“Everyone, welcome to the universal land of chosen ones. Today is the day when your long-awaited wish comes true.”
There were hundreds and hundreds of people, on an equal number of platform-like things in the middle of white cloudy surroundings. There was no concept of gravity, many white platforms with golden engravings were upside down and the people standing on those were looking strangely at the ones I think are on the normal level.
it was a struggle to decide whether I was dreaming or not. There was no sense of distance either, the ones I felt were closer to me looked further away when compared to the ones I think were at a distance from me. Trying to figure this out was making me dizzy already. I lowered my head to avoid this feeling.
The expected noise made by people after being dragged to a place like this was nowhere to be found. Everyone was silent trying to understand what was going on. Being silent is supposedly done by the main lead in normal novels I have read, is everyone present here a main lead type?
“You have all at least once in your life wished to run away from everything.” “Your wish is fulfilled now.” The same squeaky voice from before echoed again.
All the eyes, including mine, looked at the mouse-like creature speaking, simultaneously. Once in your life, duh man I do that at least once a week. Of course, it’s less than the tic-tock girls who get 4 mental breakdowns per day but I mean they are not okay in their heads in the first place. But once in a lifetime… I don’t think there would be someone like that.
‘Try to keep yourself together because once you lose it it’s hard to get back.’ This was the quote that I repeatedly told myself every time something bothered me. These words helped me live like a normal person but given today's day and age, I was doing this to keep myself from dropping to the new 'normal'. And this quote repeated itself several times in my mind while I was standing there.
Huh? Run away? It suddenly struck me... have I finally lost my brain? Does that mean I am vividly dreaming or maybe hallucinating lying in the hospital bed? At least I hope I am not having something like a schizophrenia attack.
“There is another you living in your stead on the earth.”
On the earth? Then where am I? Wait another me?? Are you kidding me? It is like an old wish coming true. I mean I was 13 when I first dreamed of going to the fantasy world and having someone else take over in my stead. That feels so childish now. Wait… that childish dream… is it the one coming true?
“The part of yourself you guys have been hiding from everyone was big enough to become an entirely new person. That is the part of you summoned here. You can choose to go back by jumping down the platform. If you decide to stay then your survival is in your hands.”
Where would one land after jumping? If the person on the platform vertically above me jumped would that person land on me or start flying upwards? I raised my head to look up and the girl there was doing the same. She looked younger than me, maybe she should be 16 or 17?
The creature as small as a rat said that and disappeared with a smirk. His smirk I suppose was meant to look scary but whoever chose this thing to look scary had terrible eyes. Imagine seeing a rat smirk...
“I am going back; there is no way my family can survive without me.” It was a middle-aged American man who collected the courage to jump down first. He did go flying upwards. After seeing so many of Dad going to get milk memes, this felt ironic; “My dog!” ahem it was a Chinese person. Plenty of others started jumping down. All of them made some sort of noise before jumping; screams, and shrieks, were all audible, that sounds normal but even the deep breaths were audible.
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Every kind of sound had the same frequency. It was like I can choose what I want to listen to, other voices would die down a bit if I concentrated on one.
Even if it was told that they’ll be back in the real world doesn’t mean it wasn’t scary to jump down to nothing. Looking down at my platform, there is no end visible at all.
It was told that another part of us was living down there but it doesn’t mean that people were not worried anymore at all. Soon more and more people started moving toward the end of their platform gathering the courage to jump down.
“What do they mean by our survival is in our hands?” Another woman jumped down saying this.
If there was another me living in my stead why would I choose to go back? And what’s so bad about dying here? After all my death or life is in my hands now. I can live if I want to and I can choose to die without caring about other people crying for me. There still was a part of me thinking that I have gone insane but who cares now. I can’t see the way back so what’s the point of worrying… umm I can see the way but I am too scared to jump I'd say.
I started looking around at the people who were still standing and in no mood to jump down. There were plenty. A guy with white hair, he looked albino. To see someone like him in real life felt surreal. There was a very dark almost black lady with piercing blue eyes. Why would someone as gorgeous as her would dream of running away? But life is not just ones appearance after all. There were even a few little tiny humans. Just what were their lives like to have a completely new hidden self at such a young age?
Suddenly I caught a glimpse of a familiar-looking face she looked as if struggling with whether to jump down or not. Vanshika? There was no way dear cousin had a hidden part of herself so big to be here. But thinking about it, it was quite obvious for her to be here. She was really into dark-themed stuff and rarely talked about it. It was rather a shock that I was here actually. I spoke everything as soon as it came to my mind. I don't think that I even had a hidden self. Was it a glitch maybe?
“Hey, Vanshika!”
Her facial expressions distorted hearing my voice.
“Here!” I waved at her.
Her platform started floating towards me, maybe for her, it was my platform that was floating. It was hard to recognize her if not for her face. Her way of standing, her way of looking, her expressions everything was different. Just how much was she hiding back then?
“You are here as well? I didn’t expect you at the very least” She said in a somewhat cold voice.
“Yea, I am surprised as well seeing myself here. So you are gonna jump down?”
“Yea”
“Are you sure you want to?”
“Huh?”
“You wanted to run away as well, right? More than what I wanted.”
“We can’t be sure that there is another us down there”
“Then are you sure you really will be back after jumping down?
“I don’t know I can try at least.”
“And what if there was another you down there? Won’t you regret it? The part of us supposedly down there is the one we showed to everyone. Means the perfect you and me who can do what they are supposed to do efficiently.”
“You thought so much in this much time?”
“Nah it just came to my mind while speaking.”
“You are the same. For a moment I can believe that there is another me down there but Ashleen you are the same are you sure there is someone down there for you?”
“I don’t know but I am not jumping down.”
“What about Sid? I thought you didn't want him to be left alone.”
“He should be alright. I don’t wanna go back.” She is also the same. Hitting the bullseye, I was already worried about it and now that she has brought it up I can’t help but worry about it even more.
"You can stay, I am going down anyways. There won't be a lot for you to worry about as well this way."
“Hey! What nonsense I am the older one and why would you go down? After all, we finally got the chance, why do you want to ruin it??”
I don’t want to go back and what she said was true as well but I don’t want her to lose her chance as well.
“Hey, girls!”
We both looked in the direction of this familiar face simultaneously. It was my brother.
“I’ll take care of everything there you guys don’t worry.”
“You!!” Even before I could say something he already jumped down. There was a brief moment of silence before Vanshika spoke up.
“So what do you think they meant by your survival is in your hands? I don’t see any sort of danger here.”
“You decided to stay??”
“Of course if there is someone taking care of everything why would I go down? We can't be sure that there is another you and me down there but now at least your brother can take over our tasks as he knows what happened to us?”
“Good! But wait about survival I thought about it. There are no signs of danger here but there are no daily necessities as well.” “Maybe it might be like the comics you read?”
“You read plenty of novels as well. What do you say?”
“I think it’s not about necessities.”
Stating the obvious after thinking so much; she still is the same Ashleen I know, then what is her hidden part?