TAPESTRY

- Three -

After I thank the man (half-heartedly, to be honest), I walk away from him and head east. There's no sun, so I just go off his word, which might not be the best idea, but it's all I've got.

I get hungry, and instinctively check my pockets. I find an apple, so I eat it.

"Wow, this is pretty good," I say to myself. I proceed with my journey.

The rest of the trek wasn't very eventful, save for a few scares from some large bugs. I suspect that they're connected somehow, but I don't think much more of it. I finally reach the gate, and walk up to the little booth to the side of the path. I peer inside the window, and yell in shock.

Inside, there is what looks like a woman, but she is more like an insect. Her eyes are large, round, and red. Her skin is flaky and midnight black. She has two fuzzy antennae sprouting from her head, and two sets of arms. She is wearing a grey, silky dress. She looks at me, bored.

"Password?" she demands bluntly.

"Uhh...platypuses eating potatoes with chopsticks.." I respond, with a little uncertainty. She smiles at me. "Ah, correct!" she chirps, her mood instantly elated. The gates swing open, and I walk through them, waving at the woman-insect-thing awkwardly.

My heart skips a beat.

This village is bleak, dark, and grim. The houses are run-down, there is piles of waste, gunk and other horrific substances littering the ground. The atmosphere is cold and upsetting, and there is a foul smell in the air. I hear weeping all around me, men, women, and children alike. I must resist the urge to look up.

So I keep looking down.

I feel a bony hand grasp my wrist, and a child's voice speak to me. "Won't you come and play with me?" he sobs, pulling my wrist roughly. I don't dare look up at him. He pulls a little more forcefully. "Play with me!" he urges, getting angry. I swallow, and setting aside any guilt, I smack him in the mouth, and he goes careening towards the ground. Landing in a pile of god knows what. I look up, not meeting anyone's eyes. I can see from my peripheral vision that every villager's head has snapped towards me, and now they are walking towards me hastily, and methodically.

I run, shoving people out of my way, racing towards the end of the street, my beacon of hope. Just before I reach it, I feel a hand on my ankle, and I am pulled off my feet, and dragged into an alley.