Petibone (Fantasmical 2024)

1. Aliens_Alternativestorytelling

Prompt: Awakening in a cryo-pod, your character discovers they've been asleep for a thousand years. The Earth they knew is gone, replaced by sprawling megacities and towering alien structures. Your character must navigate this new world and uncover the fate of humanity.

***

This was a completely different feeling. The same depression I usually have when I have those strange dreams, except this time, I didn't remember the dream. It was as if I had forgotten something, and I was just thinking about what it could have been that I should remember, but at the same time, I didn't want to open my eyes yet because the bed was so comfortable. And I was still sleepy or tired? I turned to my side and wanted to snuggle even more into the blanket. But something wasn't right because there was no blanket. I felt around with my hands to find it, but it wasn't there. And it was getting colder and colder.

Then, a hand touched my shoulder, jolting me from my drowsy state. Who is touching me? Panic surged as I remembered the old wizard and the spell. I opened my eyes, the world still a blur. Three figures loomed over me, their eyes piercing through their white attire.

And then it became clear why I was here: I had to deliver the message, a message that could change the course of history. I sat up and found my backpack at my feet. My hat was still on my head, so I adjusted it and tried to stand up. But the three strangers started fidgeting and motioned for me to sit on the chair by the wall. The room didn't look like anything I had seen before. It was very bright, and everything was so smooth and shiny.

I knew I had to hurry, so I put on my backpack and looked at them uncertainly. Would they understand if I spoke to them? The wizard said he was sending me to a distant land, much farther than I had ever been.

"Northmoor Road 20, Oxford," I finally said and stared at them, waiting for directions. "624719B7," I added, as that was part of the address, though it made no sense to me. This would be my strangest journey yet, considering how I got here was weird enough. I prefer traveling on my own two feet. This, where you just lie in a machine and arrive after a bit of sleep, I didn't like it at all. When I return, I'll tell the wizard not to send me on such a mission again!

One of them, the shortest, was fiddling with a device and showing it to the others. They nodded and then turned to me: "We can teleport you there, but wouldn't you rather rest a bit? How do you feel? Are you dizzy? After all, you've slept for a thousand years!" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A thousand years? It was impossible. I must be dreaming.

I understood what she said, mostly, though some words sounded strange. And what did she mean by a thousand years? He's talking nonsense like the wizard.

"I'm perfectly fine, thank you," I assured them, my voice steady. "I must hurry. Could you direct me? I have an important message to deliver."

"Of course!" she said, pointing to a gate-like device in the corner. "The teleporter will take you there; just step in."

"Hmm, I've had enough of strange devices for today. Don't get me wrong, I love technology, I'm passionate about fixing things, but I'd rather walk now," I apologized. Somehow, I didn't like the idea of that device. It felt too impersonal, too detached from the world around me.

All three of them were shocked.

"That would be a three-hour walk!" the short one shook her head as if only she could speak.

"No problem, I have two good legs! Could you give me a map and point me in the right direction?"

The others were also fiddling with their devices. The short one pulled down her mask, and I saw she was human. With a kind smile handed me something transparent. She touched it with her finger, and a red line appeared.

"Follow this line. Take it!" the human said, handing it to me, seeing my confused look. "I'll walk you to the entrance!"

Everything was extraordinary, including the box we stood in. We were somewhere else when it stopped, and I got the feeling that no one wanted to walk here.

Finally, we got outside. I saw something like the sky very high up, but there were so many buildings, and they were all so tall. Where are the trees and animals? The vehicles on the road moved without being pulled by anything. Oh, that's real magic. The human showed me how to use the little device, and I set off, getting fed up with the place. I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the sheer scale and complexity of this new world.

I didn't see any other people on the road, but I couldn't look around much because I had to keep staring at the little device to know where to go. Once, I looked up and saw a strange green person, or something like that, and maybe I only noticed it because he was staring at me, standing still and just watching. His ears weren't as long as mine, his eyes were big, his head elongated, but his skin color was similar to mine. Then I noticed that a person in black clothes was following me. If I stopped, he stopped. If I started moving, he started moving too. It was like he was my shadow, but there was something off about him, something that made my skin crawl. I couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched, of being followed.

When I arrived at the destination, according to the little device, I stood there uncertainly because the destination was another tall building. There was no one on the street I could ask. Then my shadow came closer and pointed to the numbers on the wall. I quickly found 624719B7, and the man in black pressed it and then said something to the wall. I stood in a box again, and my black-dressed shadow pressed 42. Only now did I start to feel how tired I was, and I could hardly wait for this mission to end. We finally arrived at a room where an old man stood up from his armchair and greeted me with a smile.

"You've finally arrived!" He offered me a seat, and I didn't refuse this time. Then, he brought a glass of water and a small bread on a plate. I accepted these too, drinking the whole glass of water and eating the bread with something in the middle. Only now did I realize how hungry I was, so I devoured it all. The old man just watched. He didn't say anything. When I gave back the glass and plate, I cleared my throat and started delivering the message:

„By the ancient power vested in the earth and sky,

Let the elements be free, and the binding chains untie.

From the depths of time and the heart of stone,

We call upon the forces to reclaim their own.

Break the grip of those who seek control,

Restore the balance, and make the broken whole."

The old man listened very carefully, and he spoke up when he saw that I wasn't continuing. "Wasn't there a number in the message?"

"Yes, 42, but I thought that was for the box that brought us here. The spell is what's important; it's what I just recited. You should write it down to make sure it's not lost. Word for word!"

The old man brought a big book, opened it, and wrote down the spell as I repeated it.

He laid down his pen with satisfaction. "Thanks to you, we've come closer to finding a solution to free ourselves from the rule of the extraterrestrials."

"Extraterrestrials?" I repeated the word because I didn't understand.

"Yes, the aliens, those who came from the sky." He pointed upward, perhaps realizing I didn't understand what he was saying. "They're green like you, but they took over so stealthily that we didn't even notice when they arrived; they just suddenly controlled us with cunning. We can't defeat them with combat, so we seek ancient solutions."

"You mean magic?" I muttered because that was the only clear part to me. The idea that there was something beyond Earth was too strange for me. But I was used to wizards having peculiar ways.

"Thank you for bringing the message!" he finally expressed gratitude.

Never again, I thought. I would never take up a wizard's errand again. My head was already aching from this adventure.

The old man led me out of the room and explained that I had to lie down in a cryo-pod similar to the one I had arrived in.

In the hallway, we passed by a dwarf woman who winked at me as she came close and whispered, "First time?"