Stories Of An Unusual Imagination

Fruit Gummies

At first, everything was pitch-black. I couldn't see nor feel anything. Eh, maybe it's just an empty dream. But if so, what was I doing here?

I sat up. The moment I did this, I was transported right back to the streets of Boston. Dull buildings surrounded my every view, and the never-ending strip of brick road stretched in front of me. I couldn't see what was behind me, so I guess the only option was to move forward. 

After a while of kicking small stones by the sidewalk and watching pigeons peck at literally nothing but stale leftover litter food, I passed by a skinny house apartment. It was one of those houses that looked like they were being sandwiched together and struggled to get out of the suffocating pile. Like a row of books on a neat bookshelf, if you want to put it in a nicer way. The building was covered in faded yellow paint, standing out from the rest of the red subdued ones. A black door with a knocking handle stood between me and the contents of the house. It seemed like it was just painted yesterday with black paint, as if somebody had been taking good care with it. The knocking handle looked pretty ordinary, with a golden ring-shaped handle. The only strange thing was that the handle was held by a dog's golden head, just sticking out of the door neck-down. 

A scratching sound was what brought my attention. It sounded like a critter, or an animal that wanted to get out. But, I didn't know what was behind that door. Maybe it wasn't even an animal at all. Maybe it was a hideous, homicidal flesh-eating monster. But then again, I'm in a dream, aren't I? So I figured, what the heck?, and gripped the knocker, hitting it repetitively three times. 

The scratching sound instantly subsided. It was silent for a while. Then, suddenly, the door opened. A sliver of light entered the abode. I stood there hesitantly for a few seconds, then pushed the door to let in more light.

"Hello? Anyone home? I'm sorry if I'm intruding, but the door opened on its ow-OAH!" My foot must've tripped on the dusty rug on the floor and slipped, I fell face-first onto the wooden floorboard. "Ow..."

The moment I was able to peel my face off of the mouldy floorboards, I came face-to-face with a giant orange dog. No joke. The thing literally smelled of sweet tangerines and ripe oranges like a air freshener, just more... fresh. 

Upon seeing my revival from the fall, it started panting and yapping excitedly, running around in circles and spreading its orangey scent. It seemed really ecstatic to meet me. I couldn't choose which was stranger, the fact that this dog seems to know me or the fact that the orange looked like someone had dyed its fur with a dye that smelled of the same fruit as its name. 

I noticed that it wore a gold collar, which was a little hard to spot due to the orange fur. A gold circular plate no bigger than a large button read, "Orange". Huh, not that all surprised.

Orange started to bark at me. I guess he wanted me to follow him, and I did, in which he took the liberty of showing me around the whole house. Despite this place supposedly being called a "skinny house", the insides were unexpectedly spacious. Everything looked like it belonged in thee nineteenth century, the lights, the shelves, even the chairs looked old-fashioned. It reminded me of an old couple that might've been staying here before. Old black-and-white photos hung on the walls as we passed by an old kitchen filled with a strange smell. My nostrils flared and I could feel a huge intake of dust enter my nose. 

Coughing, I realized that Orange had begun to bark again. Oh boy, what now? I regained my composure and searched around the kitchen. Out of nowhere, a cat that smelled of melons and honey leaped onto the table. To my surprise, Orange the dog didn't instantly start to bark at it. Orange sniffed it for a few seconds, and then started yapping again happily. Maybe he knew this cat, and this creature was friend. 

"Hello there," I greeted cautiously. I was aware of the past experiences I had with cats, all which didn't end up very well. "What are you doing here?" I extended a tentative hand to a certain extent that left a few centimeters of space between me and the cat. Again, to my surprise, the cat being immediately took my hand as a sign of friendship and started purring as it rubbed its head against my hand, accepting a couple extra chin scratches. I smiled. These 'foodimals' keep surprising me the more I meet them.

The cat had a similar collar on its neck. This time, the plate had the word, "Watermelon" engraved on it. Watermelon. I like that.

After the first encounter with Watermelon, both animals were now leading the way through the maze home. Random items such as entire cabinet dedicated to china teapots to a study desk with strange cogwheels and old machinery appeared here and there. I was fully confident now that this house had belonged to someone from way back in the eighteens. Everything was so old, I could make a fortune selling all of these to the museum without needing to sell the house itself. What was even more worrying to me was the fact that this house seemed to never end. 

Finally, the two fruit-scented pets stopped right in front of a flight of stairs. Both Orange and Watermelon looked at me, as if telling me, "Alright buddy, this is it. Here's your stop." 

I wasn't even sure where I was heading to in the first place. 

As my foot touch the first flight of stairs, I felt a sudden pang of regret and sadness. I turned around to face Orange and Watermelon. The pink-and-green cat meowed encouragingly, as it came up to rub on my leg, purring and looking at me with wide eyes. Orange woofed happily and put its head on my knees as I sat down on the stairs. I couldn't help myself. Immediately, my smile began to wobble uncontrollably, tears quickly leaking out of my eyes. I put a hand on Orange's head and stroked Watermelon, tears streaming down my cheeks. I didn't even know why I was getting so emotional. I barely knew these animals, and yet I felt so close to them. Reluctant to leave, I finally buried my face in their fur pelts and closed my eyes, trying my best to engrave this memory as much as possible into my mind.

But when I woke up, the first thing that I saw with the glaring brightness of ceiling lights. 

I was in a hospital, surrounded that people didn't recognize.

Where's Orange and Watermelon?

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I had this idea from a good friend who put an orange on their dog and posted on their status. Then earlier this week, my mom brought a watermelon back home, and I've been mistaking it for my cat ever since. XD

There may be more variants though, like Strawberry the cow and Grape the parrot. Should I continue writing this? Comment down if you think it'd be cool to see more of Fruit Gummies! :D