Who Are You?

6: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

Moon yawned and rubbed his eyes only to find himself not where he was... not really anywhere at all in particular. Moon sat in the middle of it all, all the nothingness but somethingness ; a white void. His legs were crossed, his face beaded with sweat. His ears tingled, the only noise that he could hear was the sound of his heavy breathing but yet it was if there was more he was missing. Moon closed his eyes, hoping things would start to make sense. However when he opened his eyes things started to make less, and less sense.

He was in a place he'd never seen, never even dreamed of. It was an overload of the senses. Did it even exist? The colours... the sounds... they seemed to overload his senses. He blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He couldn't be as once he opened his eyes he was still there. He got up off the ground and began to walk in wonder around his surroundings. Colours seemed to be more intense than usual, and Moon felt like his stomach had been turned inside out. There in the virulent green grass strutted fat pink polka dotted zebras. The bright purple trees sang songs about street signs and brake lights. Their voices somewhere between angelic and demonic, they were hauntingly beautiful but disturbing. Gorgeous blue toned sparkling sirens swam through the sky giggling about pasta. Vines grew down into the earth, with jingling bells on their leaves.

Moon's mouth was agape. He stumbled over to an eggplant playing the sitar, how utterly bizarre. ''My dear fellow,'' asked Moon. ''Where am I?"

The eggplant didn't seem to reply but a tiny tarantula skated past wearing bright gold stakes with laces that looked like they were made of liquid night themselves. ''It's not where you are but where you were. Good day.'' Then the spider skated off.

Moon looked up to the sky, his hands trying to block out the intense light that shone from the moon. ''It isn't day,'' he laughed. ''It is night you crazy spider.''

The refreshing smell of peppermint candy filled the air, riding across the breeze. ''Keith, the longer you stay the more dangerous it becomes,'' said a silky voice. ''You might never be able to leave.''

Moon turned around to see a girl with a draping dress made from sanguine red velvet. ''Who are you?"

"Who... Who.. Who am I.'' asked the girl. ''I'm your sister.... Rose.'' Fires seemed to burn within her eyes.

Moon was shocked. ''By blood?"

She laughed. ''My dear brother what is blood in a world outside of reality. Reality doesn't exist... or at least not here. Follow me,'' she beckoned. Leading him to a quaint gazebo. She poured some strange liquid out of a teapot.

''I don't understand,'' he shrugged. Accepting the drink but instead of drinking it he eyed it cautiously. He wasn't in the real world now, he was now somewhere that was strangely even more messed up.

''I didn't suppose you would,'' she nodded pointing to his hand. ''The ring brother, the ring.''

''What?'' said Moon sleepily.

''You must learn to harness it or it will consume you and everyone else you know. It is powerful but unpredictable. It'll ruin your life.''

Moon laughed, his eyelids fluttering. ''Huh.''

''Brother, I beg of you. Try to understand the mystery you have to-''

But Moon was slipping away... far away. The ring tugged at his finger. ''ROSE,'' he screamed.

''Good luck my brother, I believe in you,'' whispered Rose's voice in his mind.

Moon opened his eyes to stare at the ring. It was like looking in a mirror. He could see himself there but it was if his flesh was melting away. The ring seemed to shatter. Pieces of the ring went flying. It was like the reality of that world if there was any shattered as well. Moon felt like he was floating or was he falling....He couldn't tell. He hit something with great force. He couldn't move.

''Moonie,'' whispered a familiar voice. ''Wake up. Please wake up!"

He opened his eyes to see Roger leaning over him with a cold towel in hand. ''DON'T EVER DO THAT AGAIN KEITH! You scared the shit out of me.''

Moon groaned, attempting to sit up. ''What happened?''

''You stopped breathing for a good 30 minutes, or at least that was when I noticed.''

Moon coughed. ''And you didn't call the hospital?"

''You don't understand. There was nothing when you were gone. Literally.... All the buildings but here disappeared. There was no one to ring...''