Somewhere at the edge of town lies a secret place full of mystery. This place is protected by a thick purplish fog that spreads far and wide making it hard to see what lies beyond. It is dangerous to wander alone in the area, so no one dares to enter. Because of its mystery, rumors have spread about it being the most dangerous place on the planet. There have been reports of townsfolk missing when they try to venture into the fog, never to return home. They say that sometimes in the night you can hear the howling of a great monster in the distance, and that this monster is the one responsible for the disappearing people. Others say that entering the fog transports you to another world. That it is a portal to another planet in the universe. No one has actually gone to investigate whether these rumors were true or not, out of fear of the unknown. Who wants to risk never coming back home just to venture out into the wilderness? The people would rather stay in town where they know they are safe. When Lucy heard all these rumors her face lit up with curiosity and excitement. She went home to tell her sister about what she had just heard in town. Lucy loves to explore and would never pass up the opportunity to investigate a part of the world no one else has. Her greatest characteristic is that she doesn’t fear the unknown. People limit themselves by the imaginations they create in their mind.
“Hey Tora! You won’t believe what I heard when I was in town!” She says as she runs through the front door, stumbling while kicking her shoes off to put on her slippers.
Tora is lying on the couch reading the latest Galaxy Girl magazine unfazed by her sister's excitement, “What is it?”
“So today, while I was in town shopping, I overheard some of the townspeople talking, and apparently there is a place on this planet no one has ever explored before. Some people describe it as a mysterious place covered in a thick fog.” She sits down next to Tora on the couch clutching the bags from her recent purchase.
“That’s interesting,” Tora replies, without looking up she continues to read the magazine.
“Yeah! And… I also heard that to get there you can take the S train to the last station and walk the rest of the way till you reach where the edge of town meets the fog.”
“Okay.”
“I also heard that if you try to pass into the mysterious area, bad things happen, and you may never be able to turn back! But of course, those are just rumors you can't know for sure what you will find. Your typical conspiracies from the older people.”
“Don’t tell me… You’re planning to go. Alone? To an unknown place?! Do you know how crazy that sounds?” Tora stopped reading so she can get a good look at her sister.
“I know, I know, but I can't pass up this opportunity to explore the unknown,” she falls into the couch melting into the cushions and fluffy plushies.
“I won't allow it.” Tora firmly closed her magazine, “stay home where it is safe.”
Lucy's frowns at Tora's response, “I don’t think it's up to you to decide that.” Lucy pouts and crosses her arms, “I am going and you can't stop me!”
Tora was quiet for a moment thinking about what to say, “Well since you have already made up your mind, I will go with you, just to make sure you come back home safely.”
Lucy hugs her sister tightly, “I knew you would decide to come! Don’t worry, this trip will be fun!”
“Oh boy…” Tora isn’t too fond of the idea but as long as she can keep her sister safe.
So, Lucy and Tora spent the rest of the day getting ready for their trip making sure they packed all the essentials and some extra just in case of an emergency. The next morning Lucy had a secret surprise for Tora. She went to Toras house first thing in the morning to show her what she had been working on all night just for them. She takes out of a bag two full bodysuits one with white and neon pink and the other one dark blue with neon turquoise. “I call them our travelers' suits. They are cute and fashionable,” she says proudly.
Tora stares at them. A little surprised that her sister managed to put these together all in one night, “Yeah, I'm not wearing that.”
“Oh come on! I made them just for us, just try it. Please.” Lucy stares at her with her big kitty eyes. Pushing the garment closer and closer to Tora. Tora finally gives in, she doesn’t want to upset her sister. She took the suit Lucy made for her and put it on. “You look great!” she said.
“I’m throwing on a jacket over this.”
After breakfast they went to the train station to buy their tickets and took the first S train of the day to the last station. They were both wearing their explorer suits, and Tora had covered herself with a really big puffy jacket. They got a lot of looks from the people at the station, people whispering as they passed by.
“A new fashion trend?” a stranger said as they boarded the train.
“We are going exploring today,” said Lucy. “So, I made us these outfits,” she said smiling.
“How sweet,” said the stranger. Tora was already embarrassed as it was, and having strangers acknowledge them made her more embarrassed. She pulled her sister along into the train. They took their seats by the window and waited for the train to depart.
By noon they arrived at the last stop. Located at the edge of town, the area around the stop is very barren. Only a handful of people got off at the last stop. They were surprised to find out that near the train stop were a few houses with farms. They were not expecting to see people around in the area. They had imagined the place to be a cold and dark eerie place.
“So, I was told if we keep heading in the southern direction, we’ll be able to reach our destination,” Lucy stares at an unhelpful map that the train station person gave to her. The map cuts off short. “We shouldn’t be far.”
“Cool,” Tora said unenthusiastically.
It didn’t take them long to reach the place. The fog was so thick, that it covered the area like a curtain. It was difficult to see what was beyond the red warning sign that read, “WARNING do not enter.”
“This is it,” Lucy grabs Toras hand. “Okay let’s go!”
They enter into the fog, still unable to see anything yet. Lucy tightens her grip making sure she doesn't lose her sister. As they continue cautiously, they begin to notice the fog starting to dissipate. They are able to make out large shapes in the distance.
“Look Tora do you see that?!” She quickens her pace. They soon exit the fog and are greeted with what looks to be a fallen city. The atmosphere is dark, almost a dark purple and all the former buildings are in ruins. There is large debris scattered everywhere making it hard to step around. They carefully walk through the area looking for any signs of life.
Tora’s gut drops as they walk between the buildings. She freezes in place and squeezes Lucy’s hand, “I don’t think we are supposed to be here… this place looks long abandoned.”
“It will be okay,” Lucy reassures her. “Let's just look around a little more and then we'll turn back.”
“Okay,” says Tora. “Just for safe measure let's mark this location so we know which direction to go back.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Lucy gets out a fat inky marker and marks a large rock with a cat head. “All done!” Lucy puts her hands on her hips, satisfied with the cat drawing.
Tora yells, “AHH LUCY, what was that?!”
Lucy looks at her sister, “what do you not like my drawing?”
“Not that, THAT!” She points to a large piece of debris, “I saw something moving back there.”
“Are you sure about that?” Lucy questioned. Before she can say anything else a pair of long pointy ears pop out behind the debris. “Oh, don't be afraid! It looks to be a small animal. Maybe it's lost and scared.”
The small creature peeks at the girls and hides again. “Chloe… Chloe… Stranger… Stranger…” The creature continues to repeat the same words softly over and over.
Lucy glances at Tora, “Hey little buddy it's okay. Don’t be afraid. We are nice people.” The creature's repetitive words stop and slowly emerges from behind the debris. “See we are friendly,” she holds out her hand. A bunny-like creature with stitches running in all directions covered in all kinds of textured materials approaches them. As they get a closer look at the bunny, they notice its robotic features. The bunny-like creature stops then turns to run away. Before Lucy can chase after it someone grabs her extended arm and pulls her toward one of the abandoned buildings.
“Hey!” Tora yells and chases after them. “Let go of her!” She manages to grab her sister's other arm, but they are both yanked into the building.
“Unless you wanna die, I advise you to stay quiet,” said the mysterious person. Both Lucy and Tora glance at each other and nod. “I don't know who you are or where you came from but this location is off limits.”
“Why is that?” Lucy asks.
“Because it’s dangerous. It's said there are still active landmines around and the buildings are fragile. They can come crashing down any moment.”
“Then why are you here?” asked Tora.
“Because my little friend informed me of some strangers in the area. So, I had to see for myself.”
“Oh…”
“Anyways,” she continued, “It’s advised not to be here so let's go to a safer location. Follow me,” she gestures them to come along. They decide to follow the mysterious person further into the building. The building is pitch dark and it's almost impossible to see but Lucy is able to see clearly in the dark. Tora seems to be having a difficult time seeing where she is going so Lucy grabs her hand and guides her. “We are almost there,” says the girl. They soon reach an open lit up doorway. With a light up sign that reads ‘Office 004’ As they enter through the doorway they see a front desk to the left and a seating area to the right. Between them is another doorway full of tables filled with boxes, books, papers and things, tools and trinkets and towards the left side there is a desk with a computer with multiple monitors all lit up with different images. They notice more of those bunny-like creatures walking around in the room. Some are even on the table dismembered and others partly put together. “Make yourselves at home,” the mysterious girl points to some lounging chairs she has in her office.
“By the way what are those?” Asks Tora.
“They are called Frillz. They are my companions and my little helpers. They are all programmed to do different tasks for me. They are robotic creatures I bring to life using the debris I find lying around here.”
“So what was that Frillz doing in the rubble?” Lucy asks.
“He is there to scout out the area. He helps me find things in the rubble and reports back to me when he finds something. So that's how I found you.”
“That makes sense,” Lucy continues to observe the office space.
The girl sits down on a large cushioned office chair, “Thanks, I don't think I introduced myself. My name is Chloe…”
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed. I will see you again next month. Next month's post may be a surprise since I haven't decided yet what I want to write about. Spoiler Allert, will probably do with mushrooms.
Art by: Kowaibunny
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