Small World

Small World - Chapter One

*above is Geraty Spriggs!!*

It was in the evening when my life totally flopped.
I was working in an enormous antique store for a part-time job during the school holidays. It was the first time the manager had let me lock up by myself. He had entrusted me with the store all day - and I'd done pretty well! Smiling with satisfaction, I did one more sweep of the store to double-check everything. My shift ended at 8:00pm, so I was eager to get home. Happy with everything, I was about to leave when I forgot my bag.
"Crap... I can't leave that here," I muttered. As I marched over to the counter, I saw the clock on the top was showing 7:59. I'd heard some strange rumours about this store. Even my manager was really insistent that I get out of the store before 8:00pm. The way he looked at me when he told me was kinda unsettling...
I'd heard folks say that if you don't leave something crazy can happen to you. Lots of people have been known to go missing. I decided that it was just a fluke. There's no way that kind of stuff was real. I glanced at the clock again.
8:00pm.
Nothing was happening. I was still in one piece. Shaking my head with a sarcastic smile, I started towards the door, keys in hand. Suddenly, the lights went out by themselves. I wasn't a fan of the dark, especially when there were a bunch of bizzare-looking antiques in the store like those creepy dolls and stuff. I shivered, fastening my pace. The door was right around the corner 
"You..."
There was a voice. I whirled around, my blonde curls springing."Who's there? The store's closed now," I called out to the emptiness.
"That is true... but you are still here..."
"Whaddaya mean I'm still here? I work here. I'm leaving right now. Show yourself before I call the cops. I'll let you go if you do," I retaliated, my heartbeat starting to quicken. The voice was deep and low; belonging to a man. Suddenly, the little yellow lamp on the countertop turned off. By itself. I felt my whole body stiffen. To my horror, smoke began to curl around my ankles in thick masses. I dropped the keys to the shop, losing them in the sea of grey. Then, I felt an awful breath of icey coolness hit my neck. I didn't move an inch.
"Wh-what's goin' on?" my voice whispered shakily.
"You do not believe the stories of this store... the curse that follows it..."
"Curse?" I squeaked. I felt a hand touch my neck; cold as metal. My body trembled. I felt it trace around my shoulders and down my arms; ever so softly.
"Indeed. I am the Keeper of this store. When the night falls over this land; I become the owner of everything in it. And now, since you are inside, you belong to me," the voice said right next to my ear.
Suddenly, cold, sharp pain met my lower back, and everything went black.

I felt my eyelids flutter open. The first thing I saw was brown leather stretching above me. It was being held together by long pieces of wood. All around me; there was a soft yellow glow which seemed to move. "Must be a fire..." I barely whispered. Wait - fire?I blinked a few times. Where in-the-hell was I? I tried to sit up, when a boy walked into the tent I seemed to be in. I felt myself stiffen. He took one look at me and then walked in and squatted next to me. The boy was gorgeous. He had dark skin and defined features, with bottomless brown eyes and a lot of muscle. I could tell because he wasn't wearing a shirt. He was only wearing beige leather pants with white tassles down the sides. His black hair was long and fell down to behind his shoulders. He smiled to me.
"Hello. Can you tell me your name?" he asked softly. I stared at him for a few more seconds before replying.
"My name's Geraty... who are..." abruptly, my mind replayed all of the memories of what had just happened beforehand. The weird smoke; the cold guy... I felt myself hyperventilating.
"Geraty, look at me," the boy said firmly, his deep voice trapping me. I looked to his eyes and stopped. His hands were on my shoulders, gripping them a little. His expression carried no smile.
"Y-you're an antique aren't you? I'm talking to an antique... Ohmygod, I must be going crazy..." I babbled.
"Yes, I am. This entire store comes to life when nobody else is around. We're a bit nocturnal - in a way," he replied, his smile returning; putting me at ease. I felt my shoulders relax a little."There we go. Now, you remember what happened, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do. I-I think I've been shrunk," I blurted, feeling the sudden urge to burst into tears.
"Don't feel sad, Geraty. We're going to help you. My name is Ahanu," he continued. I blinked a few times. He'd said we.
"We? Who's we?" I asked dumbly. Ahanu chuckled slightly.
"The we are my people. My people are the Abenaki." Suddenly, I realised where we were. I felt my blue eyes widen at the thought.
"We're in the Western Section!" I cried, bouncing onto my feet. I raced outside the tent, Ahanu's laughing voice calling out behind me. I was blown away when I emerged. The store looked larger than life (well, in this case, me). Shelves looked like skyscrapers. Toy cars looked normal-sized. My perspective of the store had completely changed. The Western Section was on the other end of the store. Crap; I had travelled a fair distance! We were on a raised-up shelf, giving a nice view of the shop. Completely dozing off, I was startled by Ahanu's tap on my shoulder. I looked up at him as he took to my side.
"You may call it the Western Section, but we call this place our home; the Abenaki tribe," he told me.
"... It's weird to think that you guys are alive. This is all a bit much for me," I replied hesitantly.
"I can understand your perspective. It isn't every day when you are shrunk into an antique world," Ahanu said quietly, still looking out to the shop. I felt a bubble of laughter escape me at his remark, earning me a raised-eyebrow look.
"Sorry. That was just a bit funny," I smiled.
"Let's get you to my grandmother. She is the wisewoman of our tribe," Ahanu abruptly said, walking ahead of me. After weaving past different tents, we found a large one which belonged to Ahanu's grandmother. It was white with black painted patterns at the top and bottom of the fabric.
"Her name is Catori. It means 'she is spirit' to our people," he said in a low pitch as he pulled back the opening."Huh," I said, realising how fitting her name was. Ducking under the little opening, I was hit with a powerful, earthy scent. I tried hard not to cough, in case it might offend his grandma. Catori had the longest silver hair I'd ever seen. It was all pulled back into a loose braid which had piled itself on the ground. Her face had a few wrinkles, and her eyes were closed. She had intricate little tattoos on her forehead and her arms and neck. She even had some on her legs. She looked so ancient and content as she sat perfectly still.
"Kway, Ahanu," she spoke suddenly, making me jump.
"Kway, nokemes," Ahanu replied in a gentle tone. He bowed his head slightly.
"Awani agema?"
"Nidoba agema; Geraty," he answered again. Hearing my name, I suspected that he was introducing me. After a few more awkward moments of listening to their Abenaki conversation cluelessly, Catori suddenly spoke to me.
"Catori, nia. I am Catori. I see that you have already met my grandson, Ahanu," she smiled up to him, opening her eyes. Her eyes were so pretty; like pale blue opals.
"You speak English, too?" I blurted dumbly. This earned a chuckle from the wisewoman.
"Indeed. I believe it is wise for a wisewoman to learn a few things such as another language. Who do you think taught Ahanu?" she replied, grinning up to her manly grandson. I swear I saw Ahanu's face turn a little pink as he fidgited.
"Abi spiwi nai, nosses; Geraty," Catori smiled, gesturing to the floor in front of her. I watched Ahanu sit and I followed him; hoping that's what she said.
"You learn fast, child. Now, why are you here? You are not one of us," she asked me.
"You don't mean on of the Abenaki, do you?"
"No; I mean an antique. You are something else, aren't you Geraty?" she continued. For some weird reason, I didn't feel uncomfortable talking to Ahanu's grandma. In fact, I felt the opposite - I wanted to tell her everything. So that's exactly what I did. After the explanation, Catori closed her eyes for a moment and nodded silently. Ahanu watched her with just as much curiosity as me.
"What are you thinking, grandma?" he asked, a thoughtful hand under his chin.
"Wbeskwan, Ahanu," she said firmly.
"Ida ni mina?" Ahanu asked in almost a whiny tone. His face was suddenly looking red with embarrassment. What were they talking about? I had no clue about Abenaki stuff - let alone any damn Native American tribes! I lived in Australia!
"Kita! Geraty's wbeskwan," she snapped, quickly winking at me. Still trying to process the hidden message, Ahanu got extremely close to my ear.
"Forgive me, Geraty."
"What are you-"
Abruptly, I was shocked to feel Ahanu hoist the back of my red t-shirt upwards to the point where he could (probably) see my bra hooks! I let out a startled cry of mortification.
"Kina, nokemes!" Ahanu suddenly said with a gasp. He sounded worried. Oh, crap. I waited for the wisewoman to look at whatever-the-heck Ahanu'd found. I heard her sigh as her grandson released his hold on my shirt. I felt my hands meet the hem, pulling it down as far as it could go in shame. Why the hell had he done that?! And why didn't his grandma stop him?!
"My child, you bear the mark of the Possessor," Catori solemnly said to me.
"The Possessor is a selfish creature who takes whatever he pleases; anything that he can get his cold hands on," Ahanu said with such a disdainful bitterness.
"Ahanu, my son. Do not bring those memories back. We need to help Geraty now," Catori said with a sadness that suddenly made her look much older. Ahanu looked to his grandmother for a few long seconds and then turned back to me with a deep breath.
"He has marked you with a tattoo of a sandtimer. It is actually moving as we speak," Ahanu said with sadness.
"A tattoo? Will it go away?" I squeaked in panic.
"It will - only if you get rid of the curse he has on you," Catori replied. I felt my stomach churn with fear. Swallowing the bile that had crept up my throat, I continued.
"So... what happens if I don't defeat the curse?" I shakily asked.
"Your soul will be entrapped within him for all eternity. Either that, or you will be fashioned into something of his desire," Ahanu explained as gently as possible. I felt my body sway a little. Ahanu's hands met my back, gently keeping me upright.
"You need to begin your journey. You must follow the words that appear on your back in order to get rid of his curse," Catori said, nodding to Ahanu. He lifted my shirt again.
"There are no words on her back. Only the time she has left shows," he said aloud.
"How much time is left?" I asked.
"You have 11 hours left."Ahanu let go of my shirt and faced his grandma.
"Alosa, Ahanu. The time is now," Catori said in a tone that was firm, but kind.
"Oho. Oliwni, nokmes," Ahanu replied, bowing low and then standing up.
"Let's go, Geraty. We need to get rid of your curse," he said to me, pulling me up and leading me out of the tent. The people of Abenaki were all doing something in their little groups. They all looked so happy. Many of them were clustered around a big fire. Children would run past chasing each other and laughing and squealing. It looked so peaceful. Unfortunately, I couldn't feel any of that with a curse lingering on my back. I looked back to see Ahanu's grandma touching his face gently.
"Olibamkanni, Ahanu. Adio, wli nanawalmezi," his grandma said softly. She handed him a little brown bag which was threaded into two belt-hooks on his pants. It must have some supplies in there, I thought.
"I will see you soon, nokemes. I will return," he replied, kissing her hands before jogging over to me. I matched Ahaun's stride, following him. After a long silence, I cleared my throat.
"Hearing Abenaki sounds cool. What did your grandma say to you just then?"
"She told me 'have a good trip. Goodbye. Take care of yourself '," he replied, not meeting my gaze. Hesitantly, I continued.
"Um... are you feeling alright, Ahanu? It just seems like you're on-edge at the moment."
"This is a serious and dangerous quest, Geraty. It requires clever thinking and efficiency. Nobody has ever lived to tell the tale of the Possessor," he answered in a firm voice. We had left the borders of the Abenaki people and were near the edge of the shelf that we stood on. I looked down to the long drop. I gulped loudly.
"We have to get down there, don't we?" I asked, my voice wavering a little.
"We do; but not by jumping," Ahanu said with a wink and a grin. He jogged to a tent that was sitting ways from the Abenaki people. It was rather small and bland in colour. Ahanu beckoned me over, opening the front. I felt my jaw flop open in amazement.
"That's amazing!" I cried in awe. Ahanu chuckled.
"Indeed. The first of my people to come here carved this tunnel to get around the shop unnoticed. But now, we are not able to do so."
Ahanu and I were staring down the mouth of a long passage that was lit up by little string-lights. Then, what he'd said finally registered in my brain.
"Now? Whaddaya mean?"
"When the Possessor arrived, his dark magic took over the shop. When the sun rises, we all turn back into lifeless antiques. We only use this space to go out when my friends and I aren't supposed to," Ahanu grinned fondly.
"Like Swan Lake," I said abruptly.
"Hm?"
"It's a famous ballet. The villain named Rothbart curses a bunch of beautiful girls into swans. They turn back into girls at night. The curse of the Possessor reminded me of Rothbart," I explained.
"Interesting," he said, gently pushing me into the tent and through the passage. We walked side-by-side.
"Tell me, Geraty; how does the story of Swan Lake end?" Ahanu asked.
"Well, there's this prince who discovers the girls one night. He falls in love with Odette; the main swan-girl. She tells the prince that she has been cursed. If he can defeat Rothbart, then the spell will be broken. Of course, that's how it ends. Then they both fall in love and live happily ever after..." I told him, suddenly feeling my face grow hot. Ahanu grunted in agreement. After a few more minutes of silence, a vibration met the floor. It trembled slightly. Ahanu and I shared a look of confusion, and then fear. His eyes widened as he looked behind us. We had been walking for some time now.
"What's that?" I asked, the tremble growing stronger.
"Oh, Great Earth Spirit; please do not let this be."
"Ahanu? What's going on?" I persisted.
"Run, Geraty!" he cried, taking my hand and dragging me up to speed. As we ran, I dared to look back. To my horror, a huge mouse was running down the tunnel. I screamed in fear. It was a big fella!
"A mouse! Are you kidding me?" I cried over the rumbles of its stomping feet.
"We get them down here sometimes," Ahanu said between huffs.
"What do we do? Is it going to eat us?"
"I don't know; but I won't take any chances!" he cried, getting a little faster. Suddenly, the end of the passage drew closer. I gasped in semi-relief. As we finally made it through, Ahanu grabbed me and pushed me against the wall. The tunnel ended right on the narrow ledge of a shelf. The mouse, oblivious to the unexpected ending, fell down to the floor. Ahanu had his body pressed against mine, like his back was shielding us from something. Having our bodies at such close proximity was making my heart race. We were both out of breath. I met his brown-eyed gaze.
"Th-thanks for that. I feel kinda bad for the mouse, though," I panted.
"Don't worry about him. Are you alright?" he breathlessly said.
"Yeah..."Ahanu brushed a curl from my face, making my cheeks feel hot. He smiled and then shuffled so that he was away from my body.
He began to move forward, so I followed.