text: Jeremy Adler sat on the floor of his bedroom, leaning on the back of his bed frame, reading whatever book had stumbled into his hands at an astonishingly fast pace. Reading was Jeremy's thing . He would read at such a speed that you couldn't even be sure he was absorbing the words. Getting sick of his reading, he decided that once he finished this chapter, he would take a break. But once he did arrive at the end, he extended his stop time to just another chapter, until before he knew it, he had no intention to stop. His position changed several times throughout the reading process. He'd rotate from lying on the floor to sitting up, to hugging his knees, to resting on his side. This speed reading activity always did a number on Jeremy's neck, which was exactly what he was thinking about when he heard it . It was like a shimmer, or a sparkle. So gentle and quiet the first time, Jeremy assumed he'd imagined it. Or perhaps it was just him, subconsciously shifting in his seat, causing a ruffle. But the second time only confirmed it. When he sensed movement in the room, his eyes darted up, directly at a spot on his wall where there once was nothing but a bland, ivory wall, now hosted a window shielded by mist. He was confused. For some reason, not at all surprised, but confused. Jeremy’s room was on the top floor of the house, which resulted in him having the highest ceilings. The window was high. He didn’t want to go downstairs and face having to explain why in the world he would need a ladder, so he pushed his bed just far enough to reach the window. Jeremy stood on top of the bed and peeked over at the clouded window. He raised a brow, stumped. Maybe it’s foggy outside. But that wouldn’t make sense, the window wasn’t there before. Jeremy plopped down on his bed, jolting the springs. He so badly wanted to give in to his curiosity, to climb and take a peek, but he restrained. He stood up and began pacing around the room, weighing the options. After about a minute, he realized he was wasting his own time, and that this peculiar investigation was inevitable. Jeremy didn’t understand why he wasn’t shocked so much as intrigued. His hyper mind raced with questions and he was thirsty to find an answer to them. He made up his mind and stood back up on the bed. Reaching to open the window, he was greeted with more dusty, cool mist. Without second thought, he shoved a hand through it, and was met with cool, but warm air. It was perfectly fitting, the exact temperature you would have imagined the mist to be. Now that he had just barely tasted it, there was no way he could stop. He needed more . He had almost no upper body strength, he was skinny and his scholarly mind was completely uninterested in sports of any kind. Thus, he somehow managed to reach up to the window. He pulled himself over the ledge, and though he thought he had stabilized, he lost his balance and fell over the other side of the window--into the mist. He began falling. Down, down, down. His body spun to the command of the wind and he fell for what felt like hours. Really--it felt like hours. First he was confused. Why aren't I landing onto the floor of his lawn? But eventually he moved onto fear. Am I going to hit hard ground? And lastly, the stage of disbelief. This isn't happening. Pinch. Once he became aware of his surroundings while falling, he realized his eyes had been closed the whole time. He opened them, and reached ground. Jeremy winced, but felt no pain. It was a material under his back that he couldn't quite determine. Jeremy sat up to meet the eyes of a group of ogling...people? One (woman?) had wings on her back, tender, like Tinker Bell! One (man?) had two colorful parrots, one resting on each of his shoulders. Jeremy could have sworn he was seeing things. He wanted to scramble away--his head was begging for it--but his body was not complying. He sat there staring at the odd group as they returned the expression. "What is it?" The fairy woman whispered. "Is it a doll?" Another one said. "It's eyes are far too small to be a doll. A garden man perhaps." A different man suggested. "What? It isn't growing any leaves, it can't be." They finally silenced, the four of them, Jeremy had now determined with his newly focused eyes. His eyes widened and he gasped when he saw a creature with the silhouette of a human, but scales instead of skin! The fairy woman stepped forward and offered out her hand with a strained smile. "I am Grevillea, dear, what is your name?" Jeremy was silent. She was talking. To him. "Does it talk?" Scaly person said. Jeremy coughed and blinked several times. "Jeremy," he had their attention, "is my name." They looked unimpressed. "What kind of name is Jeremy ?" A metallic looking man said. "What kind of name is Grevillea ?" Jeremy retaliated. Fairy lady scoffed. He stumbled to his feet. "Where are you from?" Robot guy said. "Colorado." Their faces were stoic and unresponsive. "Earth? Floating rock in a galaxy? No?" Silence. "Okay, um, I'm not from here. I fell out of my window. I need to get home." He tried to simplify. "How does one fall out of a window?" The robotic man questioned, stroking his chin. "I-I don't know. I just did. That's not the point. Who are you?" Jeremy was starting to get a headache. "I am Kitt," The robot-man spoke. "My name is Grevillea." Fairy woman said again. "He knows that," Scale skin lady said. "I am Etis." Jeremy couldn't help but ask. "What are you?" She scoffed. "I am a dragon nymph. How rude." Jeremy hadn't meant to be offensive. Considering other's emotions was low on his list of priorities at the moment. The parrot man stepped forward. "I'm Zink. On the left: Port. On the right: Ruffle." He pointed to each parrot, speaking in a low, raspy voice. Jeremy could not deal with these peculiar names. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," He said to himself with an untimely grin. "What's Kansas?" Etis asked. "Where the hell am I?" The strange creatures all bursted out into laughter, before realizing he was serious when he made no effort to deny his question. "Where are you?" Kitt chuckled, "Why you're in Eternity! More specifically, Caverest City. It's the capitol, didn't you know?" Jeremy shook his head. Kitt went on, "We were actually on our way back from a stroll on the outskirts, the entrance is right past those gates." He pointed. Jeremy pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, sorry to be blunt, but I need to get out of here. Will there be anyone in there who can direct me home?" Etis and Grevillea whispered into each other's ears. Etis then spoke up. "Perhaps we can consult the Chancellor." Kitt, who Jeremy had now discovered was quite talkative, interjected. "He's why this is the capitol, you know. Because he chose to live here. Zink often entertains the Chancellor with his birds. Perchance-" He is cut off by Zink. "They are not birds!" His face is red and angry. "They're parrots." "Right, right. Parrots. Anyways," Kitt drones on, "Zink could possibly get us a meeting with the Chancellor, couldn't you Zink?" Zink, who was seemingly still bothered by the mislabeling of his parrots, huffed without a response. Jeremy wasn't sure what to say. Instead, he just followed them into the indigo colored gates that lead to Caverest City where he would apparently be meeting the infamous Chancellor. After the five of them entered the gates, Jeremy felt a shadow casted over him, it became darker. Within the city, there were tall, almost dystopian and futuristic structures and buildings. But the floor was the strangest part. It was...rock? When Jeremy looked up, he yelped at the dome that engulfed the entirety of the small city. "What's that up there?" He mumbled just above a whisper. "Thats the cave, silly. Wow, you really aren't from here." Etis replied. He saw it now. He was in a massive cave. So tall that the high-rise buildings didn't hit the top, and decorated with blocks of buildings. Eventually, with Jeremy still processing how he had somehow gone from his bedroom to...here, they reached a tall skyscraper. This was clearly the tallest one of all. The top nearly reached the cave's roof, and surely had a spectacular view. Within this tall skyscraper, lived the Chancellor, of whom Jeremy didn't quite understand other than a Star Wars reference. When the group attempted to enter the elevator, there stood two guards, both dressed in indigo suits with matching glasses. Jeremy did a double-take. "Hello," Zink began, "Chancellor's parrot entertainer. Assistants." He pointed to the rest of them. Jeremy had now determined that Zink was a man of little words. Jeremy wasn't sure what he thought of Etis and Grevillea, for they both remained composed. The two people in odd colored suits exchanged glances before nodding them to pass and enter the elevator. ~~~~~ Kitt had been arguing with the guards in front of the Chancellor's door for quite some time, but Jeremy literally could not keep track of time. There wasn't a clock in the whole city. Twenty minutes felt like twenty years but sometimes a day felt like an hour. Time was fuzzy in Eternity. Grevillea, Zink, Etis, and Jeremy stood back watching Kitt attack the guards until the two doors swung open. " What is all this ruckus?" An intimidatingly calm voice slowly sounded into the hall. Jeremy didn't need to ask. The Chancellor. Well, it was safe to say he looked nothing like Darth Sidious. This man was middle aged, with some specks of gray in his hair and wrinkly eyes. He had defined features and a chiseled face. He was eminently striking, and particularly hard to read. Jeremy thought the group was about to be killed or arrested but the Chancellor's sharp gaze turned to pierce the eyes of the guards. "Am I to believe you are denying my good friend Zink entry?" "N-no sir." One began. "Certainly not sir." The other defended. "We-we didn't know." "Come in." When they entered to his glorious central living room, the Chancellor poured two cups of a sort of liquor--one for him and one for Zink. The two sat while Grevillea, Jeremy, Etis, and Kitt--who was unusually mute--stood awkwardly, observing. "Why are you here?" The Chancellor directed his question at Zink. It appeared that Zink had been modest about the true connection he had to the Chancellor. "The boy. Not from here. Fell out of his window. From..." "-Colorado!" Jeremy interjected. He cleared his throat. "Sorry." "In another world. Called Orth." Zink continued. "-Earth. Sorry." "Needs to get home. Doesn't know how." No one spoke while Kitt, Etis, and Grevillea looked terrified and uncomfortable. Everyone stood, staring at the Chancellor. "I've never heard of such a thing," He confessed after longing quiet. "Are you familiar with The Cliff of Cessation? Theres a woman by the name of Haeledi. You must go see her. She lives in the Green Abyss." Grevillea gasped, clutching her heart and Kitt stood wide-eyed, gaping. Jeremy rolled his eyes. He'd grown to understand that drama was a common trait in this duo. "What's the Green Abyss?" Jeremy questioned genuinely. "Oh! Don't say it!" Grevillea collapsed onto the couch. To avoid more humiliation in front of the Chancellor, Jeremy thanked him profusely and pulled them all out of the building, until they were standing on the rocky cave street. "Okay. Let's go." He said and began walking towards the direction of the gate. Zink tagged along quietly, but Jeremy stopped when he realized the other three weren't following. "What are you guys doing? C'mon! I wanna get out of here." "Listen Jeremy," Grevillea sighed, "I know you're foreign, but you don't know the Green Abyss. It rests under the Cave of Cessation, and the people that go don't come back." "Etis?" Jeremy said. She gave him a nod, showing her support. Jeremy turned to walk the other way, with Etis and Zink following. Kitt and Grevillea stayed back. "Oh crap." Jeremy groaned. "How are we going to get there?" But when he looked up, Etis was gone, and in her place stood an enormous, dazzling, dragon. She roared and Jeremy gawked in awe while Zink climb onto her back, parrots included. He swallowed and copied Zink's actions. Just as Etis was about to take off, Jeremy heard a grunt. " Ugh. We're coming!" Kitt hollered from the ground with Grevillea lifting up her colorful dress to follow. Jeremy laughed as they gripped Etis's scaled body, and suddenly felt wind blow into their faces. They ascended, watching Caverest City get smaller and smaller. It was indeed a spectacular view. ~~~~~ Jeremy didn't know he'd been sleeping until he woke up to a light tap by Grevillea, signaling that they had arrived. He sat up to see the large, eerie cliff from above. His thoughts were interrupted. Can you guess who by? "This feels like a terrible idea. Do you know what cessation means? The end. Death. Gone! I don't want to die!" Kitt whined. "So where is the Green Abyss thing?" Zink held tight to his parrots and lead Jeremy to the edge of the cliff. "Down." Jeremy sucked in a breath. He understood the fear Grevillea and Kitt had now. Far, far down, there were trees. Hundreds. But no ground. Right were the tree stump would end, lay more trees. "...And I've heard of Haeledi. She lives in the trees! I heard she kills every creature who attempts to seek her guidance. Is she an elf? Do you know? Is she a nymph? Is she-" "KITT. Shut up!" Jeremy was a reserved person. But Kitt had clearly exposed a new side of Jeremy he himself didn't know of. Kitt silenced in astonishment. "I have to go down there. It's my only way out." "There might be other ways, Jeremy. But for this way, I cannot go any further." Grevillea soothed him, and Etis purred, still in her dragon form. "No." Zink surprised everyone, "We go down together." And he jumped. "Zink! Zink no!" Grevillea screeched diving in after him, with her fairy wings keeping her afloat. Jeremy looked down, shocked, only to see that Zink was alive and well, for he himself had turned into a tremendously large parrot. Jeremy climbed back onto Etis's back, looking at Kitt. "Are you coming?" Kitt joined him, shaking with fear. "Do you transform into something?" Jeremy asked, trying to lighten the mood or avoid the fact they were going into certain death. Kitt chuckled and shook his head, and they were off. Down, down, down. They plummeted, apparently fine for a while until the pressure of the wind began to increase. Similar to when Jeremy fell from his window, he had no concept of time. In fact, there had been no concept of time this whole trip. They could have been here for days. Did his parents miss him? He turned back to Kitt. "What time is it?" He yelled over the wind. Kitt looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What's time?" Jeremy faced forward again. Ah, he thought to himself, Eternity. Suddenly, Grevillea's right wing ripped, due to the stronger wind. She yelped, and Etis fought the wind to go catch her, but she was too late. Grevillea's second wing did the same, and she disappeared. "GREVILLEA!" Kitt yelled. He began to sob. The wind was ferocious now. Sound had become simply an idea, not a thing. Jeremy's ears hurt from the wind until he couldn't feel them anymore. Jeremy watched the wind from above rip Zink's bright red tail, causing him to lose balance. He began sinking until he too, was gone. Kitt was crying hysterically now, understanding they were next. Kitt was speaking but Jeremy couldn't hear. Kitt then ripped off a leather necklace, and tied it tightly to Jeremy's neck, just before the wind threw Kitt off Etis's back. Due to the wind's antagonizing power, Etis forcibly transformed back to her rough, humanlike form, separating from Jeremy and her too disappearing from his sight. Jeremy didn't know what was going on. There was no emotion. No shock. Nothing. "Dinner!" He heard a faint echo. "Dinner!" It became louder. He was falling, staring up at the overcast sky, everything in slow-motion. "Jeremy, DINNER." He looked up from his book. His mother was standing in the doorway of his room. "You were really into that book, huh?" She laughed. Jeremy was silent, shifting his gaze between his mother's perplexed look and the book in his hands. He was in his room. There was no window on the wall. "Hey, nice necklace by the way, where'dya get it?" His eyes were vast, as he glanced down at the necklace that had been on Kitt's neck just moments ago. Jeremy was silent. "Mom," He said slowly, "Where am I?" Her brows furrowed. She scoffed. "Um, Colorado?" "On Earth?" He asked. "No, on Saturn." When she realized he genuinely believed he was on Saturn, she corrected herself. "Jesus, yes you're on Earth. Whats gotten into you?" He swallowed. "Long day." "Alright. It's dinner. For the eleventh time." She smiled and left. Jeremy closed his book with shaking hands and looked on the front cover. There, drawn on were the images of Grevillea, Zink, Kitt, and Etis--in dragon form of course. And right above them rested the title of the book. Eternity.