Patchwork

Alison took a deep breath. She leapt from the top of one oak tree to the top of the next one. She was surprised she had managed to pull off such a feat. Now that she was close enough, she gently placed her hand on the surface of the sky. She took some peacock blue fabric out of her pocket and began to repair a gap in her patchwork. Alison was skilled with a sewing needle. She enjoyed fixing and creating things. Speaking of creating, that's how her world came to be. She added bit by bit over the years and had completed it. However, her parents were never fond of her unusual and uncontrollable imagination.

While Alison was busy admiring the beauty of the vast patchwork sky, with all its shades of blue and patterns. She heard something from afar. She closed her eyes to try to focus on identifying the noise in the distance. When her eyes reopened, she was lying on her bed and someone was knocking on her door. She got up, adjusted her red patchwork cloak and brushed her short brown hair out of her light green eyes before opening the door. Standing in the hallway was a boy, sixteen or so, his hazel eyes and messy dark hair seemed familiar to Alison, but she didn't recognise him at first.

"Did my parents let you in?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'm Mike, we used to play together when we were younger.."

Alison still couldn't remember him, but it had been a good few years since they were last in contact.

"I see. Not to be rude but..why are you here now?" She asked.

"I know it's been some time, but your parents told my parents they think we should reconnect. I know it sounds strange but they think you need a friend. They're concerned about you I guess" He explained.

This was definitely a peculiar experience for Alison and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. She decided to 'reconnect' with Mike again, she hoped she wouldn't regret this decision.

Alison hung around with Mike in her house. After they had chatted about what their lives are like now, Mike asked Alison a question he thought was important.

"One of the things your parents mentioned to me was that you rarely leave your room or go outside. Why is that?"

"Ha, did my parents provide you with a whole essay about me? They seem to have told you a lot." She joked.

"I guess they did....you kind of avoided my question just there...can you give me an answer please?" He replied, hoping he wouldn't offend her.

"Fine. I rarely leave my room because I don't like the world outside." Alison averted her eyes, going quiet after answering.

"Why not?." Mike was confused at the vague response he was given. Alison then got up, beckoning Mike to follow her. "My parents aren't around so I thought you might like to see something," She said.

"Alright"

Mike and Alison made their way back to the bedroom upstairs.

Inside Alison's room, there were bits of fabric scattered everywhere. Laying around the place were patchwork animals that had been stuffed and stitched together. The room exploded with creativity. It looked more like a child's room than an adolescent's. "This is...unique" Mike observed, unsure of what else to say. Alison led him to the middle of the room.

"Yes it is, but that's not what I wanted to show you"

"Then, what will you show me?"

"Well, first you must close your eyes"

"Oh..okay then" Mike did what he was told.

"Next, focus on what you see"

"Obviously I'm not going to see anything, my eyes are closed" Mike was reluctant to continue doing what Alison told him to do

"Imagine colours or anything"

"Why? Nothing will happen. All I see is black because I'm staring at the back of my eyelids"

"Are you sure that is all you see?"

"Alison this is stupid" Mike grumbled. He opened his eyes, he was not in the room anymore and was standing outside in some sort of forest. He was dumbfounded at the sight. Surrounding him and Alison were trees, leaves, birds, and a sky, made of what looked like patchwork. Everything was covered in wild patterns comprised of polka dots, stars, flowers, wavy lines, geometric shapes, the list goes on and on. Even the animals were patchwork. The burst of vivid colours was blinding. It was like staring at an abstract painting.

"A-Alison, Wha-where are we?" He stuttered

"This is my...home"

"How is this possible?"

"It's only possible if you have an imagination like mine"

Before the conversation could continue, Alison noticed an injured bird sprawled out on the ground. "Mike hold these." She handed Mike some fabric and a needle of the thread she had in her pockets. Slowly, she picked the bird up. She got the fabric and placed it on the bird's injury. Carefully grasping the needle and thread in her hand, she began sewing the fabric onto the wound. Mike watched in disbelief as the bird was 'repaired'. When she was finished, Alison let the bird go, watching it take flight.

"Why create this place?" Mike blurted out the question

"As I said, I don't particularly like the outside world"

"But why?"

"Outside is black and white, inside is blue, yellow, green, red." Alison's words perplexed Mike.

"What do you mean?"

"Outside, when you grow up, you become monochrome. However, inside, you don't have to grow up"

" I get it, this place is like a distraction, a place in which you don't have to face reality"

"That's one way to describe it, but to me, it's more than that," Alison said, removing her cloak. She stood silently, waiting for a reaction. Mike was slightly unnerved at the sight. Her skin itself was made from colourful patches of fabric. It was like looking at a human kaleidoscope. "I am a part of this world," She said with simple directness. Up to this stage, Mike had learned to question everything, but he was not prepared for this.

"I think you're a little too absorbed in this world of yours. This doesn't seem right"

"All the seams seem right to me," Alison remarked, gazing off into the distance.

"I get why you think the outside world is a terrible place, but you can't stay in here forever. You need to make a decision, I think" Mike insisted.

"What kind of decision?"

"Stay here and you'll become isolated and miserable. Live in reality and you will have a healthier and happier life. You need to grow out of this before you discover you can't cope with reality. Think carefully and please make the right decision" He continued.

"Fine. I can't decide yet, I need a second opinion. Follow me, we'll walk and talk." Mike once again followed Alison as they headed off.

A few hours had passed. Alison was taking one last look around her patchwork creation. "What a shame," She thought to herself as she reluctantly closed her eyes, seeing wild colours on the back of her eyelids. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in her garden. It felt wrong and weird to be back in the real world. It was empty and lacked colour. However, it wasn't all bad. She had found a substitute for her animal friends that she left behind in her world. "Mike would have hated this idea," She thought,  

"Well, he can't disagree now".

Alison, now in the real world, decided she was ready for a new adventure. First, she needed to source more fabric and thread to repair Mike's face. Then, she could create more human friends. "I've always thought mother looked wonderful in shades of blue" Alison giggled.