I really didn't want to deal with another night of insomnia so I had a glass of wine during a pub quiz, and then another couple of glasses at the lovely Jonny's house while watching Black Books and Blackadder! I danced home listening to the Turtles and then found coconut rum on the counter. I had a smoothie in the fridge, so I mixed it with what was left of the bottle, and made a delicious tropical beverage. I felt like I was on a cruise in the caribbean, it was great! But this morning when I woke up I did not feel great. I still do not feel great actually, and I really need to write this essay. But instead I have a treat for you! I just came across some creative writing that I did last year. It's a strange story, but I would like to share it with you. It coincidentally works with the theme of this blog! I've never liked titles for things because I think they spoil the surprise, so this story does not have a name. Well...here it is:
All I know is that the days were beginning to last a little longer, or at least it seemed that way. Unfortunately it is hard to tell when the only brief glimpses of light that you see are cast through a veil of grey. One day fades into the next and the exact time is unclear. I was spending a lot of time inside with no real obligations or any schedule in place. Humperdinck was growing restless cooped up inside with me, and I did feel occasional pangs of guilt, but I suppressed them by sleeping or taking long scented baths to avoid his wistful wide-eyed gaze. I mostly stayed in the two upstairs rooms even though the rest of the house was empty. It’s hard to occupy such a large space when you’re all alone, or mostly all alone except for Humperdinck of course, and the servants. But I only saw them once or twice a day when they brought me my usual tray of assorted marmalades and toast to accompany my many pots of tea. I thought that the tea would give me motivation, but all it did was make me jittery and stain my teeth. Humperdinck didn’t like tea.
I don’t know when it was because that whole period of time felt like one endless day, but during one of my long scented baths I fell into the grey or rather, the gold. I wish I could explain it in more eloquent terms, but it’s difficult to say exactly what happened. I was soaking in some exotic blend of rose water, saffron and milk, and all around me were tiny rosebuds and little purple flecks of lavender. I remember lying there with my ears below the rim of the water so that I could listen to the tub make the sound of a giant seashell. I was watching the flowers floating and began to feel that I was one of them. I was no longer the one reclining in the tub, I was weightless and purple. Then Humperdinck came in. I watched him walk across the bathroom but I didn’t move. I couldn’t move because I wasn’t me anymore, I was suspended on the surface of the water listening to the seashell hum.
What happened next is still a mystery to me, but I’ll do my best to explain it. I was plunged into the depths of the milky water, inhaling the spicy sweet silk. At first I felt it suffocating me and I panicked. This was the end I thought. But suddenly the water calmed and I sank straight down through the motionless warmth until I landed on a stretch of white porcelain that extended as far as my eyes could see. I was no longer in water, but in open humid air. The sky was a pearly rose gold and there in front of me, sitting on a jeweled throne was Humperdinck. His paws were crossed, his expression dour.
“What is this place?” I asked. He continued to stare at me, motionless, as he flicked his tail. I waited a while for him to say something, but patience has never been one of my strengths so I broke the silence. “Why did you jump into my bath?” Humperdinck sighed. He slowly uncrossed his heavy marble paws.
“You’ve been here before, and you’ll be here again” he purred, his tongue making the sound of a boulder rolling through a cave. I could feel the agitation in his voice. “You have a job to do.” He stood and took a few steps forward, and the throne disappeared behind him. He waved one massive paw in front of him like I’d seen him do to his prey in the garden and there appeared a large wooden door with the words ‘Nubes Regis Vides’ written in diamond dust across the top. He motioned for me to open it. I hesitated for a moment, but I didn’t see many other options, so I pushed it. The door swung open and pulled me inside I was swept off my feet and landed in a field of purple grass that smelled of lavender. I got to my feet and looked up. Above me were thousands of diamond-encrusted rosebuds packed together to form dense clouds. I stood for a moment in awe of the things, but quickly remembered what Humperdinck had said. I looked around for him and suddenly he appeared leaning against what looked like a large foot.
“What is my job?” I asked. He pointed to the clouds.
“You need to retrieve one and bring it to me. I am the king, and they are my clouds, but I cannot reach them.”
“How is it that you are so much taller than I am and can’t reach the clouds?” I asked. He did not respond. But suddenly a long rope ladder made from gold braid dropped from the sky, and I caught hold of it.
I began to climb.
It seemed as though I was going to climb that thing forever, and no matter how high I climbed, the clouds never got any closer. I looked down to see how far away Humperdinck was now, and the ladder began to move up towards the clouds. I strengthened my grip and let it pull me up so fast I could feel my eyelids peel back.
Everything went white and the ladder felt like it had stopped. I opened my eyes and I was naked in the empty tub, the marble cat nowhere to be found.
“Humperdinck?” I cried. But my voice sounded choked and stilted the way your voice sounds when you wake up screaming from a dream that you were so convinced was real. I closed my eyes and shook my head to clear the golden mist from my brain. After a moment I realized that my fist was clenched. It felt like something solid and heavy was waiting inside of it. I uncurled my fingers and opened my hand. There on my open palm was a tiny diamond encrusted rosebud.
When I got this story back from my professor he had written on it, 'direct but shrouded in mystery.' What does that even mean? That might be my favorite thing that any professor has written on a piece of my writing! I hope you enjoyed that, and please click some of the links above, I picked them out specially! Ooo really do click on the one that says 'I have a treat for you.' It's the best (or worst depending on your personality) thing you will ever see!
Godspeed friends! Until next time!
