My Kidnapper Compares Me To Bottom Feeders

(16) Danny

It's happened to everyone, when you're walking up the stairs and you think there's an extra step at the top but there isn't and it's quite startling. That's kinda how this was, but it was a lot more startling.

I fell through that damn puddle and landed somewhere that smelled like rotting wood and way too many flowers. The heady scent was even more overwhelming than a candle or perfume store. It was making my head spin. 

Groping around, I figured I was laying on something made of rough bark and that had me scrambling up as quickly as I could manage. Who know what kind of dirt and bugs were on me now? Ugh. 

When I stood up, the ground started swaying and it became clear that I wasn't on ground at all. I squinted, willing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. Gnarled branches trapped me in this space. 

I walked forward and had to grab onto them for balance. "Shit!" I hissed, retracting my hand. The surface of my palm had pinpricks of red all over it and they were throbbing. I grimaced and squinted through the lattice pattern of the poisoned branches.

There were things that looked like bird cages strung up all around. I looked up and saw a ceiling of bright green grass, too vibrant to be real. Colorful flowers dotted the ceiling, and shockingly, a stream bubbled across the expanse. 

I suddenly felt faint. Oh, God, I was in a cage. Trapped like a canary. 

I dropped down to the floor and craned my head, trying to get a better look through the bars, but in the process the side of my cheek hit the bars and ignited with pain. I scooted back, glaring at the offending branches.

If this were a week ago, all of this would probably send me spiraling down into a deep shock. I didn't doubt that the sight of the gravity-defying stream would make me pass out. Having the laws of physics being broken right in front of your eyes really did turn your world upside down.

 I groaned, bowing my head. My hand had ballooned and I didn't want to think about what my face looked like. 

I dug my phone out of my pocket, but of course it didn't even turn on. Which didn't make sense because I had at least fifty percent battery left. Whatever, mark that option off the list.

"Um...hello?" someone called. Their voice echoed in the vast space.

 My heart raced and I squinted through the bars. "Where are you?" I felt like I was asking a ghost because from what I could see, all the cages around me were empty. 

"Um...I think I'm behind you? Here, I can stick my hand out of this one..." 

I crawled around and peered through the bars, finally I found a cage not too far from me with a person just barely visible in it. Or...at least I thought it was a person.

"I see you." The hand retracted. "Are you human?" I asked. 

 "Um, yeah," they said in a 'duh' voice. "My name is Calla."

 "I'm Danny. How long have you been here?" 

Calla sighed. "Oh I have no idea. All I remember was that I was walking down the street and I found myself here."

 "Same here..." I answered, nudging as close to the bars as I could without touching them. I peered down, noticing that Calla had done the same. From what I could see, she had dark skin and braided black hair. She wore bright red horn rimmed glasses.

 "I have a feeling I know who you are..." I muttered. "Wait, do you work at the Starbucks on Lexington?"

 She frowned with confusion and said, "Yeah."