A Nice Smile

1217 words

Rated PG: violence, death, blood, pain, fear

Prompt: Write about a prince or princess who is asked to give up something valuable to escape the world they came from.

Author's note: No, I have no idea what creative entity has possessed me this week. I might request that they choose you next if you ask nicely.

“Earth?” it asks.

I bite my lip. My bike helmet is getting itchy. I fumble with the clasp and pull it apart. The helmet falls backwards and into the starry depths below me. It might go to another dimension. It might also be lost in the world forever. It doesn’t matter at the moment.

I’m suspended in what looks like a random part of space. Stars surround me distantly. The space in between is black. Gravity is nonexistent, so my hair is reaching above me and my t-shirt has to be held down by hand.

This is not space, though. I know this, first of all, because I can breathe. I can feel the air in my lungs. It has a very sweet scent. The second reason I know this is because there are stars just a metre from me, making a wide ring around my torso. It seems to keep me from sinking. The stars are 5 pointed, glowing, blue, and the size of a coffee mug. It’s the type of thing small children make into snowflakes. They flew toward and began circling me when I got here.

The most obvious reason, though, is the podium in front of me, also floating. It’s made of some sort of silver and reflects my dishevelled appearance. There’s a glowing blob behind it, who somehow expresses very specific emotions with only his voice. Its name is. . .I have no idea, actually. So sue me, I only just met it. 

“I need to go there. It’s important.” I pant. 

My heart is still thumping too quickly from the chase a few minutes ago.

“No, you don’t.” I can hear it rolling its eyes.

“I have to see it.” I would plead if I had the energy.

The blob checks what appears to be a clipboard made of grass and fire. 

“I don’t see your name on the list.”

“I’m not on the list. I just have to get something I dropped.”

The blob turns its spinning form to see me better.

“You were near the inner dimensions?”

I roll my wrist.

“Kind of. Teleportation accident.”

The blob might be looking at the clipboard again. 

“Then go off and complain to the bureau. You might get on the list. You’re not now, so I can’t let you through.”

“I’ll be gone for less than an hour. Please. It’s something small.”

The blob audibly shakes its head. 

“You do not want to go to earth anyway. Goodbye.”

I cringe and hold out my hand. Without it holding down my shirt, the fabric tugs on my shoulders and blocks my vision. I’ll have to do this blindly. I whisper an incantation. I envision a world I've never been to. I make the deadly liquid with my fingers. I scream as it stings me--I might have lost my pinkie. I shoot the liquid in front of me.

It shouts. I take my hand and pull down the green fabric. The blob and its podium are sizzling. The acid is dissolving it. It bleeds yellow from what might be ears. It is shriveling. Black light nibbles at the podium, and it too yells in pain. The blob and its loyal podium melt into the universe. The nightmares of children make my eyes drip with blood. I blink and look at my hand. Yes, my pinkie is gone. 

[]

Travelling down a hallway--the one that connects all universes--on an old bike with a rusty chain while wearing a t-shirt with a floral pattern as my wrinkled skin flaps in the fake wind is underwhelming. I try to find a door to ignore the pain in my finger stub. It doesn’t work. I keep stopping and trying to make my finger comeback, or just stop the pain. Nothing. The closer I get to earth, the less my powers work. 

There’s a guard in a long cloak the colours of the sunset at each door. They don’t stop me. They know I won’t go to their world, somehow. I stare at each of them. I can’t make out any facial features other than big, white pairs of buck teeth. It’s the one thing all worlds have. 

My finger pain is so unbearable I fall off my bike. The acid is gone--at least I hope so--but it feels like it’s still eating me. The hallway has clear walls that show the background of outer space. A few galaxies here and there. I look out of place leaning against it, with my opaque skin. Therefore, I choose to sit against a door, because they are all purple.

The guard whose door I am resting on pulls back their hood. They have long hair in a weaving pattern. They have some sort of plastic on their head. Their buck teeth have metal caging it. This must be the style of their world. 

“Why are you leaning against my door?” They demand.

“I’m just resting.”

The guard raises their eyebrows.

“Why?”

I can’t tell them I killed the gatekeeper. They’ll have me shipped back to the palace before I can wince in pain due to my injury.

“This hallway is too long.”

The guard throws back their head and laughs. It’s a strange laugh because they open their mouth and snort. Acting like your world must be a hard job.

“Yes, it is. It takes me too long to get to my station every day.”

I sit up straighter. “Really? There isn’t an employee entrance?”

“I wish. Now, It takes me an hour to go to and from my door every day.”

I smile.

“Wow, and I thought I had it bad.”

They move their head horizontally back and forth.

“You have no idea.”

My shoulders relax. I’m forgetting about my pain.

“So, what world are you going to?” 

I sigh. “Earth, if I ever find it.”

There it is again. That bizarre laugh. It gives me the urge to grin, for some reason.

“What?”

The guard points to themself. 

“I’m the earth guardian! You’re leaning against the earth door!”

I’m having a crazy laugh, too.

“No way!”

That gives me strength. What pinkie pain? I stand up to slap my open palm against theirs. I’m not even sure why. It hurts briefly, but I don’t care.

After we laugh and chat for a bit, the guardian points to the door.

“Are you ready to go?”

I nod and jump up and down. I’m so excited I could faint.

“Well, then make sure to hand over the cost of travelling here.”

I nod vigorously. “What is it?”

“Just your powers.”

Some voice deep inside me is screaming at me. No one on earth has powers? You can’t give up your powers. You will die. You will die. Run away now! It’s kind of annoying.

“Sure. Whatever. I’m ready.”

The guardian opens the door, and I feel the fresh air. I smell the trees and gasoline. I can almost taste the bread. Closing my eyes, I fall into this beautiful world.

[This has been a PSA. Do not approach the earth door. The guardian will trick you. They will make you think you are their friend when you’re at a low point. They will make you think that you could enjoy earth. They will steal your powers. DO NOT APPROACH THE EARTH DOOR.]