The Land of Stories ☆ The Not-So-Happily Ever After

Chapter 5

They stood in the elevator.

"So... what the heck just happened?" Charlie asked the elevator guy after he stopped hyperventilating.

"W-would you like me to search for 'what the heck just happened?'" The man in an elf costume recited, trembling after what we just escaped  from.

"I- no! Just tell me where I am," Charlie spluttered.

"We are currently in the Elf Empire, the tree that is home to all elves like me."

"And this is all real?" She asked. The guy's eyes went wide with glee.

"Well, yes. And no. I used to ask that question all the time, actually! I was just-"
He stopped himself,  calmed his excitement, looked around nervously and drooped his eyes again.

"Anything highlighted by the blue lights is a static hologram designed by King Charlie, former monarch of the Centre Kingdom, with the help of the man known worldwide, Connor Bailey. The holograms-"

What?!

"Can you repeat that? The part about who helped the King?"

"Of course. The holograms were designed by former King Charlie with the help of the man known worldwide, Connor Bailey."

Connor Bailey? Her grandad had been here?

"Where is he now?! Where can I find him? You see, he's my grandad and I need to get to him."

The elevator doors opened to reveal... well, it looked pretty much like a futurist tree. Huge branches spiraled around like pillars, and a marketplace of bright blue pods, each with their own wares in stock, lined the area. An unused spiral staircase spun to the top. A flashy elevator next to it had a queue, and a big one at that. It almost reached where Charlie and the elf guy were standing.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that question. Please, follow me."

Unbelievable.

He led Charlie through the... treehouse? No, he led her through the city.
She saw blue street lamps hanging over glass bridges that connected the branches; if she had been afraid of heights, she would have thrown up five times already. It still made her feel queasy.
Worried for her mental health, Charlie didn't dwell on whether this was possible or not, and she just carried on walking, focusing on not losing her new friend.

"Hey, umm... what should I call you?"

The elf guy took several seconds to answer.
"I am known here as Number #7172."
Then he looked at Charlie with a nervous smile, and whispered, "But you can call me Ben."

"Ok... so where-" she dodged a person running the opposite direction, no doubt rushing for a sale.
"Where are we-" Another elf pushed past her. And another. And another.

Wow, some sale.

But when she looked around me, she noticed that they weren't running to something, but running away from it.

Glancing up, Charlie saw the silhouette of a knobbly figure that made her want to scream.

               •°•°•°•°●°●°●°●°●°•°•°•°•

A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the short chapter, but I decided it had been a while, and a short chapter was better than nothing.

Tell me what you think is going to happen, and make sure to comment any mistakes you find.

That's all!
Cheese, out!