Questions buzz through my head faster than ever. Why is there a book here? Where did it come from? Why did I have to be the one that found it? Where in the New World am I? I sit down, facing away from the book and into the forest, and wonder what I am going to do. I know I have to keep going. Where else is there to go? This is the only place I've ever known. Turning around is an option but I don't know which way to go after a while. Carnival Night lasts two days. So there we go. I have got one more day to find them. I must keep going. I push myself up with all that's left in me. Fighting with sleep I turn around to continue on, but no. I collapse to the ground and sleep overcomes me.
Dazed, I put my hands out in front of me. It's white all around me. What! No, not this disgusting place again. I moan to myself. I, out of instinct, look for Bron but he is nowhere to be seen. I blink and suddenly I am no longer in the white clean room. I am floating above a huge pasture. It's sunny and nice, except for the fact that below me two sides of a battle are going on. I gasp, as I see there is nothing but air under my feet. A man appears in front of me. He is wearing a white coat and a white undershirt. He seems vaguely familiar.
"Hello Goeaviasoa, do you remember me? We met not too long ago, only under lighter circumstances. Today we begin your first trial." He laughs manically.
"A-- wait, the heck are you talking about? Trial? Where in anywhere am I! Why do I always know nothing!" I ask him frustrated and furious.
"Please, my young one, all in good time. Now with the matter at hand. There two sides down there. For the sake of non-confusion, we will call one of them the 'blue' side and the 'green' side."
"Look this is all fine and dandy, but I really need to leave." I say almost pleadingly.
"NO!" He snaps his fingers and I feel pressure in my throat and all of my limbs. There being squeezed so tight. My ankle pops and it feels like the blood will come bursting out. My chest is so compressed my ribcage starts to show. The pain is unbearable. I want to scream, but my throat is almost touching each other's side. I see black dots in my vision. It's gone. Just as quick as it came, it left. I collapse to the floor gasping for air. I am wheezing like an idiot, and my hands go to my chest as it goes in and out. "That is the very beginning of my power. Now you will listen or there is always the painful way out. Now some ground rules. There will always be two ways to finish a trial. One actually do the trial. Or two, go through pain like that except it way more and you might die. Second rule, while you are here I control you. Third and final, if you complete the trial I will answer one of your questions. One and one only." He switches to a softer tone. "See, it's really not that hard. Ok now that all of that shenanigans are out of the way. He pulls me up and I stumble upward. He sweeps is arms and announces. "THIS is your first trial and so far you're doing wonderfully. There are two sides as already stated." He takes a deep breath as if to see if I am going to give another wisecrack. I am too shocked and confused to do anything but stare at him blankly. "You, of course, get to decide who wins. Now you thinking 'but Jon who do I know which one to choose'" He imitates a very whiney voice. The green army believes in mercantilism. The mother country gets the raw good makes stuff and sells them back. The blue army believes in making raw goods and then using it to make manufactured goods. Sure this one is easy. Make the choice of which one you believe is right. Now go, Go ahahaha. Oh, I am going to love this. And before I go, the way you choose is you have to fight to the other side, so off I go know. Have fun." He finishes laughing crazily. He slowly shimmers out of existence.
YOU ARE READING
The Handle of the Knife
General FictionA man's path to find himself, only to discover that was never what he intended to do.
