I’ve always been a strong swimmer, but swimming in aether is tricky. When swimming in water, you just push your way through. You can’t do that in aether- the more you struggle against it, the more it solidifies. If you don’t fight it, you can slide right through, but it’s harder to control the direction you’re going this way. This also makes dodging the aether life a lot more difficult. Nothing between Ninia and Arbnia are particularly big, as the planets are pretty close together, so while I don’t really have to worry about running into anything big, a mouthful of random vines and squirmy fish still isn’t particularly fun or delicious.

After playing with how much to slide and how much to push for a while, my destination is finally in sight- Arbnia’s world dock! I’m so relieved to see it, I’m so tired! Good thing I’m getting a boat after all. I get myself in position, and slide straight towards it, head-first, at full speed. And then fuller speed. And even fuller speed. The speed just keeps getting fuller and I realize- I’m being pulled towards the planet. It’s too late to slow down now. As I cross the atmosphere it cushions me just enough that I am no longer falling head-first, I am now tumble-rolling through the air towards the dock. Is this really how I die? Just as my adventure could begin, it ends? My thoughts are interrupted as I crash into the dock, and continue rolling. If there’s anyone else here, I have no idea, because all I see is blurred blue, green, and brown as I keep moving. Occasionally I hit what feels like a pole (or a railing?), and keep rolling down in the other direction. I think I’m going to be sick.

At long last, my rolling ceases, and I’m laying in grass. My eyes are glued shut, and I’m not emotionally prepared to open them yet. As I’m trying to cope with my nausea, I think I hear a boy laughing. The laughing gets closer until it’s almost above me, and the voice, still laughing, says “couldn’t stick the landing?”

I open my eyes and see a boy with small ears on top of his head, big eyes, a tail, and what can only be described as a shit eating grin. He’s covered in dark brown fur everywhere that isn’t his face, which is a leafy green, and has a little blue hat on.

I kind of just stare at him for a second. Maybe I hit my head too hard? The ability to form words seems to have left me.

“Hey, uh… you good?” he asks, his grin faded only a little bit. He crouches down to my level and starts poking my face.

I slowly raise a hand in an attempt to swat his hand away. “No… pokey… face… please,” I manage.

“Yeah, you need help. Be right back, don’t move,” he scurries off.

I move my head just enough to see him disappear into a crowd of people a little ways off. It looks like there’s some sort of market over there. There’s trees everywhere, and they’re taller than anything I could’ve imagined. Wooden bridges, latters, and cabins are built all the way up and around them. Before I can form any more thoughts about my surroundings, I realize that my head has been throbbing. Covering my eyes with my hands, I blink, and my eyes don’t open again.

~~~

Next thing I know, someone is picking me up, gently holding my head.

“She fell pretty bad, I think something’s wrong with her head,” I hear the boy from earlier say.

“Sounds like a concussion. Can’t imagine the gravity difference helped. Hopefully it’s not too serious. I’ll check her out when we get to the clinic,” the person carrying me says. His voice is much deeper than the boy’s.

I open my eyes a little bit. The guy carrying me kind of looks like the boy, but much bigger and wider. His hair is shorter and thinner too, so you can see the green skin on his arms a lot clearer. He sets me down in a thick, orange sheet suspended tightly at each end by wooden poles. I think this is the comfiest thing I’ve ever layed in. He pulls me with a rope tied to the front pole, and the boy grabs the back pole.

“Oh, are you awake? We’re just taking you to the clinic to make sure you’re not too messed up, so don’t worry,” the boy says, grin still intact.

Reassured and insanely comfy, I close my eyes again.

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

~~~

When I open them, I’m in another suspended orange sheet thing. All I can see are the sides of the sheet and the wooden ceiling. The boy and the bigger guy are talking nearby.

“Yeah, it’s definitely a concussion, compounded by gravity sickness. Do you know where she’s from?”

“No, I only saw her fall down the dock tree. It was hilarious the way she fell down the ramp though! She was like, ‘BING BING BING BING’. You had to have been there,” the boy laughs.

The bigger guy audibly sighs and walks over to me. His head appears over the side of the sheet.

“How’re you doin’ in there?“

Still feeling very out of it, I hold an unstable thumb up and flash a tired smile.

“Yep, sounds like you took a pretty bad fall back there. Can you sit up for me? I wanna ask you some questions.”

I have no idea how the hell to sit up in this thing. I think he can see that on my face.

“I’ll help you up,” he says, and he lifts my legs over the edge of the sheet. Seriously, how is this such a comfortable bed AND chair?

He sits down on a wooden stool across from me. I don’t think he had glasses on before, but he’s wearing a pair of small, thin-rimmed glasses. The boy is sitting in another stool next to a desk on the other side of the room.

“Before we begin anything,” the bigger guy starts, “what’s your name?”

“I’m Hana,” I reply. A pen on the desk by the boy starts… writing something? It’s moving on its own.

“Oh, did the pen surprise you? Sorry about that,” he smiles warmly, and holds up his right arm, pointing to the thick white line on it, and continues, “I’m a doctor. My name’s Dr. Doktur. I promised years ago that I’d help all injured and sick who come see me.”

“Doctor Doctor?” I tilt my head to the side.

“Figured it’d be easier if my name was my occupation,” Doktur shrugged.

I look at his arm again. The pen stopped writing, as if waiting for instruction.

“So promises really do give you powers?”

“Yep! I’m surprised you didn’t know that,” and gestures to the promises on my arms, “what were your promises?”

“I don’t know,” I say.

“You don’t remember?” he asks, visibly concerned. The pen is moving again.

“I’ve had these my whole life. I don’t remember that far back.”

He sighs, “Gotcha. I’m testing your cognition because you hit your head, so when you said you couldn’t remember making promises I got worried. But that’s interesting! What planet are you from?”

“Ninia.”

“Oh, right next door, huh? Can you tell me what planet you’re on?”

I think for a second, and say “Arbnia.”

“Good! Can you tell me about your day?”

I tell him about my whole day- about trying to sneak out, about breakfast, about the envelope Chris gave me to give to the boat guy… Don Tom. And then I tell him about Pomme, and the promise she made. Then I tell him about swimming through the aether, and sliding faster and faster towards the planet, and falling down the dock and into the grass.

“Can you tell me what the dock looks like?” he asks.

“...No. I didn’t even see it with how I was falling. Are there… poles on it? I hit my head on poles, a lot, I think.”

The pen writes furiously.

“Yeah, I have no idea how you’re alive, let alone thinking this clearly,” he laughs, and then winks, “Maybe that’s your power! Can fall, a lot, and not die!”

A short snorting sound comes from the boy at the desk. When I look at him, I realize that his face is red, probably from trying not to laugh this whole time.

“That’s when I met him!” I point at him, “what’s your name?”

“Igby,” he raises his hand, his grin wider, “nice to meet you.”

“Alright, now that we’re all introduced,” says Doktur, “what can you tell me about your symptoms?”

I think for a second.

“I have a pretty bad headache, my body feels sore, and I’m a little dizzy.”

“Any nausea?” Doktur says.

“After I fell, yeah. But I don’t really feel like puking anymore.”

“Good, good. Seems like you’re pretty much ok,” Doktur says, “normally I’d treat the headache and dizziness, but it looks like it’s resolving all on its own! That being said, I think you should lay back down and rest until you feel better.”

I nod then wiggle back into the sheet and close my eyes.

“I’m gonna get some work done, Igby’ll stay here with you. Let him know if you need anything,” Doktur says, already leaving.

I think I hear Igby start to say something, but I’m already back asleep.