Glancing up and down my map, I find myself in the middle of nowhere. Well, not exactly in the middle of nowhere, the place on my map just doesn’t seem to match with what I am seeing. “SHICHENG, QIAO LAKE, ZHEJIANG PROVINCE, CHINA.” I read it again and again. This can’t be wrong, it’s the exact place Professor Lin has written on the map; however, there’s no such city as SHICHENG. There is only a peaceful lake, a yellow bird resting on a nearby rock, a hill, and a forest that surrounds it. 

Peering into the thick forest, I see a small cottage covered by trees. This must be the place where Snow White hid herself from her evil stepmother, I think to myself. Professor Lin mentioned that the magical mirror might have fallen in Shicheng when the Evil Queen gave Snow White that enchanted poison apple. The city should be around here... It is an entire city, how can I miss it? After searching for nearly two hours, I still can’t find the city of Shicheng, let alone a small mirror used by Snow White’s evil stepmother. 

When I am about to head back, I catch a glimpse of something at the bottom of the lake. I kneel down and stare closer into the lake. A black hole? I pause. Maybe I should dive into the lake and get a better look. The thought of the black hole sends a sudden chill that makes me shiver--my instinct tells me to back off and run away, but this time, curiosity fights against it and wins. Since I am already here, one step further won’t do any harm, I reassure myself. Plus, it is my mission to seek the truths of fairy tales, to prove to the rest of the world that fairy tales and magic exist. If I go back empty-handed, I will probably disappoint Professor Lin again. “This is the last step we need to confirm. If we fail to make this connection, your generation will be the last to know about Santa and Snow White.” Her stern voice rings in my head.

First, there is a splash, then comes silence. The water drowns the singing of the birds and the rustling of the leaves, along with my worries; it separates the lake from the humid summer air. As water wraps around me, an eerie type of calmness settles in my head. The world down here feels like heaven. A school of fish with rows of alternating-colored-scales swims past me. Some fish hide behind rocks when they see me. Pondweeds dance along with the water current around me as I dive deeper into the lake. Everything seems so peaceful, so…normal. 

And that’s when I see it, the giant black hole that sent chills up my spine. I brush my hands against the water, and this force sends me forward, deeper down into the lake. Slowly, what I thought was a black hole forms smaller individual dots. The small dots slowly turn into what I can tell are roofs. Eventually, almost like descending in an airplane, buildings begin to take form and the black hole slowly forms into a city. This place looks so ancient as if it has existed for decades or perhaps centuries. On the other hand, the city seems well preserved as if something is protecting it from the outside world. Two stone lions stand tall in front of the city’s entrance, guarding this abandoned place. Behind the lions, two giant stone pillars support a large horizontal sign. Looking closer, I can make out the words carved on the very top of the entrance: SHICHENG. This must be the place, and without a second thought, I swim into this sunken city. The city is very dark down here, even sunlight is afraid to reach too close. Complex but spectacular patterns that I have only seen in China’s ancient architecture books are carved everywhere on the walls of the city. Small houses made out of encaustic tile roofs spread around the city, tiles overlapping one another like fish scales. Heavy metal carts that must have stored vegetables lay around the front porches of the houses. Some worn-out wooden doors are still attached to the houses, while some are completely broken. In the center of the city lies a huge building titled with the words  SHU-YUAN, or “city library,” on it. This place is so big, it is like the second Forbidden City.

Suddenly, a strong force yanks me back from swimming deeper into the city. I turn my head around, only to find that my foot has been caught between the gaps of two giant rocks. Holding my breath, I try to yank my foot from the rock, only to make it more stuck than before. Then, the thought of death shakes me; I am here to find that mirror for our fairy tale search! Not to find myself dead! I push my hands against the rock to get my foot out, but no matter how hard I try, the rocks don’t seem to move an inch. The air that I held in my mouth escapes, forming bubbles in front of me. Eventually, my slightest hope disappears along with the last air bubble. My lungs burn, but my body slowly relaxes as if putting myself to sleep. When I am about to close my eyes and face death, something glistening catches my attention. With the very last bit of effort, I look in that direction: A mirror lies against a wall ten yards away. This mirror looks old, and despite its unique frame patterns, it doesn’t seem to fit in this abandoned city. Looking up at the mirror, my eyes meet with a stranger. I can see fear and helplessness in that stranger’s eyes. All of a sudden, the mirror starts to glow, and the entire world starts to spin around me. The entire city seems to be pressing down on me as I feel myself rise. Is this what death feels like? Am I going to heaven?

When I wake up, I am back on the shore of the forest. Alive and dry. A yellow feathered bird resting on a rock cocks its head when it sees me. The sun is still at the exact place as it was when I first got here.

“This is the right place,” I mumble, voice trembling.