“How long have we been here now?” I am exhausted. Dora breathed heavily and rubbed her head under duress. My ears are going to burst. Ugh!

  “Five days. It took us five days to get here.”

  Jennifer looked up as she answered absentmindedly, all hostility from the past few days faded for this grand moment; Natalya placed her hand on Dora's shoulder, smiling and raising her gaze to the majestic object in front of them.

  Ahhh, her touch! So good!

  “Five days, huh? That's almost one day in the real world.”

  Despite Dora mumbling once more, Natalya, to her surprise, nodded in her horse mask and acknowledged her this time.

  “Thank you for guiding us here, Dora.”

  The fifteen year old's face was flushed red instantaneously. Scratching the back of her head she giggled nervously.

  “I-it’s fine, ehehe, anything for you…”

  The blonde bully turned her head and opened her mouth. “Blabla bla! Blablablabla! Bladora, blabla Emma!” Dora chose to ignore her. I don't know what's more annoying. Jennifer nagging and moaning or this ear shattering humming! It got exponentially worse the closer we got to this thing. Dora raised her head, ignoring Jennifer who continued her rant in the background. Nah, Jennifer is definitely worse.

  A massive shadow was cast over the three of them. A nostalgic feeling returned once more. Huh? What is this? Why do I… remember something? She breathed out heavily, almost like a giggle. A crystal tower. Why is she thinking of a crystal tower at this very moment? This is a ruin, impossible to climb, especially for a little weak girl like her. Not even Jennifer could do it. Not even Natalya. So how could someone insignificant like Dora manage that? Yet the idea of getting up there sounded incredibly entertaining to her for some unknown reason.

  Someone would live on top of that crystal tower. That is a rule of cool, and a romantic law.

  Dora was ignorant about how the other two felt about it. I've heard about the World Trade Center, but I've never got a chance to visit it. Images of the twin towers flashed in her inner eye. From time to time Dora would see those two grand buildings that were over 400 metres high on the news on TV or in the newspaper. I wonder if standing in front of them would be the same. However, as I stand here- ugh!

  The obnoxious, deep sound coming from the gigantic structure looming over her made it difficult to think. It makes me feel insignificant. Like an ant that can be stomped by a human at any moment. So annoying! What is this? You want me to stop this? How would I do that?! Who are you and why am I hearing you?!

  Words appeared in her mind. Not with a sound nor as a visual cue. But like knowledge, memories that have always been there, popping into existence. She shook her head slowly, trying to get a grip. Breathing slowly in, breathing equally slowly out. This is just a sound, Dora, you are not crazy, just a sound, calm down, calm down. Everything will be okay.

  She swallowed. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead and her eyes felt watery and heavy. Her body shivered. A sensation of needles piercing her skin spread over her body. Running away was not an option as bridging the distance away from this ruin or building would take too much time. And wishing herself away would do nothing. If wishes were horses, beggars would ride.

  “Hey squirt, are you alright?!” Dora shook her head, returning her mind back to the present.

  Why can't she leave me alone for once? And what's with this stupid nickname? Is she a pervert or something?

  “Why are you mocking me again?! What have I done to you?!” The blonde girl scoffed.

  “I was just asking if you alright, you goddamn schizo!”

  Dora took a deep breath as the blonde girl stood in front of her with her fists clenched. Feeling the red haired horse girl's touch on her shoulder calmed her down, if only a little. She spoke with a monotonous voice.

  “What do you see? Is it still a tree?”

  Dora’s sudden question just caused the bully to drop her fists in confusion and exasperation.

  “Of course it's a tree, dumbass? What, are you blind now? How could you not see that it's a tree?”

  Of course she wouldn't believe me if I told her that I see something completely different. At least Natalya would believe me. But for now I don't want to unnerve her.

  “Huh?” The fair skinned, strong fingers tensed slightly on her scapula. “What do you mean?”

  “...”

  “It looks like one of those redwood trees to me, yes. Why?”

  The unnerved girl reached out with her hand with the invitation mark on it.

  Forcing a smile, Dora brushed her fingers gently over Natalya's and tried to hide the pain the booming noise caused her.

  “Where do you suppose we need to go next?”

  “Hmm.”

  “We should explore this place.” Jennifer interjected.

  Dora sighed. The bully is right. Although this is not the ‘squirrel flower’ - which I believe to be the actual goal - I can't shake the suspicion that this place is relevant to resolving Emma's sickness.

  She looked around. They were on a green plain. In fact, this whole world seemed to be a single, giant green plain. However, something caught the young student’s attention. The grass in this particular place around the megastructure was yellow, almost dying even. And the ground was lower than before, sunken in. The three of them had noticed it when they almost tripped a few hours ago; Dora did not know what this object was - a ruin, building, tree or another abandoned bunker or lab. However, she was sure that its influence reached a few miles, all the way to where the green grass turned yellow and the ground sank into a plateau.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Then we will split up for now. Let's return here when the sun starts to set, alright?”

  As Natalya and Jennifer split up in separate directions, Dora walked forward. Her stomach grumbled, almost unbearable. Today was the day when we ran out of food. Although we still possess a few more water bottles in the bag, it is no longer wise to stick around. Even an amateur in survival like me understands that! We can't forage for food in this place, either. The Momos are unsafe to eat for obvious reasons and humans can’t digest grass properly as far as I know. Plus, the grass in this surreal world might be poisonous as well. After all this place is pretty much devoid of animals that weren't strange bugs or moths.

  Her hand reached forward, shaky, afraid.

  Dora’s survival instincts went haywire. Every fibre in her body had the desire to grab her by the hair and kick her ass, beat her within an inch of death just to keep her from doing what she was about to do.

  Yet something else screamed. It pleaded to progress. Not forward, not sideways, not backwards. But up.

  “What is there?” Dora scratched her nose and breathed out.

  “I can not go there. So why…?”

  “What is it you want?”

  “Please, shut up!”

  “Who even are you?”

  “Fine. Ugh.”

  Her hand reached forward, almost like it moved by itself.

  Dora was convinced. She will head up then. Climb this rocky structure in front of her. This ruin? Or a tree? No. It is a ruin. Those stupid humans would not understand. What they see is a ruse. What Dora sees is reality. Without her they would be dead. Dora felt important. No, she knew that she was important. She had the capability in her hands to decide over life and death. Letting Jennifer live. Why? Just so she could shit in her metaphorical cup again? Life is a prison. Letting Natalya live? Much better. Natalya was always kind and Dora could not deny that a warm feeling of infatuation grew with each moment.

  Who was she behind the mask?

  Her hand reached forward, with determination. Like it wasn’t her own.

  As her delicate fingers brushed against the structure vibrations penetrated her skin and shook her body, a melodic skeleton.

  Grooves in stone, a giant coin.

  Grinding across the rigid ground.

  Barely inching forward.

  A sisyphean task.

  Narrowing into the sky, a pillow.

  Its beginning can’t be seen.

  Tickling the sky, I want to reach it.

  The desire to climb grows.

  A scratch I can not itch scrapes against my skull.

  My hands push me upwards with strength I had never known.

  I moan and groan and my muscles ache.

  Above me is a goal I must attain.

  Time is an illusion and reality a dream.

  The humming has become a part of me.

  Pain that scratched and roared inside my head.

  This pain will scratch my itch away.

  My sense of time is lost.

  My hands are bloody and my bones are broken.

  My joints crack.

  Will you reach your goal, Dora? Will you reach your goal?

  I move by myself, an automaton.

  The sun vanishes, the sun appears.

  A pale body, cold and dead.

  Above me is a goal I have to reach.

  My consciousness fades into oblivion.

  Dreamlike images flash before my core.

  Biomes on this giant construct, moss and animals.

  They live with one another in perfect synergy.

  How much time went by, I can not tell.

  My ascent was ghost-like fantasy, my strain an impossibility.

  As I stare upward a face stares back.

  Its hair - endless ropes circling a head, its head covered with holes.

  The wind sings as it passes the holes.

  No birds around to witness my victory.

  Looking down on myself, I see nothing.

  I evaporated.

  The mind sits down and stares off into the distance, a grassy plain.

  A place so empty it makes the soul weep wishing back the snow.

  I was taken from it and forced into another place. I was ripped from my pal.

  As I lament, my body returns.

  My skin is wrinkly, painful, hurts, a nail in my epidermis.

  As it becomes almost unbearable it rejuvenates.

  The itch is scratched and I have reached my little goal.

  I open my eyes for the first time in my life. I wake up.

  The humming was gone.

  Unexpectedly, the silence could almost cut her eardrums.

  Tears welled in her eyes and her head ached with pleasure and the joy of quiet.

  It was a liberation.

  The darkness receded slowly and became a bright flash.

  The girl flapped her eyelids like delicate butterflies until images of the environment returned to her retinas. Rocks covered with moss stretched before her, seemingly endless. Milky clouds passed by, yet they didn’t wet her skin nor clothes. It seemed so unreal, so unnerving. She came to. And she returned to being Dora again.

  Dora looked around, slowly, wary.

  The wind whistled all the way up here.

  No birds were around as expected. But no Momos either, which was good.

  Dora took in the fresh morning air. She was all the way in the sky. A rigid sensation beneath her feet not unlike that on the grassy ground down below.

  H-how long have I been out? Huh?! Where the hell am I?! How did I get up here?

  She jerked around on the spot, almost tripping over a branch and falling to her death.

  Natalya’s horse head flashed into her head. If I die here I will never see my waifu’s beautiful face. Dora couldn’t see the ground anymore.

  How will I get down there? I WON’T see her face then!

  Vomit squirted through her closed lips, a sour taste of spoiled butter filling her mouth. “Ugh.”

  Swaying left and right, it was a chore to hold her balance. Dora focused as hard as she could on fighting back the vertigo. Thinking of the movie she was mad at herself for wasting her thoughts on such trivial matters. She missed Natalya.

  “Fuuuuuuck!”

  Dora sank to her knees, slamming her hands against the smooth rock.

  A funny idea came to her mind followed by a creepy one. The only way down was by jumping. But this is a dream world, right? Everything so far was surreal. No, barely real. Maybe she would bounce back on the ground. Maybe this world had no fall damage.

  Dora giggled. “Ehehehe. So stupid, so intrepid!”

  Reaching into her pocket, she found a coin that the fifteen year old kept from the actual, real world. She tossed it down. It disappeared forever, without making a sound, even after waiting there for minutes, praying, hoping. What was the point? If it made a sound she would splatter and die regardless. She couldn’t risk it. Not if it meant potentially losing the red haired girl forever along with this life which hasn’t been ALL bad.

  The only way she could see herself getting down again was by jumping to her death.

  Indeed, fuck.

  “Hehe. Ugh. Shit. What are Natalya and this dung beetle Jennifer up to, I wonder?”