Nothing is what it seems
„Woah, It’s damn cold here!“, right now, I stand on a path just made of ice and look towards the land of eternal snow. Of course, this place is called ‘Permafrost’. But I didn’t expect it would be that could.
“Sure, it’s the land of eternal snow and ice, Solarboy.”, Otenko says.
“Sounds great. But... are you sure this road is gonna take our weigh? I mean...”, I put an foot on the path, but very careful. “...I can look through it.”, yeah, and that’s way creepy. ‘Cause under the ice I can only see dark water. But I have the bad feeling, there is more.
“Don’t worry. It carries the monsters weigh too. And they’re heavier, aren’t they?”, he answers smiling.
“I don’t think this really makes me feel safer after all.”, I say sigh, but Otenko laughs.
So I start to walk the way towards the snowmountain. It’s a long way and I’m freezing. Around us is just snow and ice. A snowstorm makes my sight even worse. After a while, I realize that there are strange holes in the ice.
“Hey, why are there so much holes?”, I ask. “I don’t know.”, Otenko seems dazed as much as me. But I don’t care for this any longer. I’m sure I have seen someone trough the snow. I step forward. “Is there someone?”, I wanna know from my sunflofer-friend. My view is too bad to see what exactly it is. But I can tell, there is something.
I don’t have time to think, at least. Something loops around my leg. I’m shocked, turning around. But it’s too late. The thing pulls me out of my feets and then in the murderous cold water. Everything goes so fast. I didn’t even have time to take a breath. I try to do something, but it seems impossible.
It goes too fast.
It’s too strong.
I can’t do anything.
The world becomes black.
~~
It feels like I open my eyes, but I can’t see a thing. Still, everything is painted black. But I can feel how cold I am. And that under me must be stone ore something similar. I sit up to look around even it’s not really full of sense.
But to my surprise I recognize a fire in front of me. But it’s strange since it doesn’t shine. It doesn’t give me any light to see. “What the… is that?”, I mumble.
“You finally did wake up?”
Shocked, I spin around to the voice next to me.
“Don’t get panicked.”
“Who are you?”, I ask – of course – very panicked. How comes he to say ‘don’t get panicked’ at this rate?
“Not an enemy, of course.”, he answers and I don’t know much either.
“Fine. Where am I?”, is my next try.
“You’re in darkness.”, the voice says simply.
“Does that... Does that mean I’m dead?”, surprisingly, it’s not even shocking me. It’s just too logical to do.
“Who the hell said that?”, the voice seems way annoyed, but at the same way confused.
“So, I’m not dead then?”, I wonder.
“How do you even come to think you are?”, it doesn’t sounds like the voice could understand. “Well...”, I tilt my head while explaining. “It’s all dark, the fire doesn’t give any light and I hear a strange voice from... wherever, you see? Besides, a giant whatever pullet me in the icewater and I passed out for sure. So how could I still be alive?”, it’s strange. I don’t have any regrets or fears. I’m just a little confused.
“And at least, even if I didn’t die I couldn’t stay alive here. Just already dead ones can live in darkness.”
“Ooh, who said that again?”, the voice is even more annoyed.
“Uhm… me? Everyone? Since... No one knows a living one in the darkness.”
“And because no one knows a living one in the darkness, it’s impossible there is one?”, now the voice is amused. Thanks, is this funny or what?
“No but... Why should I living one stay in darkness? And how? I mean... living things needs light, water and something to eat. But here... here isn’t anything.”, to show this, I start to taste around. But can the voice that actually see?
“No. here’s darkness. And stone. And a fire. It’s not nothing, but I understand you can’t look at this as much right now. But that makes me wonder; what the hell are you searchingfor then ?”, answers the voice.
“A wall. Or something similar.”, so it can see me. Or feel? Who knows?
“Does not exist.”, the voice says plain and simply. I’m sure there was an unspoken ‘and don’t ask why’ in too.
“Stupid.”
“Nh?”
“And also way creepy.”, now I stay at place, instant of cringing all around. What should I think of this? I still don’t know where I am. Or why. Or how I get here. Or how to get out. Or... “Hey you, where is Otenko?”
“Who?”
“The sunflower.”
“Don’t know.”
“Can I actually leaf?”
“Guess so.”
“Guess?”
“Yes.”
“Then it isn’t sure?”
“Correct.”
“Why?”
“’Cause nothing in the world is sure.”
“But are we actually still in ‘the world’?”
“Do you have actually any idea of how pesky you are?”, thus the voices tone of question: extremely pesky.
“Yes, I think.”
Silence. Seems the voice is out of words. “Aaaalright. That’s great.”, the voice says sight then. “How did I actually get here?”, the voice sighs stressed. “I brought you here. And now sh-” - “Why?”
“’cause you got attacked by a giant octopus, remember?”, now, there is the silence the voice probably wished for. But it’s only a short one.
“I... I don’t understand. What does all this mean?”, I slowly get scarred now. “I still don’t know what’s up! What happens? An am I dea- ouch!”, while I was speaking, something hits my head. “What was that?”, I ask confused. “A stone.”
“Yeah, I suppose. But what for?”
“For asking stupid questions again. First of, dead ones doesn’t feel, don’t you think? Second, you’re too annoying and noisy. Not all dead ones I know summarized are half as awful as you. And belief me, I know a lot of dead ones.”
“I-I think I got it...”, I mumble while rubbing my forehead. There is a short silence again. But it makes me scared to not hear something. It makes me feel lost. “You’re gonna let me go, don’t you? I mean... You’re a Friend, right?”
“Really, I don’t get how you come to think all that stuff.”, the more I’m talking to the voice the more is start to think it’s another person’s one. Not the darkness one like I tough before. Plus, the voice is distanced now.
“Well, you’re not an enemy, so yeah...”
“Just because something isn’t black it doesn’t necessary needs to be white.”
“Oh... I see.”, since the voice seems even more unpleasant to answer my questions, I stop asking. I also think its way pointless. It’s not like I got any truly helpful answer up to now. My gaze lands on the fire that doesn’t shines. It’s the only thing in here. It’s so strange. So confusing. I stretch slowly out my arm to touch it. What is it for? And i- “Ouch!”, squeaking, I pull my hand back when something hits my head again. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Same for you! I just wanted to test if the fire’s hot.”
“... Are you a complete idiot?”
“No, actually, I don’t think so.”
“It’s only logical that fire is hot.”
“Maybe. But this place seems a little weird to me. So I wouldn’t have been surprised if I didn’t burn me. ”
“I still think you’re stupid. Plain and simple.”, especially the way the voice says this makes me insulted. That’s why I stand up and start to walk into the direction the voice probably comes from. It’s a little hard to tell because here’s something like an echo.
“Don’t walk all around.”
“Why not? Here aren’t walls and things I could walk against, right?”
“Yes. And it isn’t endless too. If you reach the ‘end’ you’ll come back to the ‘start’. But you walking around annoys me.”
“Actually, how can you see me?”, I ask casually. I still walk around, even if I’m scared to stumble about something. Whatever it should be in here.
“You don’t have to care.”
“How comes you never give me a helpful answer?”
“Stop walking around.”
“Why? Do you ha- Argh!”, before I can end my sentence I stumble and fall direct on my face. “O-ow... That hurts.”
“I told you to stop.”, the voice says coldly.
“… You put your leg in my way.”, I realize this and a displeasing pain.
“Quite smart all of a sudden?”
“So you are a person after all.” I ignore the sarcasm in his voice and sit up. Meanness. And my poor chin! For a moment the person is out of words.
“So you were trying to find this out? I think there would have been a less painful way.”, again, the person makes fun of me.
“No. Since you never give me a helpful answer.”
“I see. Maybe you’re not that stupid at all.”, the person now is serious. And honestly, I dislike this more. “But it’s about time now. Listen up, boy. I don’t answer truly since you don’t have to ask. It doesn’t matter. You can call it destiny that we meet. But this will be the first and last time we do. So don’t think too much about it when you wake up.”, the person sounds very distanced. There is a slight swish and footsteps coming in my direction.
“What are you talking about…? And wh-”, a sharp pain stops my words. Ah... I think my world would become black now. If this wouldn’t be already the case. I don’t even feel how I got back to the ground.
“Oh my... what a child.”
~~
“Solarboy!”, there is a voice again in this darkness. “Hey! Django! Wake up!”, and it’s a very annoying one. “Uh...”, besides a pretty stiff feeling I notice that it’s not really black around me. More a little orange. When I slowly open my eyes, I’m blinded by the brightness all around. “Woah... heavy.”, I quickly close my eyes again. “Thank god! You wake up! Are you alright?”, the annoying voice asks me. Now I recognize it as Otenkos. Ups.
“I think I am...”, whit a little trouble, I manage to sit up and hold my head. Carefully I open my eyes. “Where are we? What happened?”, I want to know.
“Oh, boy. If I could tell you that. But I haven’t any Idea.”, Otenko explains. “I just saw how you were pulled in the hole. But it was impossible to see anything more. I really was scared. But my special feeling told me to come here. And I was right.”, Otenko really is worried. I gaze at him, than at a black mark next to me.
We’re still in Permafrost. Everywhere is ice and snow. But this black mark. Like a fire have been made here.
“That really was heavy. But I made it somehow out of it. Then I lost conscious. I can’t remember all too clear. It’s like a miracle.”, I say slowly and stand up.
I won’t tell him. However the person saving me was he had his reason to not tell me too much. So it will be my secret. ‘Till the moment I met him again. And I will.
“Ahrg!! Otenko, let’s hurry up! I’m gonna die! It’s so damn cold! I can be glad if I only catch a chill!”, I, for my part are very serious. But Othenko, that idiot, dears to make fun of me and giggles.
Well, we’ll see what comes to us in the future, ne?
