You Don't Know

“Hello!”

The gecko, as cute as can be,

Smiled up at me.

I stood, rooted to the spot.

I stood, eyes wide, fear rampaging through them.

But I blinked, forcing myself to come back to reality.

“Hi!”

Its wide, dimple-causing smile was very big.

It blinked its enormous black eyes and cocked its head

Like a puppy.

I closed mine and took a few deep breaths.

It’s just a slimy creature you can flush down the toilet. I told myself to speak to it.

“Well, well.” It looked around itself, it perched on the edge of the sink. “What a kitchen! Can I get a drink? I’m so thirsty!” It smacked its lips, its eyes shining with desperation.

“Sure!” I grabbed the faucet’s handle, water gushing out a second later. “Say, what’s your name?”

“What’s in a name?” The gecko’s eyes filled with tears. It shook its neon orange head. “Don’t have any name. Was cast out of my family when I was born. Rejected!”

“Aw!” Never had I thought I would be talking to a freaking gecko—let alone a slimy creature such as he.

But here I was,

Befriending such a creature.

The gecko turned to me, gulping what I assumed was the last drop of water from the faucet’s waterfall.

“So sorry!” I said, raising my eyebrows. “You done?” I shut it off.

It nodded when I had asked, and it turned away. “No one wants me.”

I didn’t say I do! But I did imply I didn’t mind such a friendship by scooping up the little guy and smiling a little. Just then, someone burst into the house. I was in the kitchen, so I didn’t see who, but someone’s voice.

The voice that of another college student.

My girlfriend!

I managed to put the little guy down in the sink, and whizzed around. I stumbled, the brunette with hoop earrings and frizzy hair all looking like they had gone through the dump the way their caked-on mud hung like those earrings.

“How was the mud run?”

“Great!” She dashed up, grabbing me into a huge hug, the mud also welcoming me by squelching. When she finally let go, I grimaced.

“Well,” I breathed, “good. I…”

But she was looking at the gecko, and I quickly explained it wasn’t here to stay. To my utmost despair, I saw tears form in his eyes. "Well, you are a gecko! I’m a human." I crossed my arms, no longer bowing to such a creature’s whims.

“Oh.”

She dashed out, mud squelching and squishing as she went from my once-pristine kitchen floor to the outdoors. I lived in an apartment, and the lady next door sometimes rapped on my door to get the stupid mud off her rug. Tugsy the mutt didn’t like mud. It made him think of poop.

I sighed, and turned to the gecko. “Look, little guy. I’m not going to flush you down the toilet. Or anything. I’m just going to put you outside, okay?”

The gecko didn’t respond. He just blinked his enormous eyes and nodded silently. I was getting annoyed, putting him downstairs, my muscles tightening in hatred from the fact that I was stepping in my girlfriend’s mud!

But before I could grab my phone, she appeared, spazzing about the gecko. “Ew!” She shrieked, dancing around it. “Ew! I—”

“Be quiet, Penelope! I don’t see what the problem is if you’re going to trail mud all over my apartment house and floor and steps. I’m going to have to clean everything up—thanks to you!”

But she jammed a finger right at the gecko, and I jerked away, rolling my eyes. “We’re done.” I muttered under my breath, and the gecko and I went to clean up. When I had left the girlfriend, the first thing I stepped on was a piece of vine. I looked down, and gasped. Then I couldn’t stop as I gazed, jaw-dropped, at all these wild vines roped around old, old trees, beautiful castles, gorgeous rivers with neon orange and sunshine-yellow Koi, crystal-colored unicorns, obedient guards and an intimidating drawbridge. I even stepped back, my legs like jelly.

“Uh…”

My mouth went dry.

“Don’t worry. This is my home.”

“How’d…how’d I get here?”

“You’re lost, too. Anyone’s who been—”

“I don’t want to be here! I live in reality, not some fantasy place.”

“If for some reason you find yourself not belonging, I would suggest—”

I threw him down somewhere, heading back home. Except home wasn’t easy to get back to. I stopped after what seemed like hours. “I’m single again. But that doesn’t mean—”

“You need to save this world from the evil witch who lives here!”

I sniggered. “You’re kidding, right? I’m not bowing to a gecko anymore.”

“You have to save this world from such a wicked woman.”

I pursed my lips, turned slowly around and stared at the creature. “I don’t know how you suddenly appeared, but I’m not doing anything.”

“If you want—”

“My life to be sensible.” I felt the words slipping out without my permission. Like I was just letting them. No! Not anymore. I wasn’t going to let anyone control me anymore.

“Please! Save us.”

I drew a large breath, hoping the fear would melt away. The fear of facing little things I just didn’t want to exist. Like the gecko. Now my hands clenched into fists. “What do I have to do with it?” I cried, wanting a way out of here! But the farther I traveled the more lost I became.

It was like I was traveling through the Amazon. The more I wondered, the more I wandered. Until I was stuck.

“I just…”

“Just what?”

The gecko was tiny, but somehow, I let my guard down. Annoying as it would be, it wasn’t. It was just…

“Look, my parents abandoned me for something else. I don’t get it. I want a companion. I want success. I’m always alone, wishing someone would come to rescue me from my boring weekends and lousy job. But…”

“If you save us, we’ll save you.”

I stared at the gecko, and laughed.

“What’s wrong?” The gecko cocked its head innocently. I didn’t want to admit it, but it wasn’t trying to be annoying or was annoying. It felt bad for me.

Then I felt the urge to run. I grabbed the gecko and dashed, feeling metallic fear coat my throat. Icy laughter filled my head, the splashing of water under me thankfully distracting me. But not for long.

The laughter was light but cunning.

I looked back, seeing nothing but foliage and rocks decorating streams and creeks being overladen a little by ferns and deer lapping its precious-looking water. I grew angry—this whoever was chasing me made me hope it would never hurt these forest creatures or forest. Such a pristine, precious place was too innocent and pure to destroy.

“In there!”

The gecko pointed, and I saw its cute little index finger point to a grey tavern-like hut. After slamming the wooden door, I shivered and leaned against it. My stomach had knotted up. Cold sweat cloaked me, like I had awoken from a nightmare. “I’m…” I confessed. “I’m scared.”

“Yeah.” The gecko turned right around. “Well,” it chuckled, “I don’t know if you should be. But she’s out to own this world for her own selfish purposes. Because she’s fearful that if she does not own at least something, she’ll be stripped of what she desires most: love. She has no love. She is not love. She’s a steady stream of evil.” The gecko chuckled, its smile growing even cuter. “I mean, she’s not a literal stream, of course!”

“What…” I slid down, sitting cross-crossed on the hard planked floor. “is going on? Why am I running from some witch? What’s happening?”

The gecko blinked at me.

I ran a hand through my chocolate-colored hair and smiled tightly. I heard the cackling again, and then ran outside, the gecko telling me to keep running—straight over the drawbridge. “No!” I hurried backwards, but the gecko bit me. I yelped, and the gecko landed neatly on a rock. “You—you…” Blood stared at me.

“Go!” the gecko sounded desperate, like it needed me to go before the witch came upon us.

“What’s—”

“Just go!”

I backed away, shaking my head violently. “No! I can’t.” I dashed, the gecko calling out to me. “No!” Soon, I saw someone cloaked in spider webs, black as soot were the clothes. It looked like she had wrapped herself in a firm but comfortable dress of silky spider webs, and then poured glitter on it. It was so pretty. She was gorgeous, piercing green eyes and skinny frame. I felt attracted to her. She looked about my age.

She smiled innocently.

“Hey!”

I immediately bit my tongue—hard. Why’d I do that? Gritting my teeth, I went forward. “Sorry about that.” Something told me to turn around and heed the image gecko’s words about how it needed my help, but I sluffed it off. 

“You’re so much prettier than my girlfriend. She was so annoying.”

The words came tumbling out of my mouth faster and lazier than I would’ve like to admit, but I didn’t care. We were having a picnic by one of the streams. Her laugh was so pretty. Her hair was beautiful the way it flowed in the cool breeze. I looked around myself—it was like a summer’s day, without a care in the world to hold me back. I resented that little gecko creature.

As she told funny jokes, I wanted to bring her back into reality. When I asked whether we could go back to reality, she nodded. I found myself at a romantic restaurant with roses in vases in the middle of round tables covered with confectionary-sugar white tablecloths. I had a funny feeling that we had suddenly appeared at a restaurant, but she and I were together. It was romantic. We sat, me studying her, pulling away only to read the menu, answer the waiter’s questions, order and then take a long drink of water. I hadn’t noticed I was so thirsty.               

“So!” She put her napkin on her lap (she was still wearing the same attire but it looked realistic instead of fantastic). “I was wondering whether your little friend, Gecko, or whatever his name is, would come around to seeing you again.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. He’s somewhere. I’m here.” I slid a hand out to her, and she took it. “With you. You know, I never really knew how much I needed a friend. I just don’t really feel the necessity to go back to my girlfriend. We broke up. Well, I broke up, but she’s so…sorry. I’m rambling.”

“Hold on.”

“Oh, please!”

She left. The gecko’s words about a witch screamed in my mind, loud and clear like that cackling. I knew I should be helping the gecko cross the bridge or whatever, but I basked in her polite words at how handsome I was. When our food came, I looked down. It was steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus and steamed broccoli. All foods I adored, but my stomach got a little queasy. I excused myself. I heard a loud voice in my head—cute and handsome like that of the gecko. No, it was the gecko, right before me on the floor of the men’s room! 

“What are you doing here?” I hissed.

“What do you think?” Then it disappeared.

“Sorry about that.”

When I returned, she had been eating already. “Um…do you want some wine? This is a romantic restaurant after all.”

She nodded, dimples showing.

I felt a little boisterous as I called a waiter over to order some wine. When he agreed he’d be back with it pronto, I settled down. But it was like rocks underneath. When she asked me how old I was and who my family was, I said, “Yes, I’m a junior at my college. It’s the summer now, but when I go back, I’ll be studying Astrophysics again.” I chuckled. “Well, in school. When I have my classes again.”

“So you’re graduating?”

“Next year. In the spring.”

Despite the fact that she looked like a college girl, she didn’t act like one. I shifted, a little annoyed. It wasn’t her posture. She asked me all these things, like she wanted to be friends or something. I wanted more. I wanted a true, genuine friendship.   

“Um,” I said after I took a sip of our wine. “Are you in college? I mean, you look it.” Suddenly, my face flushed. “Uh…I mean, I…are you…?” But she waved it all off.

“Please. I don’t go to college. I live in the same world we had our picnic in. There’s no college there.”

Of course.

I wanted to live in the world I had previously hated and feared. However, when I saw that she was always sipping wine and going to the bathroom, I clamped my mouth shut. She asked questions here and there, but the fun of all this romantic was wearing off. Before I knew it, she was sliding her fork and knife onto the plate very neatly, at an angle—she was done. I looked at the half-eaten steak, barely touched asparagus and barely touched broccoli. I wanted to dive off a cliff. I hadn’t been eating. 

“Sorry.” After wolfing down my dinner (without much thought to how rude I was), I dove in. “I know you’re not from this world, but—”

“No, I’m not.” She seemed annoyed that I was asking questions that hadn’t anything to do with her world. Her life. Her loves. Herself.

“Sorry!” My crimson cheeks burned brighter.

“No. I don’t think you are.”

Her eyes were hard, like intimidating. I gulped, almost choking. I strangled my napkin. I wiped my sweaty hands on my nice black pants. I didn’t dare make eye contact. “I don’t think you are.” She repeated, her voice icy. Then she laughed, and I shivered, getting that cold sweat again. “Whatever, Mikey. Or is it Mitch? Does it even matter?”

I bolted. Calling for the gecko, I ran and ran but didn’t get anywhere. I gave up. She was sitting on a gorgeous grey-stone throne, her glittering spider’s web dress touching the floor. She was not my girlfriend anymore. She was the freaking queen of death.

“Don’t laugh.” I tested. “You’ll only make this palace full of ice and slip and fall if you chase me!”

She laughed, high-pitched. But I turned tail, so sorry to the gecko. I hoped to make it out of the castle. Out of this place of evil, with its copper pillars and moss growing everywhere and guards leering down at me. Even rats scurried out of the place, their blood-shot eyes desperate for a piece of cheese to nibble on.

“Sorry!” I wanted to take them away from here. Even the rats seemed hungry to escape such a liar. They were trapped in a lair.

No. I dropped the apologies and dashed back. Collecting all the rats as much as I could (them grateful and smiling joyfully to be so free), I asked whether there could be more. One pointed with an index finger like the gecko had so cutely, and I teared up. I missed it. It was a gecko, but he was my friend. I grabbed the basket and let all the rats, young and old, fat and skinny, climb aboard. When I looked back, the woman’s face was twisted with anger—her eyes had gone red, like blood-shot red, like the blood vessels decided to fiercely attack the eyes. Yeah, she was not my girl anymore.

She was forever my enemy.

“Come on!” I told the rats, and tried to locate the gecko. But when I had reached the drawbridge, I shook my head. “No! He must’ve—”

“I’m right here.”

I whizzed around. “You’re…” I put the basket down gently. I threw out my cupped hands, and he climbed aboard.

“Let’s go!” He said, ignoring my teary eyes. 

I blinked, seeing I was aboard a pirate’s ship. I was adorned in pirate’s garb. My crew gathered around me. “Aye, captain!” They saluted me like I was above them. For a while, I gave orders to maintain the ship. Then I grew restless. I wanted reality, to return to my previous home. I wanted college, a best friend, a love interest and other things. I didn’t want to just go from one world to the next.

When it grew dark, I went home. The next morning, I woke up. Years later, I published book one of this story. 

“Hey.”

I jerked up, and sighed in relief. It wasn’t that witch. It was…the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.

“Can I buy your novel?”

She gave me cash, and I gave her my novel.

All those rats I had saved gathered around the witch’s throne, whom she ordered to bring her all the forest animals so she could enslave them.

“What about the boy?” one of them squeaked.

“He doesn’t belong anywhere but scrubbing these floors!”

As the rats left to do her bidding, the witch lay on her throne lazily. If he can’t marry me, I’ll make him wish he were never born!

The gecko and I were watching her through a large stain-glass window high up in a tree.

“Ready?” I grinned down at the gecko.   

The gecko jerked a nod. “Let’s go!”

I knew the witch wanted love, but I knew she had to go. Her mind-control was too controlling. I had to end it. It was driving Melanie and me apart. I always saw her with a knife in her hand, whether she was a cook, pirate, chef or baker.

But she wanted Melanie and me to slave until death.

I wouldn’t let her end anyone.

I wouldn’t.