The Order of the Birds Shall in Turn Kill the Owl - 3

I woke up feeling lightheaded and slightly dizzy. I didn't know where I was and I couldn't move my head to see. Where was I? Did I die? Is this heaven? Was it all just an awful dream? Why is it so bright? I kept struggling as I tried to answer these questions but I couldn't move.

"He is awake" a man calmly said to someone. "Oh, is he now?" a female voice had excitedly replied. I felt slightly unsettled when i heard that. I heard her walking towards me, her shoes clapping a steady rhythm on a linoleum floor. Stopping, she looked down at me with a mischievous grin pasted across her face and said "How are we feeling today now, hmm?" I tried to talk but found I couldn't make a sound. "You and your sister have acted very naughtily and such acts would deserve punishment but I believe both of you have been punished more than enough for your manipulative ways." What she said made me realize with eyes wide open, that what had happened was no dream and she seemed to see that. She laughed and confirming my thoughts announced "Yes, you were dead." I heard her walk away as she said to the man "They fixed him up quite well, don't you think?"

I was still awake as they carted me off on what I don't know since I couldn't feel what I was lying down on if anything at all. Going down hall after hall eventually ending up in a completely white room with nothing inside except the door which was also painted white. I sat in the middle of the room with nothing to do except watch the door hoping my escape would come soon enough. "Why are they doing this to me?" I often asked myself even though I already knew the answer.

The only person I saw for a while was the woman who would only open a slot in the door so she could taunt and insult me. At least she was better than nobody at all. I couldn't determine if it was day or night so I slept when I could. There would always be a bowl of porridge or fruit that would always appear behind me no matter which way I turned and sometimes out of boredom, I'd try and figure out where it came from. Even stranger is that I did find out how, except instead of watching it appear, I watched it disappear straight in front of my eyes. If you really want to know, I was dressed in - you guessed it - white; a white sweater and white corduroy pants and they never, EVER got stained, even if I dumped porridge on myself. It's like it would never touch the clothing, it would just slide right off.

One day, one of the orderlies I suppose, threw a bunch of broken down cardboard boxes into the room in front of me and simply said "something to play with." I wasn't sure what to do at first, it was a long time since I had seen something... different. But after a while I decided to open one up. They were all flat so there was no way anything could fit into it and yet, the moment I opened it up I freaked out and screamed and yelled since it revealed a disembodied head staring at me with glossy white eyes whispering "heeeeelllllllooooooooo Daaaaannnnnyyyyyyyyy..." I retreated to the furthest corner of the room and I felt myself shitting my pants as other body parts began to crawl from the pile of boxes toward me. I curled up into a fetal position, closed my tear-filled eyes and wished that it would all go away.

I opened my eyes to see only the pile of boxes that were in the middle of the room with a silhouetted figure standing on top. He turned and looked down at me with those striking amber eyes and a smile that emanated warmth unlike the cruel grin the woman always had. "HI!" he shouted excitedly. "My name is Gary! I'm here to keep you company!" "How the hell did you get in here?!" I shouted back. "That's not important" he asserted. "The important question is how the hell do you get out?" "I plan on going through that door as soon as it's opened." "Good plan, just one problem." "What?" "It's never been opened since you got here." "I know that, but they'll open it sooner or later, they have to." ""sigh" You need a reality check my friend. There is no reason for them to open the door ever. Everything you ever need appears and disappears in this room. You're gonna be here forever if you wait." I think I was sobbing when I asked him "Why are they doing this to me?" He shrugged and answered "Your guess is as good as mine." He walked down the box pile and crouched down beside me. He... put his arm around me and let me cry on his shoulder. There I stayed until I couldn't cry anymore. "I have to go away for a little while" he said solemnly. "But don't worry, I'll be back for you." "You promise?" "Of course, I'll always be there for you." "Where do you come from?!" I blurted out. "From a place without boundaries." I blinked... and he was gone.

I continued sitting in the corner for a while. Eventually I felt comfortable enough to lie down on the boxes despite the fear of those monsters coming back. I don't know what happened next, I guess I fell asleep for a while because next thing I know I'm on this huge conveyor belt. It felt like my feet were glued to the track. There were no walls on either side of me and it looked like I was in the air; all I saw were the sky, clouds, and the pile of boxes in front of me. However, there was a PA on a single, supported bar and I had a feeling I was going to be given instructions. It felt good to be out. I also felt something else change; I wasn't sure what it was at that moment but I knew SOMETHING had changed inside me. The belt started and on the PA a person announced "Okay Daniel, you have 5 minutes to change all that cardboard in front of you into aluminum. I repeat, 5 minutes. Go!"