Feel the soothing grace through the swell in the darkness, where a ripple awakens you on the other side of everything unlawful. A place of an endless sea—free of things you have once smiled upon.
It was all black—Nothing to see, nothing to feel—Simply a pure essence of void for those who had never felt anything but passing times. But something was slumbering on its surface—a long-lost feeling for a girl trapped in the tidal.
*Splash* "Aack! Uhuk! Uhuk! Uhuk!" She yelled out of the water, screaming her soul out from the near-inevitable drowning.
"Ouch...where am I? What is this place?"
The void took only the form of water and an empty air filled with doubt and silence. Just as Eve steps off from the water she had thought to swallow, her body immediately floats away without a ground.
"What the..." Glances the girl with concern.
"Woah! No! Hey! What? What happens? What is this place? What is this?"
"Why am I here? Did I die? What did I die from?"
The void speaks nothing. It only lets a body afloat through space in an endless silence. The pain disappears immediately from Eve's body, calming her down.
"Okay, okay...let's remember first. What did I just do?"
"I was in a school. Doing chores..."
"No, that's two weeks ago. What days is it today?"
"Right! Today is Tuesday. Yesterday was awful...I have so many things happening in one day. A new student is harassing me—I got beaten by my right eye—I got a third mark on my grade—And then there's this creature! It ask for my help and I ended up away from earth for long."
"No, it's only yesterday—I get home, visited this place and get wanted together with him—Then we met with some weirdos on a circus city on our way to the "tower" he's been eager to brought me to. Until I get...Trap in this void? How did I get trapped in this void?"
The darkness pulls Eve into the unknown. Her body is as cold as winter, yet she is nowhere to freezing. Not even ice could shed anything on her skin, and her hearing and visions appeared unchanged by the surroundings.
A young girl laments in a world devoid of joy and fruition, leading the face of the darkness in a frontline to the unknown. The harsh space carries the discontent and unappealing years of struggle that can only be called as the cold to the lips.
"Where am I going? Am I still in the same place? What is this void?"
"I don't like this. I can't understand any of this..."
"I really want to know why I was here. This city, and this void..."
The lack of imagery in Eve's mind draws an uneasiness that feeds the void. Each second passes clockless, and only her blood can be heard flowing through her body, slowly driving her to madness.
"Why do I bother? It's not like I could return at any time now."
"I'm sure would have been better here than out there. But what's really out there right now? A terrible wait for me?"
"Maybe I could stay here forever. I have a lot of space to begin with..."
"Those people missed a lot here. They don't know what comes into their heads when they dunk on me." She smirks, knowing how amazing she is. The void could say the same by bringing her up.
"Maybe I could do more? I can't just tame a creature and call it a win. Maybe I could master something else?"
"What else could I do here? Sorcery?"
"Yeah! Sorcery..." Hope shines above her head with a compelling thought.
"Eve..." A voice called upon her name. She stares afar and sees nothing but darkness ahead. Yet, the voice still calls her distant and begging.
"Eve."
"Eve!"
The void trembles at the presence of a calling naught. The voice comes from the distance, calling in a faint, urgent tone as if it was searching through desperate hours for Eve. Soon, she furthered to its call, blaring her ears with echoing screams from the unknown.
There was nothing to appease the young girl in the void. But one day, the discontent stops at its perpetual movement—confronted by something beautiful lying below her foot. It was the call that awakened me into a world blossoming with hope.
"Eve! Eve!" Dreams were cut with a spring of water. Charger awakes the slumbering girl with a message waiting in her wake.
"Ouch! Uhuk! Uhuk! Hey! Charger, stop it!"
The journey from the police had ended with a calming rest at a hotel bed with windows closed and a TV set on—A dream that one could have had now if they weren't a fugitive to the radiant townsfolk. Instead, Eve finds herself in an abandoned house with a soaked floor and dirty rags.
Awaken once more in a place with a blessing from the eternal daylight—reminded of another dream. Another part of me held the ground with disdain—eager to know of the hindrance within my quest. Instead, I lay astray to the unknown—a land with more premise than the previous one.
"What the...where's the tower? Heads too foggy to even think..." She steps off the bed with a wet sock.
"Sorry, friend. I had to bring you here for our safety while the bearers are around! It's the only place I can found where they won't notice us!" The creature prepares hot water with a rusty kettle—boiling the leaves using the dripping pipes.
"I can't find a tea, but I made this hot water for you. Do you want some?"
"No! Get that disease off of me." The kettle falls to the ground, and its hot water is wasted. Vapors fume through the room with an unbearable stench.
"Yuck. I've lost an appettite for a meal. And why are you wearing a rubbish in your head?"
"It's a disguise! The police won't recognize any of us as long we look like them. I mean, look at me! I look fabulous." The creature appears in a ridiculous attire.
A phantom mask covers the face, followed by a blue and black striped cloak covering from head to toe, leaving Charger only a partial view of his head. Dust and wet water mix with the linen-like fabric—creating the shady looks of a beggar and a frowny pale of soaked concrete—blending with the street perfectly.
"Tcha! Hyat! Now, I'm unseen..."
"How? Wait, where are we?" As the curious girl looked through the window, her eyes were locked on another view of this realm.
The men built this city through vibrancy and harmony, bringing the people eternal happiness and pleasure. Theaters, music, and jests gave the people the power to express themselves in a motiveless spotlight and charade. Freedom is in the arching smile and utterly ridiculous threads.
Eve awakes in another city— met by a dense, bright wall from a distance that borders the land from another. Tents overshadow everything with their stripped joy—pennants are hanging from pole to pole with sparkling and vibrant colors—the green grass dominates the land with almost no presence of bricks and cement than an outer wall.
"Charger, are we right where we need to be?" The girl closes the window.
"Joy district is a site where Hyperians immerse themselves in delirium and the air of happiness and pleasure while forgetting any kinds of duty through the tents! Isn't it great?"
"This city may look nothing like yours, but there are a lot of things you could enjoy here!"
"What? No! We're supposed to be on the tower, not here!" She steps off the window and checks on her belongings. The bag still keeps her records fresh and dry.
"Okay, okay. Calm down, no need to fuss up. Can we still go to the tower?"
"Obviously. But not while we're on a list...so many lists..." Charger opens another window for fresh air. That makes the room scent less intoxicating than before, but it doesn't alleviate the stress that comes from outside.
Many citizens were not too fond of Charger—not too Eve either. Forces and rumors are spread immediately to the walls and streets, leaving the two unsafe.
*Open wardrobe* "Okay. So I need a disguise too. That's what you're saying, right?"
"Whose house is this anyway? Did you know anyone who lived here?"
"I don't know. But I like this place! At least it has a roof and bed to sleep with. When I dragged you here, the door was left open by a stray cat so I took a chance before someone looked at us."
"Are you going to wear that, friend?" The creature stares at the wardrobe's one and only attire.
"I don't want to wear this..."
"But you have to. Anyone could see us from afar with that shirt of yours!"
"I don't want to wear yellow and red stripped colors. These two colors are the worst. Can't I just use your stealth watch again?"
"No..." The watch appears hanging on Charger's horn—charging with his sparks.
"Really?" Eve glances with disappointment at the creature. The silence altogether smiles at her as if she had only one choice. The outside is still bright, after all.
There's always laughter for everyone in their hearts—be it stripped, marked, or ridiculous-shaped that was shoved into your face all day. There are many jesters but not a king to entertain—a performer without an audience—tragedy in a comedy—a bummer among the jokers.
Hyperians are walking wittier in this town than the outside. Their looks are buried with entertainers' and performers' suits—familiar as humans in their looks and talks. Buildings are designed for entertainment purposes—of all ages to laugh and live witting.
"Hello!"
"Hi, there!"
"Do haste, fellows! We all have our fun here!"
"Wohoho! Sizeable funs? What couldn't be more flattering than this day!"
"Wowowo!"
The disguise works efficiently on these citizens. These two walk around the city safely unnoticed while passing posters flying above their heads—chasing after the same heads. They find more Hyperians over the streets—dresses in brighter and more contrasting colors between red, yellow, and blue at the most.
"So, heaven had a place for fools, too?"
"Well, Hyperians likes to find joy in a secluded place. This is the best place to have fun in this city, so many people are heading here all day for either party or an event! It's the life of a party!"
"Not much of a party to have you walk in a disguise like that, I suppose." Eve stops for a look. Red tents are passing performers who look nothing like the earth dwellers.
"Oh, they just couldn't handle some helping hands from me. It wasn't my fault a parade got burnt here...twice. Wouldn't it be nice to have a figure like me to show up out there?"
"Hm? Eve?"
She was awed by the children's play in the town. The pre-mature beings follow their predecessors' fulfillment and build a better future by retaining what's left of the books before they can leave it forever. Younglings could not escape even the ludicrous looks from rags, ceramic decorations, and ribbons.
They gathered around and enjoyed each other's company, sharing laughs and talking like living people. They even had a book—opened and caressed softly with their fingers to show either words or images full of wisdom.
Those feelings seem to attach to Eve in an unfound place. Not a pity—nor a feeling construe. But watching those children having their time without her drags the attention.
"Friend, are you okay?" The creature snaps her off. Her mind is now cleared as the children's departure, leaving books to scatter on an empty bench, waiting for their owners.
"Huh? Oh...me? Why asking? Of course I'm fine!"
"Oh, so can we go? The street is right there..." Charger threw his hands towards the east.
"Yeah, yeah. We can go now." Her eyes remain locked to the pile of books on the bench.
"Sweet! Let's go!"
Everyone has something to perform—to express their hearts with a poetic yet pleasant conclusion. Children had that in their lives long before, only to be wasted with cruel endings and perpetuity. Well, some might have lived their life better than others here.
*Bonk* "What...?" A ball hit Eve's head with a soft landing and bouncy push. As she searches for the source of the thrower, she finds children who had left their books to be the ones near another playground with a more shimmering grass field.
"Hey, can you throw it back? We want to play!" One child with a porcelain mask and red ribbon binding on its head approaches Eve.
Bonk! She threw the ball over the kid's face, enough to give both of them a surprise. A cracked porcelain on his face suddenly turns the happiness momentarily.
"You're welcome..."
"Ouch! Oh...oh, no...my face...my face!" The sound of his scream ravages her ears, seemingly crying over the crack on his mask.
The child starts whining, shedding black-like tears from his eyes that appear too disgusting to see. The once solid mask unveils a fleshy and mushy face— of a darkish red hue that continuously darkens.
"Uh...kid, can't you not...? You're making yourself looks...holy, what is that in your eye??"
"Huhuhu!"
*Faint* "Hey, what happened here? I hear crying!"
*Faint* "Why is there crying in this city? That's not fun!"
"No, no, no, no! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Eve grabs the child by the neck—shooking its head back and forth with panic.
"Aah! His mask is off! His mask is off!" The children caught the two in an untimely act—doubled by Eve's action.
"He's not happy! He's a downer! Help! There's a downer!"
"Downer?? There's a downer!"
"Eve, what happened here?" A clueless Charger appears behind Eve.
"Go. Just go!" Eve dragged her companion off the playground before leaving the frowned child and others to ponder at the downer youngling in a circle.
But in this world—one above our feet—there is a garden of hope and joy that younglings seek to live in their afterlife. To live in a house painted with creativity, light, and neverending smiles unbothered by a consequential future and shifts in the atmosphere.
A faint choir can be heard from one tent beside Eve, whose size is as tall as her eyes. Curiosity had her look inward at the resuming performance—poking through the fabric wall with her fingers.
*Open curtain* "Hello?" Eve peeks in for a view. Many things could be found by peeking at a curtain—albeit worthless to simply an intervention.
"Oh, visitor! No need to worry! Looks like you were lost, did you?" The stage comes to an abrupt pause. The performing lady seems unfazed at a head coming behind her.
"I am?" She looks confused as the pausing audience. Their brief moment was shared in a less climatic intervention.
"I suppose newcomers are always a curious type of enjoyer. Say, are you looking for a seat for the arrival of Duke Endum?"
"No, I'm just here to look around for the town. Oh, I think I could have a look around here. Say, does tragedy last longer in this town when it is not played for long?"
"Tragedy is nothing but a temporary sorrow that disrupts the water like a ripple. No matter how big or awful it could be, a smile shall never cease even for a minute." The nurse actress appears from the curtains.
"Here, the Joy District will always like a voluntary smile. But it is better if you didn't resist to do so. These are not masks you are seeing right now."
"These are the realest smiles from our deepest hearts."
One performer leaps out of the curtain, "Do not hesitate to intervene anytime! We are happy to see more and more people every day!"
"Uhm...thank you." She glares indifferently at the offer.
"Can one resist such temptation to feel yellow, visitor? Perhaps you are lucky to question such an answer right on the stage. Would you like to smile for us?" The crowned princess appears with a persuasive tone.
"I'm afraid not. I have a journey to search of my true happiness. I have to leave you here..." She leaves fresh air on her departure from the Hyperians. The performance resumes with an additional background prompt.
"Interesting, what a hopeful woman. Oh, speaking of women...Darissa, where's the medicine? My darling is drunk and I lost a gamble! I wouldn't want to lose again!" The act resumes with a handsome man kneeling on a lying actress on a bed. And the crowd cheers before them in a comedic cut.
"Eve? What are you doing there?" The cloaked Charger approaches Eve from behind with a silent stalk—still in his cloak. His attention is taken aback when his friend is absent from the stone path to the north.
*Writing* "Just looking around for my shoes...oh, what am I saying? Isn't it clear that I'm looking after the people here?"
Smiles. More smiles in the garden is the only way to achieve contentment in this city. Put on a smile—not a fake one—not a forced one.
"But why? Isn't that wrong...?"
"When did you care about wrong before, creature? You were the one pulling this off to me. Besides, I'm only looking for information about this city..."
"The more we knew, the less we had to worry about hiding again."
"That sounds...brilliant! Let's peek at another tent, then!" Charger smiles at the brightness of Eve's critical thinking.
"I'll do it!" Eve intervenes on her way to the nearest tent.
*Open curtain* "Hello?" She opens the roof of another tent with her hand, letting the sunlight beam bright above their heads.
Now she finds a backstage full of surprises. Lots of performers were handling their looks in the mirror until the light from the sun beams through the mirror and reflects the blinding presence of Eve.
"Hello there. Looks like we have a guest here...an impatient one, too." The violinist performer approaches Eve by the table.
She replies, "Nope. I'm just looking around. Are you supposed to be a singer?"
"An sightful audience, I see. So you came here for a song with me? Is that what I heard right?"
"Nope. I'm just looking around as I said before. Songs aren't that much good for me..."
"Oh, silly. Music is for everyone! Who wouldn't want to hear the best performance of The Aurora Bands? Ready, guys?" The other performers
"No, no, no! No...I'm not trying to hear any song today. I'm just in favor of looking for some...new things..."
"Ooh! You're looking for a song inspiration, huh? Well, I have a few lyrics to share with you!"
"No! I...uh...just curious. I'm new to this place...or city. Say, you people always wear that looks all over the town for aesthetics?"
"Aesthetic? Flattering, but we don't have aesthetic in joy district! This is a free land!" The one with the flute climbs closer to Eve's face.
"Our looks are what we were proud of! We proud of how creative and colorful our minds are—just as you wearing those red and yellow shirt to us without feeling any shame!" The drummer approaches close.
"See, friend? Everyone loves it here!" Charger compliments.
Eve replies, "But I don't like it. It's awfully colored, and the three-pointed hat is my worst enemy in looks. I'm not a jester..."
The flutist flatters, "Jester? Ah! You must be a human, then. Heard that word "jester" too many times from your people. Don't worry, human! You have no king to entertain today, but you did entertain us with your little renovation on the roof. I can see the sun shining bright from here!"
"Wouldn't that be weird to look like clown outside of this city?"
"Only if you thought of that! Keep smiling and you'll find no reason to hear those "awful" words from the outside city." The violinist mutters in a silliest tone, seemingly focusing on his instrument more than Eve.
"Those silly bearers and downer Hyperians could mind their thought off when we could have fun endlessly in this city! Arch your smiles up and
get the finest clothes as you wanted. But makes sure it was bright and vibrant, or else you have a talk with the people around." The flutist returns to his practice, leaving a high-pitched song with a fast-paced and fluctuating beat.
"Easy to say when you are not living in Gold Creek everyday. But as long as my attires didn't draw any attention..." She replies.
"Thank you. I'll leave you to your performance, then." She left the backstage and left the roof renovation undone.
*Enters backstage* "Poor lady. I could've sung my song to her."
"You're late, Carol. We've just had a good talk with her. Keep your bells steady cause we're having a re-performance today."
*Pianist* "Is there anything wrong with my shirt? Such a funny take from that human." The pianist flatters.
Every step I took is a random string that unlock many outcomes. The tents were built to hide the citizens' secret from me—Me, who came to uncover everything about their happiness—their secret to lifelong contentment. Their surprise was such an excitement for me, but not for them.
The two walk out to the north, slowly heading to the arch between this district and another. Lots of tents are
"Should we go for another tent, friend?"
"Nope. We're done here. I think we're wasting our time by talking with those people. The stupidest decision I've ever made."
"I see the tower. Let's head there!" From afar in their position, the tower appears less clouded and vaster in size. There's nothing more to doubt than the fact such a palace is getting closer.
"Wait, friend! Look..." Charger grabs her by the back of her boot, stopping her from what would have become dangerous steps.
The town's fun was halted suddenly after an oncoming presence from the north. Right at the arch where the two were heading, passing the border with a square formation and invading the garden by a trample, the bearers arrived with reinforcement. The familiar faces lead the frontline—guiding the lesser armored defenders through the townsfolks with spears and rifles—and radiant banners.
"Woah! Party-poopers here!"
"This is not fun!"
"This day gets worse! Can this day not?"
Brush! The executioner breaks his way through the properties, leaving the citizens with a feared smile as he and his crowd march through the town. The witch and the assassin come menacingly as the big man.
"She's here! I can feel it. The air's too calm for a trouble to occur—nothing feels to good without a chaos...haha!" The witch murmurs maniacally.
"Sounds like it should've been the opposite." The assassin muttered while his dagger was warm for blood.
"Oh, no! They found us! What do we do, Eve? What do we do?"
"At least they got the arch open for us. I don't see the problem at all..." Eve focuses on the northern escape—watching the last soldier leave the gate unattended.
"Phew, I sure so. What am I worrying about?" The creature chuckles in relief.
The creature was relieved. But the two were too quick to judge.
"There she is!" Yelled by a boy from a nearby tent. From afar, a downer witnesses the two fugitives hiding from the authorities—followed by children and adults blocking their escapes.
"There's the girl who made me sad! Huhuhu..." Tears flow from his eyes in the embrace of the sorrowing pain. The saddening shift from the boy disturbs the peace within the district, with everyone nearby calling in surprise.
"Come on, kid. It's only a hit! Grow up!" She reprimands the child.
"What an unnecessary fight we have here. Officers, we have two fugitives creating trouble over here!" A firework is lit by a man to alert the authorities. And as expected, they followed the cracks and whisps behind their back.
"Aww, why did they do that?" Charger slaps his face in disappointment. The soldiers would caught them anytime by now, trapped with the citizens line simultaneously.
"Please let us go...we didn't mean to hurt you, little boy!"
"No! You hurt my feelings! Now I look horrendous! No one likes me!" The boy fled away to the crowd.
"No, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Please!" The cloaked boy felt a pang of guilt run down his throat—feeling the failure of his fan's sadness.
"We apologize for our inconvenience, but you two must have been a fugitive to have called authority to our sacred land. Now, if you walk past and comply with the law, we don't have to resolve with violence, aren't we?" One man smirks at them—A smirk that holds the thought of respect and patience.
"But they want us to die! We can't go!"
"Good. It makes me feel good." Said the girl in her still arched-down lips, cold and sharp in a threatening attempt. Even by the circle, she still stands deviant in the face of many.
"Friend?" Charger stares bewildered before her.
"You don't hear them, Charger? They want us to avoid any violence."
"That was simple. We could leave this town without causing a ruckus, Charger. These people don't deserve to know what's hit them from those officers."
"You're right, sir. We should arrest ourselves." She pauses.
*Cracks joint* "But I don't like your attitude. So..."
The people offered me a stay in their town as a gratitude for my visit. But instead of providing a tent, they gave me an empty cabin—made with brick walls and a seemingly well-preserved room for sleep. I politely accepted their offer and rested in a roofed house—knowing I was safe from harm.
I have yet to learn about happiness. But now, I have a sore bone from walking far and falling between cliffs. After all, the moon had already risen from the sky, and I think this should be a departure for today's trial.