Comedic Mastermind

Chapter 3: Exploration Expectation

(Cherries' POV)

I could have never guessed. Paintbrush? Huh. Faint memories, but not clear enough. Mic just stood there. After what Trophy said, I didn't expect to see Mic smiling. Maybe her sarcasm detector was off? Don't know. "Hey, Mic. Your turn!" I laugh. She looks at me, surprised. I look at her dead in the eye. There was an awkward silence. "Microphone? Go ahead," Trophy says in annoyance. "Uh, is there a possibility I don't have to?" she asks. Trophy and I look at each other. "Whatever makes you comfortable, I guess," Trophy replies. Mic breathes out a sigh of relief. I smile.

Trophy stood up and did this hand gesture that said 'follow me.' Mic and I stood up and followed him. He seems to be walking in that direction where he thought he saw someone behind Mic, if that's the direction I think it is. He's moving to his right. I follow, but Mic stops. She looks around herself. I stop too. Trophy stops in his tracks as well. Probably because he stopped hearing footsteps behind him. "C'mon," Trophy beckons us. We both nod and keep walking. Walking forward, nothing new. Just the same ol' rocky walls and crying ceiling. Mic somehow avoids the water all the time. I was just lost in thought thinking about the outside world. I was startled and bumped into Trophy. Mic also bumped into me. It was like the Domino Effect because we all stumbled to the ground. "Trophy! Why did you stop?" I ask in surprise. "Ugh. Well, sorry, I guess. I just saw a sign," Trophy replies. "What are you waiting for? Read it!" I say excitedly. 

He doesn't say a word, but stands up and approaches the sign. Mic stands up as well but leans against the wall nearby. That wall is probably really lumpy, so I don't get why she couldn't have just stood somewhere else or something. Trophy reads, "Rule number 1. The most important rule. Have your swimming skills. You've already passed the part where you'll have to swim, but you'll have to swim again!" Mic groans. "Uh, how is Mic supposed to swim?" I ask. Mic just answers, "I can't swim, I haven't tried swimming, and I don't know! I'll probably die by swimming here!" Trophy sighs. "Rule number 2," he starts. "Have proper equipment. To be specific, helmets, thick fabric clothes, gloves, masks, etc., etc. I'm sure you have most or all of that if you're reading this." Mic scoffs. Well, I'm sure we all know that we don't have any of that, but how did we get here then? "Rule number 3 ties into the second rule. Having a good mask will most likely protect you from silica dust. Uh, in brackets, 'I think,'" Trophy stops. Who writes a rule and says 'I think'?! Who even wrote these rules!? He continues, "Hopefully you have a mask so you don't get pneumono..." he pauses. "Pneumono... what?" I ask. "I hope I don't butcher this," he starts. "Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis." Mic and I look dejectedly at each other. "What in the world does that mean?!" I shout. "Probably some lung disease," he answers. "Since it has something to do with inhaling some sort of dust, which will reach your lungs." Actually, that might be right. Genius thinking! I just can't say that aloud, though. "Oh, okay. So we're at risk?" Mic asks. "Maybe as long as you don't try to breathe near anything too close," he responds. I don't think it works like that, but hey. Trust the Trophy as they say! No one says that.

He skims through the other rules and sighs. "It's basically just the other rules but in different wordings." These objects were just lazy. I really wanted to know something new about this or something. I mean, the pneumono-thingy was new to me. I just can't remember what exactly the word was. It was a lung disease, though, so yeah. Trophy looks ahead of us and points, "There are some railroad tracks over there! Maybe we should follow it." We stare in the direction he's pointing at. "It's really the only way we can go," Mic replies. It seems like we all agree to walk in that direction. We follow the tracks with Trophy in the lead and Mic behind us. I'm just in the middle. We walk forward and I feel Trophy's hand stop me from walking. Mic bumps into me again. Poor her. Trophy tells us to stay here and we follow his words. Mic and I just sit down and talk about our lives.