins stared up at him. Impatience and frustration drove him to return to the library. On entering he tripped and stumbled on the protruding leg of the cabinet. To prevent himself from falling, he tried grabbing on to it. Instead, he only grabbed air and knocked something to the ground with him.

He landed on his knees with a rectangular glass box in front of him. He was surprised to see it because he didn't notice it before. Inside the box was a thin rod made of wood, covered with eccentric engravings. Suspecting it could be worth something, he opened the box and intended to take the rod out.

As soon as he touched it, he heard a thunderous exploding sound. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a lightning bolt shoot from the rod and then around the room as if it was trying to find a place to escape. A luminescent flash passed right in front of his face.

He heard screams and people running down the stairs. Just as they entered the room, he felt a punch in the back of his head. A shock went through his body and hurled him to the ground. A large pair of cloudy, muted shade of gray eyes stared down at him. Then everything went black.

***

He opened his eyes to find the same beautiful eyes staring down at him. Except, this time he had a pounding headache.

"What have you done?" Sylvie spewed out the four words in consuming anger. Nostrils flaring and eyes flashing.

"Nothing."

"You're lying! You touched my father's wand and now you've transported us to Ilragorn."

"I didn't touch any wand."

"Really? Well, what have you got in your hand?"

He looked at the wooden rod that he removed from the glass case in his hand. Then only did he take in his surroundings. He was lying on the forest floor, but it's different from the forest he came through tonight. The ground was covered in beautiful flowers and vines that gently pirouetted up the trunks of the trees. And... it was daylight! "What the hell is going on? And where am I?"

"What were you doing in our home? And don't lie to me!" Sylvie shouted.

"You won't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"I broke into your home to steal some valuable items. I was going to sell it to buy food for my three girls."

"What?!"

"I have been robbing houses to support my kids. My wife died two years ago and I've been working two jobs. I was desperate for extra money, and didn't know what else to do."

"You're joking, right?"

"No."

"Well, you're in bigger trouble now. We're in another dimension. You can't up and go and sell your swag."

"You can have it back. I'll leave."

"You can't." She sagged down beside him and pointed at the wand in his hand. "That's my father's wand. He is a wizard. He hasn't used it for years. When you touched it, it chose you."

"Chose me?"

"Yes, it's a rare occurrence. I think because my father hasn't used it in so long, it chose you."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you will be able to perform magic with it. A wand is a quasi-sentient magical instrument through which a witch or wizard channels their magical powers."

"I don't have magical powers."

"From the moment a wand finds an ideal owner it will begin to learn from and teach its human partner."

"I need to get home to my kids. My twins are only two years old. They will wake up soon."

"I told you, we're in another dimension. Another world from what you know. You can't go home. We'll have to find the governing wizard from this world. He'll help us get home."

"How are we going to do that?"

"We're in a world called, Ilragorn. It's an enchanted world where you'll find unicorns, evil fairies, elf knights, ogres, and more crazy creatures."

"You're joking, right?" He threw her own question back at her.

"Nope. If you want to get back to your kids before they wake up, we'll have to get moving. I'm Sylvie by the way." She held her hand out to him and he shook it.

"Adorján."

***