"My eyes refused to watch her leave, so tears came up to blur my vision."
She sat down, the bed was dusty, but she didn't bother, but the dust did.
''That version of you was more fitting to be honest, hahaha!''
I looked at her then I walked back and forth.
I tried to gather my thoughts.
''Ughh..'' I hit my forehead with the palm of my hand, ''why can't I think ahead, it feels I'm only able to plan 5 minutes into the future.''
She giggled, she played with her hanging legs, looking to the floor.
''Do you need to?'' She asked.
That's the most serious I've seen her.
I knew her every secret her face hid, but I can't remember who she is.
I shook my head.
''I'll ask you something, but please don't freak out, and try to maintain your lucidity.'' I assured her.
She lifted her head towards me.
''A question?..'' She looked curious, ''why would I freak out?''
I gathered my thoughts.
''Okay so, do you remember what happened yesterday?''
She froze!
''Yesterday?..'' her eyes went cold, ''There has never been a yesterday.''
Her hair fell on her eyes, tears rolled down her cheek, as I was going to touch her and check what's wrong, she stood up, and blocked my hand, can't get a read on her eyes, she moved towards the door and left.
''Hey wait up!!'' I yelled gently.
I followed her.
A bright light was coming out of the door we entered from, but I didn't hesitate much, I went after her.
To my surprise, something changed, instead of the ruined landscape, I found myself standing in the middle of a grass field, the wind became friendly, instead of that smoky smell, it smelled like earth and flowers!
The sun glowed gently, anger in peace.
The sky was blue, sadness in Beauty.
The grass was green, life in bliss.
Hills upon hills, they kissed the horizon, I could see some horses racing.
The clouds were hand drawn, betraying the blend.
But I still didn't have a shadow.
I spotted her in the distance, I ran to her immediately.
''Hey are you oka-''
She turned to me, her skin was clear, smiling, as if she never felt pain before.
''Oh there you are leg man!..'' She said with a wide smile, ''Look! Hehe.''
She was holding a little person, his nose was big, his feet were bare and long.
''Hey there fella, I'm Gregory!, Gregory the gnome.'' Gregory said.
I froze a little, then I looked at her in confusion.
''Don't look at me! He said hi.'' She told me.
I shaked myself off.
''Oh hi Gregory!''
Gregory laughed.
''You fellas are huge!!! Not from around here, are ya?''
I looked around me again, the grass was green, almost too green.
She turned Gregory to her.
''Not from around here? Where are we?'' She answered Gregory.
Gregory looked at her in wonder.
''Where are we? Now that's a question, hahaha!''
She narrowed her eyes, and gave Gregory a slight shake.
''Why are you laughing? Tiny man.''
I looked at them chatting, in an attempt to process what's going on.
''My girl, you're talking as if there is a somewhere else.'' Gregory told her.
She widened her eyes, full of ambiguity.
''But we just came from another pl-'' I was about to say before Gregory interrupted me.
''But hey now fellas, the night is approaching, and you are clearly lost, would you like to spend the night at our village?''
She looked at me, we could understand each other's eye language as if she have alway known me.
But she doesn't.
We nodded.
''Well, tiny man! We got nothing better to do, so.''
''Splendid!..'' Gregory points to the west, ''we shall head this way then.''
She starts moving, and hands Gregory to me.
''You hold him..'' She wipes her hands, ''he's sweaty.''
Gregory is on my hands, the first thought that crossed my mind, is that if I squish him, would that count as murder? He's clearly not human after all, or what is being human is anyway.
''My boy? Umm.. my boy?'' Gregory waved at me, I snapped out of it.
''Oh yeah sorry!''
We started moving towards the west.
We feel really tiny, compared to the endless rolling hills, I can't imagine a village existing in this empty lonely yet full lively world.
It's beautiful if you don't focus a lot on the environment, because you'll notice the unsettling details of this world, like how the sun does not move smoothly, but it teleports, like in a glitchy video game, and the grass is too green, and the horses in the horizon don't have faces, and how there are no trees except for that one apple tree in the distance,
Gregory cracked the silence.
''So, are ya fellas descendants of Davishts?''
We looked puzzled.
''Davishts?'' We both said at the same time.
''Oh, you're clearly not, davishts are creatures that lived among us for thousands of years, but 50 years ago they vanished under mysterious circumstances.'' Gregory explained.
I couldn't care less, but she was interested.
''And me and that boy look like them?'' She asked Gregory.
''Close, they were almost as tall as you!''
We entered a clump of strawberry bushes, and arrived to the village.
''Here it is, my people's heritage, Gnomium!''
The buildings got to my knees, passing gnomes look up to us in wonder, but have to time to stop.
''Would you guys please deposit me at my house.''
Gregory requested.
''Huh? sure.'' I responded.
''This way!'' He says.
I took one step, then he stopped me.
''Well my boy! Drop me here.''
His house is like any other in the village.
Strawberries hanged like lanterns, I'm sure those look huge in the inhabitants perspective.
He knocks the door, and another gnome stands to greet him, and another smaller one steps out.
''Well my boys, this is my wife Beth, and my son nemi.''
Beth had a red dress, and had long feet and nose, just like Gregory, but she had long blonde hair, she blushed and waved to us, but not a single word, and nemi is just a smaller version of his father, he hid behind his mother, clinging to his dress.
Gregory kneeled and patted nemi in the head.
''It's okay son! These fellas are our friends.''
Nemi looked at us, you could feel his tension ease, but no words.
Gregory spotted her looking at the small buildings.
''Don't worry, I know what you're thinking, how are you gonna get into my house...'' Gregory said, ''don't worry follow me.''
We followed him to the out skirts of the village, instead of trees there were mushrooms, we were really careful not to squish any of the inhabitants, we get to our destination, we find a bigger building that we can somewhat enter.
''Woah! What is this?'' She said, wonder conquered her eyes.
''This my dear, is a davisht outpost, our village was guarded by one...'' Gregory proceeds to push the door open, ''you guys can spend the night here, it's a bit dusty, but it's only for one night.''
The place was dark, dusty, and stacks of hay were everywhere.
You could see an old Warhammer, and old tunics.
''Oh right! Thanks Gregory we really appreciate your efforts.'' She thanked him for the second time.
Gregory smiles.
''Well I must leave now, and help Beth make dinner, we'll come here so we could eat together.'' Gregory told us then left.
We are tall so we still could see the hills race with the now orange sky, and we noticed that the hanging strawberries glow in the dark.
She came up to me.
''So?''
I looked at her, squinting my eyes.
''Are you okay? I mean you cried.''
She looked at me and giggled.
''I always cry, I'm even crying right now, but the real question is, do we know what we're doing?..'' she sat down beside me, ''I mean after this night, what are we going to do?''
I gazed into the sunset.
''I lost every meaning of purpose.''
''Purpose? There is no purpose, at least objectively.''
She replied
''But we are living, we cannot fathom the pure concept of objectivity.''
I thought in my head, she said she was crying right now, but there were no tears.
As she was about to answer, Gregory and came back along with his family, they laid a picnic towel, and showcased all kinds of food they consume, strawberry, strawberry cake, strawberry juice, strawberry jam, strawberry pie, strawberry wine...
They tried to make the foods as big as they could.
She gazed at my eyes, and smiled.
''I guess we are going to get diabetes today.'' She giggled.
She held my hand and dragged me to them.
We sat and ate, we were starving.
She wasn't joking when she said we were going to get diabetes, we started dipping pie in Jam, and cake in juice.
The sight of her hands all soaking in strawberry, an innocent infant with no care in the world, but her heart, it whispers to me something else.
''In behalf of my friend here, we really thank you, you didn't need to be this nice with us.'' She thanked him for the first time.
She hit me to my chest, and looked at me fiercely in the eyes.
''Oh yeah thank you!'' I also thanked them.
''Hahaha! No need to thank us, just enjoy the food.''
We helped them gather, and clean everything.
''Well fellas, enjoy your night, and hope I'll see you tomorrow.'' Gregory said, then left with his family.
The night came around, the sky was clear, the strawberries glowed?
There is a sense of erienss looking at the hills at night, empty, lonely, dim, a sense of longing.
''You're not sleeping?'' She came out to me and asked.
I turned around.
''I'll be there in a second...'' As she was going back inside, ''Wait!.. um isn't it weird that no other gnome talked to us besides that Gregory?''
She tilted her head.
Now that you mention it, it's a bit weird, but don't overthink it, maybe they were shy, just come inside, it's cold out here.
I followed her inside, she layed down, and I sat next to her.
''So what are we gonna do tomorrow?'' She asked me.
''I don't kn-'' I noticed a blue glow in the hay, I reached for it.
It's an orb inside a letter.