FloatingFlames
Lovable Narcissist
Well, this is a unique little story I've been working on. I like this because I was shooting for a story in which you didn't know which point of view to side with, and I hope I achieved that. Also, you'll find that this one-shot lacks horror, I felt like taking a little break. It's also my longest one-shot yet, so I hope you enjoy.
Careless Dreamer
Rain trickled slowly down the window, meandering slowly to the bottom through the reflection of a young girl’s face. The girl stared hopelessly into the rain from inside the warm, comfortable house with empty, longing eyes. The night’s rain pounded down relentlessly and according to the dark skies, didn’t show any sign of halting soon.
The girl retreated sluggishly from the window to the cozy living room where her mother sat snugly in her chair, reading a large novel. Turning the pages placidly, she looked up over the top of the book at the child, who stared back with weary blue eyes.
“Mommy, there’s nothing to do, and I’m bored,” came her tired voice. Her mother closed her eyes sternly and replied.
“Emily, I’ve grown tired listening to your complaining. Go play in your room.”
“But-”
Her mother didn’t bother to respond, she only shot her a glance and Emily knew it was futile to continue.
She grumbled, aggravated, and shuffled away to her room.
The girl sprawled herself out on the small bed and stared at the bare white walls with an exhausted disdain.
Images of her tiny, boring town began to manifest in her mind. Her mundane life was like a cage for her, trapping her in a world where she felt she didn’t belong. Nothing ever happened; her life was the equivalent of watching a blank TV channel or staring at a wall. Everything was routine.
Her foot met a stuffed animal, knocking it off the end of the bed. Emily wiped her annoying short brown hair away from her eyes and glanced up at the ceiling, counting the times the fan turned, spinning around, around and around, unceasing.
She had many escapades – brief moments of excitement – when she attempted to venture away from the countryside, each ending with her recapture and scolding back at the house.
The child exhaled a deep sigh which seemed to make the room more of an empty void than it was. She rolled over and buried her face in pillows. The most interesting thing for her to do was sleep, as sad as it was. Dreaming was the sole thing that entertained her; her mind was her greatest toy, and she used it more than anything else.
Emily drifted off into sleep, where her dreams took her to places she would never see. She rolled carelessly in her bed, searching in her mind for an exciting destination. A nice cozy place to spend the rest of her life - never tired, never restless…
The night was calm and tranquil, the stars shimmered on the canvas of blackness.
Emily tossed and turned in her bed beneath this night as her mind wandered with time, and as the night began to depart along with her dreams, the sun rolled slowly through the cracks in the window’s blinds, peacefully lighting the room.
She did not initially wake. Instead she groaned, pulled the covers over her head and attempted desperately to fall back into her slumber. She could not remember her dream, but she knew it would be better than the absolute nothingness she would be exposed to.
She could already play everything out in her mind – her mother would call her down, she would eat some toast and juice, and spend the rest of the afternoon waiting for night when she could sleep again. It never seemed to come though; they were endless days with no escape in sight.
Rubbing her eyes, Emily groaned, rose from her bed and froze. Her eyes surveyed the room with shock. This was not her bedroom.
She sat upright in what seemed to be a hospital bed. There were two others beside her, both empty. Cold tiles blanketed the floor. Emily closed her eyes again for a long period and then opened them, thinking she was still in a dream. The scene did not change.
Her spine tingled slightly as she scanned the room. Emily had no idea where she was, but she also had no time to think it over - the door adjacent to her opened with a soft creak. She turned and looked to see a nurse enter. The nurse smiled at her warmly. Emily did not return the smile. She merely stared, confused.
“Umm… where am I? Why am I not in my room?”
It was the nurse’s turn to be confused.
“Hmm? We found you outside the Pokémon center. You were lying unconscious.”
Emily said nothing. Her eyes only stared, puzzled and scared. She swallowed and tried to speak, but he voice was slightly rough.
“Wh-what? I…that can’t… Pokémon?” The girl remembered what the nurse had said.
“…Yes, why?”
“What… is that?”
A look of pity was visible in the nurse’s eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing… you must be suffering from amnesia. This is terrible.”
“Amnesia? No, it’s just-”
“Listen, you rest. Tomorrow I’ll take you through town and show you around.”
And then irony struck with full force. After hearing this mysterious news, the girl could not simply fall back into her beloved sleep. This was something she had never heard of before, and all of her fears of this new environment seem to vanish as curiosity filled the void.
“No,” Her voice sounded confident, which surprised her, “I’d like you to show me around now…If that’s not too much trouble,” she added, after realizing the rudeness of her demand.
The nurse, although taken slightly aback, smiled again.
”Are you sure? This isn’t typical; I’d expect you to be tired.”
Emily was tired, but this took priority in her mind. She nodded, took the hand of the nurse, and left the room.
The next room they entered was huge; the expansive area was colossal compared to her house. The ceiling must’ve been twenty-five feet high and calm cerulean colored tiles paved the floor. Tables were strewn across the sides along with comfortable couches which seated strangely dressed people tending to bizarre creatures. They passed a counter where another nurse smiled at them, friendly waving.
Right as they exited the building, thousands of questions burst into Emily’s mind – one in particular.
“What were those animals?”
The nurse turned and smiled, this time wider than ever. It was as if she was waiting for that question.
“Those creatures are called Pokémon – our companions in this world. They are considered many things to many different people – pets, warriors, friends – and many consider them to be the foundation for human society. They are extremely complex, to put it simply.”
Emily’s heart pounded with enough force to leap from right out of her. Adrenaline overtook her and she began to tremble with excitement. Only one word escaped her lips in her fit of admiration.
“Amazing…”
She stared up into the sky which brimmed with life. Subconsciously, she understood that she was in a different world, but she did not care. This was the world she saw in the back of her mind, the world she didn’t know existed but the one knew she was meant to live in.
The child became lost in her thoughts, and was only awoken with a tap on the shoulder.
“How old are you anyways?” The nurse inquired.
“Umm…” The girl had to think for a bit, forcing herself out of her daydreams. “I’m almost thirteen.”
“Ah, so almost. You’ll be able to be a trainer in another year though.”
“A trai-?”
“You’ll see soon, I’m sure.”
Emily grinned.
She left with the nurse to the city, and she became part of the new world; she was instantly immersed. The girl was guided through the town by the nurse – she was shown Pokémon and introduced to trainers, all to her delight.
Time passed quicker than ever as the sun had faded away leaving Emily wanting to explore the town even more. They had visited shops and marts and one particular bookstore that Emily became infatuated with. But the nurse just giggled and convinced Emily that they would continue the tour the next day, and she would even let her go off on her own if she was good.
Emily did not go to sleep that night. She lay awake in her bed with the lamp on, hungrily turning the pages of a book containing information on every known Pokémon which she had humbly received from the nurse. All her life, she had never been so fascinated with anything.
She laid the book on its side and lay on her back, her eyes closed and her mouth curled into a contempt smile. Questions of how she had fallen into this intriguing domain tiptoed their way through her thoughts but she quickly flushed them away. There was no use mulling over why it had happened; her mind was set on the experiences she would discover throughout this world. It was unlike anything she had envisioned in her dreams, but she knew it was more, she knew it was real. She had stumbled upon a wonderland.
She closed her eyes reluctantly but didn’t sleep; she merely rested, saving her energy for what the following day would bring.
The morning came with the brilliant rays of the sun, and the nurse entered the room to find the girl lying over the book, her eyes closed, resting peacefully. She chuckled, gently nudged her, and Emily awoke with glistening eyes, hurrying to get out the door.
The day passed as carefree as the last; she visited shops and strayed through the town, mindlessly taking in her surroundings. The buildings seem to stretch above in their metallic glory, leaving her stunned in amazement.
Emily was amused by anything in this place; she had never seen anything so amazing and otherworldly. She had been released from her cage, and she was now immersed in her newfound freedom.
The girl spent most of her time in the shops, staring with wide eyes at miscellaneous items and tools used by Pokémon trainers. She would occasionally pester near-by shoppers with questions about different products (she had her eye particularly on a strange red and white colored sphere) and receive odd looks and explanations spoken in tones that seemed to question whether or not she was born yesterday.
Emily didn’t mind people giving her funny looks; she had already fallen in love with what she embraced as her new home. She would gaze longingly at matches on television and jot notes down about different Pokémon, intrigued by every one she witnessed.
Emily found herself walking home through the darkness, returning to the hospital late after forcing her to break free of her entrancement. A cool breeze rustled by, and the smile that had graced her lips for her entire visit widened even more.
She whistled softly to herself, trotted through the gardens to the doors and softly made her way to her room, and she instantly stopped.
The room became as black as the night outside – the room was enveloped in twisting shadows, dancing across the floor and ceiling.
A small pink light appeared, taking the shape of a cat-like figure. It danced through the air, floating carelessly; the light around it vanished to reveal two large, dazzling cerulean eyes. A thin tail whipped around playfully, an action that did not reflect the look in her eyes. Emily backed up against the door, her eyes not leaving the newly revealed creature.
“Why are you here?” Came its majestic voice, which echoed mystically throughout her head.
“W-What… are you talking about?” Emily stuttered, terrified. The creature stared at her intently, as if examining the contents of her soul. She shivered slightly beneath its gaze. It began to speak within her mind once more.
“I don’t know how you got here… but you must leave,” The pink creature paused for a moment and continued. “You seem to have reached this place in your dreams and become deeply attached to it, so much that you’ve transplanted your soul to it. All that exists in your world is your dying body and it cannot live without your soul. Please, I beg of you – you don’t belong here. You must force yourself to be released from this world. I know how you feel, but you must tear yourself away from this place.”
It sighed heavily, breathing utter remorse into the room. Emily involuntarily shuddered, but her gaze remained locked deeply into the eyes of the hovering figure.
She knew what this strange being spoke of was true. It had a godly feeling, and she felt that if she denied what she spoke of she would deny the existence of the very world she had come to love in just days.
Emily’s eyes began to water with tears, but she shook them away. She didn’t care. Emily wasn’t going back to that terrible way of life that she had come to detest with all her might.
Love for her new home had filled the void that had torn her from the inside. She had finally escaped the nothingness that pained her before. It was something she would not give up.
“No…” Emily’s intent stare turned to the floor. She couldn’t say it to its face, but she had voice it. Silence filled the room as Emily anticipated her response. The floating enigma stared curiously.
“You don’t understand. Once your body in your world passes on, you’ll-”
“Get away!” She screamed suddenly, flailing her arms as if to ward the dark away. The strange visitor breathed deeply and became a silhouette in the darkness which soon dispersed, leaving a girl alone, her eyes watering with uncontrollable droplets.
She wiped away the tears and climbed into bed, her legs shaking terribly with each movement. Her hands pulled the covers tightly over her and shut her eyes tight. She couldn’t think correctly, her head was crammed with too many thoughts and she couldn’t sort them out.
This plagued her for what seemed to be hours, but only several minutes passed in reality. Emily whimpered softly and turned over, clenching her toes tightly, trying with all her might to clear her head.
Finally a dreamless slumber overtook her, relieving her from her painful mind.
But she did not sleep long. Emily was up early the following looking over her book, searching almost desperately when she found it: the entry on the strange pink Pokémon. As they moved across the page, her eyes widened as she realized what she feared was true.
Mew, it was called. It was referred to as the caretaker of the Pokémon world, but most of the information regarding the creature was shaky and uncertain.
Emily slammed the book shut and heaved a heavy sigh, but instantly made up her mind. She would ignore this creature’s warning – she did not care what it heralded, she would continue to live in this world no matter what anyone said. The girl kept repeating that in her head, and a look of determination filled the once tearful eyes.
She smiled with a false hope and set out through the doors of the center.
And as soon as she entered the city, the fiasco with Mew was forgotten. She became as entranced as she was before, and any memory of the previous night was gone. It was amazing how easily she was sucked into the new world; all those years she was deprived of something so sweet and all of a sudden those desires were granted and Emily had been released into a world she had always longed for. She was nothing but smiles again.
Emily stopped at a food stand and picked up a quick meal before heading back out. She paid the man, grabbed her food and began back towards the mart when in the corner of her eye, she caught a sliver of a tiny pink creature near a bench and-
She shook her head and stared at where she had seen it to find a barren scene. Clearing her mind, she sat down and finished her meal. Still stricken by the situation, she left into the mart where she laid out on the couch and watched the nearby television.
The sky grew darker and darker slowly but surely, and Emily immersed herself in the matches on the screen, smiling in joy. She had begun to understand just how everything worked in Pokémon training and battling, and had urges to receive one of her one. If only she was a year older… Just thinking about the journeys that trainers set out on made her eyes twinkle with delight. It was the kind of thing she had always dreamed about.
Time passed, and Emily left the mart, saddened, to set back. She had memorized the quick trail back and began to plot shortcuts in her mind - if she shot through the garden she would instantly see the lamplights that would guide her to the doors.
The grass made soft, pleasant sounds to her ears as she moved. She stopped in the garden and plucked a budding rose, holding it to the darkened, rosy sky, and then let it float away. She smiled and took a step, when she heard a sound. Not aloud, like something in nature, but in her head. It was a whisper, but it was jumbled together, sounding like a different language.
“Who is there?” Emily called out confusedly to no one. No one answered her.
She looked around and began to realize how cold it was. Hurrying inside, the girl crept to her room, being sure to softly close the door.
Emily got into bed and pulled the covers over her, a worried look on her face. She began to breathe deeply and the room became chilly; she pulled the covers tighter.
The minutes on the clock ticked away, and the room was quiet. Her head became filled with random thoughts and her woes were alleviated. She rolled onto her stomach and softly gripped her pillow, fluffing it up.
“Leave.”
Emily’s eyes widened in horror. She turned to stare directly at Mew, floating above a vacant bed.
“Why won’t you leave me alone?!” The girl bellowed, quickly glancing at the door after realizing how loud she was.
“This is your last warning. I cannot force you to leave, but time is growing short. You won’t like what will meet you when time runs out.”
“Let…me be…” Emily panted. On command, Mew vanished.
The door burst opened to reveal the nurse, staring with worried eyes. “Are you all right?” She asked, her voice full of care.
“I’m… fine…yeah.”
“Well…all right.”
Emily rolled over onto her side and heard the door shut. The clock’s hands moved swiftly to bring the morning, but Emily did not fall asleep.
Noon came and she did not leave her bed.
She stared at the wall. Her mind was racing and her heart pounded harder than ever. Tears formed, but she did not let them continue.
What she had begun to love was being taken away from her. And it was all because of that monster. It lied, that’s what she told herself. It was telling her filthy lies, and she hated them. The image of the pink animal was imprinted in her head and she wanted it to leave, she wanted it to die.
Emily was powerless to do anything though, and that’s what ate at her insides. She wanted to change this fate, but she didn’t know what to do.
“Why…” she whispered to herself. It was unjust. “You can’t do this…”
Tears rolled down her cheek, and she did not try and restrain them. She bawled into her pillow, and didn’t stop. Everything she had held back was poured out, as if the dam had been broken.
Evening came. She did not move. Her tears had been released, and she stared upwards with vacant eyes. This particular activity made her feel as if she were back in her old room, it all felt so familiar…
“Time is running out. It will soon begin…” The voice returned, sounding through her mind. And Emily couldn’t take it.
“No! Get away from me! You can’t do this!” She repeated, the tears coming back to her eyes. The young girl leapt from her bed and through the door, and out of the center.
She turned to the town ahead, but instead of following the path to the city, she tore off the path and into the wilderness. Branches and thorns tore at her sides but she didn’t notice. She was in a completely different frame of mind. Nothing mattered except escaping that freak, that monster.
Emily stumbled over a root and met the soft earth, but quickly pulled herself to her feet. The jumbled voice from before filled her head and she screamed a hollow, empty, scream. It was not human.
Her insides turned several times, and she felt like she was about to throw them up. She fell to her knees and coughed up copious blood instead.
She stood up again resisting her body’s urge to stay on the ground. Her vision was flickering away, but she began to run aimlessly, refusing to stop. The trees at her side faded into a brilliant, almost blinding green. She shielded her eyes and continued on.
Her legs stopped suddenly. Emily tried with every ounce of remaining strength to move them forward, but that just caused her to stagger and collapse once more.
She opened her eyes and stared ahead. The trees glimmered with astonishing colors, and then began to twist together. She heard the voices from beyond the now massive tree, fragments of sentences that seemed to be thrown about.
“…She won’t separate herself from this world…I tried…”
”…I told you to leave it to fate…”
“But…”
“…Let it happen…”
Emily became enraged. Her vision was dwindling, but her emotions were blazing and burning.
“I can hear you! Let me go!” She wailed, he voice becoming less and less humane. It had an almost hellish sound to it now.
The rest of the forest vanished into complete blackness along with the girl’s remaining vision, but the massive, spiraling oak tree remained. The voices stopped.
Dots of light manifested in front of the colossal oak, forming the faint, shadowy silhouette of Mew.
“I warned you of this. You did not heed them. And now, you’ll pay for your actions.”
“No!” The girl screamed mindlessly, her voice becoming a demonic rasp. The outline of her body began to flicker and shake bizarrely. “You can’t! Stop! Please!”
Madness filled what was left of her eyes, now cold and dead. What remained of her body crawled across the disappearing earth, struggling in desperation toward the floating being.
“I’m… sorry.”
Mew faded away into the darkness, and the towering tree did the same as well, fading into the black. Emily’s body began to vanish under her steel-colored eyes also. The last final possession that belonged to the girl was the dead, twisted howl that she left echoing into the abyss.
She had begun in a vacant nothingness and that void became her grave.
Careless Dreamer
Rain trickled slowly down the window, meandering slowly to the bottom through the reflection of a young girl’s face. The girl stared hopelessly into the rain from inside the warm, comfortable house with empty, longing eyes. The night’s rain pounded down relentlessly and according to the dark skies, didn’t show any sign of halting soon.
The girl retreated sluggishly from the window to the cozy living room where her mother sat snugly in her chair, reading a large novel. Turning the pages placidly, she looked up over the top of the book at the child, who stared back with weary blue eyes.
“Mommy, there’s nothing to do, and I’m bored,” came her tired voice. Her mother closed her eyes sternly and replied.
“Emily, I’ve grown tired listening to your complaining. Go play in your room.”
“But-”
Her mother didn’t bother to respond, she only shot her a glance and Emily knew it was futile to continue.
She grumbled, aggravated, and shuffled away to her room.
The girl sprawled herself out on the small bed and stared at the bare white walls with an exhausted disdain.
Images of her tiny, boring town began to manifest in her mind. Her mundane life was like a cage for her, trapping her in a world where she felt she didn’t belong. Nothing ever happened; her life was the equivalent of watching a blank TV channel or staring at a wall. Everything was routine.
Her foot met a stuffed animal, knocking it off the end of the bed. Emily wiped her annoying short brown hair away from her eyes and glanced up at the ceiling, counting the times the fan turned, spinning around, around and around, unceasing.
She had many escapades – brief moments of excitement – when she attempted to venture away from the countryside, each ending with her recapture and scolding back at the house.
The child exhaled a deep sigh which seemed to make the room more of an empty void than it was. She rolled over and buried her face in pillows. The most interesting thing for her to do was sleep, as sad as it was. Dreaming was the sole thing that entertained her; her mind was her greatest toy, and she used it more than anything else.
Emily drifted off into sleep, where her dreams took her to places she would never see. She rolled carelessly in her bed, searching in her mind for an exciting destination. A nice cozy place to spend the rest of her life - never tired, never restless…
* * * *
The night was calm and tranquil, the stars shimmered on the canvas of blackness.
Emily tossed and turned in her bed beneath this night as her mind wandered with time, and as the night began to depart along with her dreams, the sun rolled slowly through the cracks in the window’s blinds, peacefully lighting the room.
She did not initially wake. Instead she groaned, pulled the covers over her head and attempted desperately to fall back into her slumber. She could not remember her dream, but she knew it would be better than the absolute nothingness she would be exposed to.
She could already play everything out in her mind – her mother would call her down, she would eat some toast and juice, and spend the rest of the afternoon waiting for night when she could sleep again. It never seemed to come though; they were endless days with no escape in sight.
Rubbing her eyes, Emily groaned, rose from her bed and froze. Her eyes surveyed the room with shock. This was not her bedroom.
She sat upright in what seemed to be a hospital bed. There were two others beside her, both empty. Cold tiles blanketed the floor. Emily closed her eyes again for a long period and then opened them, thinking she was still in a dream. The scene did not change.
Her spine tingled slightly as she scanned the room. Emily had no idea where she was, but she also had no time to think it over - the door adjacent to her opened with a soft creak. She turned and looked to see a nurse enter. The nurse smiled at her warmly. Emily did not return the smile. She merely stared, confused.
“Umm… where am I? Why am I not in my room?”
It was the nurse’s turn to be confused.
“Hmm? We found you outside the Pokémon center. You were lying unconscious.”
Emily said nothing. Her eyes only stared, puzzled and scared. She swallowed and tried to speak, but he voice was slightly rough.
“Wh-what? I…that can’t… Pokémon?” The girl remembered what the nurse had said.
“…Yes, why?”
“What… is that?”
A look of pity was visible in the nurse’s eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing… you must be suffering from amnesia. This is terrible.”
“Amnesia? No, it’s just-”
“Listen, you rest. Tomorrow I’ll take you through town and show you around.”
And then irony struck with full force. After hearing this mysterious news, the girl could not simply fall back into her beloved sleep. This was something she had never heard of before, and all of her fears of this new environment seem to vanish as curiosity filled the void.
“No,” Her voice sounded confident, which surprised her, “I’d like you to show me around now…If that’s not too much trouble,” she added, after realizing the rudeness of her demand.
The nurse, although taken slightly aback, smiled again.
”Are you sure? This isn’t typical; I’d expect you to be tired.”
Emily was tired, but this took priority in her mind. She nodded, took the hand of the nurse, and left the room.
The next room they entered was huge; the expansive area was colossal compared to her house. The ceiling must’ve been twenty-five feet high and calm cerulean colored tiles paved the floor. Tables were strewn across the sides along with comfortable couches which seated strangely dressed people tending to bizarre creatures. They passed a counter where another nurse smiled at them, friendly waving.
Right as they exited the building, thousands of questions burst into Emily’s mind – one in particular.
“What were those animals?”
The nurse turned and smiled, this time wider than ever. It was as if she was waiting for that question.
“Those creatures are called Pokémon – our companions in this world. They are considered many things to many different people – pets, warriors, friends – and many consider them to be the foundation for human society. They are extremely complex, to put it simply.”
Emily’s heart pounded with enough force to leap from right out of her. Adrenaline overtook her and she began to tremble with excitement. Only one word escaped her lips in her fit of admiration.
“Amazing…”
She stared up into the sky which brimmed with life. Subconsciously, she understood that she was in a different world, but she did not care. This was the world she saw in the back of her mind, the world she didn’t know existed but the one knew she was meant to live in.
The child became lost in her thoughts, and was only awoken with a tap on the shoulder.
“How old are you anyways?” The nurse inquired.
“Umm…” The girl had to think for a bit, forcing herself out of her daydreams. “I’m almost thirteen.”
“Ah, so almost. You’ll be able to be a trainer in another year though.”
“A trai-?”
“You’ll see soon, I’m sure.”
Emily grinned.
She left with the nurse to the city, and she became part of the new world; she was instantly immersed. The girl was guided through the town by the nurse – she was shown Pokémon and introduced to trainers, all to her delight.
Time passed quicker than ever as the sun had faded away leaving Emily wanting to explore the town even more. They had visited shops and marts and one particular bookstore that Emily became infatuated with. But the nurse just giggled and convinced Emily that they would continue the tour the next day, and she would even let her go off on her own if she was good.
Emily did not go to sleep that night. She lay awake in her bed with the lamp on, hungrily turning the pages of a book containing information on every known Pokémon which she had humbly received from the nurse. All her life, she had never been so fascinated with anything.
She laid the book on its side and lay on her back, her eyes closed and her mouth curled into a contempt smile. Questions of how she had fallen into this intriguing domain tiptoed their way through her thoughts but she quickly flushed them away. There was no use mulling over why it had happened; her mind was set on the experiences she would discover throughout this world. It was unlike anything she had envisioned in her dreams, but she knew it was more, she knew it was real. She had stumbled upon a wonderland.
She closed her eyes reluctantly but didn’t sleep; she merely rested, saving her energy for what the following day would bring.
The morning came with the brilliant rays of the sun, and the nurse entered the room to find the girl lying over the book, her eyes closed, resting peacefully. She chuckled, gently nudged her, and Emily awoke with glistening eyes, hurrying to get out the door.
The day passed as carefree as the last; she visited shops and strayed through the town, mindlessly taking in her surroundings. The buildings seem to stretch above in their metallic glory, leaving her stunned in amazement.
Emily was amused by anything in this place; she had never seen anything so amazing and otherworldly. She had been released from her cage, and she was now immersed in her newfound freedom.
The girl spent most of her time in the shops, staring with wide eyes at miscellaneous items and tools used by Pokémon trainers. She would occasionally pester near-by shoppers with questions about different products (she had her eye particularly on a strange red and white colored sphere) and receive odd looks and explanations spoken in tones that seemed to question whether or not she was born yesterday.
Emily didn’t mind people giving her funny looks; she had already fallen in love with what she embraced as her new home. She would gaze longingly at matches on television and jot notes down about different Pokémon, intrigued by every one she witnessed.
Emily found herself walking home through the darkness, returning to the hospital late after forcing her to break free of her entrancement. A cool breeze rustled by, and the smile that had graced her lips for her entire visit widened even more.
She whistled softly to herself, trotted through the gardens to the doors and softly made her way to her room, and she instantly stopped.
The room became as black as the night outside – the room was enveloped in twisting shadows, dancing across the floor and ceiling.
A small pink light appeared, taking the shape of a cat-like figure. It danced through the air, floating carelessly; the light around it vanished to reveal two large, dazzling cerulean eyes. A thin tail whipped around playfully, an action that did not reflect the look in her eyes. Emily backed up against the door, her eyes not leaving the newly revealed creature.
“Why are you here?” Came its majestic voice, which echoed mystically throughout her head.
“W-What… are you talking about?” Emily stuttered, terrified. The creature stared at her intently, as if examining the contents of her soul. She shivered slightly beneath its gaze. It began to speak within her mind once more.
“I don’t know how you got here… but you must leave,” The pink creature paused for a moment and continued. “You seem to have reached this place in your dreams and become deeply attached to it, so much that you’ve transplanted your soul to it. All that exists in your world is your dying body and it cannot live without your soul. Please, I beg of you – you don’t belong here. You must force yourself to be released from this world. I know how you feel, but you must tear yourself away from this place.”
It sighed heavily, breathing utter remorse into the room. Emily involuntarily shuddered, but her gaze remained locked deeply into the eyes of the hovering figure.
She knew what this strange being spoke of was true. It had a godly feeling, and she felt that if she denied what she spoke of she would deny the existence of the very world she had come to love in just days.
Emily’s eyes began to water with tears, but she shook them away. She didn’t care. Emily wasn’t going back to that terrible way of life that she had come to detest with all her might.
Love for her new home had filled the void that had torn her from the inside. She had finally escaped the nothingness that pained her before. It was something she would not give up.
“No…” Emily’s intent stare turned to the floor. She couldn’t say it to its face, but she had voice it. Silence filled the room as Emily anticipated her response. The floating enigma stared curiously.
“You don’t understand. Once your body in your world passes on, you’ll-”
“Get away!” She screamed suddenly, flailing her arms as if to ward the dark away. The strange visitor breathed deeply and became a silhouette in the darkness which soon dispersed, leaving a girl alone, her eyes watering with uncontrollable droplets.
She wiped away the tears and climbed into bed, her legs shaking terribly with each movement. Her hands pulled the covers tightly over her and shut her eyes tight. She couldn’t think correctly, her head was crammed with too many thoughts and she couldn’t sort them out.
This plagued her for what seemed to be hours, but only several minutes passed in reality. Emily whimpered softly and turned over, clenching her toes tightly, trying with all her might to clear her head.
Finally a dreamless slumber overtook her, relieving her from her painful mind.
But she did not sleep long. Emily was up early the following looking over her book, searching almost desperately when she found it: the entry on the strange pink Pokémon. As they moved across the page, her eyes widened as she realized what she feared was true.
Mew, it was called. It was referred to as the caretaker of the Pokémon world, but most of the information regarding the creature was shaky and uncertain.
Emily slammed the book shut and heaved a heavy sigh, but instantly made up her mind. She would ignore this creature’s warning – she did not care what it heralded, she would continue to live in this world no matter what anyone said. The girl kept repeating that in her head, and a look of determination filled the once tearful eyes.
She smiled with a false hope and set out through the doors of the center.
And as soon as she entered the city, the fiasco with Mew was forgotten. She became as entranced as she was before, and any memory of the previous night was gone. It was amazing how easily she was sucked into the new world; all those years she was deprived of something so sweet and all of a sudden those desires were granted and Emily had been released into a world she had always longed for. She was nothing but smiles again.
Emily stopped at a food stand and picked up a quick meal before heading back out. She paid the man, grabbed her food and began back towards the mart when in the corner of her eye, she caught a sliver of a tiny pink creature near a bench and-
She shook her head and stared at where she had seen it to find a barren scene. Clearing her mind, she sat down and finished her meal. Still stricken by the situation, she left into the mart where she laid out on the couch and watched the nearby television.
The sky grew darker and darker slowly but surely, and Emily immersed herself in the matches on the screen, smiling in joy. She had begun to understand just how everything worked in Pokémon training and battling, and had urges to receive one of her one. If only she was a year older… Just thinking about the journeys that trainers set out on made her eyes twinkle with delight. It was the kind of thing she had always dreamed about.
Time passed, and Emily left the mart, saddened, to set back. She had memorized the quick trail back and began to plot shortcuts in her mind - if she shot through the garden she would instantly see the lamplights that would guide her to the doors.
The grass made soft, pleasant sounds to her ears as she moved. She stopped in the garden and plucked a budding rose, holding it to the darkened, rosy sky, and then let it float away. She smiled and took a step, when she heard a sound. Not aloud, like something in nature, but in her head. It was a whisper, but it was jumbled together, sounding like a different language.
“Who is there?” Emily called out confusedly to no one. No one answered her.
She looked around and began to realize how cold it was. Hurrying inside, the girl crept to her room, being sure to softly close the door.
Emily got into bed and pulled the covers over her, a worried look on her face. She began to breathe deeply and the room became chilly; she pulled the covers tighter.
The minutes on the clock ticked away, and the room was quiet. Her head became filled with random thoughts and her woes were alleviated. She rolled onto her stomach and softly gripped her pillow, fluffing it up.
“Leave.”
Emily’s eyes widened in horror. She turned to stare directly at Mew, floating above a vacant bed.
“Why won’t you leave me alone?!” The girl bellowed, quickly glancing at the door after realizing how loud she was.
“This is your last warning. I cannot force you to leave, but time is growing short. You won’t like what will meet you when time runs out.”
“Let…me be…” Emily panted. On command, Mew vanished.
The door burst opened to reveal the nurse, staring with worried eyes. “Are you all right?” She asked, her voice full of care.
“I’m… fine…yeah.”
“Well…all right.”
Emily rolled over onto her side and heard the door shut. The clock’s hands moved swiftly to bring the morning, but Emily did not fall asleep.
Noon came and she did not leave her bed.
She stared at the wall. Her mind was racing and her heart pounded harder than ever. Tears formed, but she did not let them continue.
What she had begun to love was being taken away from her. And it was all because of that monster. It lied, that’s what she told herself. It was telling her filthy lies, and she hated them. The image of the pink animal was imprinted in her head and she wanted it to leave, she wanted it to die.
Emily was powerless to do anything though, and that’s what ate at her insides. She wanted to change this fate, but she didn’t know what to do.
“Why…” she whispered to herself. It was unjust. “You can’t do this…”
Tears rolled down her cheek, and she did not try and restrain them. She bawled into her pillow, and didn’t stop. Everything she had held back was poured out, as if the dam had been broken.
Evening came. She did not move. Her tears had been released, and she stared upwards with vacant eyes. This particular activity made her feel as if she were back in her old room, it all felt so familiar…
“Time is running out. It will soon begin…” The voice returned, sounding through her mind. And Emily couldn’t take it.
“No! Get away from me! You can’t do this!” She repeated, the tears coming back to her eyes. The young girl leapt from her bed and through the door, and out of the center.
She turned to the town ahead, but instead of following the path to the city, she tore off the path and into the wilderness. Branches and thorns tore at her sides but she didn’t notice. She was in a completely different frame of mind. Nothing mattered except escaping that freak, that monster.
Emily stumbled over a root and met the soft earth, but quickly pulled herself to her feet. The jumbled voice from before filled her head and she screamed a hollow, empty, scream. It was not human.
Her insides turned several times, and she felt like she was about to throw them up. She fell to her knees and coughed up copious blood instead.
She stood up again resisting her body’s urge to stay on the ground. Her vision was flickering away, but she began to run aimlessly, refusing to stop. The trees at her side faded into a brilliant, almost blinding green. She shielded her eyes and continued on.
Her legs stopped suddenly. Emily tried with every ounce of remaining strength to move them forward, but that just caused her to stagger and collapse once more.
She opened her eyes and stared ahead. The trees glimmered with astonishing colors, and then began to twist together. She heard the voices from beyond the now massive tree, fragments of sentences that seemed to be thrown about.
“…She won’t separate herself from this world…I tried…”
”…I told you to leave it to fate…”
“But…”
“…Let it happen…”
Emily became enraged. Her vision was dwindling, but her emotions were blazing and burning.
“I can hear you! Let me go!” She wailed, he voice becoming less and less humane. It had an almost hellish sound to it now.
The rest of the forest vanished into complete blackness along with the girl’s remaining vision, but the massive, spiraling oak tree remained. The voices stopped.
Dots of light manifested in front of the colossal oak, forming the faint, shadowy silhouette of Mew.
“I warned you of this. You did not heed them. And now, you’ll pay for your actions.”
“No!” The girl screamed mindlessly, her voice becoming a demonic rasp. The outline of her body began to flicker and shake bizarrely. “You can’t! Stop! Please!”
Madness filled what was left of her eyes, now cold and dead. What remained of her body crawled across the disappearing earth, struggling in desperation toward the floating being.
“I’m… sorry.”
Mew faded away into the darkness, and the towering tree did the same as well, fading into the black. Emily’s body began to vanish under her steel-colored eyes also. The last final possession that belonged to the girl was the dead, twisted howl that she left echoing into the abyss.
She had begun in a vacant nothingness and that void became her grave.
Last edited:
), and I had a nice time reading this. Kudos. ^^