The Void by Vincess Alcat

Chapter 6

I nod at her, feeling stressed about the fact that they brought me here and she won't let go of my hand. "Why does everything happen so fast here in the void and where did my pictures, trophy, and ribbon go?" "Well," she says, "in the void, time moves a bit differently. It can feel fast sometimes, but that just means we get to enjoy every moment together. And as for your things, they were teleported to your room. You'll find them when we get back home. Do you trust me, Miss Dreamer?" I nod even though I still don't.

"Good. Now, why don't we go find your father and see what he's up to?" After walking around a bit we find Mr. Dreamer at some game booths, playing a game called Whack-A-Mole. He's having a blast, laughing and cheering as he tries to hit the moles. "Hello, my dear!" he exclaims when he sees us. "I was just showing Daisy how to play. You should give it a try!" I shake my head, not wanting to play the game.

"It's okay," I say, "I'm just going to watch you." Mrs. Dreamer stands beside me, watching her husband play. I look over at Daisy who smiles and waves at me sheepishly. After a few more rounds, Mr. Dreamer finally wins a large stuffed animal. "Woo-hoo!" he shouts, jumping up and down. "I did it! I did it!"

He turns to us and holds up the stuffed animal. "This one's for my little Dreamer right here!" He hands the stuffed animal to me. It's a giant giraffe that has yellow fur with blood-red spots instead of the regular warm brown ones, no eyes, blood-red short horn-like nobs, a green bow tie, and a dark blue top hat. "You like it?" he asks. I nod, even though it is a horrifying abomination of a stuffed animal.

"Alright," Mrs. Dreamer says, "let's go home! I'm tired and a home-cooked meal sounds good right about now. See you later Daisy!" Daisy waves before walking away. Mr. Dreamer leads the way back to the car and I climb in behind the front seats, sitting down in the back seat, and I put the scary giraffe by the opposite window on the other end of the seat while I scoot to the driver's side and sit behind Mrs. Dreamer as she starts the car.

The ride home is quiet, everyone is lost in their thoughts. I can't help but stare at the strange giraffe in disbelief. When we finally arrive at 'home', it's late and I'm exhausted. I head to my designated room with the scary giraffe in my arms and find the shelves aren't as empty anymore. The trophy and ribbon are on the shelves and there are two picture frames with the two photos from today next to the trophy. I put the giraffe in a corner of my room.

I walk over to my bed, lie down, and fall asleep immediately, not even taking off my shoes. I don't remember much of my dreams, just a few fragments of my family and my old friends, and the giraffe from the carnival. When I wake up, it's late morning, I get up and head downstairs to find the kitchen door open. I walk through the open door and see the fridge. I stare at the blue door for a couple of minutes debating whether or not I should open the door and see what strange food is being stored in it. There could be all sorts of strange things stored there, things I might get nightmares from or there could be regular food like any other fridge or nothing at all and they just have a fridge to look normal.

While I am debating whether or not to open the fridge door Mr. Dreamer appears out of nowhere from behind me, he is dressed in a short-sleeved dark blue flannel shirt, khaki shorts, and brown loafers with his brown hair in a feathered hairstyle. He opens the door and pulls out a glass bottle with a white substance in it. Giving me a little bit of time to see a variety of items, some looking normal and others looking strange and not edible. "Good morning Miss Dreamer, how did you sleep last night?" I shrug and look at the glass bottle in his hands. "What is that?" I ask him pointing to the glass bottle.

"Oh, this is milk." He says holding it out to me. "Go and get dressed and I'll make breakfast and after breakfast, I'll take us out to void 2." I walk out of the kitchen to see Mrs. Dreamer walking down the stairs putting in pink pearl earrings that match her pale pink peasant blouse and her pink bell-bottom pants. Her brown hair is curled into ringlets. "Good morning Miss Dreamer." She says to me as I walk past her and up the stairs to my room.

I walk into my room, open my wardrobe, take out a pair of light purple bell bottoms, a dark purple peasant blouse, and take out my black platforms, set my shoes by my bed, and put the clothes on it. I then change out of my nightgown and into the clothes and shoes, put away my nightgown, walk over to the mirror in the corner of my room, and look at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes, ever a pretty hazel with a golden brown surrounding my pupils and green lining the outer part of the iris, look a little stranger than they should. They are brighter than they normally are, usually, they are darker in color, and I usually have bags underneath my eyes. But for some reason, I don't. My orange hair is even more vibrant than normal and is shorter in length, around my shoulders, than it was yesterday even though I didn't get it cut or trimmed at all.

My reflection in the mirror seems almost unnatural, but it's not unsettling. It's just...different. I run my fingers through my hair, feeling the softness and vibrancy of it, and decide that maybe it's for the better. With a small smile, I head back downstairs to see what Mr. Dreamer has in store for breakfast. As I walk into the kitchen, I catch a glimpse of the giraffe from the carnival in the corner, looking at me with its eyeless face. It's almost as if it's trying to communicate something.

I shiver slightly but remind myself that it's just a stuffed animal. Mr. Dreamer turns from the stove as I enter the kitchen. "Ah, there you are, Miss Dreamer. Just in time for breakfast! Here you go." He hands me a plate piled high with pancakes and sausage.

The pancakes are a deep shade of purple, and the sausage is a strange, gelatinous substance that I can't quite identify. It's not unappetizing, though. It all smells delicious. "Thanks, Mr. Dreamer," I say, sitting at the table. Mrs. Dreamer sits down next to me, pouring us a glass of the strange, yellow liquid she had been drinking earlier. It smells slightly sweet and fruity. "What is this?" I ask, taking a sip of the beverage.

"Oh, this is called 'Dreamade'," she replies, sipping her glass. "It's a popular drink around here. It's made from a variety of fruits and spices. Goes well with pancakes, don't you think?" I nod, finding it quite refreshing. I look over at the giraffe again and it suddenly registers with me that the last place I saw it was in my room where I had put it in a corner. "Why is the giraffe down here in the kitchen?" I ask out loud. Mr. Dreamer looks surprised for a moment before he chuckles.

"Oh, things move all the time in the void, not everything does, but for the most part toys, stuffed animals, dolls, dummies, manikins, and people's reflections move. There have also been reports of people hearing sounds or voices randomly in the void and sometimes they find their way into the backrooms. The people from the void can find their way out. Those not from the void can't and are stuck in the void unless someone helps them out or they die in the back rooms"

He pauses for a minute before continuing "The void has a way of also putting things, like your pictures, trophy, and ribbon in your room for your convenience. The void puts things where they would or should go sometimes, not always. Your Bubble Juice and Flower Candies are in the fridge by the way in case you were wondering where they went before we left the carnival yesterday."

(1450 Words)