Imagine

IMAGINE part 1- Chapter 5 (Final Draft! Updated Jan 2023!)

The sun rose and fell throughout their long and tiring journey.

Silly had gone back to pick up Marcie's crutches before they had left. Although Marcie had constantly insisted she did not need the crutches, Silly brought them anyway to "give to the Masked Collector".

But... Who is he?

"Look! His lair!" Silly called excitedly.

"...What is it?"

"It's an abandoned bar, but the Masked Collector has made it look so cool!"

They entered the dark building.

Faint, dripping noises echoed throughout the building, and the squeaking of rats disturbed them.

"Hi, Oswald!" Silly called. She beckoned towards the single rat approaching the three and let it crawl onto her shoulder.

"He's a good rat." She whispered as it curled up and fell asleep on her shoulder pad.

As they approached, the sound of yelling became more recognizable.

"No, no, no, no, no!" A deep, masculine voice echoed throughout the room. "This is not the fish I wanted, Lei!"

"I'm... Sorry..?" Another voice, more feminine, yet soft in tone.

"This is an emerald green betta fish. I asked for a peaceful betta! Do us a favor and throw that fish into the piranha pit."

"What? But sir, I don't think that that's necessary-"

"Piranha. Pit." He enunciated each syllable as if it mattered most in the world at this exact moment.

After a long pause, the voice replied: "...aye, aye, sir."

Footsteps echoed throughout the hallway, the clicks of heels most audible of all the other noises occurring within the area.

"Oh! Lei-chan!" Silly called, waving.

Marcie then noticed- Silly had a tail. It was fake, but instead... An exciting addition to her outfit.

"Silly... Hey. Oh, look, Oswald's here... Isn't that nice..." She stepped forward, muttering quietly. She inched ahead with a beautiful betta fish in a plastic bag. Silly only looked to the side, giving the small black rat some old cheese from a small fridge nearby.

Marcie looked forward and admired the colors of its small figure. "That's a beautiful fish," she pointed at it.

Lei looked into the bag and smiled briefly.

"I wish the Masked Collector wasn't this strict..." She chuckled lightly. "I'd keep it if I could..."

A voice then yelled from the hallway.

"Now or never, Lei!"

She rushed across the large, dirty room and approached a pool with slightly murky water. She grabbed a sharp pair of scissors and closed them across the bottom of the bag slowly.

"Wait-" Zilly gasped, wheeling up beside her. "What are you doing?"

Marcie rushed to her other side.

"I'm just doing what I'm told," Lei replied sadly, closing her eyes as the bag broke open, water rushing out of the hole in the plastic.

The fish fell into the murky water pit, as did its small home of water.

Splashing had immediately occurred in the water, and Marcie and Zilly could do nothing but stare in horror as the water had been tinted a brilliant red.