Otherworld

The wind howled.

On a Summer night like this, the air would typically remain still, with the occasional breeze to push back against the humid heat. Right now, however, the breeze whistled past 14-year old Marilyn's ears as he ran down the street and into the woods, his skin tingling as the wind brushed against it. The hood of his purple sweatshirt hammered against his back, and his thin-framed glasses threatened to fall.

Once he'd managed to sneak out through his window, he was off like a rocket. It was too loud for him to bear. In truth, he yearned to stop running, and he would, when he found his sanctuary. No one else dared to venture there, where the cobwebs clung to lonely equipment and the wood chips lay scattered. There would be no disputes, no yelling and screaming through walls to cloud his mind until he just. Couldn't. Take it.

He easily breached the worn yellow tape strung between the trees, once put there to block access to his destination. Now, they might as well not exist for how close to the ground they were. It was then he skidded to a stop, stumbling forward until he could see where he wanted to be in its entirety: an abandoned playground.

Only a sliver of moonlight could illuminate the dirty, rusted equipment where children played at one point in time. The climber wall was missing most of its pieces, making it nigh impossible to scale for the average child. The seesaw had been snapped in half, splintered wood jutting out from both halves positioned to form a triangle over the base. There was more dirt than sand in the sandbox now, with worms and bugs crawling everywhere inside. There was no doubt the small, stained tunnel had spiders nesting within; even in the dim lighting conditions, he would make out the silvery strings of webs stretched across the entrance.

As Marilyn made his way over to the only working swing, he briefly wondered why people left it to rot instead of dismantling it entirely. The moment he eased onto the seat and allowed himself to idly sway back and forth, every thought of his tried to drag him back to his home.

Can I even call it that anymore? he silently asked himself, hugging his arms to brace himself against the chilling wind. His wavy blond bangs hung over his eyes as he lowered his head. A home shouldn't have so much screaming all the time...

It was constant, to the point where he was perfectly fine if one of his parents was late picking him up from school, if not better off - too bad it was Summer break. If he was only with either his mother or father, he was okay. He held so much love for them in his heart, and it hurt to witness that happiness be crushed every afternoon. He couldn't stand the dread always building in his chest, spreading its roots through his system until the arguments hit their peak and drove him to tears.

"Why?" he murmured with a trembling voice, lifting his glasses before wiping his eyes. "Why can't they see? Why don't they know how much it hurts...?"

He should have been able to answer that question himself. He hadn't made his feelings clear to either of them, for he would always run away while they lost themselves in their anger. It was only a week ago that he mustered the courage to actually escape the house, just as he had done tonight. In time, he would tell them what was going on... but not now. What he needed was silent solitude; a true escape.

Marilyn drew in a deep breath, taking his gaze off of the ground to instead direct it towards the dark blue slide nearby. It was a tube slide, meant to surround children in darkness as they slid down, until they made it to the bottom. For how worn the rest of the playground equipment was, the slide looked like it was holding up considerably well. He was too cautious to use it before, but he already swore to himself he would finally give it a try the next time he needed to visit.

Upon getting up from the swing and approaching the tube slide, a memory was dragged to the front of his mind. He could almost see it right in front of him: a sunny day, a different playground, and a once happy couple smiling as their son gleefully went down the slide. The image cracked the moment he planted his foot on the first step. Once he was all the way up the stairs, the memory had faded back into obscurity. Only the entrance of the slide awaited him now.

He crouched down before hesitantly sticking his leg out into the tube, waving it around in case there were any webs to clear. He deemed it safe after his leg came back clean, properly preparing himself to slide down. He raised his hands to grip the top of the slide, using it to push off. On the count of three, he was gone.

* * *

...He should have reached the bottom by now.

It was a short slide, right? It definitely looked that way on the outside. It shouldn't have been possible to still be sliding down the tube. Marilyn couldn't tell how long he'd been moving; was it three minutes? Five? He even tried to stop himself from continuing, intending to climb back up and check for himself, but the walls were surprisingly slippery. It was impossible for him to get a grip on them.

His heart hammered against his chest, eyes wide with fear. He scrambled to escape, kicking at the walls as he continued to slide further into the abyss. Much to his luck, however, he glimpsed a dim ray of light at the bottom. It was the moonlight from the playground, it had to be! He refocused his efforts on speeding up, eagerly anticipating the moment he would be spat back outside. He already knew he would be going home after this, never to get on the weird slide again.

When he finally slipped out of the slide's exit, he unceremoniously landed on his back, nearly hitting his head. It took him a good few seconds for him to register the crunching sound he'd heard. Almost believing he had somehow broken something, he took a few deep breaths. Confusion flooded him when he could see his breath, materialized in the form of condensation. Where he lived, there was only one season in which that was possible.

He sat up straight, shivering as a sharp chill shot down his spine. He looked down to see a layer of snow coating the ground. Instantly, he sprung to his feet with a panicked gasp. His head snapped up to see he was in an entirely new place, something which should have been a complete impossibility. Rolling hills cascaded below the horizon, divided by a night sky devoid of stars. The only object he could see in the sky was a crescent moon, tilted at an abnormal angle. The dim moonlight was the only thing illuminating the area.

Most strange of all, the air was deathly still. The temperature wasn't as cold as it should have been for there to be blankets of snow everywhere; that wasn't to say it was warm by any means.

"Hello?" he yelled hesitantly. After a few seconds of silence, he cupped his hands around his mouth and tried again. "Hello?"

He didn't receive so much as a gust of wind in response. Only silence hung in the air. Marilyn quickly decided none of it was real, turning back towards the slide. Perhaps he could climb the outside, if it wasn't slippery like the inside-

It was gone.

His breath hitched. He fiercely rubbed his eyes, and what he saw didn't change. The slide had vanished without a single trace of its existence... if it had ever existed to begin with. He scraped his hands together before cupping them close to his face and blowing into them. A puff of hot air from his lips bounced back into his face, providing momentary warmth. It was a technique he used whenever he realized he was dreaming, and it always worked.

When he lowered his hands again, he was disappointed to see the same snowy hills and tilted moon in the sky. If he really was in a dream, it wasn't letting him go so easily. Every sensation, sight and movement felt more real than it should have if it were a dream. His mind scrambled to find an answer, stuck in a perpetual frenzy as it only found emptiness.

"This... this isn't happening," he muttered to himself, spinning around to take another look at the hills. Vapor billowed from his mouth like a cloud, fading into nothing as quickly as it came. "This-"

He shut himself up when he caught sight of hazy lights in the distance. They were stacked in rows, organized as if there were a city up ahead. Had it been there the entire time?

He supposed it didn't matter, when there was a glimpse of hope waiting for him. City lights meant civilization, which meant shelter and rescue. There was no logical explanation for how he went from a small town enraptured by Summer to the empty outskirts of a city plagued by Winter, but the faster he could get home, the better.

There was no other way out except forward.

* * *

There was no telling how long Marilyn had been trudging over the hills, feet encased in snow with every step. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes dragged to hours. In his perception, the city lights hadn't grown any closer. It was as if they were frozen in place, like the fallen blankets of snow or the ever so still air. The moon hadn't shifted an inch in the sky. The darkness persisted, as if promising an eternal night.

The entire time, he hadn't come across a single living being either. There were no animals in sight, not even a single bird or rabbit. No matter how many times he called out, hoping someone - anyone - to respond, all he received was dead silence.

A heavy ache settled in his legs, threatening to bring him down. He feared if he took a break now, he wouldn't get up again. He forced himself to keep trudging on, hugging his arms as he suppressed a harsh shiver. He was starting to think he was in a place beyond a dream; a purgatory, perhaps. It was unpleasant to ponder, but he wondered if he was dying in reality. The slide hadn't looked dangerous-

No, he told himself, his inner voice firm. NO. I'm not dying, I CAN'T be dying. I'm fine. I'll be fine... have some faith, huh Marilyn?

After what felt like an eternity, he finally saw something else not too far away. He couldn't tell what it was right away, but he didn't have to wait long to find out. He picked up his pace, despite his muscles crying in protest. He practically slid down the hill, sending snow up into the air as he went. He stumbled to a stop in front of the object, wiping his brow before taking a closer look.

It was a simple, empty doorframe. It looked as if it were made of wood, painted a dark shade of blue. It was standing in the middle of nowhere, perfectly intact. Narrowing his green eyes, he slowly circled around the frame, checking for anything suspicious. He was smart enough to know not to fall for a potential trap.

After performing a quick check, he found nothing except for a faint, translucent film shimmering within the frame. The sight vaguely reminded him of the spider webs lining the interior of the playground tunnel. His heart ached. Holding his breath, he extended his hand, reluctantly touching the film. He was relieved when he felt no pain, but it didn't change how weird it felt to see his fingers disappear through what should have been an empty frame.

There was no telling where it would take him if he stepped all the way through. At best, he sincerely prayed it would take him back home, as if he never stepped foot on that playground. At worst...

"I-I don't want to think about that," he murmured to himself, steeling his nerves with a grimace. His teeth chattered as he spoke his thoughts aloud. "What else am I-I supposed to do? I-if I don't do this, I'll freeze to d-death. I don't... h-have any other choice..."

With his numb fingers crossed and his sights set on escape, Marilyn stepped through the doorframe. He disappeared in the blink of an eye.

* * *

Marilyn was certain he knew the truth now. If he was dying, it would have ended long ago. A small, dark part of him wished it were true. Time was at a standstill; there was no denying that. Transporting himself from point to point, with nothing ever really changing in each isolated area, no people, no life... it threatened to rip the threads of his sanity to shreds.

Every moment of social interaction he ever experienced flicked through his head like clips of a film reel. Suddenly, his parents' yelling felt like a dream to yearn for. At least it would mean he was in the real world, never to be alone. No matter how it worked out in the end, he should have at least known he would never be abandoned.

Now, he was trapped in a world devoid of life. He wandered through places with an odd sense of familiarity about them, despite having never visited a single one of them. There was an empty office with blood-red light streaming in through the windows and hundreds of computers, with different bold letters on the black screens. There was an overgrown train station with withered vines snaking around any surface they could reach. He explored a field of the same pink flowers planted over and over, beneath an equally pink sky. The monotonous sounds from a tunnel made of clinking chains still rang in his ears.

Worst of all, he trekked through a dimly lit arcade with broken down machines and an indoor playground. The sight of the impossibly large tunnel slide incited a primal rage within his soul, driving him to break down in tears for the first time since he first ran away from home. If only he hadn't made such a stupid decision... if only he hadn't taken the slide. He was sure he would give anything to reverse it. Anything would be better than this insufferable, miserable loneliness following him everywhere he went.

There were so many places, so many experiences he now held in his mind. It was a miracle he could contain them all. He didn't know what to believe anymore. The hope of getting back home dwindled further with every failed escape. Whenever he saw a gateway, he already knew it wouldn't lead to reality. All he would do was end up in yet another isolated pocket of whatever hell he had fallen into.

And for what? Was it worth it, Marilyn? Didn't you want to get away? Well, congratulations. You got your wish. You've made your bed, now lie in it.

He couldn't feel anything by the time he reached his most recent discovery in what he now called the Otherworld: a dock made of grey wood, stretching across a seemingly endless lake. Mist permeated the air, and the water was eerily still. The weather was stuck in a light drizzle, yet the droplets of water raining down from the lavender-tinted sky did nothing to the lake.

He was long into his journey across the dock - hours upon hours, maybe even days - when he heard something new. He jolted before freezing in place, eyes wide as saucers. It sounded like a sharp wail, distant yet piercing just the same. It felt so real. There could be someone else here, crying for help, waiting for anyone to come to their rescue. Or maybe they just realized they're stuck here forever. Never to leave, never to see home or any other person ever again.

It echoed across the left side of the lake, far from the dock. If someone really was out there, he would consider his soul saved. Even if he never got out of here, he wouldn't be alone, and neither would they. However... if it was in his head, his soul would drop into the abyss, never to be seen again. He was already clinging onto the edge of his sanity, dragging his feet along as if on pure instinct.

If it was real... if it wasn't... did it really matter?

Marilyn exhaled softly. It would be something different, something other than the endless docks, enshrouded by persistent, thick fog while the water remained ever so still.

Death is an uncertainty here, he thought. For all he knew, the slide might have been the last real place he'd seen. Whether it was a dream or not, if he was really dead or not, if any of this existed in reality or not - what he believed was reality - none of it mattered anymore.

The lake rippled.