June 1st, 1946
Being a City in a Bottle was quite an adventure. At dawn everyone that was physically able
gathered in the Town Square. The Mayor
gave a moving speech about togetherness and solidarity. Even I felt a tug of emotionality towards
these people and their struggles. I
found myself leaning against my lover and his arms came around me. I was not ashamed or scared to express the
true nature of our relationship and for a moment, just a speck of dust in the
fabric of time, I can truly say that I was content.
As we prepared to be swept up by foreign and even
frightening magics, I considered what it would be like to leave the ‘big’ world
behind. I thought of all the pain,
hatred, and anger, and wondered what there was to return to. In that moment I wanted to stay amongst these
people, to learn of their science and medicine mixed with magical advances and
be with my Cyrus in the way that I’ve always wanted. A selfish notion, I’m well aware, but such a
soothing one.
Most people live their lives in pursuit of happiness and my
happiness comes in the form of a chocolate skinned vampire with a chipped fang. However, because we are both men, there are
things we are denied. We will most
likely always be denied certain luxuries that other couples take for
granted. Not here though, not amongst
these sweet magical tiny people. They’re
kind, peaceful and accepting in ways I didn’t know people could be. So why not stay here forever? Why not I ask you?
Back to the more important issues of the day. Forgive me, Journal. As I stated, we were all huddled together in
the Square and darkness flooded the city from one corner to the other. There were startled shrieks and children
began to cry. The Mayor did well to call
out to everyone, calming fears and being a beacon of light in the darkness, quite
literally in fact. He cast a spell to
illuminate the space, making a soft green glow pierce the darkness. Slowly the other citizens followed suit until
the darkness fled and we were bathed in light once more.
After the darkness came a deafening rush of air. We all fell to our knees with our hands over
our ears. It lasted only a few short
moments, but it seemed like an eternity.
The ground shook, our bodies rocked, and there was this unnatural
feeling of falling. It was all quite
terrifying and I wonder if some of the citizens might suffer from nightmares
just from the initial part. It didn’t
get much more pleasant towards the end either.
Eventually, the world stopped jostling and came mostly to a
halt. Search parties began to fan out,
using spy glasses atop the tallest buildings in search of the neck of the
bottle. By now we were so tiny it was
difficult to know where we were. It took
almost half an hour to locate the front of the bottle. We were placed near the center and facing the
wrong direction.
It was not the best half hour for me. After the jostling stopped I became aware
that the air felt thin. It was almost
like climbing a tall mountain, or being out in a sharp snow storm. It was crisp and not at all pleasant. I could not accurately estimate just how much
oxygen was within the container, but I was guessing it was not enough to
sustain so many people for any great length of time. The next few hours would be nerve wracking
for me, to the point I felt as if I was developing an ulcer.
A party of twenty men and women, including myself and Cyrus,
made our way towards the neck of the bottle.
It was far too long of a journey to go by foot, and so we flew. Cyrus carried me of course, while the others used
magic. It still took several minutes to
get there and I sweated the entire journey.
I worried over the citizens, wondering if they would suffer oxygen
deprivation first because there were so many clustered together. I would have to have those with me act far
more quickly than just in an emergency.
The twenty of us would probably not be in as much dire straits as the
thousands back in town.
Three hours passed with the twenty of us boredly standing in
front of a massive cork. It almost
looked like a giant brown bolder. To
pass the time I inspected the massive blockage, touching it and feeling the
pores. It was much different from that
of the smaller versions. Where I was
aware it would be somewhat smooth to the touch if I were larger, it was rough now,
and my hands could slide into the bumps and ridges with me being this
small. It was all rather fascinating,
but it wasn’t long before I was developing a headache, and I felt jittery and
out of place.
I inspected my nails, noting they were taking on a bluish
color. That is when I went about
checking on my comrades. Lips were
turning blue and a few were beginning to look drowsy. I smacked a few cheeks and barked orders to
begin removing the cork immediately.
I probably should have forced them to start work before I
did. It became a frightening mad dash to
work the cork out of the bottle and it proved far more difficult than we
previously anticipated. It was wedged
tight and for fifteen minutes we made no headway at all. Two of our team passed out, and the anxiety
welled in me to the point tears collected on my lashes.
Cyrus bit his wrist, forcing the flowing blood to my lips so
that I might go on without the need for as much air as the others nearby. Twenty minutes later the cork was moving
slowly, but surely, and we’d lost three more people. I fretted terribly over the citizens back in
town, envisioning children dying in the streets and parents crying out in
despair. I suppose that Cyrus was having
similar thoughts, because I heard him growl in frustration.
A blast of nothingness collided with my back and I was
planted firmly to the cork. It moved
harshly and I was thrust out into open nothingness. I heard my Cyrus scream my name, and while I
twisted in open blackness, limbs flailing to grasp anything, I felt his arms
slide round me.
It took a moment to realize what had happened, but
eventually I concluded that he used his powers of mind to shove the cork rather
forcefully. He had refrained before,
afraid that he might blast all of us out of the mouth of the bottle, but seeing
as how we’d all die without air, he must have decided it was worth the risk.
There was falling, and darkness, and then I collided with
something and there was warmth, light and I was slightly damp.
Eventually, I roused enough to sit up. I was lying on something green and smooth, and
it was wet. It was very strange and it
took Cyrus who was still holding me tightly to explain that we had landed upon
a leaf.
A few hours later search parties had gathered up all the
missing citizens and we stood in the Town Square once again. People had been scattered, but only
slightly. There were some injuries, but
nothing life threatening. From what we
all could surmise, we were now in a damp, warm, tropical forest. It was lovely, really. The town rested at the base of a large mossy
tree and there were leaves of some kind of plant in every direction. The mages worked quickly to put up a new
magical barrier and though some were still wary and frightened, it looked as if
they were going to be all right.
It was truly a whirl wind journey. I am still not convinced I do not wish to stay here permanently, but the feeling is not as strong as it was
earlier. Somehow I do not believe it is what Cyrus wishes. He is a traveling
man that moves about in search of wrongs to right. If I were to try and tie him to one place, I
think it would probably make him unhappy.
Perhaps this can be a place that we visit from time to time, however.
Anyways, I really want to bed down with my lover. Another time, Journal.
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