From Angela: This is the fourth installment from a brand new young writer named Ashlee K. You can start at the beginning, or just dive right in here. I’d like to welcome Ashlee and thank her for allowing me to introduce her work on Dandilyon Fluff. Please feel free to leave comments for Ashlee below, or contact her directly at ashleeaak@yahoo.com. And without further ado, enjoy!
Different
How long has it been since I’ve last been conscious? I feel stiff, like I haven’t moved in a very long while. The smells are different here. Not that of which I remember. Not the fresh rain scent, but more homey. Floral and cinnamon. Soft and warm. I flexed my muscles, curling up into a ball. My bones cracked and popped against my will to move again. Something covered me, a distinct and familiar weight of a bed sheet and a light down quilt. In a moment of stunning realization I noticed that I wasn’t in the mushroom forest anymore but that I was inside somewhere. Somewhere in a house and on a bed. I waited until I heard something I could remember. My sister, my mother, my father, but sadly there wasn’t anything, just a strange muffled sound of voices and the rushing of water. Waves of an ocean. I don’t live near an ocean. Am I not where I think I am? Am I really not home? Am I still dreaming or is this worse then what I think it is? Is this reality? My reality? Is the world I’ve grown in and loved the fantasy?
My eyelids opened with some effort and I blinked awake and alert in a place unfamiliar. I was in a bed and in a room, but what bed and room? The room was small, nothing really special about it. Wood floors, floral papered walls. There was a desk and a wardrobe in opposite corners and the bed had a matching night stand on the right side of it. I noticed that there were no lights on. I looked for some kind of ramification of a light; a switch or a lamp or maybe a candle, but there wasn’t anything. A light streamed through a window to my left and I was drawn to it, to see what I might find.
The window was rectangular and six paned. The glass was hard to see through, bubbly and foggy, but the light still shown through it intensely. I found a latch and unlocked it and shoved the window open with the little force I could muster. Outside the window was unlike anything I’ve seen. Not in movies or in video games. The one thing that stood out first was the crystal blue ocean. It sparkled like a million diamonds against the bright sun in the matching, cloudless sky. Though awe struck by the ocean’s beauty, I had to peel my eyes away to see the other surroundings. Boats on a dock that looked like pirate ships, though smaller, like old time fishing vessels. People walked in old fashioned garments by vendors on the streets, waving them off when offered something they weren’t interested in. A small child clung to his mother’s dress, asking for a sweet treat a vendor offered him. The mother shook her head in disapproval and placed the child on her hip, her other hand holding a basket already filled with goodies. Oddly enough, the child reminded me of something. Of myself maybe, when I would ask my mother for something I wanted. Or my sister, her wailing laughter rang through my ears and turned my attention to another child on the street, running with her playmates to the ocean’s shore, splashing each other and laughing wildly.
In this odd, unfamiliar place I felt somewhat at home. Eased and comforted by these strangers. Though they looked human, acted human, I had a feeling they weren’t human, though I still felt safe here. Almost like watching a grizzly bear from outside its exhibit at the zoo. You feel safe and happy, and you observe the creature with ease, though if you were on the other side of the fence, I’m sure you’d feel much different. There was another emotion I felt when I looked through the window at the ocean, and the people surrounding it, but I couldn’t quite point out what it was. A feeling of serenity and camaraderie almost. Like all these people worked together or knew each other in some way. Even as they walked off from the street vendors, I felt as if they did it with respect.
A click and a swing of a door surprised me and I turned to see that the bedroom door had opened. Standing in the door way was a small boy, probably around the age of ten. He had light brown hair and sky blue eyes with dark tanned skin that put my pale, translucent skin to shame. He stood there staring at me with his acute jaw hanging wide open. He didn’t look fearful, but rather surprised. Without another look at me, he turned on his heels and went running in the direction of which he came. For some unknown reason, I felt the need to flee away from the boy, but then I thought that my feeling was irrational. How stupid of me to fear a child.
“Strange…” I breathed.
In the matter of seconds the boy was back, but with company. An older looking man, around the age of fifty I would assume, stood as a protective shield in front of the boy. His hair was snow white and his beard was gray and yellowed around his mouth. His skin was the same shade as the boy’s, but a bit darker and leathery looking. He took one exasperated sigh and held out both of his hands to me.
“It’s okay,” he said, in a soft but throaty voice. “I won’t hurt you.” He took another step toward me, hands still up as if to assure me he really wasn’t going to hurt me, or vice versa – make sure that I wasn’t going to hurt him. “My name’s Jem. This is my grandson Jessie,” he gestured to the child. “We’re not going to hurt you,” he assured again.
I tilted my head and measured his stance. It was clearly a stance of protection. That’s why Jessie stood behind him and that’s why Jem looked like someone approaching a hungry crocodile. But I wasn’t a crocodile, I was a human. Why would they be so afraid of me? Automatically I asked the first thing that popped in my head.
“What?”
“Do you remember your name?” Jem asked.
“Kaylee,” I replied, confused.
“Its okay, Kaylee. You’re safe. How ‘bout you take a seat?” He gestured to the bed and I willingly sat on the edge of it. They both pushed themselves against the wall opposite from me, trying to allow as much space between us as possible.
“You really shouldn’t wonder in The Mushroom Forest alone these days. It’s too close to the border. And to eat Fever Berries! Didn’t you know that Fever Berries are poisonous?” continued Jem.
What was the old man jabbering about? Fever Berries? The Mushroom Forest? So those trees in the forest really were mushrooms… but how did I get here and where am I anyway?
“You’re lucky that I found you in time or you would’ve crossed over to the other side,” Jem explained to me, all the while I displayed a face like I was listening to someone talk in a different language while balancing on their head at the same time.
“Do you remember where you came from, Kaylee? Some of the side effects of the berries are memory loss.”
“Uhhh…” I forced out.
“What tribe are you from?”
“Tribe?”
“Are you from the wolves?” blurted out Jessie in a squeaky voice. “You seem like a wolf.”
“Behave your self, Jessie!” hushed Jem.
“Wolves?” I asked, confused. “Uhhh… I’m from Omaha?”
“Hmmm…” Jem sighed, disappointed. “I guess you have suffered from memory loss. Don’t worry, dear, it will come back to you eventually.” Jem straightened himself out and grabbed Jessie by the shoulder with one hand. “There are some fresh clothes for you in that dresser over there, just pick out whatever you’d like and meet me down stairs, okay?”
I stared at Jem incomprehensibly.
“It will all be okay, dear. Just take your time and come down when you’re ready.” With a swift exit I was left alone again and even more confused than before. I blinked and shook my head, trying to get rid of all the confused emotions. I staggered to the wardrobe that Jem had pointed out and opened the drawers without really noticing what I was doing.
This place is so strange and yet it feels familiar. Nothing seems to be the same, but nothing is widely different, so why am I so confused? I guess I can start off with the most obvious question: where am I? I’m sure I can safely say that I’m not at home or even in Nebraska. Maybe not even in the states anymore. How did I get here? And what place on earth has a Mushroom Forest? And what did Jem and Jessie mean by me being a wolf? That’s kind of insulting when you think about it. Do I look like a dog? I certainly hope not. Is there a mirror in here?
I quickly glanced around the room for a mirror, but sadly came up with nothing. I quickly turned back to the dresser and pulled out a piece of clothing that turned out to be a short white dress. I stood up and yanked down my sweatpants. While looking down, I noticed that my feet were covered in dirt. I could just barely make crimson red polish on my toes. I wonder if there are showers here. I pulled up the white dress and I couldn’t find any shoes in the room to my disappointment to cover up my hideous feet. I tried running my fingers through the mass of tangles on my head but instantly gave up.
I descended the thin spiral staircase two floors down. Jem did say to meet him downstairs and I figured that meant the very last floor. All that was on the second floor was two spacious rooms that I figured to be Jem’s and Jessie’s. At the end of the staircase was a door and I hesitated before it. I took a deep breath and pushed it open. On the other side was a small, cozy looking kitchen with green plants on the windowsill and steam rising from the pot on the stove. A short stubby woman scooted around on the wood floor, back and forth between the counter and the stove, each time adding a new ingredient to the pot. She wore a dress similar to mine but longer and denim blue with an apron over it. Her hair was pulled back form her wrinkly face in a loose bun, her cheeks were rosy from the heat of her work. When she saw me she froze, but then smiled, nodded and continued with her business.
“Kaylee, dear,” a voice called. I turned slightly to see Jem in the other room. Jem was sitting at one end of a table and was gesturing for me to sit at the other. Jessie stood by his side, lightly clinging to the buckle of his overalls. I took the seat and straightened my posture as well as I could as I waited for Jem to speak.
He cleared his throat, “Surely you must remember something.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
He sighed. The woman that was in the kitchen came into the room and placed a steaming mug in front of me.
“Thank you,” I muttered. She smiled at me again and went back into the kitchen.
“Please drink. Cecelia’s tea always makes me feel better,” said Jem. I grabbed the cup and brought it up to my lips. The liquid was so hot that I didn’t get a chance to taste it. It burned my tongue and throat as it spilled down to my stomach. I made a face and placed the cup back down.
Jessie laughed.
“Do you not like it?” Jem asked, worried.
“Too hot,” I answered. Jem nodded, understanding.
“She’s got to be a wolf,” Jessie breathed out to himself.
“Shush!” Jem hissed. He glared at Jessie until his smirk disappeared and looked back over to me with an apologizing smile on his face.
“You have to pardon Jessie. He’s not exactly…the most polite of little boys. His parents are out of town for a couple of days, that’s why he’s here. Actually, if he wasn’t here, I would have never found you. He wanted to go to the Orange River to fish. I guess it’s destiny that I ran into you.”
“Or just blind luck,” I added. “Thank you, by the way.” An awkward silence passed between us before I piped up again. “What happened to me?”
“You ate Fever Berries. I could tell from the blue stains on your fingers,” Jem explained. I looked down at my hands and sure enough they were stained blue. “Did you not know they were dangerous to eat? If not treated right away you would’ve died. Some people like to have one or two because of the extra jolts of energy they give you, but too much can have serious side effects.”
Energy jolts? That is why I was able to run so fast. I looked back down to my hands and thought how great the berries had tasted. How tragic that something so good could be so deadly. Then I thought how close I had been to death and how thankful I was to Jem and his snotty grandson for saving me.
“Thank you,” I said again.
“Its all good,” Jem breathed. “Now, back to other matters – what tribe are you from? Are you an Elf?”
“I still don’t know what you mean,” I mumbled.
“You have to be from some tribe,” Jem continued. “There are three; the Elves the Bats and the Wolves,” he counted off on his fingers. “We are Bats. Everyone in the
Oceanside and Forest regions are.”
I looked at Jem uncomprehending whatever he was saying. The Elves? The Bats? The Wolves? The more and more he talked, the less I understood.
“Uhhh… listen. I’m not a Wolf and I’m not a Bat or an Elf. I don’t think I belong to any tribe at all. See, I’m from Arizona and–”
“You don’t belong to a tribe?” asked Jem, shocked. “You can’t be neutral. That’s against the laws. Princess Elfreda will simply not allow it.”
“What? A princess?” I asked.
“Princess Elfreda… you’ve never heard of her? Dear, where have you been all your life?”
“I’m not sure anymore…” I spoke aloud.
“How many berries did you eat? You are suffering severe memory loss. To not even remember the Princess!”
“I don’t think I’m suffering from anything…” I trailed off. I could be very wrong about that. Maybe I was suffering. Maybe I am a Wolf or a Bat or whatever. Maybe the world I’m from is the dream. Am I on a different planet? Different dimension? I gasped at this sudden realization and clutched my fists and closed my eyes tight.
Jem got up from his chair and ran over to me, but then slowed his pace as he approached. “Are you okay?”
“Not from… here,” I stuttered.
“What?”
“I’m not from… this place.”
Jem got closer to me and grabbed both my shoulders, causing me to look up at him. “Kaylee, if you’re not from here, where else could you be from?”
“I… I don’t know.” I whispered. I could feel the tears in my eye ducts ready to spill out. I wondered why I was on the verge of tears, but then I realized, if I’m on a different planet or in a different dimension, then how could I ever get home? How could I ever see my family again? My friends? I imagined myself in the dark, empty void again with the door right in front of me. I ran to it, chased it. But every time I’d reached out to touch it, I’d fall and when I’d get up the door was even farther away then it was before. I got up from the chair, unsteady on my feet and Jem caught me before I hit the floor. My vision became blurry again except this time it was not from illness.
“Not….. from….” I mumbled. “I need to… get home….” I buried my face in Jem’s shirt, no longer feeling him or myself. I became numb, unresponsive and I could sense the darkness creeping over me again. I was back in the empty void, but this time there was no escape.