With a click, the doorknob turned. The moment Stark stepped inside, he felt dazed. When he came to, a gently rippling lake lay before him.
Stark found himself sitting in a small boat, an oar still clutched in his hand... Wait, his hand?
Stark looked down at his hands and was astonished to find that the deep, crisscrossing lines were gone. They had become smooth and delicate, as if he had returned to childhood.
Stark lowered his head and saw that he was wearing a black robe, though it was a little too large. He stood up and discovered that he really had returned to childhood, his body restored to that of a ten-year-old.
"What are you doing? Sit down and row!" a voice called from behind him. He turned and saw another child dressed like him waving at him.
"Row? Why do we need to row?" Stark asked.
The student behind him sighed. "Can't you see the castle ahead? That's our school. We have to row there!"
"School?" The instant Stark turned around, the sight behind him left him stunned.
Brilliant lights reflected across the rippling lake. Above them, an enormous, magnificent castle stood in the distance. Moonlight reflected on the water drifted with the waves like banners fluttering above the gateway to a fantasy world.
Stark stared blankly at the castle. Light shone in his brown eyes, rekindling the fire of dreams beneath the heavy dusk of sunset.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the classmate behind him sighed. "Ever since I got my acceptance letter, I've seen it in my dreams several times."
Stark slowly sat down, gripped the oar, and began rowing. The little boat bobbed its way to shore, where many children in black robes like his were herded off the boats like ducks, then led up