Words and Swords (ON HOLD)

What I Want

Lashone dashed up the steps to her house. Her house. Her safe zone. The only solitary sign of civilization for miles. Maybe that is a slight exaggeration. Maybe it isn't. The point is, she lived far from the dismal world of normalcy in the city. And that was perfectly fine with her.

She closed the door behind her, tossed her backpack aside, then closed her eyes took a moment to take a breath.

Her home was one of the only places nearby that didn't smell of garbage or metallic robot parts. It was warm, and the scent of her mothers cinnamon scented candles wafted her way. The reds and yellows on the walls were warm and inviting, yet eye-catching and exciting. The furniture in the living room was brown and incredibly comfortable. You couldn't sit on the couches without falling asleep. On the left wall there was a fireplace, which wasn't burning since no one was there to tend to it at the moment, but there were plenty of nights where it did, heating the house and the family's hearts.

Lashone sprinted up the steps to the upper level, skipping a few at a time and nearly crashed into a wall as she made her way to her room, laughing all the while. She skidded to a stop before turning to run down the hall, which curved the other way. She reached the end of the hall before flinging the door to her room open. She rushed straight into her bed which was on the wall right across from the door. She flopped upon it, her smile beaming. In all honesty, it just felt nice to be in the comfort of her own home.

Like every other room in the house, Lashone's room was decorated with vibrant colors that gave her some rejuvenation after a long, tiring day in the muggy, smoky city. Bright, perky, yellow walls surrounded her while she layed upon her purple bed spread. It was soft, making her feel as though she was sinking into a cloud's fluff. Purple and bright yellow pillows were piled up at the head of the bed. Next to the mountain of pillows were several plushies, scattered about. An a adorable panda plush sat next to raccoon stuffed toy at the bottom of the mountain. Nearer to the top was a much larger puppy plush. Finally, at the top of the mound rested a teddy bear and a tiny baby doll with a purple bonnet.

Beside her bed, Lashone had a tiny counter with a bright purple lava lamp, emitting a warm glow. Beside it was a stack of random books she had been reading as of late. About five or six stories, encompassed in books of varying sizes and lengths, sat upon each other in a zig-zaging stack. Each looked worn as though it had been read a hundred times and was destined to be read a hundred times more.

Of course there were more books where those came from.

Nearly an entire wall of the room was lined with shelves stuffed with stories of all kinds: Fiction, Non-Fiction, Romance, Mystery, Adventure, Fantasy. Any genre you could think of had a place on her wall. Right next to it, on a separate wall, was her desk, made of a light wood like her floor, which was covered with a fluffy purple rug.  In the wall corner between where the bed and desk were, were many matching beanbag chairs, normal, small chairs, and a tiny cylindrical ottoman. Next to the bedside table was a shut door which led to her closet of colorful clothing.

Lashone idly reached for one of the many books stacked on her nightstand. She looked at the cover for a moment. A scaly red beast with a slender winged body graced the cover of the book. The creature had massive wings, spread out widely. It shot smoke and flames out its mouth. At the top of the cover read the words The Adventurers Guide to Fantasy in beautifully crafted golden letters. It was an old book with yellowed pages and worn cover. Lashone, with a tender touched opened the old book, flipping through it to where she had left off last.

"Fairies, Gnomes, Dragons..." Lashone murmured, flipping through the previously read pages. "Ah! Imps!" she declared, finding the desired chapter.

She silently read about the mythical creatures, typically confused with fairies. One of her favorite differences was the mischevious tendencies of Imps. It made for an exciting time in stories. Oh what she wouldn't give to meet one in real life.