Wonderer's Wish World: An Empty Land

And Then NOBODY Died (Act One)

Kai shifted in the chair uncomfortably, even though it was much nicer than the wooden one he had sat in before. It had gone from the really fancy bed that Kai had almost immediately fell asleep in, only just barely able to keep his eyes open as Kipo talked, though he didn't hear a word she said. Then it had gone to the wooden chair in that room, where he had wakened up. That chair had three uneven legs and about a thousand splinters, but Kai had been too preoccupied to really notice beyond a surface level.

And now he was here, clutching the nice leather and leaning forward nervously, eyes trained on the stage and awaiting the promised show. On every side of him sat the strange two-dimensional people, also watching the stage and leaning forward in anticipation. Kai would say they were coping him, but none of them rest of them were glancing around like he was.

Kai stared at them, wondering if they were actually alive, or just looked like they were alive, like puppets. Frowning, he reached out and poked one, and then flinched when it turned around to glare at him.

"Sorry, sorry!" he whispered, turning back in his seat. He sweating hands nearly slipped off of the leather they were resting on.

Soon, the curtain was raised, and Kai straighten, looking around for his friends, but none of them were on stage yet. Instead, it had a background of what looked like the buildings of a bustling city, but looking at it from above. When Kai looked closely, he found a border around the whole background, like a picture frame. He was a little confused, until he realized it was a window.

In front of the background, a couple set pieces were set up like a throne room. On one side, there was a fancy looking chair, a throne, Kai guessed. White pillars were set up in front of the window, and there was a red carpet resting on the wooden planks of the stage, leading up to the throne. Kai wondered if this was anything like what the throne room in this castle looked like. They hadn't been able to find it, but a throne room had to have a throne room, right?

"Once upon a time," a voice rang out, and Kai jumped, looking around. He couldn't tell where that was coming from. "There was an important city. The most important city in the world in fact, and, almost ironically, this city was called World. It was huge, a mega city, and had lived in peace for hundreds, if not thousands of years, passed from king to king. Each king imparted World's goal onto the next one: 'Keep our kingdom safe. Keep the peace. Keep the kingdom running."

At this, Luz walked out from the left side of the stage, starting out looking lost and confused before she snapped herself out of that, ending the rest of her walk to the throne in an exaggerated confident and dignified walk, glancing to the audience and giving them a royal wave.

When Luz got to the throne and situated herself on it, and paper crown was lowered onto her head by a string. Luz jumped as it was set on her head, nearly throwing it off, but she grabbed it and fixed it before it could.

"However, the king crowned on their on hundredth year of peace and love had a different plan," the voice continued. "He was crowned young, and he had a bunch of bad ideas in his head, and no one to stop him. His kingdom was filled with excitement: art, stories, creativity, but the king found all that boring. He was selfish, cruel and most of all, stupid."

As the voice talked, books, paintings and toys started being lowered down to Luz on the chair, who was doing her best to look board. As each one was lowered, Luz took the object in her hand and through it behind her, back to the backstage. Not all of them made it, but whenever one landed behind her, still visible from the audience, it was pulled back by an invisible force.

"The responsibility of ruling, and ruling so well, was a weighty one. Even with all his council, the peace of the kingdom was going to slip, and the king found himself not caring. Even his entire council of forty-two couldn't convince him to be better. Even the trusted advisor, the one who had stood beside a dozen different kings for decades, couldn't do a thing to change his mind."