Alise! Are you all right? - Mum's voice broke the silence that followed the earthquake. The woman ran up the stairs, and just behind her, Dad appeared with a look of concern on his face.
- Yes... we're fine," Alise replied, sitting on the floor next to Emma and Sophie. Everyone looked around in confusion, still stunned by what had happened.
From downstairs came the sound of an informative radio announcement - distorted, garbled. "Attention... everyone please..." The signal faded.
Max went to the window and suddenly took a step back.
- Hey... did you see that?
The whole group went to the windows. The sky... it looked like something from within was trying to tear reality apart. There were glowing cracks, like lightning, pulsating as if they had a life of their own.
- It looks... like the sky is being torn apart," Grace whispered, tugging at the sleeve of her blouse.
Suddenly the ground shook again. But this was no ordinary tremor. This time... something was different. Small objects began to float - cups, books, chairs. And then - pieces of the floor, stones from the garden, and even fragments of the walls of neighbouring houses. Gravity was going mad. Suddenly a terrifying red gap appeared in the sky.
- We have to go! - Alise's father shouted. - Everyone, outside, quickly!
They ran out of the house, shielding their eyes from the swirling dust and debris. A huge red gap opened in the sky, like a portal to another world - a vertical tornado of light and shadow sucking everything up. The screams of the neighbours mingled with the roar of the foundations being torn apart.
Suddenly, Max, who was standing furthest from the house, was lifted off the ground.
- ALISE! - he cried, flying towards the gap. Sophie followed immediately - lifted like a feather by an invisible force.
Alise tried to catch her, but was lifted into the air herself. With her last ounce of strength, she grabbed a branch from a tall tree near the fence.
- MOM! HELP ME! - she cried through her tears as she saw her mother trying to run to her, but being stopped by her father, who knew he was going to pull her up as well.
Suddenly the ground shook again. The tree began to pull itself up by its roots, lifted by this strange force.
Alise's mother's eyes widened in horror. - NO! HOLD ON!
But it was too late.
The tree had been torn from the ground, and with it Alise. The world turned into a swirl of colours, sounds and disintegrating reality. Alise was pulled into the portal before taking one last look at her floating home and all around her, it was pure chaos. Her friends and parents looked at her but could do nothing.