FORWARD
The things that you see out of the corner of your eye are real. So are the nightmares. They live in another world alongside ours, Imaginary. The barrier’s cracking, and creatures from the darkest, scariest part of the human imagination are trying to break out. If that happens, we’ll all be eaten and that would really suck. We’re fighting against them to save reality. We’re losing.
Why am I even writing this down? Oh yeah it makes all of us feel better I guess. I miss home but I’m a world away. This is a record of my part of the adventure. Hope if someone is reading this then I don’t know they've read it or what happened. Good luck.
Why am I even writing this down? Oh yeah it makes all of us feel better I guess. I miss home but I’m a world away. This is a record of my part of the adventure. Hope if someone is reading this then I don’t know they've read it or what happened. Good luck.
The SIXTH month on the SIXTH day of the year TWO THOUSAND and TWELVE
The bedroom door creaked open. I groaned and pulled a pillow over my head to stifle the unwelcome noise and tried desperately to go back to sleep. Then Stevie spoke. “Get up Allie or you’ll sleep the day away!” She ripped my warm quilt off and started to jump on the bed.
I groaned my protest. Hell spawn flung herself on top of me. We wrestled until she bounced away laughing. Slowly, I got up and walked to the hand me down armoire, and got ready for the day. But I didn’t notice the tail dissolve into the shadows lurking underneath the armoire.
~
As I walked down stairs, I heard the sleepy footsteps of my little brother, Stan. He mumbled a good morning. At the kitchen table sat Stevie watching SpongeBob. Stan and Stevie are twins, both have dark brown hair, and ice-blue eyes, and are eleven years old. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and waffles. For the rest of the morning we watched Pokémon reruns.
The sky darkened. Rain began to fall. I looked up surprised; it had been hot and sunny moments before with no sign of rain clouds. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something outside from the window beside me. Then I heard a meow. A cat? In the rain?
I stood up to go investigate. I went to the glass door to the backyard and looked out. There it was! Perched on the rail of the deck sat a black cat with its eyes closed. I stood, transfixed, staring at the cat that despite the rain was not soaked.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It swished its tail.
“Meeooow…” the black cat snapped open its blue eyes and found mine. The world went black.
~
I think I fainted. The sensation of falling. Fall? Trees, smells, night time, the lonely, wolf-like call of a loon. Something furry rubs against my hand. No sounds of Pokémon or lingering smells of waffles. Dark. Rain. It had started to rain.
A black cat stuck in the rain, but not wet. What? I was floating in impenetrable darkness, lost for what felt like hours. The only tangible thing being the furry thing. Was it the cat?
When my eyes opened, the world was fuzzy out of focus like when I lost my glasses. Check to see if they are still there. They are. After a few heart beats it refocused. I glance around me to make sure. When my mind grasps where I am I gasped in awe and in confusion.
I was surrounded by a forest of blue-gray trees that looked ancient. I turned around slowly letting my wide eyes drink up sight of where I was. Fog or mist hung low to the ground and was everywhere. The leafy canopy was like the ceiling of a cathedral so high above me that I had to crane my neck to see it. That’s when I realized that I, as well as the forest, was in a large hexagonal shaped room made from a polished black stone with no doors and no windows.
No windows? I thought to myself not really worried about how I landed myself here. Then how can I see? And how could I breathe? The air was neither warm nor cold and still like the inside of a tomb. Everything was in shades of blues and silvers and blacks. But where is the light coming from?
I scan the forest-room looking for the light source. I found it. There, in the center of the hexagon room, hovering above the peak of a six sided pyramid is a shinning blue-white orb of light. The orb was the only source of light in the strange, tree filled chamber. Making the tree trunks a silver, stormy blue-gray color.
I study the farthest trees along the edges of the room. Hidden in each of six corners of the room by the fog and trees was a stone pillar. I walked the perimeter of the hexagonal room to inspect the pillars. It was hard because they were so far from the glowing orb thing and the fog was thickest here. But in the dim light I could make out craved symbols on each of the pillars glinting metallically.
The number 13, a mirror, an umbrella, a cat, a pocket watch, a salt shaker? I touched the cat pillar and felt a tingling in my arm. Questions bounced around inside my skull. Should I be worried? How did I get here? Where am I? How does a forest grow in a stone room? And where the heck is all this fog coming from?!
Misty fog rolls across the black stone floor. It’s denser along the walls and thins out near the base of the pyramid. I approached the pyramid and the orb cautiously. As I walk closer to the pyramid my foot knocked against something lying on the floor.
Curious, I crouched and fumbled for whatever I had kicked. The pyramid’s base is about a yard or so ahead of me. Searching hand brush against what feels like leather, weird. I pick the thing, standing up to see it better.
It was a rust red leather bound journal. The cover is smooth with “Allie” written in gold script across it. I untie the strap holding the journal closed and opened it to reveal clean, white pages and a pen and a pencil. The journal I now write in.
I closed the journal and turn my attention to the pyramid. The six sided pyramid is made of the same polished dark stone as the rest of the room. It is also short, reaching only to the bottom of my chest. Light from the orb reflected off the polished stone.
The light. The orb hovered just above my head like a firefly or a wil-o’-wisp. What’s it made of? I wondered at the silvery-blue and faintly purple orb above me.
I then wondered if it was hot or cold. Without really think it about it my free hand stretched upward gingerly to find out. Warm, it was pleasantly warm. That was my last thought before the light grew hot and swallowed me in phosphorescence. For the second time today the world vanished right from under me.
I groaned my protest. Hell spawn flung herself on top of me. We wrestled until she bounced away laughing. Slowly, I got up and walked to the hand me down armoire, and got ready for the day. But I didn’t notice the tail dissolve into the shadows lurking underneath the armoire.
~
As I walked down stairs, I heard the sleepy footsteps of my little brother, Stan. He mumbled a good morning. At the kitchen table sat Stevie watching SpongeBob. Stan and Stevie are twins, both have dark brown hair, and ice-blue eyes, and are eleven years old. Breakfast was scrambled eggs and waffles. For the rest of the morning we watched Pokémon reruns.
The sky darkened. Rain began to fall. I looked up surprised; it had been hot and sunny moments before with no sign of rain clouds. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something outside from the window beside me. Then I heard a meow. A cat? In the rain?
I stood up to go investigate. I went to the glass door to the backyard and looked out. There it was! Perched on the rail of the deck sat a black cat with its eyes closed. I stood, transfixed, staring at the cat that despite the rain was not soaked.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. It swished its tail.
“Meeooow…” the black cat snapped open its blue eyes and found mine. The world went black.
~
I think I fainted. The sensation of falling. Fall? Trees, smells, night time, the lonely, wolf-like call of a loon. Something furry rubs against my hand. No sounds of Pokémon or lingering smells of waffles. Dark. Rain. It had started to rain.
A black cat stuck in the rain, but not wet. What? I was floating in impenetrable darkness, lost for what felt like hours. The only tangible thing being the furry thing. Was it the cat?
When my eyes opened, the world was fuzzy out of focus like when I lost my glasses. Check to see if they are still there. They are. After a few heart beats it refocused. I glance around me to make sure. When my mind grasps where I am I gasped in awe and in confusion.
I was surrounded by a forest of blue-gray trees that looked ancient. I turned around slowly letting my wide eyes drink up sight of where I was. Fog or mist hung low to the ground and was everywhere. The leafy canopy was like the ceiling of a cathedral so high above me that I had to crane my neck to see it. That’s when I realized that I, as well as the forest, was in a large hexagonal shaped room made from a polished black stone with no doors and no windows.
No windows? I thought to myself not really worried about how I landed myself here. Then how can I see? And how could I breathe? The air was neither warm nor cold and still like the inside of a tomb. Everything was in shades of blues and silvers and blacks. But where is the light coming from?
I scan the forest-room looking for the light source. I found it. There, in the center of the hexagon room, hovering above the peak of a six sided pyramid is a shinning blue-white orb of light. The orb was the only source of light in the strange, tree filled chamber. Making the tree trunks a silver, stormy blue-gray color.
I study the farthest trees along the edges of the room. Hidden in each of six corners of the room by the fog and trees was a stone pillar. I walked the perimeter of the hexagonal room to inspect the pillars. It was hard because they were so far from the glowing orb thing and the fog was thickest here. But in the dim light I could make out craved symbols on each of the pillars glinting metallically.
The number 13, a mirror, an umbrella, a cat, a pocket watch, a salt shaker? I touched the cat pillar and felt a tingling in my arm. Questions bounced around inside my skull. Should I be worried? How did I get here? Where am I? How does a forest grow in a stone room? And where the heck is all this fog coming from?!
Misty fog rolls across the black stone floor. It’s denser along the walls and thins out near the base of the pyramid. I approached the pyramid and the orb cautiously. As I walk closer to the pyramid my foot knocked against something lying on the floor.
Curious, I crouched and fumbled for whatever I had kicked. The pyramid’s base is about a yard or so ahead of me. Searching hand brush against what feels like leather, weird. I pick the thing, standing up to see it better.
It was a rust red leather bound journal. The cover is smooth with “Allie” written in gold script across it. I untie the strap holding the journal closed and opened it to reveal clean, white pages and a pen and a pencil. The journal I now write in.
I closed the journal and turn my attention to the pyramid. The six sided pyramid is made of the same polished dark stone as the rest of the room. It is also short, reaching only to the bottom of my chest. Light from the orb reflected off the polished stone.
The light. The orb hovered just above my head like a firefly or a wil-o’-wisp. What’s it made of? I wondered at the silvery-blue and faintly purple orb above me.
I then wondered if it was hot or cold. Without really think it about it my free hand stretched upward gingerly to find out. Warm, it was pleasantly warm. That was my last thought before the light grew hot and swallowed me in phosphorescence. For the second time today the world vanished right from under me.
The SIXTH month on the SEVENTH day in the year TWO THOUSAND and TWELVE... but also part of the EIGHTH day as well...
When I woke up the first thing I noticed was the ground I had been sleeping on. It was not the stone floor of my room but dirt. I opened my eyes. Black. Panic fluttered in my stomach. I couldn’t see anything. I was blind, trapped in the dark.
I rubbed my sightless eyes furiously to see if it helped. It didn’t. all that got me was knocking myself in the head with the journal.
I stood up, swayed wildly. After regaining my balance, I strode with confidence in a random direction. I continued on for several minutes and was quite proud that I hadn’t run into anything despite being blind. When…
I walked face first into a, long overdue, tree spending me on my butt. Needless to say it hurt like the devil’s punch. Dumb tree, who puts a tree there. I decide that the tree’s mission is to inflict pain onto people. Dumb tree, stupid me for hitting the dumb tree.
When the pain subsided I continued on blindly. This time walking towards my right. I had gone only a handful of steps when something tapped my shoulder. I stopped walking. Good thing too. A voice behind me said,
“If you are planning on walking off the face of the earth then, by all means walk the next few steps forward. But if you want go someplace safer, then you can come with me.”
I immediately realized that the voice had to belong to the something and that the something was a teenage boy. I think… I also realized that his statement annoyed me greatly and I felt… happy? More like relieved that I had found someone else and was not alone anymore. Still his blunt matter a factness bugged me.
“The world’s not flat, it’s round. So you can’t walk off the edge of the earth.” I let my annoyance show. Who was this guy and where was he?! All around me was darkness making it impossible to see evil trees or this annoying guy.
He let out an annoyed sigh.
“Cliff. It’s a cliff, are you blind?!” wow tactless and blunt, he’s a keeper (not!). Miffed, I turned to glare in his direction at him in the darkness. Well if I wasn’t ya think I’d have walked into a tree? Maybe he’s the blind one and it’s night time! But I could feel the sun beating down on us.
The guy slapped his forehead I think and said uncomfortably “I guess you are… Sorry.” Did he mean it? Hard to tell. “anyway, do you want to go someplace safer or what?”
Before I could answer I was dragged backward by my hood of my jacket. Squeak indignantly and I flushed because I had been glaring at nothing. Panicked at the idea of falling again and very annoyed at the guy whom I’ve decide was much taller than my five feet three inches,
“hey! what’re you doing?!” I protested. Great a silent perv. If I could see I’d push him off the face of the earth. He let go and I did not fall on my butt.
“Sorry! I was just guiding you. It’s not like you can see where I am, right?” he asked bluntly. That sent a wave of anger mixed with shame through me. I didn’t know where he was I felt helpless for a fraction of a nanosecond until it was burned away by my fury at the voice.
“A warning would have been nice!” I snapped in to the darkness. I had turned around to face the guy’s voice, hands on hips “there are other ways to drag people around!”
“okay, I am warning you that I am going to grab you by the wrist.” What? A warm hand enclosed around my left wrist and pulled me along. Where we were going I don’t know. But it’s weird I felt… I don’t know… safe. There was nothing I could do but follow and trust him.
We walked in silence for the most part. The guy leading me through the blackness and occasionally jerking me to the side presumably out the way of more badly placed trees that seek to hurt the blind. I wondered where we were walking to and where I was. I tried to imagine my surroundings but all I could see was the forest room with the pyramid.
After walking for an hour trapped in the imaginary forest I became increasingly curious of this “safe place” and of my guide. The silence had become awkward so I tried to satisfy my curiosity.
“So… What’s your name? I’m Allie.” I asked tentatively. Simple right just a name for the invisible guy.
Silence. The sound of our footsteps crunching through tall grass hung in the air.
“Okaaayyyy… where are we going?”
“someplace safe.” He answered in two words. Hooray a response from oblivion! That’s it I’ll call him Oblivion! Eon for short!
“What kind of safe place?” I asked hopeful for a better answer.
“a pyramid.” Eon answered in his usual manner. A pyramid? How… interesting?
“What kind of pyramid?” we were heading to a pyramid? Now I was really curious.
“…a safe pyramid.” Eon said it like he didn’t want to give me too much information. It was like talking to a reluctant toddler. His response annoyed me. I thought of the pyramid in the room.
“Does it have six sides?”
“No.”
I found myself annoyed with Eon not answering my questions. What does Eon look like? I picture vague male, teenage form. Tall and strong and a someone who likes to know what’s going on, blunt, tactless, man of few words
More silence. Does he ever talk? Is he some kind of crazy, stoic person? Or is he trying for strong and silent type?
This is like the beginning of some sort of love story. You know where the guy saves the damsel. I hope it doesn’t end like one… who would fall for such a boring straightforward guy who never says anything or gives straight answers and is as helpful as a ROCK?!
We must have been walking for hours now and it was getting cooler out. I was tired and my feet hurt from all this walking to the “safe pyramid”. My sight still hadn’t returned. The black was oppressive and lonely, or would have been if not for the hand guiding me.
Eon must’ve noticed me dragging a bit or heard my traitorous stomach voice its distress or realize that it might be nice to take a break because he brought us to an abrupt halt. Grateful for the respite I plotted down on the ground, causing the grass to rustle and breaking his grip on my wrist. I heard the grass revealing that eon had sat down too nearby. I heard him rummaging through something. A backpack? Did he even have a backpack?
He placed something heavy-ish and plastic in my hands. I must of made a confused look because he stated “Water.” I muttered my thanks and drank. The only sounds were the grass. Quiet, it’s too quiet.
“Hey Eon, what time is it?” I asked. He didn’t respond for about four breaths. Probably trying to figure out who I was talking to.
“Night.” He said blunter than usual. Guess he doesn’t like the name. Too bad it’s his own fault for not telling me his name. We’d been walking all day and into the night. Just thinking about it made me exhausted. I rubbed my eyes and asked where we were now. Eon replied simply, “in a field.” Not this again. Sigh.
“What kind of field?” I asked trying not to show my annoyance at his short responses.
“A large one.” No duh genius I knew that already, we had been walking through it for hours.
“Well what does it look like?!” now desperate for more details
“It’s big and full of grass.” My eye twitched.
“Well that’s helpful, Eon.” I said with an exasperated sigh.
I wanted more details about the world and about Eon. His warm hand took my wrist again we were off again. Ugh. Now he’ll have to let something about himself sooner or later. Time for rapid fire questions.
“How old are you? Any hobbies? What’s your blood type? What do you look like?”
“17” yes I’ve got an age! “You ask a lot of questions… why would you need to know my blood type?!” sigh
“I dunno, I’m bored! I can’t see anything!” you’re not exactly talkative “and my head’s still stuck in the room where I woke up.” I was exasperated for sure. I yawned.
“that’s nice” so sincere “we’re almost there anyway; just bear with it a bit longer.” He said.
How much is a bit? Sigh the dude’s a walking enigma. We walked for a while longer. It must have been moring when Eon stopped suddenly again. I ran in to his backpack. “okay we’re here.” He said to me before shouting “HEY ROTHGAR! A LITTLE HELP?” I jumped that was the loudest that I had heard eon. Then he released his hold on my wrist and slipped something on to my shoulders, a backpack?, and left without a word of farewell. So nice of him. I add ‘not chivalrous to eon’s list.
The sudden abandonment left me confused and a little afraid. I was alone, sightless again and tired and hunger. But before the fear could settle I heard a soft click like that of a lock and groan of ancient door hindges opening. Another younger, boyish voice spoke through the blackness.
“Oh, hello…” it said brightly “so you’re blind too.” So polite. I was so hungry and tired that I didn’t register that this person had said someone was blind too. “well I’m Rothgar. Come here, I’ll lead you inside where you can rest until your side effect wares off and you can see you again. There are others here like you so you’re not alone…”
Wait, side effect? Others? Breakfast! Oh wait he didn’t say breakfast. A warm hand, smaller than Eon’s, took mine and started to lead me toward the doors I suppose. “Careful there are steps.” Rothgar warned. Good thing too. We began the descent into the chill like that of an old basement in the summer.
We had just conquered the steps when another voice, a girl’s, called out
“Hey Rothgar! Need any help?”
“Yeah. Thanks Alex.” Replied Rothgar and he left me standing there. First Eon and now Rothgar, are all the guys in this place as rude as these two?! I was starting to feel like a hot potato.
“Hi! I’m Alex! Oh… are you blind?” Alex (the girl) asked from a bit closer and in front of me now, she sounded concern at least. I turned my head in the direction of her voice. Embarrassed now I fumbled over my words.
“Oh, um… he he… yes… I guess I am. Um… is there any food?” I felt the blush spread across my cheeks as my stomach choose that moment to growl. As the growl echoed and faded it was replaced with a surprised silence.
“Yeah, right over here. They only have sweets though.” She apologized “want some chocolate cake?”
“Chocolate? Ewe.” I made a face at the thought “anything else?”
“Powdered doughnuts?”
“Fine.”
I bite hungrily into the powdery ring. Savoring bright lemony sweet treat. It was gone in two bites. I liked my sugar covered fingers longing for more.
“So… how’d you end up here?” asked Alex. I liked her at least she spoke.
“Umm… I woke up blind, almost walked off a cliff and then was saved by some guy who didn’t talk much and gave me no straight answers.” I said matter a factly. I wanted another doughnut. “by the way… where are we?”
“ah…” she said let down. Crap that’s not what she meant. “well we are in a resting place of sorts. It sort of looks like an arena but in the center is a fire and to the sides are some sleeping mats and then there are these foods… want another doughnut?”
My stomach growled.
“… Yes please.”
A heated argument in hushed tones broke out somewhere to my left. I sensed Alex’s attention being diverted from me and my doughnut.
“What the… is Rothgar arguing… with a cat?! A talking cat?!” Alex asked in disbelief. Talking cat? Cool.
I heard footsteps and sensed Alex moving away, probably to eaves drop. I tried to follow her because I didn’t want to stand around aimlessly like an idiot and didn’t want to be alone and I wanted to hear the argument too. When I tripped over a shallow depression in the ground.
I let out a squeak of surprise as I fell. I landed not on the stone floor but something soft and bumpy and warm. More squeaks and screams emanated from whatever had broken my fall when…
Something smacked me square in the face and I, for the third time today, dissolved into unconsciousness.
~Allie Miller
I rubbed my sightless eyes furiously to see if it helped. It didn’t. all that got me was knocking myself in the head with the journal.
I stood up, swayed wildly. After regaining my balance, I strode with confidence in a random direction. I continued on for several minutes and was quite proud that I hadn’t run into anything despite being blind. When…
I walked face first into a, long overdue, tree spending me on my butt. Needless to say it hurt like the devil’s punch. Dumb tree, who puts a tree there. I decide that the tree’s mission is to inflict pain onto people. Dumb tree, stupid me for hitting the dumb tree.
When the pain subsided I continued on blindly. This time walking towards my right. I had gone only a handful of steps when something tapped my shoulder. I stopped walking. Good thing too. A voice behind me said,
“If you are planning on walking off the face of the earth then, by all means walk the next few steps forward. But if you want go someplace safer, then you can come with me.”
I immediately realized that the voice had to belong to the something and that the something was a teenage boy. I think… I also realized that his statement annoyed me greatly and I felt… happy? More like relieved that I had found someone else and was not alone anymore. Still his blunt matter a factness bugged me.
“The world’s not flat, it’s round. So you can’t walk off the edge of the earth.” I let my annoyance show. Who was this guy and where was he?! All around me was darkness making it impossible to see evil trees or this annoying guy.
He let out an annoyed sigh.
“Cliff. It’s a cliff, are you blind?!” wow tactless and blunt, he’s a keeper (not!). Miffed, I turned to glare in his direction at him in the darkness. Well if I wasn’t ya think I’d have walked into a tree? Maybe he’s the blind one and it’s night time! But I could feel the sun beating down on us.
The guy slapped his forehead I think and said uncomfortably “I guess you are… Sorry.” Did he mean it? Hard to tell. “anyway, do you want to go someplace safer or what?”
Before I could answer I was dragged backward by my hood of my jacket. Squeak indignantly and I flushed because I had been glaring at nothing. Panicked at the idea of falling again and very annoyed at the guy whom I’ve decide was much taller than my five feet three inches,
“hey! what’re you doing?!” I protested. Great a silent perv. If I could see I’d push him off the face of the earth. He let go and I did not fall on my butt.
“Sorry! I was just guiding you. It’s not like you can see where I am, right?” he asked bluntly. That sent a wave of anger mixed with shame through me. I didn’t know where he was I felt helpless for a fraction of a nanosecond until it was burned away by my fury at the voice.
“A warning would have been nice!” I snapped in to the darkness. I had turned around to face the guy’s voice, hands on hips “there are other ways to drag people around!”
“okay, I am warning you that I am going to grab you by the wrist.” What? A warm hand enclosed around my left wrist and pulled me along. Where we were going I don’t know. But it’s weird I felt… I don’t know… safe. There was nothing I could do but follow and trust him.
We walked in silence for the most part. The guy leading me through the blackness and occasionally jerking me to the side presumably out the way of more badly placed trees that seek to hurt the blind. I wondered where we were walking to and where I was. I tried to imagine my surroundings but all I could see was the forest room with the pyramid.
After walking for an hour trapped in the imaginary forest I became increasingly curious of this “safe place” and of my guide. The silence had become awkward so I tried to satisfy my curiosity.
“So… What’s your name? I’m Allie.” I asked tentatively. Simple right just a name for the invisible guy.
Silence. The sound of our footsteps crunching through tall grass hung in the air.
“Okaaayyyy… where are we going?”
“someplace safe.” He answered in two words. Hooray a response from oblivion! That’s it I’ll call him Oblivion! Eon for short!
“What kind of safe place?” I asked hopeful for a better answer.
“a pyramid.” Eon answered in his usual manner. A pyramid? How… interesting?
“What kind of pyramid?” we were heading to a pyramid? Now I was really curious.
“…a safe pyramid.” Eon said it like he didn’t want to give me too much information. It was like talking to a reluctant toddler. His response annoyed me. I thought of the pyramid in the room.
“Does it have six sides?”
“No.”
I found myself annoyed with Eon not answering my questions. What does Eon look like? I picture vague male, teenage form. Tall and strong and a someone who likes to know what’s going on, blunt, tactless, man of few words
More silence. Does he ever talk? Is he some kind of crazy, stoic person? Or is he trying for strong and silent type?
This is like the beginning of some sort of love story. You know where the guy saves the damsel. I hope it doesn’t end like one… who would fall for such a boring straightforward guy who never says anything or gives straight answers and is as helpful as a ROCK?!
We must have been walking for hours now and it was getting cooler out. I was tired and my feet hurt from all this walking to the “safe pyramid”. My sight still hadn’t returned. The black was oppressive and lonely, or would have been if not for the hand guiding me.
Eon must’ve noticed me dragging a bit or heard my traitorous stomach voice its distress or realize that it might be nice to take a break because he brought us to an abrupt halt. Grateful for the respite I plotted down on the ground, causing the grass to rustle and breaking his grip on my wrist. I heard the grass revealing that eon had sat down too nearby. I heard him rummaging through something. A backpack? Did he even have a backpack?
He placed something heavy-ish and plastic in my hands. I must of made a confused look because he stated “Water.” I muttered my thanks and drank. The only sounds were the grass. Quiet, it’s too quiet.
“Hey Eon, what time is it?” I asked. He didn’t respond for about four breaths. Probably trying to figure out who I was talking to.
“Night.” He said blunter than usual. Guess he doesn’t like the name. Too bad it’s his own fault for not telling me his name. We’d been walking all day and into the night. Just thinking about it made me exhausted. I rubbed my eyes and asked where we were now. Eon replied simply, “in a field.” Not this again. Sigh.
“What kind of field?” I asked trying not to show my annoyance at his short responses.
“A large one.” No duh genius I knew that already, we had been walking through it for hours.
“Well what does it look like?!” now desperate for more details
“It’s big and full of grass.” My eye twitched.
“Well that’s helpful, Eon.” I said with an exasperated sigh.
I wanted more details about the world and about Eon. His warm hand took my wrist again we were off again. Ugh. Now he’ll have to let something about himself sooner or later. Time for rapid fire questions.
“How old are you? Any hobbies? What’s your blood type? What do you look like?”
“17” yes I’ve got an age! “You ask a lot of questions… why would you need to know my blood type?!” sigh
“I dunno, I’m bored! I can’t see anything!” you’re not exactly talkative “and my head’s still stuck in the room where I woke up.” I was exasperated for sure. I yawned.
“that’s nice” so sincere “we’re almost there anyway; just bear with it a bit longer.” He said.
How much is a bit? Sigh the dude’s a walking enigma. We walked for a while longer. It must have been moring when Eon stopped suddenly again. I ran in to his backpack. “okay we’re here.” He said to me before shouting “HEY ROTHGAR! A LITTLE HELP?” I jumped that was the loudest that I had heard eon. Then he released his hold on my wrist and slipped something on to my shoulders, a backpack?, and left without a word of farewell. So nice of him. I add ‘not chivalrous to eon’s list.
The sudden abandonment left me confused and a little afraid. I was alone, sightless again and tired and hunger. But before the fear could settle I heard a soft click like that of a lock and groan of ancient door hindges opening. Another younger, boyish voice spoke through the blackness.
“Oh, hello…” it said brightly “so you’re blind too.” So polite. I was so hungry and tired that I didn’t register that this person had said someone was blind too. “well I’m Rothgar. Come here, I’ll lead you inside where you can rest until your side effect wares off and you can see you again. There are others here like you so you’re not alone…”
Wait, side effect? Others? Breakfast! Oh wait he didn’t say breakfast. A warm hand, smaller than Eon’s, took mine and started to lead me toward the doors I suppose. “Careful there are steps.” Rothgar warned. Good thing too. We began the descent into the chill like that of an old basement in the summer.
We had just conquered the steps when another voice, a girl’s, called out
“Hey Rothgar! Need any help?”
“Yeah. Thanks Alex.” Replied Rothgar and he left me standing there. First Eon and now Rothgar, are all the guys in this place as rude as these two?! I was starting to feel like a hot potato.
“Hi! I’m Alex! Oh… are you blind?” Alex (the girl) asked from a bit closer and in front of me now, she sounded concern at least. I turned my head in the direction of her voice. Embarrassed now I fumbled over my words.
“Oh, um… he he… yes… I guess I am. Um… is there any food?” I felt the blush spread across my cheeks as my stomach choose that moment to growl. As the growl echoed and faded it was replaced with a surprised silence.
“Yeah, right over here. They only have sweets though.” She apologized “want some chocolate cake?”
“Chocolate? Ewe.” I made a face at the thought “anything else?”
“Powdered doughnuts?”
“Fine.”
I bite hungrily into the powdery ring. Savoring bright lemony sweet treat. It was gone in two bites. I liked my sugar covered fingers longing for more.
“So… how’d you end up here?” asked Alex. I liked her at least she spoke.
“Umm… I woke up blind, almost walked off a cliff and then was saved by some guy who didn’t talk much and gave me no straight answers.” I said matter a factly. I wanted another doughnut. “by the way… where are we?”
“ah…” she said let down. Crap that’s not what she meant. “well we are in a resting place of sorts. It sort of looks like an arena but in the center is a fire and to the sides are some sleeping mats and then there are these foods… want another doughnut?”
My stomach growled.
“… Yes please.”
A heated argument in hushed tones broke out somewhere to my left. I sensed Alex’s attention being diverted from me and my doughnut.
“What the… is Rothgar arguing… with a cat?! A talking cat?!” Alex asked in disbelief. Talking cat? Cool.
I heard footsteps and sensed Alex moving away, probably to eaves drop. I tried to follow her because I didn’t want to stand around aimlessly like an idiot and didn’t want to be alone and I wanted to hear the argument too. When I tripped over a shallow depression in the ground.
I let out a squeak of surprise as I fell. I landed not on the stone floor but something soft and bumpy and warm. More squeaks and screams emanated from whatever had broken my fall when…
Something smacked me square in the face and I, for the third time today, dissolved into unconsciousness.
~Allie Miller