A: Short Story Collection

Chapter 31

"Laugh"

Ime and I finish our meals and we go our separate ways after leaving the restaurant.

Walking home I come across a purple tent that says "Learn Your Fortune".

I walk inside and I'm greeted by a middle-aged lady sitting with her crossed legs on the ground with a crystal ball in front of her.

She looks at me and I smile. "Hey there," I said.

"Greetings," she said and went back to meditation. "Tell me why you're here child."

"I wanted to know my fortune," I said then sat down.

"Why do you wish to know?"

I smile. "I just wanna know why I suffer."

The lady looks at me. "Give me your hand."

I put out my hand.

"Show me your palm," she said and I did exactly that.

She grabs my hand and analyzes it.
"Your fortune is a fountain."

"A fountain?"

"Yes, a fountain. So don't rush to it and you'll understand."

I sigh. "I wouldn't be in a rush to find a fountain."

She smiles. "You'll understand."

She kisses my hand and says goodbye.

"Cya," I said.

I walk outside and immediately everything goes black.

Was I knocked out?

I wake up upside down, hanging tied up in chains.

I seem to be tied in a dimly lit room with nobody in sight except the shadows on the wall.

I hear a clap and the lights brighten up showing more of the environment. Seems I'm in a warehouse.

A man walks out of the shadows and I stare at him.

"What's going on," I said.

He looks at me and examines me. "Don't say a word."

"Word?" I said.

He spins me around.

I start to get dizzy and he stops.

"I almost threw up," I said.

"Are you serious?"

I smile "Are you serious?"

He groans. "You're kidnapped, why are you acting like this?"

"Am I? I thought we were hanging out," I said.

You know cause I'm hanging.

"You're unusual," he said.

"Don't worry about it. I've been shot."

The man grabs a bat. "Have you been beaten?"

"All the time."

The man grabs a remote and pushes a button. The floor below me reveals a tank of water.

"Have you been drowned?"

"I've drowned and had CPR before."

He grabs a chainsaw. "Lost a limb?"

"Nah. But I heard Missing Limbs by Sleep Token."

His jaws drop. "You've heard Missing Limbs."

"Of course I have."

"Just let me know if nowadays, the outer rounds of heaven don't," he sang.

I join him in singing the song and we both start laughing together at the end.

I laugh. "So, what you gone do to me, man?"

He laughs. "I'm going to dominate you."