Random Writing

Choices

Two objects sit before you: a golden hammer and a cup of what seems to be water. a note on the wall says: "Go ahead, make your choice. the outcome will decide whether you're ready of not."

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I open my eyes to an unfamiliar room. The walls are sturdy concrete, the table made of stone. Thick veins of a blue fluid travel across the floor. I sit on a soft mattress stuffed with hay. What am I doing here? I think to myself. The last thing I remember is the bus ride home from school, my friends and I laughing at a joke, probably told by Jake. I remember getting off the bus at my house and opening the front door, and then... nothing.

Slowly, I rise from my seat. What I see only adds to my confusion. Sitting on the stone table are two objects: a golden hammer and a cup of water. As I draw nearer, the floor begins to vibrate creating ripples in the water's surface. I stop and the rumbling only intensifies. Cautiously I continue in my path, reaching the table at last.

A note appears between the objects in a puff of blue smoke. It says: "Go ahead, make your choice. The outcome will decide whether you're ready or not."

I glance around. Surely I am not alone. There must be someone else here, someone watching me and laughing as I make a complete fool of myself.

"Hello?" I say. "Is anyone there?"

The floor rumbles again. Then, a deep, male voice speaks. "Make your choice, my child. I have grown tired of waiting for you to come home."

"Who are you?" I question. "What is this place?" But the voice speaks no more.

I turn to the table again. The note has disappeared but the objects are still the same. The golden hammer sits before me, a soft glow emanating from within, casting a golden light around the room. I tentatively reach toward it but stop within inches of touching. The cup of water still sits untouched. I turn toward the cup and suddenly the liquid turns blue- the same shade as those veins running through the floor. Whatever this place is, whatever happens afterward, I know that this mysterious fluid has something to do with it.

Reaching my hand forward I grasp the cup lifting it away from the table. The ground begins to shake again. I squeak and almost drop the cup spilling the liquid all over the floor. However, instead of creating a puddle, wherever the fluid touches the ground, golden sparks light up and trails are burned into the ground. Stone grinds against stone as a doorway opens along the far wall. The harsh sunlight burns my eyes and I look away.

"Welcome. You have done well," a voice, similar to the one before yet somehow different, says.

I look toward the opening and see a man standing there. To say he looks strange would be an understatement. Dressed in golden armor, the man stands over six feet tall with black hair cropped short atop his head. In his hand he holds a silver staff, and a sword is strapped across his back. White horns sprout from beneath his hair and a grey hawk rests on his shoulder. He smiles. "It is good to see you again Samantha," he says. "The last time I saw you, you were just a child, playing in the fields with the pixies."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?" I ask still staring at his horns. I suddenly feel very underdressed in my black skinny jeans and grey sweatshirt.

"My name is Rixon, Prince of Thrax, and I am here to take you home."

"What?" I ask.

Rixon extends his hand toward me and, surprising even myself, I take it. He leads me outside and it's like I've steppes into a fairy tale.

Before me a green meadow stretches as far as I can see. All sorts of flowers dot the field and animals and strange looking people run throughout. Birds, some small some larger than I've ever seen, fly through the cloudless skies. Cherry trees in full bloom line a stone path leading away to my right. Rixon tugs gently on my hand and leads me along the path.

We walk for what seems like hours but is really only minutes before coming to a castle. The stone building stands tall in front of me, its walls running with the same fluid that was in the cup. A drawbridge lowers across a moat filled with golden water. I follow Rixon across the bridge and into the castle.

"Hail, Prince," someone says to my right. I turn and see a man. Only, he's not. His top half resembles a person but his legs are furry and where feet should be there are two hooves.

"Hello Max," Rixon says. "Is everything prepared?"

"Yes sir, just as you asked."

Rixon continues walking. "What was that about?" I ask.

"Just a small surprise for my younger sister," he says. "She is returning home today after being abroad for over fifteen years."

"Wow," I breathe. I'm not sure I could ever stay away from my family for that long. Speaking of which... "You said you were taking me home."

Rixon doesn't respond, just keeps walking. We descend two flights of stairs, walk through three different dining areas, and push through a crowd that parts immediately after seeing Rixon. Finally, we walk up the steps onto a large stage. Sitting in the center are four high backed chairs with red velvet cushions. In the two central chairs sit two middle aged people sit. The woman has long, glistening black hair, brown eyes, and a black tail is wrapped around her back, its arrowhead tip resting in her lap. The man looks just like Rixon, only taller and with blonde hair. They both look our way as we approach.

"Rixon," the man says before wrapping him in a hug.

"Hello father," Rixon says.

The woman approaches me. "I know this must be strange," she says. "But this is your home now, Samantha. We are your family and these are your people," she gestures to the crowd of people before us. "Welcome, princess of Thrax."