The World Around Me

Toyo had been left alone for quite some time, the concept of having suddenly appeared in such a strange environment too difficult to digest. But as the hours rolled by, the glum feeling that once paralyzed her had finally begun to subside. She now found herself poking around the room, hoping to find any bit of information she could about her location. Although she still struggled to accept any of it as true, she wanted to believe that at the very least she’d somehow been brought to some sort of isolated and undiscovered country. Wondering just what the look on Akari’s face would be had she been to one to wake up in that bed.

Lifting a book from one of the shelves, she started flipping through its pages, its writing appearing like gibberish to her. “Is there someone in there?” a voice suddenly whispered from the window, startling Toyo. Unsure of what to expect, she slowly inched towards it, approaching from the side to avoid being seen. Peeking through the gap in the curtain, she saw two children eagerly trying to catch a glimpse of the inside. The vivid purples and rich orange-brown hues of their hair further highlighted just how unfamiliar this world was to her. Do they live here? Toyo contemplated as the sound of a bird’s chirp disrupted the two kids’ focus.

A small animal then swooped past the window at a blistering speed, carrying the children along as they chased after it, their giggles and back and forth banter moving further and further away as they vanished from Toyo’s line of view.

Redirecting her focus to the surrounding stretch of land outside her window, the vast open area covered in green grass felt just as familiar to Toyo as it was cathartic. Though everything since the day she awoke was nothing short of a strange fever dream, the view outside her window made her feel somewhat grounded again.

Suddenly the door to the room swung open, snapping her tranquility in half as Zida and Toyo locked eyes with one another.

“It’s been three days since we brought you here, and you’ve been holed up in this room ever since. Perhaps it’s about time you stretch those limbs a bit.”

Before Toyo could even so much as furl her eyebrows, Zida latched his hand around her arm and began directing her towards the doorway. Toyo pulled and squirmed, but his strength was unmoving. “I don’t know what it is that you’re waiting for,” he pressed, “but some things can’t be accomplished if all you do is isolate all day.” He then turned to Toyo with a resolute glare. “I’ll take you to the reality that you so desperately want to reject.”

Toyo was reluctantly dragged outside and over to what looked to be an old horse-drawn style carriage. Its embellishments, however, were eye-catching and reeking of vainglory. With ornate gold markings lining the top and bottom and even trimmed around the doorframe. But the most distinctive feature, in fact, was its notably missing wheels.

As she’s ordered to get inside, Toyo attempted to slip past Zida and make a run for it, but his swift reaction soon found her tossed into the seat beside him. “Huh?” she stuttered in befuddlement, finding Zida’s display of agility and strength mindboggling. Unable to react any further, Toyo found herself helpless as the carriage started moving forward, clueless as to where she would possibly end up.

They traveled without saying a word to one another. Toyo had managed to let her anxiety subside by focusing on the surrounding scenery passing by. It was the first time she’d been anywhere outside of the four walls she’d confined herself to. Leaning her head out the side she glanced back at the towering mansion on the hilltop. Its outsized presence still dominating the landscape despite how far she’d travelled. Toyo wondered just exactly where it was that she was being held all this time, and just who exactly was this man that seemed hellbent on getting something out of her.

Peaking down below, she was without words. The carriage hovered effortlessly off the ground, gliding in silence with not a wing or propeller in sight. Filling Toyo with an uncanny sense that mysterious powers were at work. What in the absolute hell? Her mind whispered as she leaned out further trying to get a view of the front. Managing to get a glimpse of someone seated up ahead, she noticed his hands forming some sort of gesture. No handles or rope visible. Deepening the puzzle and leaving Toyo with more lingering questions.

Stretching her neck even further, she was suddenly drawn back inside. “Ittai!” she howled, freeing herself from Zida’s grip as she massaged the pain out of her arm. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d ever say a word to me all ride,” Zida teased, chuckling through his nose before returning his gaze straight ahead. He then followed with a stern order. “We’re heading into town, keep your head back and don’t give anyone a clear view.”

Toyo straightened her posture, her body settling into a reluctant stillness, unwilling to push back any further. It was clear now that she was not where she belonged, and there was little she could do about it.

As the carriage passed through the town the world outside her window was like looking through a fantasy filter. Sloping mountains in the distance were the backdrop for a town filled with interweaving stone roads, arched bridges over crystal clear lakes, eyepopping architecture, and ropes of greenery lining every crevice as if it were the lifeblood of the neighborhood. People filled the streets, intermingling as they grouped up at all the different stores and spaces throughout. Their attire was rather colorful, striking Toyo as almost performative. Some would briefly look towards the carriage, often lowering their heads as it passed by. The younger ones even ran after it at times. It was clear to Toyo that Zida was someone that the people of the town respected, however, she couldn’t look past the false grin he would plaster onto his face as he greeted them.

It was a beautiful place that almost came across as surreal. Leaving an uneasy feeling in the pit of Toyo’s stomach that wouldn’t subside. It all felt almost too well put together.

After passing through the bustling town, they were met with large expanses of land on either side. The freedom outside the window was alluring, but she contemplated whether anything existed beyond it.

Suddenly her view cut to black. Faint glimmers of light refracting off the walls barely gave her a sense of her surroundings.

“Don’t be so startled,” Zida remarked, “these passageways have helped us move quickly from region to region in a fraction of the time for centuries.”

She hadn’t a clue what he was talking about, but as with everything she’d experienced up until then, she let the words carry on, removing herself from the need to know more.

Following about a half an hour travel, the carriage came to a stop in a relatively unassuming patch of land. “We’re walking from here,” Zida told Toyo, making his way out the carriage first. As Toyo followed behind, she briefly turned her attention to the driver, nearly screaming in shock as his eyes met with hers.

His pupils were so dilated that they were nearly pitch black, with only a thin line of brown still visible from his iris. The rest of his eyes were filled with a deep red which wasn’t helped by the fact he never once blinked the entire time they looked at each other.

“The guide will stay here,” Zida remarked, giving Toyo a passing glance as he began walking ahead. Toyo struggled to look away from the penance stare that gawked back at her. She began to slowly step backwards before finally breaking free of her trance and running after Zida some feet ahead.

After a few more minutes of travel, Toyo mustered up the conviction to ask Zida exactly what it was they were heading towards. “Kind of misleading to have a so-called guide that just sits at the carriage all day, huh?” she noted, but Zida kept onwards, failing to give a response, let alone engage her.

As they wrapped around the foot of a small mountain and crossed an old bridge, two men in matching metal armor suddenly presented themselves to Zida and Toyo. Did my mind just blank out or something? Toyo fought with herself. They were literally not there a moment ago.

The two men then held their hands facing one another, mirroring the serene gestures of a Buddhist statue as Zida watched patiently. Then with a gentle nod towards Toyo, he stated, Let’s go,” before setting off down the path. Toyo eyed the two men as she passed by, unknowingly stopping in her tracks. “You’ll get cut in two if that barrier closes on you,” Zida then warned with Toyo springing forward in fear.

When she met him at the edge of a small cliff, it finally became clear what Zida had been leading her towards all along. “Is this…?” her voice trailed off.

“The Village of Plastos,” Zida replied.

“A whole population of residents dead in an instant.”