Reality is Insanity

Yay! Merry Christmas everybody!!! Or merry whichever holiday you celebrate. I wanted to give all of you a present and I thought what better gift than a new chapter on Christmas Day? I can’t tell you how happy I am seeing how many people have been reading this story and how many have reviewed, so this is my way of saying thanks! I can tell you I almost didn’t get to finish this because I had an accident today…I spilled a half glass of Sobe all over the keyboard! How horrible is that!? But thank whatever electronic gods there are my keyboard is okay and working just fine. So I shall answer reviews then let you continue onto the new chapter.

Cindy: Wow thank you so much, I’m flattered! I honestly didn’t think this story was going to be so enjoyable to people, but I’m glad I was wrong. Again thank you for all your kind compliments. I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Raine: Wow good thing it’s not that long yet if you couldn’t stop yourself ^-^ Thank you, sometimes I think the real world has sapped me of most of my imagination, like it has with others, but I guess I was wrong on that too. As long as you keep reading I’ll try and keep updating!

Aisha: Oh goodness, Aisha, we only just met *eyelash flutter* Hehe just kidding, but I’m glad you liked it and hopefully this one will be good too.

Passing Reader: Wow, okay now you’re just trying to make me blush. Thank you so much for saying such things and yay this story has its first official loyal fan! Enjoy this next chapter, won’t you?

Anonymous: *sighs happily* And its these kind of reviews that make me go squee! (Even though most reviews do that but it’s the point of the matter) Thank you very much, I’m glad the thought that I put into this story is evident because if it wasn’t that’d make me cry. Well, hopefully I can keep it up to your expectations.

Anon: Hehe yay someone else who liked Bird! We’ll just have to see what happens with it, won’t we? And your order for an update is coming right up. Hot and ready to read!

Madlodger: Woot I’m very happy to hear that the chapter was enjoyable (because that’s what I strive for, isn’t it?) I’m also glad you liked Bird and yes I actually did write down everything Joshua said around Bird so I knew what it could say. Dedication at its best, huh? Hehe well your questions will be answered…at some point, as to why this happened to Joshua and yeah he wishes he knew where to go too. And no, thank you for reading and reviewing.

That’s all there is. Its wonderful reviews like these that make me all warm and fuzzy inside and know I’m doing a good thing with my time. I hope you all enjoy this chapter so get to it!

****************************************************

“I just still don’t get it. Alice got to Wonderland through a rabbit hole. Dorothy got to Oz by being carried away by a tornado. Then I get sent to…what’s this place called again?” Joshua asked. He turned to look back at his new companion who was currently playing some sort of hopping game with the cracks that riddled the ground.

“Nisis,” Lliamy answered offhandedly, jumping from one crack to the next that was right behind the boy.

“Right and I get sent to Nisis by getting hit by a freakin’ truck!” Joshua shouted, picking up his complaining where he had left off. He started walking again and Lliamy hopped after him. “It just doesn’t seem right to me, you know? Hole, tornado, truck. I’d have much rather taken the tornado for crying out loud!”

The two companions had been walking for what seemed like hours. Joshua was going through his fifth ranting spree and Lliamy didn’t seem to mind since there wasn’t much else to do in the barren wasteland. When Joshua wasn’t raving about the unjustness of his kidnapping – as he started to call it – Lliamy told him what she could of her world that the boy learned was called Nisis.

Lliamy couldn’t tell him much since she had been held in seclusion by her parents. The girl hadn’t even seen a new place until she appeared in The Unwanted Forest, but Joshua concluded that he at least knew more than before.

“Well, I still say that Truck guy is a meanie for hitting you like that,” Lliamy said as she abandoned her hopping game and started running in circles around Joshua.

“Lliamy, I’ve already told you, a truck isn’t a person, it’s a machine. One that people use to drive in,” Joshua told her for what seemed like the hundredth time. The boy stopped to look up at the clear blue sky. It looked just like the one back home, except for the two suns that stared back at him.

The short stop reminded the boy of his throbbing legs that were making walking uncomfortable. Joshua wasn’t out of shape, Ellie had seen to that, but he wasn’t used to so much walking. The boy’s legs thumped in exhaustion and his throat was extremely dry from having no water.

He watched Lliamy continue to run around him and she began to spin also. *How does she have so much energy?* Joshua thought as he wiped the sweat off his face. He looked back up at the sky and noticed something odd.

“Hey, Lliamy?” Joshua said and the girl stopped in midtwirl

“Yeeeees?” she asked and looked up at the sky with him.

“We’ve been walking for hours and yet it doesn’t look like the suns have moved at all. How long are your days here?” Joshua asked, looking over to her. Lliamy bounced on the balls of her feet as she thought.

“Dunno really, I guess for however long the suns feel like making it day,” she answered and the boy raised an eyebrow.

“Wait, the suns get to decide how long they stay up?” he questioned and the girl nodded.

“Yep, but the moon gets angry and they fight a lot about it. One time I think it was day for about…a month,” Lliamy told him as she tried to think back. “But then the moon finally got fed up and pushed them down. The moon is much more sensible than the suns,” she explained. Joshua stared at her as he tried to wrap his mind around how something like that was possible.

“But-but how do you keep track of days and time then? When you have to go somewhere, when you have to meet someone, how do you do that without the sun and moon being in sync and going up and down when they’re supposed to?” Joshua asked in disbelief. Lliamy looked at him curiously and tilted her head to the side.

“Why would we depend on the suns and moon for that? That’s just silly!” she told him and giggled at the thought. “Watches keep time, the suns and moon’s only job is to make it light and dark.”

“Not in my world,” Joshua said. “In my world there’s only one sun and one moon and they switch places at the same time everyday until the seasons change,” he told her and Lliamy looked stunned at this news. She stared at him a bit more before twirling and skipping away in the direction they had been going.

“You’re world sounds weird,” she called over her shoulder.

“My world sounds weird? I think you have that backwards,” Joshua scoffed as he strolled after her. “I guess my world seems downright boring compared to this one, but at least it’s safer,” he mused quietly to himself.

“Hey, Joshwa!” Lliamy suddenly called from ahead of him.

“What?” the boy asked as the girl hopped back to him.

“I was thinking about this. If getting hit by Truck brought you here would getting hit by him again send you back?” she asked. Joshua was tempted to correct her once more on the whole truck business, but decided to let it go.

“That’s like the whole amnesia theory,” he said and Lliamy tilted her head.

“What’s an amnesia theory?” the girl asked quizzically.

“Amnesia is when you lose all of your memories, like who you are, the people you know and where you’re from,” Joshua explained, starting to realize there were a lot of things Lliamy didn’t know. “One of the ways you can get it is when something hits your head really hard. The theory is that if you get amnesia from hitting your head that if you hit your head again your memories come back,” he said and Lliamy was listening intently, seemingly very interested.

“And does it work?” she asked and the boy shrugged.

“No clue. I’ve only ever seen it done in movies and stuff. I’ve never heard of it working on an actual person,” Joshua replied. “But I don’t really want to get hit by another truck to see if your idea will work.”

“Oh…what’s a movie?” Lliamy then asked. Joshua sighed as he started walking again.

“Do you people not have any of these thing in your world!?” he snapped, starting to become frustrated having to explain every little thing.

“We probably do, but I wouldn’t really know,” Lliamy said as she went after him. “Like I said, Mommy and Daddy kept me cooped up a lot and plus I’m too young to know every little thing around here,” she told Joshua matter-of-factly as she came up beside him. The boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Too young? You look around my age and I know plenty about what my world has,” he said. “How old are you anyways?” the boy then asked curiously.

“Six,” Lliamy answered and after a few steps she stopped when she realized Joshua wasn’t walking anymore. “What’s wrong?” the girl asked, turning back to Joshua who stared at her oddly.

“Six? You’re six years old?” he asked, looking her up and down. Joshua would have guessed she was fourteen or fifteen, no where near six. Lliamy giggled and shook her head.

“No, silly, not six years, six months!” she corrected him. If it had been possible, Joshua’s jaw would have dropped all the way to the ground.

“Whoa, wait, six months!?” Joshua exclaimed after he got over his shock.

“Yep, six months,” Lliamy confirmed with a nod. “Why? How old are you?” she asked.

“I turned seventeen a few months ago,” Joshua told her, still not believing she was only six months. The girl looked equally shocked by the news.

“Wow, seventeen? You’re old,” she told him with a giggle.

“And you’re really young. I guess your kind grow up really fast, huh?” Joshua asked as the two began walking again.

“Yep, compared to others I guess we do,” Lliamy replied. *This world seems to have surprises around every corner,* Joshua thought, thinking back to all the things he had experienced so far. Yet somehow, the boy felt it was only the tip of the iceberg.

After a couple more hours of walking and resting and walking some more, the journey started to become very tedious for the travelers. Sounds of growling stomachs echoed throughout the landscape and there were repeated swallowing of throats, trying to wet dry air ways.

“Joshwa, I don’t want to walk anymore!” Lliamy wailed, falling to her knees and sniffling a little. “I’m hot and tired and thirsty and hungry!” she complained loudly.

“And you think I’m not?” Joshua asked as he plopped down near her. “This really sucks, we’re not getting anywhere!” the boy shouted as he fell onto his back. “Stupid wasteland, I’d say let’s stop for the night, but the suns haven’t moved and who knows when it’s going to be night!”

As if hearing his cries of distress the two glowing orbs in the sky suddenly dropped to the horizon before disappearing, covering the land in darkness.

“Well, I guess the suns were tired too,” came Lliamy’s voice from the inky blackness.

“Yeah, but I wish we had at least some warning,” Joshua grumbled as he felt around the ground. “Where are you? We have to stay togeth-ow!” the boy cried out as his head collided with another.

“Owie, that hurt!” Lliamy said and from the direction of her voice Joshua was able to reach out and grab what he assumed was her arm.

“This is ridiculous; I can’t even see you in front of me. Shouldn’t the moon be coming up soon or something?” the boy asked.

“Well, he needs some time to wake up I guess,” Lliamy replied.

“Man, your stupid suns and moon are completely wacky,” Joshua told her.

“Oh! Joshwa, look!” Lliamy suddenly exclaimed. From the direction the suns had disappeared the pale face of the moon began to ascend, slowly shining its soft light. Soon the entire wasteland was illuminated and the two companions were able to see.

“Thank goodness,” Joshua sighed in relief.

“Yay! We can see!” Lliamy cheered. “You can let go of my leg now,” she told the boy.

“What?” Joshua looked down and realized he had grabbed Lliamy’s leg and not her arm. “Ah! Um, sorry about that,” he apologized, quickly letting go, a faint blush on his face.

“So what do we do now?” the girl asked, not phased by the grab in the least.

“I guess we find somewhere to sleep,” Joshua replied, looking around.

“What about over there?” Lliamy suggested, pointing to something behind Joshua. The boy turned to look and he had to squint to see through the semidarkness. A little ways from them were what looked like tall rock formations and smaller rocks.

“Oh yeah, I remember seeing that as we were walking here,” Joshua said as he stood up on wobbly legs. “Come on, it’s better than being out in the open,” the boy told the other, holding out his hand. Lliamy took it and was helped to her feet. The two companions then quickly made their way over to their chosen spot, the promise of rest spurring them on.

“Wow, what is this place?” Joshua asked as he looked around. Their rock formation had turned out to be something much more. The moonlight shined down on crack ridden pillars and chipped statues of interesting looking people. The boy ran his hand down a statue that had a tail with a fin at the end.

“I dunno, maybe someone lived here before,” Lliamy replied as she wandered about.

“Well, it looks like some type of building was here,” Joshua agreed, touching his foot to a giant piece of stone that he assumed was once part of a wall.

“I wonder what happened,” the girl said as she touched a pillar and jumped back with a squeak as a chunk of it fell away.

“No clue, but it’s the only shelter we have,” Joshua told her as he sat down and made himself comfortable against a pile of stone.

“Shelter or not, I just want to rest my achy feet,” Lliamy said as she hopped over to him and sat down beside him.

“You can say that again,” Joshua agreed as he pulled off his blue sneakers. He wiggled his toes a bit before massaging the throbbing pads of his feet.

“So where exactly are we going?” Lliamy asked as she followed the boy’s example and unbuckled her purple shoes.

“Like I said before, I dunno. I’m just trying to find something or someone that can help me get home,” Joshua answered, gritting his teeth as his feet tingled. “It’s either that or track down the guy that got me here in the first place.”

“That’s the one with the blindfold, right?” Lliamy asked.

“Right, if I find him I can ask him what the hell he brought me here for, but somehow I don’t think it’s good. So those are the only choices, find a way home myself or go find the blindfold guy and make him take me home. Though I’m afraid that if I do the first part that he’ll come after me and bring me right back,” Joshua told her.

“Sounds tricky to me,” Lliamy commented as she pulled off her socks that had frills at the openings.

“Yeah, I just don’t know what to do, but I guess first we just need to find anyone or a town. We won’t last another day out here with no food or water. Then I can worry about getting home. Even though I doubt it’ll be any clearer to me on how,” Joshua said with a sigh as he took off his watch and sweatband and stuffed them in his shoes.

“Why don’t we go see Juniper?” Lliamy suddenly suggested out of the blue. Joshua stopped himself from sliding down to a laying position and looked up at her.

“Juniper? You mean the tree?” he asked as he lay all the way down. Lliamy giggled and shook her head.

“No, silly, he’s a person,” she told him.

“Oh, so how can he help?” Joshua inquired, trying to make himself comfortable on the hard ground.

“Juniper is supposed to know everything about anything. I heard Daddy say he was a lunatic because he always talked about other worlds and universes and such. But if you’re here and you’re from another world then they must be true and he might know a way to get you back!” she told him and Joshua bolted upright.

“Lliamy, you’re a genius!” Joshua exclaimed excitedly. “Someone like that has to know how to get me home! He sounds like my best chance!” The boy leaned over to his friend and looked at her expectantly. “So do you know how to find this Juniper guy?” he asked. Lliamy grinned widely and nodded.

“Ye-” Suddenly she frowned and shook her head. “No, no I don’t.” Joshua’s face fell and he could feel his hope be crushed into a fine powder.

“Lliamy! Why did you bring him up if you don’t know how to find him!” he yelled and the girl shrunk away from him.

“I’m sorry! But Daddy never talked about where he lived. No one knows where Juniper is really,” she explained and Joshua sighed.

“Then how are we supposed to find him if no one knows where he is?” he grumbled.

“I dunno, I hear most people just find him when they need him most,” Lliamy told him in a quiet voice.

“Wonderful, well, I guess that’s what we’ll aim towards. Finding this Juniper or a town, whichever comes first,” Joshua said, looking off into the distance as he thought of their best chance.

“I’m really sorry, Joshwa,” Lliamy muttered and the boy looked over at her, feeling a bit guilty for yelling at her.

“Don’t be sorry, Lliamy. You were just trying to be helpful,” he said and put his hand on her head, ruffling her hair a little. The girl giggled and looked over at him.

“So you’re not mad?” she asked and Joshua shook his head.

“No, I’m not mad, now get some sleep. Something tells me we’re going to have another long day of traveling once the suns come up…whenever that is,” the boy told her as he withdrew his hand and he felt his fingers brush against one of her furry ears. *I keep forgetting she’s not human,* he thought absently as Lliamy lay down on her side, her back against the rubble of their shelter.

“Night night, Joshwa,” Lliamy said before yawning loudly.

“Night, Lliamy,” Joshua returned the good night. Lliamy smiled up at him before closing her eyes.

“Thank you again for wanting me. It’s better wandering around with you than being eaten by the forest’s core,” she said sleepily. Joshua chuckled softly at that, not seeing how dying out in a wasteland from starvation and dehydration was any better.

“You’re welcome, Lliamy, thank you for coming along to help me and keep me company,” he thanked in return. Joshua raised an eyebrow when he heard light snoring and looked down at his companion to see she was already asleep.

“Wow, that was fast,” the boy muttered before a yawn suddenly overtook him. Joshua was feeling his own tiredness so he lay back down and put his hands behind his head to serve as a pillow. The boy wondered how much they had walked that day and knew that they’d have to walk a whole lot more to get anywhere.

“By the time I get home I’m going to have legs of steel,” Joshua chuckled to himself as he looked up into the dark sky. Stars were dotted across the night atmosphere and surrounded the full face of the moon. *It looks exactly like the night sky back home,* Joshua thought. *At least our worlds have that in common…Mom, Lilah, Ellie just wait for me. I’ll come home soon, I promise,* was the last thing Joshua thought before he closed his eyes and fell into an exhausted sleep.

***************

“Joshwa! Joshwa!” The boy heard his name being called over and over and the person was shaking him.

“No, Joshwa, Joshwa. Joshwa is sleeping,” he grumbled as he rolled over onto his other side.

“No more sleeping, Joshwa needs to wake up!” the voice told him and continued to shake him. Joshua growled as he opened his eyes.

“Okay, okay I’m awake!” he snapped as he sat up. “What’s so important, Lliamy?” he asked and looked over at her. Joshua raised an eyebrow quizzically. “Lliamy, what’s all over your face?” he asked. The girl was sitting beside him with a wide grin and had what looked like an orange, syrupy substance all around her mouth.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you! I found food!” she exclaimed excitedly. Joshua’s eyes widened and his stomach growled at just the mention of the word.

“You did!?” the boy cried out, hardly believing his ears.

“Yes, see?” Lliamy moved out of the way a bit and a pile of vegetables was revealed to Joshua. They resembled squashes and were a lighter color than the ground. Brown vines sprouted from their tops and connected them all together. Joshua’s mouth fell open and he quickly closed it as it filled with saliva.

“I-I don’t believe it, where did you find them?” the boy asked as he reached out and took hold of one. It was about the size of an avocado and the texture was bumpy and rigid.

“Well, I woke up as soon as the suns came up, which was about an hour ago, and since my face was so close to the ground I was able to smell them!” she told him and Joshua brought the vegetable close to his face. A crisp, tangy odor filled his nose and he took a deep whiff of it.

“They are rather fragrant, but how come we weren’t able to see them yesterday?” Joshua asked as he lowered the item.

“Because they grow underground,” Lliamy explained as she picked one up herself. “So after I smelled them I spent all this time digging up as many as I could,” she told the boy and pointed to their side. Joshua looked over to where she was pointing and his eyes widened.

“Whoa.”

All around them Joshua could see many holes and piles of dirt. The boy couldn’t even count how many there were. He looked back at the little gatherer and noticed her dress and hands were covered in dirt, proving she had indeed dug up the food.

“Man, you just went all out, Lliamy,” Joshua told her and the girl grinned.

“Yep, yep, I couldn’t help myself. When food is involved I always do,” she told him.

“So, what are these?” Joshua then asked as he inspected the food. Even though it was evident Lliamy had already eaten some and his stomach screamed at him to just cram it in his mouth, he wanted to be cautious.

“They’re suradews,” Lliamy told him.

“Suradews?” Joshua repeated, holding up the vegetable again as the girl nodded.

“Yep, suradews. They’re a vegetable that grows mostly in deserts or barren places like this. They don’t need much water to grow and they’re perfect for animals and people that live out here because if you drink the juice inside you don’t need water,” she explained and Joshua looked at the item in his hands.

“There’s juice inside?” he asked before looking up at the girl. “I guess that would explain the stuff on your face,” he realized with a chuckle and the girl nodded. Joshua then lifted the item close to his ear and shook it. His eyes widened when he heard a loud sloshing sound come from inside. “Wow, it sounds like there’s a lot in there,” he said in amazement.

“Yep, there is,” Lliamy confirmed.

“You know, you seem to know a lot about these even though you said you don’t really know about your own world,” Joshua then said, finding it odd. Lliamy tilted her head curiously then giggled.

“Oh, well I know about these because my family lives near a desert and my mommy bought a lot of these from the market so I know plenty about them,” she told him with a smile.

“Hmm, well I guess that makes sense,” he said as he bounced the vegetable in his hands. “So how do you eat one of these?” the boy asked when his stomach gave an impatient rumble.

“You just bite right into them, like this,” Lliamy said as she lifted the one she was still holding and in one chomp ate almost half of it. The thick orange juice oozed from the center and the girl licked it up greedily.

Joshua’s belly gave the loudest groan yet from watching her and he decided he had asked enough questions. The boy lifted the vegetable up and bit a big chunk out of the bottom of it. The rough, bumpy outside was a bit tough to chew, but the layer under that was softer. The vegetable was slightly bitter with a dash of the tang he had smelled before.

From the opening Joshua had created the syrupy juice began to trickle out and the boy touched his tongue to it to test it. His eyes widened and his mouth latched onto the hole and the boy tilted his head back. A river of the liquid flowed into his mouth and he drank it eagerly. It was the sweetest thing Joshua had ever tasted and tears pricked at his eyes as he felt his body being replenished and hydrated.

“That’s how I was when I first found them,” he heard Lliamy giggle. Joshua lowered his head and forced himself to pull away from his food.

“Man, I never thought anything could taste so good,” he said, wiping at his eyes.

“When you’re starving everything tastes good,” Lliamy told him with a smile and he nodded in agreement.

“Thank you so much for finding them, you’re a real life saver,” Joshua said gratefully and the girl’s smile widened.

“You saved me first, so it’s only fair,” she pointed out and the boy nodded.

“Well, let’s eat our fill and get going. We’ll take the rest with us so we don’t starve again,” he told her.

“Then it’s off to find Juniper!” Lliamy cheered, punching her fist into the air.

“Right, or anyone else that can help,” Joshua added, not holding much hope in locating the single man. The companions then fell silent as they gorged themselves on their bounty.

***************

“Lliamy, are you sure those aren’t going to go flying everywhere with you spinning like that?” Joshua asked the girl, watching her twirl around him. Spinning with her were a few of the suradews being held by their brown vines. The girl stopped and grinned at him.

“Of course they’re not, the vines are very durable, watch,” Lliamy told him and started spinning her arm round and round, the poor, defenseless suradews going with it.

“Okay, okay, I believe you, now cut that out,” Joshua said and the girl obeyed. “At least these things are easy to carry,” the boy commented as the two continued on their way. Both of them were carrying five vines with at least three suradews on each of them.

“Yep, yep, so how long have we been walking for now?” Lliamy asked as she began skipping around the boy again. Joshua lifted his wrist to look at his watch.

“I’d say about two hours,” he replied. Joshua had been pleasantly surprised to find that his watch was still working. He wasn’t exactly sure how, but he wasn’t going to question it. Lliamy stopped her skipping and walked regularly besides Joshua and sighed.

“We’re going to have to do a lot of walking to find Juniper, huh?” she asked and Joshua sighed in return.

“Yes, I’m afraid we are. We don’t seem to be getting anywhere. The Unwanted Forest is long gone behind us and there’s nothing but wasteland in front of us. Plus, since we don’t even know how to find this Juniper person that’ll just take longer,” the boy grumbled. Lliamy visibly deflated at the news.

“Walking is stupid,” she whined and Joshua nodded.

“I agree with you on that. If we had some clue as to where to go that would make this at least slightly better.” Joshua perked up as he spotted a pile of rocks ahead of them. “Why don’t we take a break?” he suggested and Lliamy nodded vigorously.

“Yes, I like that idea,” she said, looking forward to resting her tired legs.

When they reached their destination and set their food down in a pile, Joshua sat down on the biggest rock.

“Man, I never thought I’d walk this much in a lifetime, let alone in a couple of days,” the boy groaned as he massaged his thumping legs. Lliamy opened her mouth to reply when she suddenly stopped and looked slightly below Joshua.

“Um, Joshwa, I don’t think you should sit there,” she warned, taking a step back.

“What? Why-ack!” the boy cried out as he was suddenly tossed from his seat.

“You again!?” yelled a shrill and, unfortunately, familiar voice. Joshua lifted himself from the ground and his eyes bulged as he looked at the rock that was staring right back at him.

“You!!!” he cried out in surprise, recognizing the rock from The Unwanted Forest.

“Still as rude as ever I see! Well, looks like I’ll have to teach you a stern lesson!” she shouted at him and Joshua wondered what that meant when the rock started spinning in place. The cold realization of what she was planning dawned on the boy.

“Ah! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” He yelled as he scrambled to his feet and started running as fast as he could. The spinning rock took off like a shot after the boy and began chasing him around.

“Oh dear, what should I do?” Lliamy mumbled worriedly as she watched her new friend be assaulted by the angry rock. Suddenly something bumped against her leg and she looked down. “Awe, what little cuties!” she exclaimed in delight as she saw all of the little rocks surrounding her.

“Aren’t you guys just adorable?” Lliamy asked as she kneeled down to pet them and the little rocks started bouncing around happily.

“Lliamy! Help!” Joshua cried out in the background, but the girl paid him no mind. “Nice rock! Nice rock!”

“Would any of you know how to find Juniper?” Lliamy asked the rocks as she picked one up.

“Juniper! Juniper! Juniper!” The little rocks started to chant and the one in her hands shook itself side to side.

“No, no Juniper,” the rock told her and she frowned.

“That’s okay, we don’t know either,” Lliamy told it with a small smile.

“Aiiii!!!”

Lliamy turned as she heard a loud cry and saw Joshua on the ground. Apparently the rock had caught up to him since she was now on the boy’s back.

“Have you learned your lesson?” the rock asked him and he nodded.

“Y-Yes, I’m really sorry,” he apologized weakly, the weight of the rock making it hard to breathe let alone talk.

“Are you ever going to sit on me again without asking permission?” the rock questioned next.

“N-No, I promise,” Joshua vowed and he could have sworn his spine cracked in five different places.

“Good boy, that’s much more polite,” the rock said cheerfully and, with a loud thud, she rolled off him and to the ground. Joshua took a deep gulp of air into his crushed lungs and coughed it back out just as quickly.

“Um, you okay, Joshwa?” he heard Lliamy ask and the boy rolled over onto his side in order to look up at her. Many of the little rocks surrounded her feet and she still had one in her arms. Joshua let out a weird growling sound since the ability to form words had left him for the time being.

“Oh he’ll be fine. He just got some manners knocked into him,” the rock told Lliamy. *More like crushed,* Joshua thought. “Oh, you’re the nice little girl from the tree I and my family were resting under yesterday!” the rock suddenly exclaimed. “How on Nisis did you get out of The Unwanted Forest?” she asked the girl.

“Oh, Joshwa saved me. He took the chain right off and let me come with him,” Lliamy told the rock with a smile.

“Really now? Well, maybe you are a nicer boy than I first thought, Joshwa,” the rock told him.

“It’s Joshua, actually,” the boy corrected her in a strained voice. “Ma’am,” he added when she gave him a dark look.

“That’s better, so what are you two doing all the way out here?” the rock asked as Lliamy put down the little one and began helping the boy up.

“Well, we’re looking for Juniper to help Joshwa get home,” the girl explained.

“Or anyone that can help really,” Joshua piped up, finally able to stand on his own.

“Hmm, well, for Juniper, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you. That man is harder to catch than the wind,” the rock told them. “As for help from anyone else, I’m sorry to tell you, but…you’re going the wrong way.”

“What?” both Joshua and Lliamy asked. The boy felt his gut drop to the ground and an overwhelming sense of dread wash over him.

“You’re going the wrong way. The closest town is back the way you’ve come and on the other side of The Unwanted Forest,” the rock explained. Joshua lost all feeling in his legs and sank to his knees while a look of shock crossed Lliamy’s face.

“On the other side?” Joshua asked weakly. “You mean we’ve walked all this way for nothing?”

“I’m afraid so, Joshua, I’m sorry,” the rock apologized. “If there was anything I could do for you both I would do it, but sadly I’m just a rock.”

“It’s not your fault Miss…?” Lliamy said, trailing off since she didn’t know what to call her.

“Just call me Mother Rock and again I’m terribly sorry,” Mother Rock told them. “I do wish you both the best of luck. Come along children, we should leave them to their travels,” she then told her little rocks and began rolling away. Her little children bounced around Lliamy’s feet before following after their mother.

“The wrong way! The wrong way!” they sang as they went. Lliamy watched them go before looking down at her friend.

“Um, Joshwa? You okay?” she asked, touching his shoulder lightly.

“This whole time, we’ve been going the wrong way. We have to walk all the way back and find our way through that damn forest to get to the closest town,” Joshua muttered in a daze. “Lliamy, I think I can say with confidence that I’m not okay,” he told her before falling flat on his face. Lliamy shook her head as she bent down and grabbed his arm.

“Oh come on you big baby, it’s not that bad,” she told him as she lifted the boy up onto his unwilling feet.

“Not that bad? Not that bad!? Who knows how many miles we’ve gone and who’s to say we can even find our way through The Unwanted Forest and come out on the correct side!?” Joshua yelled stepping forward a bit and waving his hand in the direction they had come from.

“You never know, we may not have to. We could find Juniper sooner than that,” Lliamy told him optimistically. Joshua’s shoulders slumped and he turned back to the girl with a scowl.

“Juniper? Yes, Juniper, the man who’s apparently harder to catch than the wind! Who’s to say he even exists!? We could be out here for days, weeks, months looking for this so called ‘man that knows everything about anything’! And even if we did find him he might not even help me!” the boy bellowed, panting heavily when he was finished. Lliamy blinked at him and tilted her head to the side.

“I think someone needs a nap,” she told him, patting Joshua’s head. “And of course Juniper exists, everyone knows about him. I’m sure if you just explain your situation he’ll help you, might as well give it a try,” the girl said. “Like you said, he sounds like your best chance.” Joshua continued to scowl at her before turning back around and crossing his arms.

“What do I know anyways? Nothing that’s what and I still say there’s no way we’re going to be able to find this guy, not if we’re stuck in this stupid wasteland,” he sulked. There was warmth on his shoulder as Lliamy laid her hand on it.

“Don’t give up hope, Joshwa. Unexpected things always happen around here, maybe we just have to…call out to him or something and he’ll appear,” Lliamy suggested, trying to cheer the boy up.

“Call to him? Yeah, like that’ll work,” Joshua scoffed and just because he felt like being a jerk in his bad mood he cupped his hands around his mouth and started to shout at the top of his lungs.

“We want to see Juniper!!! If you’re out there, Juniper, please come out so we can see you!!! We need to talk to Juniper!!!” Joshua’s voice carried across the land and he waited a few seconds before lowering his hands.

“See? Nothing happened,” Joshua said smugly.

“I guess no-” Lliamy was cut off by a loud, spin tingling grinding sound. The two looked around for the source of the noise, but couldn’t see anything.

“What the hell was that?” Joshua asked when it stopped. Lliamy continued to look around then happened to glance down.

“Um, Joshwa, a giant hole seems to have opened up underneath us. Is that bad?” the girl asked. Joshua turned to look at her oddly before looking down and indeed they were no longer standing on ground.

“Oh for crying out loooooooooooouuuuuddd!!!” Joshua screamed as they both fell into it and when they were gone the hole disappeared with them as if it had never been there.

Underground the two companions screamed as they fell further and further down. Suddenly the tunnel changed direction until they were falling at an angle like they were going down a slide.

“Whoa! Ah!” Joshua yelped as he spun around the tunnel a few times.

“Joshwa! Where’s it taking us!?” he heard Lliamy yell from somewhere behind him.

“I have no idea!!!” Joshua called back the best he could. “But I think I’m going to be sick!” Just when the boy thought he couldn’t take anymore of their ride a bright light suddenly opened up in front of him.

“Ack!!!” he squeaked as the light engulfed him. Joshua spun in circles a few times as he skidded across the ground before finally coming to a stop.

The boy held his head and groaned as his vision continued to spin even though he had stopped. Joshua looked up when he heard screaming and saw the hole he assumed he had come from. A second later Lliamy came shooting out of it and before Joshua could even react she crashed into him and they went sprawling.

“Owie that hurt,” Lliamy whined as she pushed herself up. She looked down to see she was on top of Joshua, who did not look too pleased. “Sorry,” she apologized with a sheepish smile.

“Oh, no problem, I love being a crash pad,” he said sarcastically as Lliamy got off of him and he was able to sit up.

“Even though the end hurt that was fun! We should do it again!” the girl cheered and Joshua looked at her in disbelief.

“You go have fun with that on your own,” he told her. Joshua then looked up to see where they had ended up and his eyes widened.

“Holy…” They were in a gigantic room that any librarian would have loved to get their hands on.

Large bookshelves filled with books rested against the walls and even more books were piled around the floor. The walls that weren’t covered with shelves had maps plastered over every inch of space available. Maps of places Joshua couldn’t recognize for the life of him. Tables cluttered with more books, rolled up papers, and spinning globes were placed haphazardly around the room. *And Mom thought my room was messy, she’d have a fit if she saw this place,* the boy thought absently.

“Where are we?” Joshua asked after looking over the place. He glanced at Lliamy who only shrugged and shook her head.

“You would happen to be in my humble abode,” a deep voice told them, making the two look around.

“Up there,” Lliamy told Joshua, tugging on his sleeve and pointing upwards. The boy looked up and on top of a very tall ladder connected to one of the bookshelves was a man. He was sitting on the ladder idly with an open book in his hand. The man closed the book with a snap and tossed it casually so it fell all the way to the floor with a thump. The two watched as the man then stood up and in one quick motion slid all the way down the ladder, landing on the floor with ease.

“I’m assuming you planned on coming here or you wouldn’t be here,” the man told them haughtily as he approached them. *Holy crap, he’s a Goblin King wanna be,* was the first thought that popped up in Joshua’s mind. An image of David Bowie playing Jareth in the Labyrinth appeared next and he thought the two looked very similar.

The man’s hair fluffed out at the top and the rest straightened out and went down to below his chest. It was an odd silver color with blue and light blue streaks here and there. He wore a black jacket that had white fur at the sleeves and around the collar. It was open revealing the man felt no need to where a shirt, leaving his chest bare. *Oh my God, he even has the bulge,* Joshua thought since the man’s low riding black pants were tighter than seemed possible.

A shiver ran down the boy’s spine when he saw there was no color to the man’s eyes. The irises were pitch black and an odd marking went down the man’s right cheek. Two silver stripes weaved in and out of each other, reminding Joshua of a DNA strand, and down the middle ran a straight blue strip. In all, the man looked very peculiar.

Joshua realized he had been staring when the man smirked down at him. The boy could have sworn he saw fangs peeking out at him, but he couldn’t be sure.

“I know I’m sexy, boy, but if you keep staring at me like that you might burn a hole through me,” the man purred and ran his fingers under Joshua’s chin. The boy’s face flared and he scooted back.

“W-Who are you?” Joshua stuttered, fighting away his blush. The man looked surprised by the question, but smiled at him before bowing.

“I am Juniper, the man I believe you’ve been looking for,” he introduced himself. Joshua’s mouth fell open in shock and he felt something tugging his shirt sleeve. He looked over to see Lliamy grinning at him.

“Told you so,” she teased and Joshua looked from her to the man Juniper before he fell to his back.

“Someone make sense of this place!!!” he cried to the heavens, not sure how much more absurdity he could handle, but in Nisis absurdity was its middle name.

============================Ch.3 End

So there you have it. A new character! Juniper promises to be an interesting character and I can’t wait to work more with him. And Mother Rock has made her return! She was only supposed to appear in the chapter before, but she was so great I couldn’t help but give her another appearance and let Joshua make nice with her. So will Juniper be able to help Joshua? Doesn’t seem like he’d be the type, huh? Well, you’ll have to come back next time and see. Everyone have a wonderful holiday and I hope you liked your gift! Please review!