Insomnia Wake #Wattys2016

Chapter 1 - Be Careful When Preparing Food

"Heeeey! Neuman! Lookie, lookie! It's a hot dog vender out in the middle of the forest!"

This is Ariel. Blue haired, blue eyed, and bursting with an inexhaustible energy and sense of adventure. She was the first friend I met upon coming to this world, and currently my travelling companion. Her power is the ability to create bubbles of all sorts. Small, numerous soap bubbles. Large, seemingly unpoppable bubbles. I half expect her to sneeze out bubbles or to erupt with bubbles from her ears whenever she gets angry. I guess she's just an airhead that happens to be coated in soap.

As we spoke we were floating on some such bubbles specifically made for air travel. They might be slow, but at least I don't have to go through a multi-layered security to get on board. We had no goal, no needs, no worries. We were just drifting above the treetops heading wherever the wind takes us. It's more fun that way.

"What are you talking about? Who in the right mind would put up a hot dog stand in the middle of a forest in a world where eating isn't necessary?"

Ariel got that look in her eyes.

"Time to find out!" The bubbles underneath us popped, and we were sent falling to the planet beneath. Just when I thought I was going to collide with the ground, a bubble appeared right beneath me, and bouncing me away. Just when I thought I was safe, I had actually landed off center and was sent flying head-first into a tree trunk. Ariel landed gracefully as ever. "Ahhh, come on. You can do better than that!"

I sat up, dizzy, and patted my injured head. "I wouldn't have to if you landed us properly. I might start preferring airplane travel if you keep it up." I stood up. These new bodies of ours seemed to be able to take more of a beating than our previous ones.

"Liiieeees! Come on now, you're not that hurt. Heeeey! Mr. Vendor Man! We'll take two!"

She's lost it. I looked up, only to find exactly what she said was there. There was tattooed, black mohawked punk guy standing underneath an umbrella which was attached to oh would you look at that. A vending cart. In normal circumstances this would have rendered me speechless, but everything in this world is anything but normal. Sighing, I walked over to them.

"Oh, well I'll be--... customers! Two hot dogs coming right up! It's been so long since I've seen someone else! No one ever bothers coming by my shop..."

You're in the middle of a forest, what do you expect?!

"Here you are, two fresh hot dogs. Enjoy." The man let out an almost maniacal laugh.

"Yeah, thanks!" said Ariel, already sinking her teeth into her prey. "Here's yours."

I looked down at the morsel. Are we really going to trust this man?! He looks so sketchy, and that laugh right there was...

"Hey, it's rude to not eat what you're given. Eat it already!"

Fearing the worst, I carefully bit into the meat. My teeth hit something thin and hard, and I immediately spit it out.

"What's wrong, are my hot dogs really that bad?"

I pulled out what appeared to be a needle from the object that could no longer be considered food. "What's the big idea?! Are you trying to kill me?! I knew you were sketchy looking!!!"

The man turned around and hid behind his cart. "...I can't wear a hairnet with this hairstyle..."

"What does that have to do anything?!"

"Calm down Neuman, it was obviously an accident!"

The man's entire countenance shifted to a more light hearted one. "That's right young miss! Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Buddy, and my power is all about spiky hair! It appears that one of my hairs found its way into your food! I am terribly sorry about that."