spooky kalon #; 1977
username; Zailune
name; Zane
gender; Male
prompt;
Zane blinked wearily and sat up, kicking his sheets off in a huff. He pressed the off button on his blaring alarm clock.
“Aaahh...” He groaned. “I didn't sleep well at all...”
For a moment, he wondered to himself why it was so difficult to sleep. Normally, he'd be out like a light in minutes when heading to bed, but last night couldn't have been more difficult. It was only a moment before he remembered – today was the day. The Fall Festival, the spookiest Halloween Event held yearly in his rural town. Zane snapped out of his groggy mode and jumped out of bed, tripping over the mess he called a room and throwing on some baggy day clothes.
“The pumpkin patch, the hay maze, the candy-” He mumbled to himself on his way out the door.
“I've been waiting for this since last year!”
The Festival was fun as always, and the sweets stands were stocked and ready for the townsfolk. Someone tripped over the edge of a wagon and made a dramatic scene of it, despite being unharmed. Zane ate too much candy and got an upset stomach. Basically, things were the same as last year... but, as the day went on and the moon rose in the sky, Zane's thirst for adventure led him to a somewhat quiet corner of the event, where a small tent stood still. A cloth sign posted between two support poles read, “The Mirror Maze”. Despite having attended the festival for the last decade, Zane couldn't remember anything of this sort from previous years. Curiosity and impulse pulled him into the dark tent, which seemed to be bigger on the inside than out.
A frail, scruffy-bearded kalon sat in a rickety wooden chair, slowly and rhythmically tapping the table in front of him. His eyes were glossy as he met the gaze of a curious Zane.
“Here for the Mirror Maze, child?” The stranger said in a grainy voice.
“I don't remember this attraction. I don't remember you either.” Zane spoke bluntly. “Er... and, hey, I'm no kid.”
The stranger grew a slight smile. “It's a traveling gig, child.”
Zane noticed a long cloth that seemed to conceal another part of the tent. That must be the entrance, he thought to himself. “So.... through there?”
“Yes, but I must ask that you follow the rules of this... attraction.”
“Rules? That's no fun.”
“They are simple enough. I strongly suggest you look them over.” The stranger prodded, suddenly reaching out to Zane with a paper in hand. Zane took ahold of the paper and skimmed the page. It seemed like gibberish, so he figured it couldn't be
that important. He walked past the stranger and up to the long cloth barrier.
“Oh!” Zane blurted suddenly, turning back to the stranger. “Here.” He said, placing a chocolate candy-pop in front of the stranger. “The booths are closing now, and I've had my fair share. Hope you like candy.”
...and in he walked.
In The Mirror Maze, you may feel alone.
When reflections appear, it is fate that is sewn,
The voices you hear, in their curious tone,
Are as real as the grass, the water and stone.
Why is it that no matter how many turns I take, I can't seem to progress?
It must be getting late. I need to go home...
I'm getting sick of seeing my own face.
So, so sick of it.
…
But... it's strange.
These reflections look as lost as I feel.
My expressions and movements aren't matching up.
Am I delirious?
…
I'm tired. How could a space so small be so troublesome?
…
Wait... In that reflection, I can see a candy-pop in my pocket. I don't have one though, I gave my last treat to that stranger. That stranger... the paper... what did the paper say? The words look blurry. I must've smudged the ink.
But... I can make out some of the words.
00 The Mirror Maze, 000 000 feel 00000.
0000 reflections 000000, 00 00 0000 0000 00 0000,
The voices 000 0000, 00 00000 0000000 0000,
Are 00 real 00 000 00000, 000 00000 000 00000.
Feel reflections?
The voices are real?
Zane reached out and touched a mirror, his reflection following his movements. It was warm.
“You learn quickly.” A voice said, as the reflection's mouth moved. The reflection faded, and Zane stepped through the mirror into a room surrounded by similar mirrors, ones lining the floor, walls and ceiling.
“You don't usually get this far, you know.”
“But you're different from... well, you.”
“So I have one thing I'd like to ask.”
“Do you know what happens when you don't learn? When you aren't different?”
“The same thing that happens every time.”
“You get stuck in the maze.”
Zane awoke once again to his blaring alarm clock. He was confused, but remembered that today is an important day.
The day of the Fall Festival.