Undertale

Chapter 3: Home and Heartache

   I expected more purple stone on the inside of the house, but the walls were painted a warm cream color. The floor was made of light wood. There were hallways leading off this main room, and in front of me, a staircase going down two flights. A vase of dead flowers was perched on a table on one side of the stairwell, and on the other, a small bookcase. There was a delicious smell coming from somewhere in the house. "Surprise!" said Toriel. "It is a butterscotch-cinnamon pie." Oh, so that was the smell! I wondered where the pie was. "I thought we might celebrate your arrival," said Toriel. "So I will hold off on snail pie for tonight."

I laughed, wondering if she was being serious about snail pie.

"Here, I have another surprise for you," said Toriel. She walked down the hallway to my right. The hallway had pale orange walls and a yellow carpet on the floor. There were several doors. Toriel brought me to the first one. "This is it. A room of your own. I hope you like it." She patted my head. "Is something burning?" she cried suddenly. "Umm... make yourself at home!"

My room had red wallpaper, a twin-sized bed, a wardrobe, two lamps (a table lamp and a floor lamp), and a small bookcase. There was a box of toys (that weren't particularly interesting), a box of kids' shoes in various sizes, and an empty, dusty picture frame on top of the bookcase. I turned off the lights. I should probably sleep; a lot of weird stuff had happened today. The bed was soft and comfortable. Maybe I would wake up at home.

♥

I woke up to find a slice of butterscotch-cinnamon pie next to me, which I took to save for later.

I guess I really hadn't been dreaming.

I wandered out of my room and down the hallway to the left of the main room with the staircase. There was a living room with a dining table, a warm fireplace, a large bookcase, and a big squishy chair in which Toriel was reading a book. "Up already, I see? Um, I want you to know how glad I am to have someone here. There are so many old books I want to share. I want to show you my favorite bug-hunting spot. I've also prepared a curriculum for your education."

I was taken aback. "Education?"

"Yes. This may come as a surprise to you... but I have always wanted to be a teacher. ... actually, perhaps that isn't very surprising. Still. I am glad to have you living here."

I took a breath. How long did she want me to stay here?

"Oh, did you want something?" she suddenly realized. "What is it?"

"Oh... nothing. It's nothing." I would stay here for a little while. Besides, it seemed so important to her.

"Oh, well, talk to me again if you need anything."

I went to look at the bookcase. I opened to a random page in a history book. 'Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern's end. This was our new home, which we named... "Home". As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.' I laughed. Even a history book would admit that.

I sat in front of the fire. It wasn't very hot, just warm. I could probably put my hand inside!

A small hallway leading off the living room led to a kitchen. The stovetop was so clean, I figured Toriel must use fire magic instead. I looked in the refrigerator: there was a brand-name chocolate bar. The butterscotch-cinnamon pie was sitting on the counter. It was so huge; I didn't feel like eating it.

I went back to the hallway with the door to my bedroom. There was another door; Toriel's room. It had blue wallpaper. Her bed was a little bigger than a double bed. There was a large bookcase, a dresser, a desk, and some plants (cacti, and a vase of golden flowers like the ones I'd fallen on). I opened a dresser drawer. Scandalous!... It's Toriel's sock drawer. Toriel's diary was open on her desk. I couldn't help peaking at it. There was a passage circled in red: 'Why did the skeleton want a friend? Because she was feeling BONEly!' There were a lot of similar jokes on the page.