[SHORT STORY] Gallimaufry
Your vision sags & wanders through a liquid state as it disconnects; shimmering. A wave of a muddled rubbery feeling washing over you as your hand steadies itself against a sickly yellow wall. Nostalgia fills your mind. You gain a sense of instability, you feel yourself falling like a ghost, passing through matter; fading from the once statuesque wall.
You plummet; slow-motion free falling into an endless morning glory blue. Even though this color brings you familiarity, your heart races gripping onto any concept that might ease your anxiety. How you got here and where this leads becomes quickly irrelevant as you notice the floating structures pass by you. You reach out to one. Your hand claws into it like styrofoam, ceasing your fall.
Floating in a gracious manner as if in orbit, suspended, you pull yourself in, cuddling into one of the arches. In this moment of rest, you take in the surroundings. These marbled cubist homes sport arches and a monochrome contrast. They shelter you from the glitched state of this plane. Shapes blend & cut through the surface, appearing to bubble and simmer. From black to white to blue, you sigh… taking this time to ease up & breathe. No sound other than the vacant air and your own body. You're safe, comfortable. You inhale its freshness. Clear as water. Closing your house eyes, you get used to this silent serenity.
A loud ping echoes. It cascades past the houses to your ears; calling you.
A scarlet portal appears to be emanating the bell. Grabbing both sides of the arch, you stretch your arms, preparing to soar into the gateway. Endorphins surge through you, bringing you a clean, clear, blissful high.
You'd rather not leave, but you know that you should. You bound through with grace & speed as the world shifts from a gentle blue to a vibrant red. Lumbering before you, a house like the others. However this one is a scarlet color.
The surface is painted with a moving sky, yellow fluid juts out. Wobbling and sloshing. Violet orbs burst and bubble from the red box. Claw marks edge the side. Its surface carries a contrast. One side has a pitch black gate with blue sky surrounding it, the other is vice versa. A choice must be made. What would you choose?
this story was inspired by Dan Friedman's piece “Gallimaufry”
