Imagine

The TV hummed along with Mama in the evening air while Koa painted the village outside.

“The King leaves remarks about witch rumours, saying ‘they could be lurking anywhere you turn.’ The King says these witches are talking about possibilities of escaping the village, and denies any further thoughts about it.”

“Well then,” said Mama, “we’ll get a cat!”

Koa looked up from her painting. “Why?”

“Because cats protect from witches,” said Mama, “Black cats are the most powerful.”

Koa blinked a few times and asked, “Why do we need protection?”

“Because it’s a small world,” said Mama. “A small world.”

It was, Koa thought. Because she was trapped inside a bubble, and there was no way out.

.~.~.~.

“Koa, wake up! The cat has arrived!”

Koa blinked and yawned as the moonlight shone through her window. Moonlight lived side by side with the people, because they lived in eternal night. Koa once heard of something called the sun, but she didn’t know if she believed that myth or not.

Koa trudged out of her room to the center room of the house.

“RRARW!”

A black cat jumped on Mama’s chest, with its jaw open and claws out.

“GAGH GET OF-”

As soon as the cat saw Koa in the room, it jumped off Mama and started licking Koa’s ankle. They looked at each other as the cat purred.

“What’s its name?” Koa asked.

“She’s a girl,” said Mama, “And you get to pick the name, since she’s your cat.”

Koa’s jaw dropped. “She’s mine?”

Mama nodded and Koa smiled while looking down at the cat. 

“I’ll name her Pine.”

Mama nodded and said, “You have to keep her beside you, always. You heard the TV reporter: witches could be hiding around any corner.”

Koa shrugged and said, “Okay, Mama,” and beckoned Pine outside.

It was a full moon, light spilling out from the white sphere and pouring over the village. The midnight sky was draped over the sky, with little stars twinkling in the distance.

Well, not the real sky.

Koa knew the bubble, and the King, had tricks, like the fact that something more than night existed. The King tried to convince the town that there was nothing else than the village, but Koa knew his whole scheme. She was the only one who read history books about Before. She got teased for it, but now she was glad she continued reading those books.

As it was early, the cobblestone streets were empty except for Koa and Pine.

“Come on Pine!” Koa beckoned.

Pine froze in place, her bright green eyes suddenly misted over and fixed on something behind Koa.

Koa slowly turned around and saw...nothing.

Well, there was a raspberry bush covering the end of a cobblestone path, but Pine kept goggling at it.

“You okay Pine?”

The black cat shook its body, like a dog after taking a bath, and its eyes were normal again.

Koa raised her eyebrow, but Pine beckoned her forward this time, so Koa followed Pine away.

More people started to get up while Koa and Pine walked around the village. Koa also noticed many other kids had cats: mainly black, but there were a few white ones too. Some people even had dogs, but those were more demanding to take care of, so there were only a few. 

“Hey Koa!”

Koa swirled around and spotted her friend, Ari.

“Hi Ari! You got a white cat!”

“Yep,” said Ari. “His name’s Halo.”

“Nice! Mine’s named Pine.”

“Coo-”

“HELLO!” said Forrest, another one of Koa’s friends, barging into the conversation.

“Hi!” Ari and Koa said in unison.

“I got a dog! What’re your cats’ names?”

“Wow! What did you name it?” asked Ari. “Mine’s Halo and Koa’s is Pine.”

Forrest laughed. “Forrest and Pine! That’s funny. My dog’s name is Cheddar. Cheddar, come here!”

A golden retriever puppy bounded through the crowd and nuzzled Forrest’s knee.

“Good girl,” she said while ruffling Cheddar’s fur.

“Do you guys believe the witch thing?” Ari asked.

“I don’t know,” said Koa, “But since they prompted us to get pets, I don’t mind.”

They laughed, the moonlight cascading down their face and illuminating their happiness.

.~.~.~.

After a few hours of talking with Forrest and Ari, Koa sat in her room and continued on her painting. She was practicing the impressionism style, and the free brushstrokes were definitely something to get used to.

As she painted, she thought back to the walk with her friend earlier. All of the pets had frozen at that raspberry bush, and Cheddar had even barked at it a few times.

Shhhhh, the window creaked out. Koa turned around to glance at it, and there was a dark figure with poofy hair blowing in the wind. Koa blinked and they were gone.

Turning around to face her painting again, there was a pink sticky note stuck to her painting, which said:

‘Outside the bubble at the bush, I’ll be waiting.’

.~.~.~.

For the next week, the notes kept coming.

‘You can escape.’

‘You and Pine.’

‘Imagine a different world…’

Koa arranged them in chronological order and them seemed to form a message:

‘Outside the bubble at the bush, I’ll be waiting.

At 1:37 AM, so they don’t see us.

They tried to fool you, but you were too smart.

Too clever.

You can escape.

You and Pine.

Imagine a different world…’

Koa smiled and looked at her clock.

6:38 PM.

6 hours and 59 minutes.

58.

.~.~.~.

At 1:27 AM, Koa set off.

Waking up Pine wasn’t as hard as she thought, because it was like Pine knew her plan already.

Well, she could’ve, because she’d run through it too many times to count.

Koa had eaten dinner, painted, read, painted, pretended to go to sleep and woken up at 1 AM. She then packed all her essentials in a backpack: water, chips, a rain jacket, a hat, sunscreen and cat kibble. 

Changing into comfy clothes, Koa was ready. She felt like one of those characters in a movie, off to discover something amazing and eccentric.

Almost.

Pine automatically followed Koa out their little cabin door, out into the moonlight. Koa thought the light seemed a bit softer that night; a bit more forgiving, perhaps. 

Once they found the little raspberry bush, there was one last note:

‘Prick the raspberry that is a bit lighter than the other. Eat it, stick your hand through the bush and say goodbye.

             ~ L.N.’

Koa realized that was the eighth note, matching the eight phases of the moon. Hmm.

Once she started looking for the raspberry, Koa noticed that she might not be able to come back. Looking at Pine, she blinked. She’d figure out how to get back somehow.

Finding the berry was fairly easy: it was salmon coloured, and had a bit more reddish tinge to it. Slipping it into her mouth, Koa squeezed her eyes shut. It was salty! It tasted odd, like salted mango and zucchini, with hints of meat in it too. Very peculiar.

Koa then stuck her hand into the bush, bracing for thorny impact, but she hit nothing. She waggled her fingers around and. . . still nothing.

Koa slightly squinted her eyes open, but was taken aghast by the things she saw. Bright coloured lights, flashing before her eyes. Then little rainbow ovals swimming amongst bigger, grey ovals. The grey ones had fins on the top and back, and then blinding orange light filled Koa’s sight.

An orange, yellow and white ball.

The sun…?

Many other things flashed through her mind, most of them a form of light other than the moon. Koa was thrilled to see so many things that hadn’t existed in her world. The thing which she thought was the sun reappeared frequently, maybe reminding her of all the things she was ought to know.

Suddenly, her head went dark and she slumped to the ground. Pine purred and nudged Koa, trying to wake her up.

.~.~.~.

“Koa.”

She blinked her eyes open as Pine licked her face.

“Can you see me?”

Koa cautiously looked up at a girl, who had chocolate skin and bright blue fluffy hair, with black roots. She had indigo eyes and large hoop earrings. A black cloak concealed the rest of her figure.

“I’m L. How are you?”

Koa rubbed her eyes open. “The raspberry tasted interesting, and the flashing lights hurt my eyes a bit.”

“Yeah,” said L. “Sorry ‘bout that. That was just preparing you for something. Would you like to see your world again, but from the outside?”

Koa looked confused. “Yes, but how?”

“Follow me.”

The room looked like a laboratory of sorts. L led Koa to the center table and pointed to a snow-globe the size of a watermelon.

“That’s where you came from.”

Koa squatted down and peered into the snow-globe. She saw Mama cooking, Ari and Forrest discussing where she might be. She also saw the raspberry bush rustling in the wind.

“Wha...how?”

“I found out how to create worlds! It’s quite fun, actually. Yours is my first: took about 3 years to where it is now. And before you ask, yes, you will get to see your family and friends again, rather soon.” L smiled. “Would you like to check out the sunset outside?”

Koa gasped and ran out the door to a cliff-side yellow-orange-pink coloured sunset. The semi-circle of the sun sat cozy at the bottom of the horizon, and Koa gasped one more time.

“Is that the sun?”

“Yes!” exclaimed L. “Welcome to Earth!”