subtletylost
Formerly fishii
Hi again peoples, Fishii here. I just want to thank all those who have been helping me out. I think I have the prologue worked out pretty well and was wondering if y'all wouldn't mind helping with the rest of the story... please.
(Sorry it's so long)
~~~
Chapter 1 (Part 1 of maybe 3)
It’s dark when I arrive at the theatre. I might be too late but it’s a two hour play and the parking lot is still full.
I walk in the door and go to head to the area where the play is being put on. I begin to push the door open but an usher stands waiting for latecomers.
“We don’t let guests enter in the middle of a scene. Do you have a ticket?” She stares at me. I feel like she can see through me. The look on her face says that she’s about to call security on me.
“I don’t need a ticket. I am in the show.”
She glares at me. “Yeah like I haven’t heard that one a million times before. Prove it or I call security.”
I start to panic if she calls security I might get banned form the theatre. I notice that she has a program under her arm. “If you doubt me that much you can check in your program.” She pulls out the program and turns to the cast pages. “My name is Maritza Ranchi and I play Mary Sue. I just thought I might arrive fashionably late that’s all. Now may I please go in?”
“Well Mary Sue, you are UN-fashionably late. But, I guess I can let you in at scene change.” She walks away and I slump to the floor. How long could it possibly be until scene change? I look around. There is a painting on the wall. It looks like a Van Gogh. I stare at it. I think the frame is cracked. I stand up and walk over to it. Yep, definitely cracked. I walk back and pace by the door.
One eternity later, I look at my watch. It is only eight fifteen. The play still has forty-five minutes left. She opens the door and I enter. Before she can tell me not to I run down the aisle and jump up on to the stage and duck behind the curtain.
I walk out on the other side only to be blinded by Jesse, the stage manager. She waves her flashlight in my face and scolds me, “You are sooo late. Lucky you had an understudy. Find somewhere that you’re not in the way and park it.”
I don’t dare cross Jesse. I don’t think she would hesitate to push me off the catwalk first chance she gets. I walk upstage and crawl behind the curtain. Before I know it I feel as though I am drifting off. I want to watch but I would just end up getting in the way and the audience was full. I stand up and shake my head.
I press myself against the wall. I can smell the curtain. It reeks of old moth balls and dust. I close my eyes.
When I open them I am floating in a sea of darkness. I drift along like a speck of dust. I float for hours or possibly mere minutes. A flame sparks to life ahead of me. It haunts my vision and I approach it, while a quiet voice toys with my mind.
It expands. I jolt out of the sea. The flames are out of control. The heat should be intense. I try to call out. The fire closes in. The voice surrounds me. I don’t understand. How did this happen?
A figure. In the fire. I gasp. It’s a girl. She looks like an angel. Her voice matches.
“Maritza, I am here to show you something. It’s important,” she says.
She holds out her hand. I take it. I get up. Crack. Whomp. Boards. Burning. Right where I was. That was close. My heart thumps wildly. The flames are intense. I am surprised we can breathe. Much less talk.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“You’ll know soon enough. Come.”
I follow closely, not wanting to be left alone in the inferno. We exit the flames. Outside it is wonderful. A cool breeze ruffles my hair and tickles my face. There are flowers and birds and trees and little animals everywhere. I turn around; both the fire and the theatre are gone. I turn back and walk to her.
“What is going on here?” I ask as I watch the animals walk up to us. I stare. “Do they not know to fear humans?”
“The animals can tell a good human from a bad one. If they,” she points at some kittens by my feet. One of them paws at my shoelaces. “approach you so willingly you must be the one.”
She walks ahead and I follow. “What do you mean the one? Who are you? Answer me!”
She ignores me and enters the trees. I have to concentrate or I’ll get lost. She weaves through expertly. She’s been here before. I think I have too.
On the other side she stops. “Are you going to tell me now?” I stop beside her. I look ahead of me and see that we are at a cliff face. Maybe she went the wrong way? I pace up and down a short ways. “What now?” I ask.
She points down the cliff. I see some bunnies hopping around. Butterflies float around their heads. “There.”
“What bunnies? That’s the important thing I need to see?”
“What?” She turns and looks. “NOT bunnies.”
“Then what?” I wait for her to respond. But she doesn’t. I stomp away, and then return. This girl is so frustrating. I look back down the cliff. A wolf walks out of the trees and approaches the bunnies. Run, bunnies run. I watch. I’ve never seen a real wolf before. I walk toward the animals. Maybe, I can get close enough to pet the wolf.
I approach silently. I don’t want to scare the animals. The noises of nature barely reach me as I concentrate on being silent. SNAP. A twig breaks and then sudden silence. All the noises of nature disappear. No more birds, or rattling leaves, nor even the far off sound of the bubbling creek.
I turn around. The girl is still in her spot. I shake my head and turn back to the animals. The wolf is stock still its ears twitching wildly, the bunnies are the same way. I look around. It’s deathly silent. I take another step and a scream pierces the silence. I look, the bunnies flee, the wolf is still stock still. It turns toward me. Oh no. It thinks I scared away its food. It’s going to eat me. I quickly look from the wolf to the girl and back. Neither move. The wolf gestures for me to follow. I do. It walks up to the cliff face and stops, its ears twitching.
I stop beside it. The silence is eerie. Another scream rips through the silence and a flock of birds rises up from somewhere down below. The wolf looks up at me and then angles its nose straight down the cliff. Great now forest animals want me to rock climb, can this day get any weirder? I look over the cliff; this is bad, I can’t see the bottom. I get down and inch my way over the edge. The wolf grabs my shirt collar in its mouth and I reach for a foot hold. I slowly make my way down.
After an eternity of climbing, about halfway down, my handhold crumbles. I slip and almost fall. Dear gods, if I make it down alive I’ll owe you big time. My feet slip off their holds and I dangle by my right hand. I grip wildly at the cliff pulling little loose rocks off until I find a solid hold. Inching down slowly I thank the gods for helping me. Soon I reach the bottom and see a forest stretching out in front of me. I am standing in a field that stretches off to the right and ends at a beach to the left.
A scream. But from where? I look to the right and the wolf bounds down a rock tumble. It walks up to me and brushes my leg. I follow it to the forest.
It leads me carefully. I avoid stepping on twigs or dried. The wolf crouches and slows down. It steps carefully, sneaking up on something. I look ahead and see a bush that stretches around something, presumably a clearing or maybe the wolf’s den. It stops and angles its head for me to come closer. I approach slowly; I don’t want to make any noise. The wolf noses the bush and I peer through.
(Sorry it's so long)
~~~
Chapter 1 (Part 1 of maybe 3)
It’s dark when I arrive at the theatre. I might be too late but it’s a two hour play and the parking lot is still full.
I walk in the door and go to head to the area where the play is being put on. I begin to push the door open but an usher stands waiting for latecomers.
“We don’t let guests enter in the middle of a scene. Do you have a ticket?” She stares at me. I feel like she can see through me. The look on her face says that she’s about to call security on me.
“I don’t need a ticket. I am in the show.”
She glares at me. “Yeah like I haven’t heard that one a million times before. Prove it or I call security.”
I start to panic if she calls security I might get banned form the theatre. I notice that she has a program under her arm. “If you doubt me that much you can check in your program.” She pulls out the program and turns to the cast pages. “My name is Maritza Ranchi and I play Mary Sue. I just thought I might arrive fashionably late that’s all. Now may I please go in?”
“Well Mary Sue, you are UN-fashionably late. But, I guess I can let you in at scene change.” She walks away and I slump to the floor. How long could it possibly be until scene change? I look around. There is a painting on the wall. It looks like a Van Gogh. I stare at it. I think the frame is cracked. I stand up and walk over to it. Yep, definitely cracked. I walk back and pace by the door.
One eternity later, I look at my watch. It is only eight fifteen. The play still has forty-five minutes left. She opens the door and I enter. Before she can tell me not to I run down the aisle and jump up on to the stage and duck behind the curtain.
I walk out on the other side only to be blinded by Jesse, the stage manager. She waves her flashlight in my face and scolds me, “You are sooo late. Lucky you had an understudy. Find somewhere that you’re not in the way and park it.”
I don’t dare cross Jesse. I don’t think she would hesitate to push me off the catwalk first chance she gets. I walk upstage and crawl behind the curtain. Before I know it I feel as though I am drifting off. I want to watch but I would just end up getting in the way and the audience was full. I stand up and shake my head.
I press myself against the wall. I can smell the curtain. It reeks of old moth balls and dust. I close my eyes.
When I open them I am floating in a sea of darkness. I drift along like a speck of dust. I float for hours or possibly mere minutes. A flame sparks to life ahead of me. It haunts my vision and I approach it, while a quiet voice toys with my mind.
It expands. I jolt out of the sea. The flames are out of control. The heat should be intense. I try to call out. The fire closes in. The voice surrounds me. I don’t understand. How did this happen?
A figure. In the fire. I gasp. It’s a girl. She looks like an angel. Her voice matches.
“Maritza, I am here to show you something. It’s important,” she says.
She holds out her hand. I take it. I get up. Crack. Whomp. Boards. Burning. Right where I was. That was close. My heart thumps wildly. The flames are intense. I am surprised we can breathe. Much less talk.
“Who are you?” I ask.
“You’ll know soon enough. Come.”
I follow closely, not wanting to be left alone in the inferno. We exit the flames. Outside it is wonderful. A cool breeze ruffles my hair and tickles my face. There are flowers and birds and trees and little animals everywhere. I turn around; both the fire and the theatre are gone. I turn back and walk to her.
“What is going on here?” I ask as I watch the animals walk up to us. I stare. “Do they not know to fear humans?”
“The animals can tell a good human from a bad one. If they,” she points at some kittens by my feet. One of them paws at my shoelaces. “approach you so willingly you must be the one.”
She walks ahead and I follow. “What do you mean the one? Who are you? Answer me!”
She ignores me and enters the trees. I have to concentrate or I’ll get lost. She weaves through expertly. She’s been here before. I think I have too.
On the other side she stops. “Are you going to tell me now?” I stop beside her. I look ahead of me and see that we are at a cliff face. Maybe she went the wrong way? I pace up and down a short ways. “What now?” I ask.
She points down the cliff. I see some bunnies hopping around. Butterflies float around their heads. “There.”
“What bunnies? That’s the important thing I need to see?”
“What?” She turns and looks. “NOT bunnies.”
“Then what?” I wait for her to respond. But she doesn’t. I stomp away, and then return. This girl is so frustrating. I look back down the cliff. A wolf walks out of the trees and approaches the bunnies. Run, bunnies run. I watch. I’ve never seen a real wolf before. I walk toward the animals. Maybe, I can get close enough to pet the wolf.
I approach silently. I don’t want to scare the animals. The noises of nature barely reach me as I concentrate on being silent. SNAP. A twig breaks and then sudden silence. All the noises of nature disappear. No more birds, or rattling leaves, nor even the far off sound of the bubbling creek.
I turn around. The girl is still in her spot. I shake my head and turn back to the animals. The wolf is stock still its ears twitching wildly, the bunnies are the same way. I look around. It’s deathly silent. I take another step and a scream pierces the silence. I look, the bunnies flee, the wolf is still stock still. It turns toward me. Oh no. It thinks I scared away its food. It’s going to eat me. I quickly look from the wolf to the girl and back. Neither move. The wolf gestures for me to follow. I do. It walks up to the cliff face and stops, its ears twitching.
I stop beside it. The silence is eerie. Another scream rips through the silence and a flock of birds rises up from somewhere down below. The wolf looks up at me and then angles its nose straight down the cliff. Great now forest animals want me to rock climb, can this day get any weirder? I look over the cliff; this is bad, I can’t see the bottom. I get down and inch my way over the edge. The wolf grabs my shirt collar in its mouth and I reach for a foot hold. I slowly make my way down.
After an eternity of climbing, about halfway down, my handhold crumbles. I slip and almost fall. Dear gods, if I make it down alive I’ll owe you big time. My feet slip off their holds and I dangle by my right hand. I grip wildly at the cliff pulling little loose rocks off until I find a solid hold. Inching down slowly I thank the gods for helping me. Soon I reach the bottom and see a forest stretching out in front of me. I am standing in a field that stretches off to the right and ends at a beach to the left.
A scream. But from where? I look to the right and the wolf bounds down a rock tumble. It walks up to me and brushes my leg. I follow it to the forest.
It leads me carefully. I avoid stepping on twigs or dried. The wolf crouches and slows down. It steps carefully, sneaking up on something. I look ahead and see a bush that stretches around something, presumably a clearing or maybe the wolf’s den. It stops and angles its head for me to come closer. I approach slowly; I don’t want to make any noise. The wolf noses the bush and I peer through.
