Forbidden Enchantment Series: The Virus

The Mountain Segment

The massive doors were forced open with strong hands. I swayed, shifting my balance between legs, trying to get a glimpse of what lay beyond before it was in my full view. The man that was my "decision assistant" grinned at my curiosity, opened the doors fully and gestured for me to enter. I walked cautiously now, his enthusiastic eyes confusing me. We walked through the doors and I couldn't help but let out a gasp. There was the edge of the biosphere. The glass was the only thing that separated me from what lay beyond. I ran to it, leaving the last wonder, and pressed my palms against the clear barrier. I stood in awe for several minutes taking in the massive scene. The land stretched out beyond my vision. The distinct green, brown, yellow, and blue earth colors . I tried to imagine how far out the terrain went. The glass was warm to the touch making the scene even more appealing. A foreign smell filled my nostrils trailing down into my lungs and charged them with a fresh, warm air. I breathed deep, craving more of the satisfying scent.

"Come on, we have a considerable amount to do before the day is done" he said. "Besides you're standing on the landscape, and there's a sign that states you're supposed to stay on the path." Peeling my eyes away from the captivating image, I looked down at my feet to see that I was, in fact, standing on a small green shrub.

"Opps," I looked for a non-destructive way and once I mapped one out I carefully moved to the path in a few bounds, "sorry," I concluded. He sounded so smart and yet his sarcastic comment balanced his character out. We continued down the pathway, and I watched the edge until a metal hallway blocked it from my view. I took one last inhale of the precious fume and reluctantly left the scene. He moved so smoothly. His body rolled it's weight onto each leg in a sophisticated way, yet it wasn't forced. He seemed at ease and comfortable in his current state. We walked down several hallways and corridors without conversation. We approached a set of doors with a large number "1" and "MOUNTAINS" printed in bold white. Above this was an interesting graffiti icon of a mountain landscape likeness.

"Now before we walk in here I want you to think about what my job is and what your job is" he stated turning to face me. I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest. He continued, "my job is to guide you through all nine sections of the biosphere, explain the jobs that exist in each section and answer any questions. Your job is to pick a section in the biosphere at the end of the nine days. You have to make the decision." He finished raising his eyebrows. I nodded again and suddenly realized how important this really was.

"Any questions" he asked seeing my concern.

"No" I shrugged.

"Well, now, how rude of me it seems i've never properly introduced myself...I'm Andrew" he announced apologetically, holding out his hand for me to shake. I pretended not to notice and just nodded. He looked at his hand then rubbed it on his shirt.

"Well let's continue...Now I know in your old biosphere you were a resident of the mountain segment so you'll know most of the things i'm going to tell you today but bear with me! We will get to the more interesting segments later! Now watch your step these stairs are steep coming down." He mentioned, again holding out his hand to help me down the stairs. Again I ignored his outstretched hand and went down the stairs. Out of the corner of my I saw him throw up his hands and heard him sigh. I was amazed at how familiar the scene looked. The large mountain in the center, almost touching the glass at it's peak. The row houses along the edge of the glass and the harvesters moving about collecting necessary resources from the earth. "Why was I transferred to a different biosphere if it's exactly the same? Why would I need to be separated from my family, my brother." I wondered frustrated. Andrew began to speak and his words reminded me of home. It was all too much. I felt my face begin to turn red, and my eyes swell with tears. I didn't want to cry, not now, not here. I turned around and walked back through the large doors, through the hallways, the room where the biosphere touched the outside world, the mosaic doors, the front desk the doors, and back to my row house. They all blurred together through my tears. I wiped my red face, crossed my arms, and continued walking at a fast pace. I walked into the door of my row house and slammed it behind me. I sobbed harder now that I had the privacy of the four walls and slid down the door. I wrapped my arms around my legs and continued to sob until my weary eyes sealed shut and my body went limp with the exhaustion of sorrow.