The door opened up into a narrow elevator, fit for a maximum of two people. There was a compartment that opened up at the back, with a sign above it that said ‘baggage’. She assumed that she should put her things in there, so she slid in her bags and suitcase, and the compartment clanked shut. The elevator's door slammed shut right after, and she looked around. The lights flickered as though they were about to give out, and the carpet on the floor was peeling.
“Which level do you seek?” A woman’s voice called out through a speaker, sounding robotic and pre-recorded.
“Uhm… The Underworld,” Nanako said, though it sounded to be a question.
“Going down to… The Underworld.” The elevator gave a sharp ‘ding’, and then gave a jerk. Suddenly, it dropped down, shaking and clattering as it rocketed down into the unknown. Nanako stumbled onto the floor, gasping sharply at the sudden movement. It was as though she’d been taken up to the clouds and then dropped. She screamed in surprise, gripping the bar on the back of the elevator.
Finally, the elevator jerked to an unexpected halt, and Nanako was forced onto her knees, gasping and trembling. The luggage compartment popped open, and, attempting not to throw up, she slowly got up and gathered her things.
The regular door was still standing at the entrance, and she turned the knob and stepped out. In front of her was what seemed to be an airport. Though, this was far from any average airport. No, this did not contain planes, or any means of transportation. The walls were lined with black doors, each with a different number and letter on them; “1A”, or “36 B” were listed on each door. Nanako looked around, remembering her instructions.
Before she’d left, her grandmother had told her to look for a man with a pumpkin on his head… what an absurd idea. Why would anyone wear a pumpkin on their head? She’d thought. But now, she understood. Creatures that could not be described roamed the area, some leaving thick puddles of slime behind them that were mopped up immediately by the platform’s employees, and some crawling around on eight spindly legs like a spider, though they were far from any spider Nanako had ever seen.
Nanako made her way through the crowd, slipping past giant, bulging creatures with small kin that shouted, “Mommy, look at that thing!” as she walked past. She felt self-conscious, walking around where she clearly did not belong. Some of the entities were so tall, that they stepped right over her. Nanako took a deep breath, though anxiety shook her core.
She was brought from her little trance when she felt a rough tug on her bag. She swiveled around, to see a grotesquely muscular demon with fiery red skin grabbing the handle of her bag. “E-Excuse me,” She spoke. “Will you please release my bag?” She asked politely, though she was terrified at the moment. He gave a gravely, wet laugh. “This is my bag,” He growled. She whimpered, but tried to stand her ground. “I said, will you please release my bag,” She repeated. He narrowed his eyes, and jerked it out of her hands. “Hey!” She exclaimed, stumbling forward.
The demon laughed and began to walk away. She furrowed her brows. It wasn’t worth it to go after the bag; she didn’t know anything about anything right now, so there was no point. She sighed heavily, and began to walk again, reading signs for directions. She was supposed to be on platform 2, but she was on platform… 35. “Great,” She grumbled in annoyance.
It took Nanako almost thirty minutes to find the entrance to the stairs, and when she did, the stairs were so long that she couldn’t see the bottom.
It took her an hour to get to platform 2 from the top of the stairs. When she finally did, she was covered in cobwebs, and she was so tired that she was fighting to stay awake. She trudged through the 2nd floor, and finally, she got to the entrance. There was a narrow passageway leading to the outside, and her bags obviously weren’t going to fit in there. She sighed, and then noticed another little compartment, like the one in the elevator.
Nanako put what was left of her luggage into the compartment, and it clambered shut. She made her way through the passage, and waited on the other side for her bags to come out. But, they didn’t. She got annoyed and kicked the door, though it did little. “Great!” She called aloud. “Now I have no luggage, no idea where I am, and no ride,” She rambled to herself.
She plopped onto the sidewalk near the compartment, and then took in the completely foreign environment. There was an orange sky above her, with a glowing red dot that she assumed was the sun. The grass was scorched, singed jet-black, along with the trees. The buildings around her were towering and skinny, looking like they would reach down and pluck her from the ground any second.
Nanako closed her eyes and tried to gather herself. She was so tired. Just a little rest couldn’t hurt. Right? “Nanako Tsukioka,” A voice called, and her eyes shot back open immediately. A man stood in front of her, a hand extended to help her up. She looked up to analyze his face. But all she saw was a pumpkin. “Greetings. I am Calypso.”
Comments (0)
See all