The first thing Allan heard when he awoke was a soft humming, a gentle hum like the purring of a cat in sleepy happiness.
Allan opened his eyes and realized he was no longer in his own backyard but instead stuck in some kind of cozy prison. A sack maybe? Whatever it was he could not move, at least not much. He could twist and rotate a bit but that was all.
He furrowed his brow and tried to open his eyes. His eyes felt glued shut but he slowly forced one of them open.
Where am I, thought. He tried to look for some recognizable landmarks like say His House but it was nowhere to be seen. He mustered up the eyelid power to get his other one open just in case one-dimensional viewing was messing him up somehow but once he got it open he still had no idea where he was. Instead of his familiar backyard, he was surrounded by a lush farm field or something like it. Long stocks of green vegetation with bright orange flowers pressed in all sides around him as far as he could see.
The sky was bright blue and a very nice breeze was blowing. He could tell since the stocks waved gently.
What is this place?
Allan pushed himself as far as he could out of his prison to see if he could get any more clues. He met with resistance but was able to poke his head out a bit further and was able to see a green and black sack that was holding him firmly in place. He flexed his legs to squirm a bit further but there was no give.
“Dammit. What the hell is going on here.”
He thought for a second then pulled himself back inside and instead pushed his right arm up through the hole and started backing on the sack to see if he could break it apart but every time he did a light pulsed brightly. He could even see it easily from the inside. The cocoon made a ‘bung’ noise almost like he was playing a large drum and the sound did not particularly make him feel easy.
He eventually gave up pulled his arm back inside and just tried to relax.
Every time Allan had gotten frantic in the past it had always made things worse and he didn’t need that right now. Joy. He needed Joy but where was Joy he had almost forgotten about her.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“Joy are you there?” he yelled. He tried a couple of more times but nothing. Nothing but a click click click sound that was getting closer.
Allan stuck his head back out and looked for the source of the sound. Maybe someone could give him a hand.
Two black eyes with furry eyelashes were staring directly at him and Allan froze like a discovered baby bunny.
“Resosonic?” the creature questioned as it swayed from side to side.
Allan’s Jaw dropped or maybe retracted back in since he was lying on the ground.
“Is that a question?” Allan spoke softly to himself.
The creature backed up and its two eyes moved far apart a row of tiny red beads strung across between the two and laser beams shoot out and scanned across Allan. Furry eyelashes moved up and down and clicking metallic mandibles chattered.
He was talking to a spider, or some kind of half mechanical half organic creature.
“Query,” the creature said and tipped its body toward the sky then appeared to zone out. Buzzing and hums mixed with more clicks took continued as it stayed entranced.
“Paragon judgment … Creature appears … not fully formed … termination recommended.”
Allan flinched as the small creature made a series of precise and quick movements. Was it taking measurements for his coffin?
“Are you sure you couldn’t just let me out of here?” Allan said.
“Unprocessed, unfinished, imperfection.” The spider raised his front legs and placed them on the cocoon.
“Wait wait wait,” Allan pleaded.
He moved his head further out of the cocoon and bobbed his head back and forth. “See I can move my head and,” he pulled his head back inside.
“Look, look,” he put his arm outside of the cocoon and waved it around. “See I can move my arm and,” he pulled it back in put his other outside, and waved. “See I have two arms.” His head reappeared as he continued, “My legs feel fine. I can push myself up and move them around. I just can’t myself out of this, ah whatever this is.”
“Terrestrial human. Unmade resosonic. Failed conversion,” The creature clicked. “ Imperfection will affect percentage base of successful rebirth of planet.”
“Successful what?”
Allan's voice trailed away as the creature hefted him up above its head and scurried away.
He pulled his head deep inside and tried to keep from getting smacked on the passing vegetation.
Oddly enough the ride was rather smooth and though he was terrified, Allan was quite impressed!
The terrific ride came to an abrupt end however when gravity suddenly seemed to take over and Allan felt himself getting launched and then falling, impressively fast.