It was an ordinary day, or it seemed so, until I got a letter. My heart pounded as I slowly ripped it open.

Inside was a card with delicate golden script written on it. As I read the words, my palms grew sweaty. Suddenly, there was a flash of light filling my room. When it cleared, I realised I wasn’t in my room anymore, but standing between two towers. I was inside a castle!

I was scared but also curious, so I started exploring. The castle was humongous, but pretty deserted. Only the flickering of lights was visible. It would’ve taken me a whole day to explore, but something down the hall caught my attention. It was a door with golden lines on it, just like the writing on the card. Curiously, I pushed it open; it creaked loudly. As I stepped inside, a strong scent of tea leaves and dust entered my nostrils.

The room didn’t really have much in it; just a big window left open. Looking around, my eyes landed on a pink box on top of a desk. As curiosity rushed over me, I opened the box. Surprisingly, I found cookies stuffed in it. Without thinking, I stuffed a dozen into my bag.

Just then, I heard a noise that almost made my heart skip a beat. My hands were shaking as the door creaked and I felt someone coming in. Panicking, I hid in a nearby cupboard and made no noise as a black shadow entered the room.

“Eek!” I heard a scream. I closed my eyes, and suddenly my cupboard door burst open! I was face to face with yellow glowing eyes, ugly white skin and a crooked smile peering down at me. Soon, two arms leapt at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut even more, screamed loudly and ran for my life out of that room. I ran and ran until I saw the two towers. But out of nowhere, the white-hooded creature was once again standing right in front of me, as if it had teleported from one dimension to another.

I screamed as I fell on my back. I tried to run, but was unsuccessful. The creature got hold of me and I screamed as loud as I could!

“Sarah! Why are you screaming?!” said a familiar voice.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw my mum standing near my bed. Confused, I said, “Uhm, Mum, where did you come from? And how am I back in my roo—”

Suddenly, I came to my senses. I was safe in my bedroom, with no letter, no cookies, no ugly scary hooded creature. It had been just a dream. My mum was still standing there though.

“Oh Mum! Don’t worry, I just had a… nightmare,” I said, still thinking.

“Alright… drink some water and go back to sleep,” said my mum, and left.

But this left me thinking, “This nightmare feels so familiar, like I’ve read it somewhere.”

Just then, I spotted a thick book with golden lines. I picked it up and everything seemed to make sense now.

“It wasn’t just a dream, it was real.”

I did what Mum told me and threw Harry Potter and the Secret Room far from me.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 13th, 2025