Toby In The Pink Palace

You Could Stay Here Forever

School was okay. Toby managed to get through the day without getting bullied or picked on. Everyone seemed to be interested in him since he was the new boy which was not what he was expecting. He managed to make a new friend, Fenrir who was extremely energetic and over exited.

So when Maria drove back to school at 3:10 that afternoon, expecting to pick up a bored and fed up Toby, she was pleasantly surprised.

The drive home wasn't silent, like a usual first day at school, but then again, Toby wasn't as full of excitement as Fenrir.

"How was it?" Asked his mother as Toby opened the car door, and swung his bag in.

"Not too bad,"

"Well that's good then," Maria pulled up the handbrake, and moved the car forward, out of the school gates.

"So..?" She pressed as they were out on the road and driving.

"I made a new friend,"

"Really?"

"His name is Fenrir," Toby looked out of the window, not liking the adjustment.

The school was okay, but it was now he realised these changes were permanent. Unless Ben came over to stay for a couple of days, he would not see him again. All the little changes, but school mostly told him that this life was to stay. And he didn't want that.

The drive home was pleasant. The sun actually came out which was nice, and some of the inches of deep water started to evaporate. Still though, there was spray shielding the view as they left the town and drove on the main road out.

Toby wanted to go home and do something. He wanted something to cheer himself up from everything that was happening. And Toby knew exactly what to do.

When they arrived home, he immediately opened the car door, and walked swiftly toward the house.

"Not so fast," his mother called.

Toby groaned and turned around. His mother was holding up his bag and looked like she was about to drop it into the mud. Toby ran, took it from his mother and sighing, turned back to the house. It was interesting seeing it in another light. The clouds has somewhat parted and there was a faint glow illuminating the house. Toby could see the tiniest bit of potential for the place.

Inside was the same though, and before his mother could step foot in the house, Toby was on all fours in the living room, bending down and ready to crawl through to the other world.

Looking around, making one last check of the room, he saw a black cat staring in at him through the window. Toby started, he had never noticed a cat before, and this one was very rememberable. It was skinny, so skinny you could see it's bones poking out. It was completely black all over, not even possessing white socks. And it's eyes were a deep knowing blue.

The cat slowly shook its head too and fro, like he knew something that Toby didn't. Toby narrowed his eyes to try and get a better look. The condensation was obscuring his view, and he couldn't be totally sure of what he was seeing.

But then the cat was gone, and Toby thought nothing of it for a while.

"Hello darling," the other mother smiled at him when he had showed himself in the other world.

"Hi," Toby looked at the other mother closely.

"You said I didn't have to go to school," he accused, looking at her intently.

"Only in this world," she hummed.

"What do you mean?" Toby asked,

"You woke up and left me," she replied, "that's what I mean,"

"I had no choice in it!" Toby said, and he realised. He had no control over what happened here. And whatever happened here was like it happened in the real world. He stayed up late last night in the other world, and woke tired in the real one.

He looked up. The other mother was sitting down next to him. She was smiling closely.

"Would you like to change that?" She asked softly.

"What?" Toby was confused.

"You could stay here forever," she whispered.

Toby's eyes widened.

"Forever?"

"Yes, and I know you love it here, we could have lots of fun and play lots of games!" She smiled.

Forever?

Toby certainly did not like the way things were turning out at home, and he did like all the things that happened in this world.

He would miss his mother, he would miss Ben. But then again, there were his mother and Ben in this world, maybe not exactly how he wanted them, but they were there all the same.

He could do things here. Whatever he wanted. His mum seemed so nice and she would have lots of time for him.

"I would love to," he concluded.

The other mother smiled. She shuffled in close, and stared at the boys face.

"There is one little thing we have to do first," she smiled, pulling a hexagonal box out from under the table.

Toby looked at the neat pink ribbon tying the box and pulled it off, slowly lifting the lid he peered inside.

He stopped. And stared.

What?

"Ah...i..umm," was all he could say.

In the box were too black buttons, a reel of black string and a silver needle.

His heart started beating faster and faster. Sweat poured from his face and his breathing increased.

Still the other mother smiled at him.

"Y, you want to sew buttons onto my eyes," he stammered, looking up at her, face white, eyes wide.

She just smiled and nodded.

Then his brain took over, and he saw the black cat's face in the steamy window. It took the place of the other mother and shook at him, a warning.

"I, I need time to think about it," he said.

And with that, he ran out of the kitchen, through the corridor and into the living room. Now, he could sense something wasn't right. The corners of the room looked far to dark. The light seemed too colourful. The wood seemed too polished. And he got the feeling that the whole house was watching him.

He knelt down at the door, flung it open to try and get out, but it was all bricked up.

He was stuck here.