Post by David Alexander on Sept 13, 2018 21:08:28 GMT
Alice faced the cheap, wood covered den door and reached out to grip its brass-colored knob. But the knob spun in her hand and the door flew open away from her.
A short woman with viridescent eyes stood in front of her. The woman stared with a blank face and slack jaw, her mouth held agape. She was holding a bit of gray cloth in her hand, which was slowly falling away from her mouth. Everything about the woman, from her fair blonde pixie-cut hair to her outlandish clothing, fought for Alice’s attention.
“AHH! ON PALU...palu!” she cried out.
“Sor--sorry! I didn’t know there was someone here.” Alice looked away.
The woman backed up slightly before peering up into her thick visor. “Wait! I know you!”
“I’m sorry?”
“Erm, um. I mean. Yeah, no, I don’t know you!” The woman’s expression changed rapidly, her eyes shifting all around as she turned away. She then remembered to cover her mouth with the small cloth in her hand.
Alice couldn’t help but stare, distracted by her animation. She had to close her eyes to speak. “Hold on. Um.” She took a breath and spoke as calmly as she could manage, “I’m Alice. Who are you?”
“I’m Celica! You can call me ‘Celi’ or ‘Cel’ or ‘Cee’ or ‘Ica!’ Or wait, maybe some of those are strange in English? I dunno, but nicknames don’t seem so popular over here even though they are a lot of fun to use!”
Alice wanted to speak, but something was sapping her mental energy. Thousands of tiny voices were crying out, warning her of damage all across her body. She didn't expect that running in an environmental suit would be so exhausting. And now that her brain had subconsciously decided she wasn’t in a fight-or-flight situation, her endorphins production had slowed back down. Worse, her stomach had begun to turn from excess adrenaline and lack of food.
With grandiose motions, Celica grabbed Alice’s glove at the wrist. “Anyways, let’s get you inside before the scary stuff comes! I’m sure you were looking for a safe place, right?”
“Um, yeah? That’s right.”
Alice was lost. There shouldn’t have been anyone in the old blue house at the end of the street. And if there were, they’d act a lot differently. This stranger was unlike anyone she’d ever seen in the city before. And anyway, did she not understand the situation? Where did she come from? Was she alone? Was she in danger of breathing in any leftover poison in the air? Would a soldier from whoever was dropping gas on Seattle come and find them?
She followed Celica in without thinking about it too much, busy with bigger thoughts. Celica then went around her and closed the door before returning to face Alice with a bright smile. Then, she remembered the cloth once more and put it to her nose and mouth.
Alice frowned. “How come I’ve never seen you around town, Celica? Your clothes are quite, um, interesting. I'd think I’d remember you.”
“Well, you see. These are my, um, underclothes! I usually wear a button up shirt and--"she paused for a moment, unsure--"slacks over them. Because it’s cold outside, you know?”
Alice raised an eyebrow, unable to let slide such an illogical sounding statement.
“It’s summer. It may be the Northwest, but it doesn’t go under 12 degrees around here until at least another month or so. Are you not from around here?”
“Oh. Well. Um, yeah. No. I’m not.”
Celica’s black, nearly skin-tight one-piece was a style she’d never seen before. The cloth did look warm and comfortable. On the thought of comfort, she remembered what they reminded her of.
“Does everyone wear pajamas all day where you’re from, then?”
“Paja...uh. Yes? Yes. Yes, we do.” Celica nodded with great effort to support her final statement.
Though she was quite suspicious, Celica couldn’t be a threat, Alice concluded.
Alice spent a moment to inspect the ancient house’s den. It was filled up with dusty furniture, cardboard boxes in stacks, and the rest of someone’s unclaimed possessions left scattered in-between. And it was then that she noticed an irregularity right behind where Celica stood.
Somehow, right where an old wooden bookshelf was left empty and falling into a set of metal filing cabinets, there was a dark, gray wall of concrete. It was as if a section of the den was cut out and replaced with another. It was odd. It was strange and irregular. And it greatly bothered her.
Celica had been pondering to herself while Alice had looked over the room. Remembering the situation, she suddenly jumped forward with her left hand up. “HOLD ON!”
Alice froze again, startled by her unexpected volume.
“WE HAVE TO GO! There’s like, SOLDIERS and GAS outside, RIGHT?”
“Well, the gas is mostly gone. I don’t think it’s safe to go outside, yet. I have no idea how much is lethal. And I didn’t see any soldiers yet, but there were warnings about the possibility.”
Celica was already busy trying to drag Alice further into the den, applying maximum negative force she could muster to Alice’s metallic glove. She didn’t get very far with only one arm free to pull with.
“It’s...safe...this...way...through...he--re!”
She slipped on the carpet a few times until Alice let her move her. Even though it was toward the odd bit of gray concrete that seemed closer than it should be.
Alice had no idea what was wrong with the oddness, but there was something very out of place about it. Was it a hologram? It reminded her of a virtual reality game, in a way. Or like a realistic painting of a three-dimensional object on drawn on a flat wall. Alice didn’t exactly want to go toward the strangeness ahead, but she didn’t have much choice. The woman should have been exposed to the gas already, but if whatever place she came from was where the gray wall was, then maybe it was safe, somehow.
As Celica pulled on Alice’s wrist, she walked forward straight into the flat of different. Nothing went wrong. Alice watched her arm go in. It couldn’t be real, but it happened without resistance. Every rational thought screamed for her to pull back and stay away. But she wanted to see what was on the other side, and how it all worked. Alice cursed her academic history as she closed her eyes and held her breath.
A short woman with viridescent eyes stood in front of her. The woman stared with a blank face and slack jaw, her mouth held agape. She was holding a bit of gray cloth in her hand, which was slowly falling away from her mouth. Everything about the woman, from her fair blonde pixie-cut hair to her outlandish clothing, fought for Alice’s attention.
“AHH! ON PALU...palu!” she cried out.
“Sor--sorry! I didn’t know there was someone here.” Alice looked away.
The woman backed up slightly before peering up into her thick visor. “Wait! I know you!”
“I’m sorry?”
“Erm, um. I mean. Yeah, no, I don’t know you!” The woman’s expression changed rapidly, her eyes shifting all around as she turned away. She then remembered to cover her mouth with the small cloth in her hand.
Alice couldn’t help but stare, distracted by her animation. She had to close her eyes to speak. “Hold on. Um.” She took a breath and spoke as calmly as she could manage, “I’m Alice. Who are you?”
“I’m Celica! You can call me ‘Celi’ or ‘Cel’ or ‘Cee’ or ‘Ica!’ Or wait, maybe some of those are strange in English? I dunno, but nicknames don’t seem so popular over here even though they are a lot of fun to use!”
Alice wanted to speak, but something was sapping her mental energy. Thousands of tiny voices were crying out, warning her of damage all across her body. She didn't expect that running in an environmental suit would be so exhausting. And now that her brain had subconsciously decided she wasn’t in a fight-or-flight situation, her endorphins production had slowed back down. Worse, her stomach had begun to turn from excess adrenaline and lack of food.
With grandiose motions, Celica grabbed Alice’s glove at the wrist. “Anyways, let’s get you inside before the scary stuff comes! I’m sure you were looking for a safe place, right?”
“Um, yeah? That’s right.”
Alice was lost. There shouldn’t have been anyone in the old blue house at the end of the street. And if there were, they’d act a lot differently. This stranger was unlike anyone she’d ever seen in the city before. And anyway, did she not understand the situation? Where did she come from? Was she alone? Was she in danger of breathing in any leftover poison in the air? Would a soldier from whoever was dropping gas on Seattle come and find them?
She followed Celica in without thinking about it too much, busy with bigger thoughts. Celica then went around her and closed the door before returning to face Alice with a bright smile. Then, she remembered the cloth once more and put it to her nose and mouth.
Alice frowned. “How come I’ve never seen you around town, Celica? Your clothes are quite, um, interesting. I'd think I’d remember you.”
“Well, you see. These are my, um, underclothes! I usually wear a button up shirt and--"she paused for a moment, unsure--"slacks over them. Because it’s cold outside, you know?”
Alice raised an eyebrow, unable to let slide such an illogical sounding statement.
“It’s summer. It may be the Northwest, but it doesn’t go under 12 degrees around here until at least another month or so. Are you not from around here?”
“Oh. Well. Um, yeah. No. I’m not.”
Celica’s black, nearly skin-tight one-piece was a style she’d never seen before. The cloth did look warm and comfortable. On the thought of comfort, she remembered what they reminded her of.
“Does everyone wear pajamas all day where you’re from, then?”
“Paja...uh. Yes? Yes. Yes, we do.” Celica nodded with great effort to support her final statement.
Though she was quite suspicious, Celica couldn’t be a threat, Alice concluded.
Alice spent a moment to inspect the ancient house’s den. It was filled up with dusty furniture, cardboard boxes in stacks, and the rest of someone’s unclaimed possessions left scattered in-between. And it was then that she noticed an irregularity right behind where Celica stood.
Somehow, right where an old wooden bookshelf was left empty and falling into a set of metal filing cabinets, there was a dark, gray wall of concrete. It was as if a section of the den was cut out and replaced with another. It was odd. It was strange and irregular. And it greatly bothered her.
Celica had been pondering to herself while Alice had looked over the room. Remembering the situation, she suddenly jumped forward with her left hand up. “HOLD ON!”
Alice froze again, startled by her unexpected volume.
“WE HAVE TO GO! There’s like, SOLDIERS and GAS outside, RIGHT?”
“Well, the gas is mostly gone. I don’t think it’s safe to go outside, yet. I have no idea how much is lethal. And I didn’t see any soldiers yet, but there were warnings about the possibility.”
Celica was already busy trying to drag Alice further into the den, applying maximum negative force she could muster to Alice’s metallic glove. She didn’t get very far with only one arm free to pull with.
“It’s...safe...this...way...through...he--re!”
She slipped on the carpet a few times until Alice let her move her. Even though it was toward the odd bit of gray concrete that seemed closer than it should be.
Alice had no idea what was wrong with the oddness, but there was something very out of place about it. Was it a hologram? It reminded her of a virtual reality game, in a way. Or like a realistic painting of a three-dimensional object on drawn on a flat wall. Alice didn’t exactly want to go toward the strangeness ahead, but she didn’t have much choice. The woman should have been exposed to the gas already, but if whatever place she came from was where the gray wall was, then maybe it was safe, somehow.
As Celica pulled on Alice’s wrist, she walked forward straight into the flat of different. Nothing went wrong. Alice watched her arm go in. It couldn’t be real, but it happened without resistance. Every rational thought screamed for her to pull back and stay away. But she wanted to see what was on the other side, and how it all worked. Alice cursed her academic history as she closed her eyes and held her breath.