Oubliettes

Chapter 4: Stuck in a Strange and Unknown Town

Now that she was inside the town, she could somehow see it more clearly than she had from the other side of the line. The first thing she noticed was how absolutely white everything was. The shops and houses in sight where all white and not in a modern or Greek way; it was just white. Imagine any normal town, but white. And the second thing Blue noticed was how immaculately clean it all was; considering the cleanness of the place, the pungent smell really didn't make sense. Blue started walking along the white buildings hoping to see an open shop or a person she could talk to. She had walked a few steps when she suddenly felt observed. She had the burning sensation that she was being watched. She turned around and looked through the windows hoping to spot the person watching her. It took her a few seconds to realize that she could barely make out New Iberia on the other side of the line. It was as if a blurry vail had fallen across the two towns. Curious, Blue walked back to the line to take a closer look. The blurry vail was getting thinner as she approached but stayed there. She stopped in front of the line and tried touching the vail; she was surprised when she felt a sudden burst of pain surged through her fingers. Her hand had somehow collided with something solid. She retracted her hand and held it against her torso in horror. What had just happened? Why did that hurt? Once the pain went away, she tried touching the vail again, but this time with her palm. She terrifyingly realized that she couldn't cross the vail; it was, in fact, as solid as a cement wall. At first, Blue started panicking at the idea that she was stuck in a strange and unknown town, but it didn't take her long to recover and refocus. She realized there had to be an explanation for the vail and she was going to figure it out.

Blue tensed up when she heard small footsteps coming towards her; she remembered that she had originally been looking for the person that had been watching her and she had the feeling that she was about to find out.

Blue turned around slowly and found herself facing a young boy; at first glance, she thought the boy must have been about six or seven-year-old, but as she looked closer, she realized his face made him look older. The boy was about four-foot-tall, but his face looked emaciated and his eyes looked tired. The white of his eyes wasn't white, it was gray blue which only made him look worst. He had dark circles around his eyes and his face shown no trace of the joy that comes with childhood. He was thin and had a yellowish complexion that made him look like he had jaundice. The only thing about him that looked healthy was his hair; it was blond, thick and messy and it was a stark contrast to the rest of his appearance.

Blue tentatively smiled at him, but he did not return it.

"Hi, I'm Blue," said Blue. "Do you know where I could find an adult around here?"

The boy looked at Blue intently as if trying to comprehend her presence in this town. He stayed silent for a long moment before he spoke having apparently decided that it was ok to do it.

"Everybody's still sleeping," explained the boy. "People don't get up early around here."

Blue looked at her watch and realized it was only 7:30 AM. She had barely been here for fifteen minutes, but somehow it had felt much longer.

"Blue's a funny name," said the boy.

"Yes, it is," laughed Blue. "It's my parents' favorite color. What's your name?"

"Oliver, but you can call me Oli," smiled the boy.

"So, Oli what are you doing out of bed?"

"I don't like sleeping," explained Oli.

Oli looked behind Blue at the vail that she had tried to cross a minute ago.

"You can't go back there," explained Oli. "No one can."