When the Walls Start Tumbling Down

Chapter 3

On the lime green grass of Outer Yutifia, a regal palace towers over a courtyard filled with exotic, flowering plants. The palace holds several high towers, each with onion-shaped domes coming to a point on their top, forming roofs. Vines curl and stretch themselves up and down the ragged, courtyard walls as bushes of lavender steal the spotlight of a small patch of pink cosmos. A broad-shouldered young man jogs across the perfectly cut grass and into the courtyard with a huff. Atop his blond hair lies a silver crown with a navy gem for each peak of the crown. He wears a bright blue blazer, grape vest, and gray slacks that compliment his tan complexion well. His crown slips foreword and he raises a large hand to fix it hastily; his navy loafers stained a dark green. He had snuck out, gazing into The Hole, again. The Hole was one of the only places on the planet that allowed others to look into the other world that lie beneath their feet. The hold was sealed for good, however, because long ago a barrier was put over the opening to only allow sight, not physical entities, into the other world. This time, the young man had walked about half-way to the middle - much farther than last time- and spotted a bazaar-like event going on. He hastily scribbled down his findings and raced back to the palace, as he wasn't allowed to be anywhere near The Hole in the first place. He set his stained shoes outside, just hidden under the steps leading to a regal but minimalist door, and took out an identical looking pair from their place. He slipped these on hastily as he pushed open the dark oak door with his notebook in hand. "Good morning, Prince Enoch," an older maid said without looking up from scrubbing dishes. Enoch nearly yelped, "How do you always know when I come back?"
The old maid smiled a wrinkly grin and shook her head. She was the only other person who constantly knew of Enoch's escapades, but she did not mind them. "You're a responsible boy," she would say, "If I was worried, I would've said something to your father long ago." Enoch smoothed his hair back and readjusted his coat with a playful huff. "What did you find today?" The old maid asked while gesturing to the book in his hand. The book was green leather bound and had loose pages sticking out from all angles. He gently peeled it open and handed it to her wrinkled hands. They shook as she flipped through the scribbled mess. Her facial expressions flashed through a range of emotions before gently closing the book and handing it back. "I think," she started, "the next time you go out, you should work on your handwriting. The illustrations are wonderful, but the notes are illegible." Enoch looked thoughtfully at the book and said, "Thank you, Edith." He stuffed the book into his blazer and trotted happily into a regal front room. His shoes clacked against the marble tile as he made his way across. When he was about to reach the doors on the opposite side of the room, a shout came from atop the winding stairs. "Enoch!! Where in the King's name have you been??" shouted a whiny and frail female voice. Enoch sighed and turned slowly around to see his friend, Adelaide, glaring at him with daggers. Adelaide was a small, frail, and stubborn young woman with pale skin and bright red hair. Her ballet-slipper-pink dress complimented her pearl jewelry as she trotted her way down the stairs in a huff. She was usually angry at one thing or another, but that was just her personality, Enoch guessed. Despite towering over her, Enoch was very anxious and slightly uncomfortable around Adelaide when she was mad. He put on a wavering smile and said "Oh hi! I was just- uh- out in the garden! You know how much those lavender bushes need attention!" She studied him with a critical eye; he could almost feel her gaze searching every organ and brain cell in his body. She eventually gave up and turned to leave, when she said "You better not be going to The Hole, again. Your father would be very unhappy," with a malicious chuckle. She was only joking, thought Enoch. He hesitantly turned back around and pushed open the ornate, oak door. It moaned as it swung on its ancient hinges. Enoch tapped through the long hallways and climbed a winding staircase about three floors before getting off. He made a sharp turn and turned a round, gold doorknob on a heavy door. He had to use both hands to shove the door open, but eventually got it closed again. This was his bedroom. It was outfitted with wallpaper of an eastern and ornate pattern and dark, hickory wood floors. A snow-white bed stood in the corner with a thin veil cascading from the ceiling to the floor. He kicked off his shoes and pulled back the thin veil. He sat cross-legged on the edge of his bed and peeled open the sticky pages of his notebook. As he flicked through the pages he came across a reoccurring figure; a purple, female appearing monster with black hair and green horns. He wasn't sure why, but he felt a need to discover more about this mysterious monster, because he had never seen her go into any building that seemed to be meant for lodging or long-term stay. His head flooded with questions and got to the point where he had given himself a headache. Not again, he thought as he removed his crown and collapsed back into his plush bed with a sigh. Despite the attempt to clear his head, he kept thinking of the purple monster that had constantly been giving him the run-around. "Someday," he thought, "when I'm king, I'm gonna go to the inner planet and bring peace to both of the worlds. There shouldn't be my reason to have us separated as if one party is lesser than the other." Enoch smiled to himself as he drifted off to sleep.