In the quiet town of Millbrook, strange things had always been whispered about but never truly understood. The town was normal in most ways—kids played in the streets, farmers tended their fields, and everyone knew everyone else's business. But at night, when the moon was high and shadows stretched long, strange occurrences seemed to take over. One chilly autumn evening, twelve-year-old Lily was walking home from her friend's house. As she approached the old abandoned factory at the edge of town, she noticed a strange glow emanating from inside. Curious and a little nervous, she hesitated but then decided to investigate. The factory had been shut down for years, its windows boarded up and walls covered in graffiti, but tonight, the light flickered through a crack in the wooden planks. Lily pushed open the rusted door, which groaned loudly as she entered. Inside, the air was thick with dust and the scent of old machinery. The glow was coming from a small, pulsating orb floating in the center of the room. It shimmered with colors she had never seen before—deep blues, fiery reds, and shimmering greens. As she stepped closer, the orb suddenly burst into a flash of light and then vanished. Startled, Lily jumped back. Suddenly, she heard a strange, whispering sound, as if voices were coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. She looked around but saw nothing. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a faint outline of a person—a figure made of shimmering light—standing just beyond the shadows. "Who are you?" Lily asked, her voice trembling. The figure didn't speak but nodded gently. It seemed to beckon her to follow. Without thinking much, Lily stepped forward into the darkness. The figure moved gracefully, gliding across the floor as if floating. As she followed, the factory walls seemed to blur, and she felt a strange sensation—as if the world around her was shifting. Suddenly, they arrived in a different place entirely. The room was brighter, filled with strange machinery and glowing screens. Lily realized she was in some kind of portal or a different dimension. The figure pointed to a small device on a nearby table, which looked like a combination of a watch and a crystal. The figure then made a motion as if to say, “Remember this,” and then, as quickly as she had arrived, Lily found herself back outside the factory. She looked around, confused but strangely calm. The glow inside the factory had disappeared, and everything looked normal again. Lily raced home, her mind racing with questions. Was it a dream? A hallucination? Or was there truly something beyond the normal world? Over the next few days, she kept the memory of her encounter to herself, unsure if anyone would believe her. Yet, she felt certain that what she saw was real—that there was more to Millbrook than met the eye. As weeks passed, Lily began noticing more strange things—lights flickering in the sky, animals behaving oddly, and faint whispers carried on the wind. She realized that perhaps her town was connected to something bigger than she could understand—a secret world concealed within the ordinary. And deep inside her, she knew she wouldn’t stop searching for answers, no matter how strange or frightening they might be.

Answer the following questions based on the passage above.