“People cannot just disappear! This prison has the highest security in all of the Unites States, are you honestly telling me that this boy simply vanished overnight? Your job and your life could be at stake for this, I warn you, you could be dead! You should be!”
The large man’s mustache shook with each yell. With his face merely inches away from the short, balding man to which he directed his anger, he spat each bitter word forcefully only his face. This caused the small man to quiver uncontrollably, much to the content of his tormentor.
“The cameras, they were on! There…there’s nothing there!” He said in defense, his eyes moist and his heartbeat thumping so loudly they could hear it echo in the otherwise silent, concrete cell.
“You sir, are the guard. You are meant to be awake. You are meant to watch these monsters, every second that you are alive inside this godforsaken place. You have no idea the danger that could result in this, the danger we could be in right now. This boy has no soul, I assure you.” They paused, goosebumps raising on their arms from the icy, damp air surrounding them. They glanced at the walls, clawed at and filthy.
“Only you and I know about this. If you tell anyone, anyone at all, I will see to it that you are killed.” The man turned away briskly, his long coat fluttering behind hi. His boots thumped steadily down the corridor, eventually softening until silent. The small man was left behind, shaking in the eerie, silent prison. He slowed his breaths and smiled, then say calmly on the floor. Pensive, he began breaking clumps of dirt between his fingertips.
“No soul.” He chuckled, as the walls creaked and moaned.
Everything moved far too quickly. My head was swimming and pounding, and wind seemed to blow against my face and nowhere else. Suddenly I felt needles pressing against every millimeter of my skin and when I thought I could take it no longer, the pain ceased and the air turned thick and sweet. I opened my eyes to nothing I had seen before. Colors were vivid, the air tasted lil elite itself. There were endless hills of lush, green grass, which was warm and soft to the touch. I could see the flowers radiate sweetness. I didn’t quite understand what I was looking for, and how I would know when I found it. This did not seem like a world that suffered from corruption and violence, a world I had been told about for hours upon hours in the dark cell. My eyes followed a river’s delicate blue path as it rose from the ground and wrapped itself around me. It fluttered, streaming into the sky like a soft ribbon. I had been chosen, for some unknown reason, to save this world. This secret world that was hidden underneath that of humans, and that sometimes rose among us. I was five years old when I first saw the creatures, unlike anything imaginable. They were as tall as skyscrapers. Humans, reassembled. They strolled casually through countrysides, cities, and neighborhoods, searching for someone to save their lost world. I walked up, and shook the hand coming out of one of their big toes. Hundreds of mouths smiled at me. “You’re the one,” they echoed.
Since then they had visited me frequently. Humans are shockingly unaware of who and what lives amongst them. As I saw more and more of the underworld, I realized that I was no different than any other person, but that I simply took the time to look at my surroundings. Now, as I walked through the warm grass, it dawned on me that it was why I had been chosen. It had been such an ordeal as well. The portal existed in one place, and one place only. The highest security prison cell in the United States. In order to reach it, I had to be put there for a reason.
“Who are you?” I jumped at the small voice, unable to see anyone nearby. It was melodic and light, and I was curious as to where it had come from.
“A friend,” I said. She appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. I could describe her as a fairy, but it would not due her justice. She had been above me the entire time. Her wings were each twice the size of her body, and made of thin sheets of gold that seemed to move with the breeze. Her skin was water, a light blue that reflected sun rays across the hills.
“I’m glad you’re here.” She smiled, “I’m leading you to Laloray.”
The guard had told me of a guide but had never gone into description. Without any choice, I had to trust this was the one.
“Was it difficult to get here?” She asked, concerned.
In reality it had been nearly impossible, and had required complete dedication. There had been no way to sneak into the prison, so instead I hd to be sent for committing an actual crime to get me there. I had been framed for a series of horrific murders, ones that the underworld had created. They were merely images in the minds of humans, and had never truly happened. Unfortunately, no one knew that besides me. I Had lost my family, my school, my friends, my entire life. The world believed me a devil. Every day I thought about my decision, and whether or not it had been worth it. I would never understand the life of a normal human, but now, as I walked over a dreamlike world, I wasn’t sure if I cared.
