text: TW: death and suicide near the end, though they aren't a focus of the story Lee spent all afternoon every day charting the woods behind her school. She practically had a map of the entire twelve square miles in her head at all times, and when she wasn’t physically there, she was mentally retracing her steps. So you can understand why she was surprised by the sudden appearance of a large pond in the woods. She went over the area at least a dozen times before fully committing to the idea that this pond was not there yesterday. Where did it come from? Either way, its clean, transparent water was very alluring. She would’ve already jumped in, had it not been for the fact that she couldn’t see the bottom. A pond of this size and transparency should not be that deep, yet it was. It’s not like it got deeper towards the center, either. No; it became infinitely deep all the way up to its borders. Lee grabbed a rock and tossed it as close to the center as she could. She watched pockets of air slip away from its underside as it sank. It became darker and darker until, finally, it was gone. Then, more bubbles rose from the same spot. And more, and more, until finally, a stream of water was shooting from the pond like a fountain. Lee stared, unsure whether to be frightened or intrigued. The glistening beads of water began to change color. It was slow at first; hints of deep blues transitioning into soft greens and turquoise. Then purples, and pinks, and eventually a glittering golden stream was on full display right before her. It beckoned to Lee. There was no more school, no more home, no more woods around her. It was just her, and the fountain. She stepped forward onto the surface of the water. She didn’t sink, though that did not concern her. Her footsteps sent rhythmic ripples to the edges of her now small world. She reached toward the stream and let the golden beads pass between her fingers. Lee felt herself become heavier, and the once impenetrable surface began to give way. Blinking quickly in an attempt to wake herself from this dream-like state, she realized where exactly she was. Though, it was too late. As if she had suddenly been attached to an anchor, she sank deep and quick. What felt like several soft blades of grass tickled Lee awake. She thrashed around, scaring away what were actually hundreds of jelly bean sized creatures. Their tiny feet plopped along the ground as they scurried frantically. Her laughter attracted the attention of a large, bug-eyed fellow. His body was made up of colorful, round segments. She couldn’t imagine how he kept himself from falling apart. Still, despite his alien appearance, he did not give off an ounce of ill-intent. Lee was more curious than scared. “Oi’ las, what’re ya doing so close to da water? There’s no swimming ‘ere.” She looked around, realizing that the pond was the only thing that looked at all familiar. She was no longer in the middle of the woods, but rather some kind of industrial zone. Pink plumes of smoke rose from the top of giant spiraling structures. Everything looked as if it were made out of candy; much too bright for her taste. “Olright girl,” the creature seemed annoyed now, “if yer stayin silent, at least come back to the post wit meh.” A small, wooden shack stuck out of the ground just a few meters behind him. His segments began to topple over each other as they moved toward the shack. Somehow, his head glided along them, so as to always stay on top. It was pretty enjoyable to watch, Lee thought. She brushed the dirt and any bugs that remained off of her vest. “What’s your name?” “Ah, she does speak. I’m Mush, and wer goin tah meet One. You?” “Lee.” She smiled at Mush. The shack was only about a quarter the size of the pond, and barely taller than Mush, yet it was massive on the inside. Pulleys were dragging other odd-shaped beings between several stories, and each story had a team of workers; the clacking of old mechanical keyboards echoed from every direction. Mush stopped by one of the dozens of desks, leaving Lee to awkwardly stand behind him. “Yo, one-thousand-four-hundred-eighty-seven. You know wer boss man’s at?” His metallic arms stopped flailing on the keyboard. “Yea.” He peered over his glassless glasses to glance at Lee. She shivered. “Floor forty-seven,” he sighed, before continuing his sporadic flailing. “Uh, thanks,” he leaned over to Lee, “Odd fellow, that one-thousand-four-hundred-eighty-seven is.” Lee struggled to squeeze into the lift beside Mush. It didn’t help that its thin frame was loosely dangling above the ground. “So, is everyone here named after a number besides you?” She asked. “Pretty much. Oim a hired contracta, s’posed to pick up da trash and what-not ‘round teh post. Guess that makes you da trash. Or maybe teh what-not.” Lee took it as a joke, though Mush’s expression left it a mystery. “Anyweh,” he looked up and yelled, “Eighteenth!” A strange beast on the very top level nodded at the pair. As his nodding shook the lift, Lee realized that the rope holding the lift was inside of its mouth. It began slurping the rope, slowly at first, but it soon picked up the pace. By the time the lift had reached the forty-seventh floor, Lee was on the ground holding back her lunch; Mush was fine. “Right tis weh, little one.” There were no other desks on this floor. Instead, the beings here were all wearing what appeared to be hardhats. They all mumbled variations of “oh,” “uh huh,” and, “wow,” while staring at a specific wall on the other side of the room. “Oiii, One. Look what I found!” A strange tube with a pointed head slithered over to mush. When it reached them, the head popped open like a dandelion in bloom, revealing a face within. Its grin was unbearable. “Ahh, Mush. You’ve brought me a human! Thanks so much!” it hissed. “Ahh, so tis is wut dey look like. Didn’chu say you already have one? Why don’t we just throw ‘er back in da pond, save teh trouble?” Mush rolled just slightly between Lee and One. It was clear to Lee that he wanted to protect her, though her trust in this world was beginning to diminish. For a second, One’s grin flashed with malice. He quickly composed himself. “Well, yes, Mush. BUT, these humans are exotic creatures. You see, from what I’ve read, it takes two to make more of them. Besides, this one seems much more... aware than mine. It might actually be able to hold a conversation.” The tube extruding behind One’s head writhed and popped, revealing six nimble legs. “Anyway, I’ll be taking her.” Mush inched even further between the two. “‘Scuse me sir, but tis isn’t trash, n since I found ‘er, I-” One grabbed his round head and lifted his heavy body into the air. Squeezing, he popped Mush’s head like a balloon, sending his other segments rolling across the floor in random directions. Lee didn’t have time to scream before her body instinctually bolted toward the lift, narrowly dodging One’s grip. “First!” She yelled at the lift beast. The lift began to drop, but it only made it a few floors before One grabbed the rope. With nowhere else to go, Lee jumped onto the nearest floor and sprinted to the back door. Instead of being greeted by the pond, she was hundreds of feet above the ground. It was one of the structures she noticed earlier. With nowhere else to go, and One fast approaching, she jumped. Her body made a hard thud. “Shame,” One poked his head through the door. “Well, there are others,” he sighed, “I have to find a new trash collector now too.