Until Forever (1st draft)

Part the Fourth

Geneva tried to act like everything was normal. Really she did. But she couldn't hide from the fact that everything was about as far from normal as it could be. This reality kept slapping her in the face, leaving her speechless, causing her to stare blankly at the surreal scene that continued to evolve before her. Sometimes it felt like she was watching a movie, a fantasy with a wandering plot that she couldn't follow. But mainly she was convinced that this was a dream, and most of the time she found herself just waiting to wake up. Then her companion would speak to her and she would be reminded that she wasn't a witness to the scene, she was an active participant within it. And the creature made her so nervous that she always responded to it out of fear. Like now.

"Does the meal please you?" asked the hairy, egg-shaped being.

They sat before the fire on the stump-like chairs. The plump cushions were very comfortable.

"Oh...yes," replied Geneva. Of course, she wouldn't have dared criticize the meal her guest had cooked even if the taste had been disgusting. Who knows how the creature would react? It might attack her with its thick claws and its impossibly wide mouth!

But in truth the meal was quite good. It appeared to be a mixture of nuts and dried fruits that the creature had roasted over the fire before blending into a mound of very puffy rice and a honey cream gravy that thickened as it cooled. It was sweet yet spicy, a delight to the taste buds, and quite filling.

The creature ate with its bare hands, holding a pair of stubby fingertips together to form a scoop. At first, Geneva had been mesmerized watching the spectacle, unable to turn away even though it was making her lose her own appetite. The creature's lips had slurped at the oozing mass and sucked at its sticky fingers. Its open-mouthed chewing had released spatters of glistening puffy rice that popped and hissed in the fire, and its thick claws had scraped hard into the wooden bowl to dig out every speck of food from the grooves that had been worn in during past meals. What it couldn't drag out, it had swabbed up with a chunk of warm, dense bread. Eventually it had realized that Geneva wasn't eating and it had quickly looked up at her with an expression of utmost concern. Its eyes were wide and its mouth hung open in mid-chew, dripping honey cream gravy onto its belly.

The look had snapped Geneva out of her trance and she had quickly erased the disgusted sneer that she had been wearing. Realizing that she wasn't going to be offered a utensil, she had reluctantly dug her fingers into her own bowl and scooped some of the food into her mouth. She had prepared herself for the horrifying taste that was sure to come---determined to hide her disgust from her potentially dangerous dinner date---but had been pleasantly surprised at how good it tasted in her mouth.

Content with the girl's actions, the creature had gone back to its own bowl, eating in silence until it had finished and stood up to force out a belch that resonated across the chamber. Then it had asked for Geneva's approval, which she had politely provided.

"It is very good. Thank you for sharing."

The creature bowed its odd head before her, as it had done before. "I shall see to it that you are fed. I wish only to assist you in fulfilling your destiny."

Geneva found herself sucking the sticky sweetness from her own fingers. In between smacks, she pointed at the creature bowing before her.

"Now see, you don't have to keep doing that. It's not like I'm a...a princess or something. Really. Just relax."

The creature took her empty bowl from her and gestured to the bed she had woken on. "You shall sleep there." It turned and pointed to a spot on the floor beside the fire bowl. "I shall sleep here."

"Oh, you don't have to give me your bed. In fact, I shouldn't spend the night here anyway." Geneva stood and headed for the door. "I really need to get home. If you could just point the way to---"

The creature moved like lightning into a spot between Geneva and the door. "Home is not outside the door," it told her. "Home is a destination not so easily reached."

"Uhm..." Geneva stammered. "Are you saying you won't let me go?"

The creature bowed again. "I seek only to serve. But it is night, and outside the door lurks danger, deception, and death. You must trust me."

"If you really want to assist me," Geneva pleaded, "help me get home."

"Home is a destination. And your desired destination is borne from your destiny. I will assist you in fulfilling your destiny, Geneva Maxwell. We begin tomorrow. Tonight we sleep."

Geneva sighed. There was no way she was going to try to force her way past this menacing creature. Perhaps she could sneak out after it fell asleep. "Fine," she said in defeat. "Tomorrow I go home. But...how do you know my name?"

The creature smiled one of its creepy ear-to-ear grins. "How can I know your destiny if not your name?"

Geneva frowned. The creature seemed to speak in riddles at times. "Ooookay. Will you at least tell me your name?"

The creature bowed its head. "I am Steekbunk Lowbone."

Geneva turned away and pitched her body into the plush bed. "Well goodnight, Steekbunk Lowbone." She didn't offer to shake its hand because honestly she was afraid of it touching her. Besides, she figured that the sooner this Steekbunk Lowbone was asleep, the sooner she could sneak out of her wooden cell and escape this nonsense dream.