Adrian (The Write Awards 2013)

14: Whimsy

I awake in a small cottage. The only thing I can discern about it is that it may possibly be underwater. I see everything in a shade of green or blue, pockmarked by pixels. My head is throbbing, I'm short of breath, and I'm dizzy. This has to be another worst feeling. I feel like absolute shit.

"Is she awake?"

"She looks pretty rough."

"Why do we have to keep her in our house?"

The voices are back. Words continue to jumble together, making me groan. Someone slips a magenta medicine between my lips and I fall back asleep. This happens numerous times, and every time I awake I feel even worse.

One time that I wake up, things look like a wonderland. Everything is warped and swirled like cotton candy. Nothing is distinguishable as everything blends together in a mass of bright colors. The words continue to echo in my head, but they seem more distant than before. Somehow, even with the pounding of my skull, I manage to fall back into a restless sleep.

Finally, when I open my eyes again, everything looks relatively normal. I can finally soak up my surroundings with correct perception. I'm laying on a small bed with purple sheets. From what I can tell, I'm a mess. The walls are painted dark green, and a little kitchenette seems to be shoved in a corner, along with a small tea-table.

"Ah, she's really awake this time!"

"Does she need to eat?"

Those thoughts and more enter in my head, but they're not my own. Once I realize that they're not just random words strung together, invading my mind, I feel a sense of relief wash over me. The thoughts fade into the background of everything that I hear. Feeling empowered, I sit up, only to have a dizzying effect force me to push my back up against the bed frame.

Staring directly at me is Lenore and Louisa. Both looked startled and confused, but I can only force a small smile to comfort their uneasiness. I can only hope that they don't kick me out of the cottage, for I desperately need their hospitality.

"Hello Adrian," Louisa says.

For a moment, I forget what she's talking about. My name is Cleo, not Adrian, after all. But I quickly catch on and save myself from getting into even deeper trouble. "Oh, hi. Um, where, exactly, am I?" I mean to sound strong. But my words come out in a feeble whisper, and I can see the girl's hearts break on their faces. I hate the pity, but it might just get me to wherever it is that I need to be. One can only hope.

"This is our home," Lenore replies in that timid way of her's. "We're in our spare room now."

I nod slowly, taking everything in. We're not underwater, that much I can tell. But how can they breathe both above and below the surface, while I can't? It's befuddling. I wonder still, exactly where I am, which I can't answer for myself. And it doesn't seem like these girls will answer it for me, either.

"Do you need anything?" Louisa asks.

I shake my head. "I'm just a bit confused. Where are we? Where is your house located?"

"Well, quite honestly, that question is awful hard to answer because we don't know. He never gave it a name, our little town."

I push myself up a little bit more, intrigued. "Who is he?"

"Well Jax, of course. The Creator. Gave us life, light, the whimsy in our cottage. What a man he must be, to handle his power with such grace!"

The feeling of peril rises within me. This is his territory, this is under his control! I should've known. Danger is just around the corner now, I can feel it. I try to scramble out from beneath the sheets, but I feel trapped, suffocated. "I have to go, I have to go!"