Ship In A Bottle (A Monkie Kid Reader Insert)

Chapter 9: Depths And Peaks

A competition host's voice.

A round of applause.

A drizzle of golden confetti.

You and your fellow performers raised your props in victory. Varying props, not limited to the usual flags, batons, and such, all of you raised above your heads. Choosing flow arts as a second theme proved to be pivotal, as all of you were showered with praise.

The falling confetti danced with the spotlight, the same one that formed beads on your nose, as you stood under the golden beam's warmth. You didn't do this for the victory, but for a moment...

You relished it...

You haven't felt this way since...

Since the last time you performed...

Accompanying the audience's applause were that of the other teams, applauding you from the backstage while having masks on. Colorful masks that resembled land animals. Each team had a secondary theme of their own, such as masquerade, rainforest, accompanying your own neon party theme.

The audience continued to applaud you, filling the seats to the brim while dawning masks of their own, golden ones resembling different species of sea life. They filled the behemoth of a gold and velvet theater, all the while leaving the very front seats for the judges.

The judges, that's where your eyes were set upon. Dressed as characters from the Journey To The West were living, breathing, human versions of your nesting dolls. All but one. In the very center of the seats, where your eyes were truly focused on, dawning what you assumed to be Guanyin's appearance...

Was her.

"Your performance was incredible." She spoke through the microphone, enjoying every bit of ecstasy you desperately tried to keep under control. "I have to add, choosing circus as a second theme adds to the charm you've all brought to the stage."

Your smile faltered into confusion.

"C-circus?"

That's when your surroundings began to distort.

Everyone's figure flickered into dark silhouettes. All but their eyes, staring right through you. You steadily stepped back, holding the flag tighter as even your fellow performer's bore their gaze into your very soul.

Static would soon engulf the floor, then the walls, and yet...

The dark, inky, figures remained.

The static sky then began to melt. Dripping on you and every figure with you. It started with droplets, and then small splashes. You tried to run through the figures, somehow knowing that the static ceiling would eventually come crashing down...

But they kept crowding you.

You couldn't slink through, there was too many. You couldn't push them off either, they were like rigid statues. Seeing the ceiling about to flood wherever you were, you only had one option left...

You held your breath...

The static sky came crashing down, flooding everything below it. And yet, the figures kept standing as if they weren't affected. Instead, they watched you as you desperately tried to swim up. 

You didn't even knew where up is at first. Not when all that was in your field of vision was static. The only clue you had were the jellyfish that formed from your air bubbles, leading you to the invisible surface.

You gasped for air.

Emerging from a pile of newspapers, you grew even more confused. This time, you dawned a ringmaster's getup, along with the cane that replaced your flag. You picked up one of the newspapers, reading the headlines.