And those that don't look like half an apple!

Food.

That was all I could ever think of.

An apple was my first choice

But my head ached.

And I knew that could never please my stomach.

I peeked into a café.

Those customers having luscious croissants, with the sweet aroma of tea.

I go in.

And the prices were crazy cheap!

I scrambled into my purse.

Not a single penny.

Why do I have a purse, if I am not really using it!

AWW!

Guess I’m going home starving!

That was, until he slammed right into me.

“Hey!”

I sighed.

Why is my bad luck killing me!

“Here’s a snack! Eat it up fast!”

He held out a piece of bread.

Yes!

I munched on it like crazy.

He just stared.

Frozen in place.

“What! You got any problem with me being hungry!”

I flared.

But then he just smiled.

A smile that was crooked.

The smile that I only knew.

“Andrew?”

He just hugged me.

But how did he come back?

It was his farewell, a year ago!

“Tomorrow you are turning 20, right?”

I nodded.

“You should not go into that circle!”

WHAT?!

20 years was all you got.

And half of that, we never had a chance to think for ourselves.

It was before you would step into the circle.

Blinding white.

Big.

But as the tales mentioned it, I had never been this excited before!

It would be time to enter the real world.

A world destined for greatness.

People would gather around.

A farewell, they called it.

And all you got was a ribbon in your hands.

An honour.

A sacrifice.

A true woman.

A true man.

That’s what they said.

Finally seeing what was behind that circle.

Would finally unveil my purpose!

But if the farewell is such a great thing, why should you never come back?

I mean, it’s just travelling.

Or soaring through those skies!

Where the trees grow with endless food.

I would never starve again!

“Nicki! STOP DAYDREAMING!”

He snapped.

“You should never go there!”

“Is this one of your pranks now Andrew?”

“No! This time, I’m sure! I…”

“Whatever, but shouldn’t you be…”

He snatched the bread.

And flung it.

Before he knocked me out.

With a glass bottle.

***

I woke up to a tight slap.

“ANDREW…”

I froze.

Was that?

The circle.

I stood before it.

“What are we doing here exactly?”

He sighed.

“Just follow me! Don’t go anywhere too far, okay?”

And with that my hands were tugged.

Into that circle.

I closed my eyes.

Wondering if what he said was true.

Or maybe it was another of his April fool’s pranks.

But everything was going smooth.

The breeze never felt this…

COLD!

WHY IS IT FREEZING HERE?!

A scarf was hauled around my neck, as I witnessed it.

Yes!

As the legends said.

It was on those shelves.

Where it would all begin.

But I felt half paralysed.

My hands and feet felt numb.

Am I having quadriplegia!

Did I break my back or something?

I looked down.

Half of my body had disappeared.

It had turned into some yellowish colour.

And that of something I knew.

Something that couldn’t happen!

Something that was impossible to be happening right now!

I glared at Andrew.

I envied it.

How his body was normal.

Compared to mine.

“How come you have not become like this…”

He laughed.

“You look almost like an apple!”

Huh?!

What the-?

He moaned.

“But that’s the reality of this… other world.”

“What do you mean? Where are the rest of us?”

I gazed around.

Not a single person.

Other than a row filled with apples.

“We are supposed to be soaring… through those…”

I looked up.

The sky gleamed too bright.

Strings and pipes.

A blob gave out light.

He groaned.

“Those are light bulbs! We get eaten alive! That’s what they meant by having no way back!”

“But…”

“We’re in a shop. It is where those giants use us or throws us.”

“Throws us?”

He placed his hand on one apple.

It had dark patches.

“This is rotten or as the giants call it: spoiled. Such apples get thrown and that’s the end of our story.”

No!

This can’t be real!

Come on, Nicki!

This is just a dream!

GET UP NOW!

I kept slapping myself.

All over the place.

Andrew just stared.

My palms stung.

My arms burned.

Yet the towering red mountains of apples remained.

“Stop it, Nicki!”

He slapped me.

“We’re nothing more to them than harvest!”

But…

“How did we even get here?!”

“I know some ways…”

His voice dropped to a whisper.

“I took a shortcut. And you are never supposed to…”

“See it? Yes, I would never want to… ever again!”

“I’m sorry, I should have never shown you this…”

I slumped down.

“But this is what they meant by our purpose!”

He glanced at me.

“I don’t want to lose a best friend. And that ever since from childhood.”

“You know what! I don’t care!”

He froze.

“Just let me live… maybe the other world is another place?!”

“No, it isn’t!”

“Maybe spiritually?”

“Just stop being so optimistic right now!”

I slumped back even further.

But that was, until the floor shook.

“Hide!”

“What’s going on?!”

“They’re going to throw us!”

“We’re gonna die!”

“No. Not with me here.”

“But what if the other world is where you know…”

“Stop talking! And follow me!”

He grabbed my hand and threw me down.

To the floor.

COLD MARBLE!

HOW DO THESE GIANTS KEEP THIS PLACE SO COLD?!

“RUN!”

He tugged my hand sharp.

I was being dragged.

Dang!

This felt like ice skating!

But with me chilling instead of falling all over the place!

That diva song should be playing right now!

Cause I’m looking like such a diva!

Yeah! But without those sunglasses though!

“NICKI! GET UP AND RUN!”

“But I don't even have legs anymore!”

“Never mind!”

I glanced at him.

“But where are we running to?!”

“You are going to join us…”

“Who exactly?!”

“The only last survivors of our kind… and those that don’t look like half an apple.”