Some Writing Stuff - "The Dimension Bar"

Oh look, you get something different today. How neat.

This is a piece I've been working on for the past while for my creative writing class. It's still got some polishing to do, but oh well.

_____________________________________________

The metaphor for going down the rabbit hole has been used loads of time. But never had Drake thought he would have to take it so literally.

The smooth wood rushed past him as he tumbled down the hole, going seemingly deeper and deeper into the earth. What was this strange place? Where was he going? A multitude of questions bombarded his mind as he struggled to make sense of what was happening. It certainly wasn’t the barn cellar he thought he was going into. He had been looking for his friend, who he had seen dash into the barn. But when he had entered, he found nothing except a large cellar door, wide open. Where was she going too? He thought to himself. But before he could think another thought, he felt himself land on solid ground with a loud thunk, his ankles crying out in sharp pain.

And darkness enveloped him.

It was so quiet Drake could hear his own heart pounding inside his chest, as if it were attempting to break out off his rib cage. He gulped, the sound of his throat seeming to echo in this small space. Reaching out in front of him, he was welcomed by the solid feeling of wood, smooth as if it has been sanded carefully by an expert carpenter. It felt warm, almost soft underneath Drake’s touch, as if the wood itself was alive. He dragged his hand along the wood, following the tree-skin as it curved around him. It continued until he could’ve sworn he had turned around several time. And as the thought hit him, the realization of where he was slowly sunk in.

He was trapped. And alone.

A rush of panic swept through him, his eyes widening as he struggled to find a way out of his solitary confinement. Curling his hand into a fist, he slammed against the wood, hoping for something, anything to give him a signal he had a way out. But the wood was stern and solid, turning cold and hard against his hand. He began whirling around, his breath ragged and shallow, and he felt a scream attempting to force its way out of his mouth. He needed something. He needed a sign that he could get out of this wooden prison.

His knuckles bashed against something sticking out of the wall, and Drake stifled back a harsh curse as warm blood slowly flowed over his curled fist. Taking a deep breath, he reached out with his other hand, feeling for whatever it was that had grazed him. Was it a branch, a stick of some sort? Instead of what Drake had expected, he was greeted by what felt like a doorknob.

A doorknob?

The thought perplexed Drake, but he slowly began to loosen up. For a doorknob is found in a door. And a door leads to a way out of somewhere. Or in this case, a way out of Drake’s prison. His hand slightly shaking, he twisted the knob, feeling it turn smoothly, as if it had been freshly greased and oiled. A small click made him jump. It was the first sound he had heard in this woodend place. Taking yet another breath, he pushed forward and felt the wood before him give way. As he did, the peculiar room was flooded with bright light, and a loud noise  bombarded Drake’s ears. He held out his bloodied hand before him, shielding his eyes as the sounds continued to war in his ears. As he listened, the strange sounds began to change. They swirled and churned, and suddenly it occurred to Drake what he was hearing.

Voices.

Drake lowered his hand, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the light before him. He found before himself a large room, filled with people of all shapes and sizes. Slowly, Drake took a step forward. The sound began to subside, replaced with the shifting of wood and clanging of what sounded like metal. A single voice called out to him.

“An’ just who do ya think you ar’, laddie?”

“What?”

Drake fully opened his eyes and felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. There before him stood a large number of small, bearded men, beady eyed and clothed in odd armor and wool. But it wasn’t the oddness nor the people that made him nervous. It was the multitude of axes and swords pointed at him that made him reconsider whether or not leaving the wooden room was a good idea.

“Well?” A short gruff man stood out from the crowd, a large axe in one hand and what appeared to be a pint of beer in the other. “Are ya friend or foe?”

"Uh..." Drake stammered as he nervously ran a hand through his short blonde hair. The strange little man in front of him was well rounded, no higher than Drake's belly button. A large ginger, braided beard flowed down to the man's waist, curling around a thick leather belt with strange symbols embroidered into the sides. A thick wool shirt bundled up the rounded fellow, making Drake unsure as to just how fat this man was. But before Drake could speak a word, he found a large axe just inches from his own face, the sharp edge gleaming in the bright candlelight of the room.

"Speak up, laddie!" The short figure insisted with a rough low voice like a burning furnace. "Do ya be friend of ours, or do ya mean to cause us some trouble?"

"I-I don't mean any trouble, of any kind!" Drake stuttered out his words. "I just came th-through that door and... and I don't mean any kinds of trouble! None at all!"

The man narrowed his eyes, the axe remaining in the same place the whole while. As he approached, Drake noticed an abnormal amount of pimples dusting the fluff of fur's face, creating an otherwise ugly appearance. But more prominent was the strong scent of alcohol adorning the man's breath, nearly causing Drake to step back in recoil. The man drew in a long sniff, flaring his nostrils and revealing what appeared to be extremely large, dry boogers growing in his nose. He sniffed once, twice, and a third time, as if he were attempting to detect whether or not Drake was sincere with his words. After a brief moment, the man finally stepped back, turning around to face the crowd behind him, all of whom Drake noticed looked strikingly similar to the stout man before him. Then suddenly, the man raised up a pint of something in his hand, and in a graceful motion, rose it to his lips. And for ten straight seconds, he downed the entire contents of the mug into his mouth, leaving Drake with his jaw hanging open. The, after a loud and gurgling burp, the small figure raised his empty mug into the air and let out a yell:

“This lad be a friend of the dwarves!”

A loud, ear shattering cheer went up in the air, and Drake suddenly found a wave of dwarfs approaching him. In an instant, he was drowning in a sea of midgets, shouting and patting him on the back. Someone from somewhere unknown thrust a large mug of some liquid into his hands. The substance inside caught Drake’s eye, seemingly shining in the candlelight of the room, which appeared to be modeled after a log cabin of sorts. But his attention was detached from the environment when a loud clanging noise, like the sounds of pots and pans being smashed together, began to sound from somewhere he couldn’t quite pinpoint.

All at once, everyone around Drake seemed to turn away from him and slowly file out the room, grumbling and grunting all the while as if the cheer they had put up moments ago had never existed. As the room slowly began to empty, Drake began to finally get a view of this strange place. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all made of dark wood, and several candle fixtures hung above him, giving the room a medieval-era tone. The candles above him seemed abnormally bright, shining much brighter than candles normally should.The ground beneath his feet was stained so much from spills and liquids that the whole floor seemed to be furnished by several layers of stickiness. Several glass windows surrounded the room, and a thin shaft of moonlight seemed to pour through the windows on the left side. Curious, wanting to know more of this peculiar place, Drake took a step towards the moonlight.

However, as soon as he took a step, the sound of an opening door and pattering feet caused him to whirl around in surprise, and Drake began to wonder if he had accidentally taken some sort of hallucinogenic drug earlier. For before him were several small animals, rabbits and lizards and goblin like creatures, all clothed in overall jeans and white t-shirts. They scurried across the floor, frantically carrying buckets of soapy water and oversized mops and quickly getting to work as they mopped away at the liquid-soaked floor. Drake stopped to noticed a small, white haired rabbit just to the right of him, attempting to clean away the muck on the floor. But no matter how much he scrubbed, his dirtied white fur bobbing about, the floor remained in it’s same state. And yet, after a few seconds of scrubbing, the strange rabbit stopped and smiled, seemingly admiring his own work.

Surprisingly, after sliding down a mysterious wooden slide, finding him in a strange room full of short men, having an axe thrust at his face, then being welcomed like a dear friend, all in a matter of minutes in a place he did not recognize, it was a smiling rabbit that made Drake stop and wonder:

Where am I?

The same feeling of dread and panic he had felt in the wooden room began to creep into his mind, and he felt his heart begin to race and tighten in his chest. This wasn’t home. This wasn’t a place he recognized or found familiar. This wasn’t his home back in the suburbs, where nothing unusual ever happened. He was just a kid in high school, not even eighteen yet, trying to casually and calmly make his way through life. But here he was, standing alone, save the rabbit proudly mopping over the syrup covered ground who had just begun whistling a tune.

This wasn’t right. This wasn’t normal. He needed to get home. But before he could consider how he would get out of here, a gruff voice suddenly shouted.

“HEY! What do you think you’re doing standing around you bloody spawn of a cave worm?”

“M-Me?” Drake stammered, whirling around to pinpoint where the voice had come from.

“Yes, you!” Before Drake was a tall, extremely slender man, decorated with a top hat, monocle, and a full black suit. He stood straight and upright, as if he were standing at attention in the army, with only his eyes looking down onto Drake, the rest of his head facing directly ahead of him.

"And just what do you think you're still doing here, lad? Your group went off already! Get going with the rest. Now!"

"But... I'm not from-"

"Wait a moment!" The man bent over, adjusting his monocole to get a better look at Drake. He looked carefully over his body, as if he were some sort of inspector, searching around his feet, legs, torso and head, finally peering straight into his eyes. "You're not fat."

A small pause ensued, the slender figure staring intently at Drake as if he expected to give a rebuttal.

"Uh... No, I'm no-"

"So, you aren't a dwarf at all?"

"No, I'm not a dwarf. A dwar-?"

"Then what in the blazes are you doing standing around, you mince meat?" The man suddenly thundered, his voice lowering a whole octave. "We've got just ten minutes to scrap this place up before the next group, and you standing there with your shiny hair and shaky eyes won't be gettin' nothing done! Just what Dimen are you from anyway?" He suddenly grabbed a hold of Drake's right wrist, turning it palm up.

"I'm not from any d-demon? I'm got here from-"

“Sweet mother of all potato cabbages." The once thundering gentlemen suddenly took on a voice of shock and wonder. He gazed on Drake's wrist, searching it all over as if he were looking for something, then grabbed the other and searched just as eagerly all while talking frantically. "If you aren't a dwarf and you aren't one of my workers, just how in the dimension did you get here?"

Drake, at this point even more confused and bewildered than he had been before, stammered over his words, pointing behind the man at the door which he had come through. “I-I came through the door over ther-“

“Don’t lie to me, boy! Where did you come from?”

“I’m not lying I came from the door right behind yo-“

“Stop.”

The man quickly behind him, grabbing the collar of his shirt and drug him over to where the door sat, while Drake struggled to keep himself from tripping over his own feet. But just as soon as he had regained his balance, he found the strange man’s face just inches from his own.

“You’re telling me…” the man spoke slowly, enunciating each word as if to make sure Drake heard him correctly. “You’re telling me that you came to this place through this door here?”

“Y-Yes.” He replied. “This one right her-“

“And you didn’t come through any of the other doors around here?”

“I think so…” Drake looked around the room, and he noticed for the first time the strange looking doors that encircled the room. Several doors sat closed, each with unique engravings and bizarre colors, and atop each door sat a small bell that appeared to ring whenever the door was opened. “Yeah, I came through this doo-“

“Well, slap me upside the head and call me a pickled walnut!” The man suddenly let go of Drake’s shirt and gave him a heartily pat on the back, nearly knocking him over. “Are you, by any chance, a human?”

“Um…” He hesitated, unsure whether to continue as he may just be interrupted again, the man gazing expectantly at Drake. But as he hesitated, the unusual question began to set in on him. Are you a human? Of course he was a human, there was no doubt in that. But the fact that he had to ask baffled Drake even more than he was already. Why wouldn’t he be human! What else could he possibly be? “Uh, ye-“

“You’re human!” The man exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “My goodness gracious, I didn’t realize! I apologize for being so rude before, this must all be a shock to you. I suppose I should explain everything at once, if you don’t mind.”

“I suppose-“

“Very well! Welcome to my darling abode, the Dimension Bar! Or just the Dimen Bar, for short. People come from all across the different Dimens just to get of my fine brewery. Although I don’t suppose you know what those are, being human and all. Dimens are different dimensions, each holding different worlds and races. There’s seven in all, at least that we know of, each with countless people! So many people, in fact, that I can only allow one group from one Dimen here at a time, else there wouldn’t be enough room to fit everyone! We’re open 24 hours a day, all year long, as we folks here at the bar want everyone to be able to try my glorious moon beer, the Smokey Ale! Would like a taste of the latest brew? It’s on the house.”

Drake was so caught up in the man’s explanation that he almost missed the question.

“Wha-What?”

“The Smoke Ale. My famous ale that’s just been brewed! It’s on the house.”

“Oh, but I’m a mino-“

“No excuses, laddie.” Before Drake could protest, the man suddenly took on a sharp, harsh tone, much different from the one he had just spoke with. “Hey, you there!” He shouted, pointing directly as the strange bunny rabbit Drake had seen earlier. Hearing the man’s call, the rabbit dropped the mop he had been cleaning with and stood straight at attention.

“Yes, sir?” The clothed bunny replied in a small, squeaky voice that Drake thought belonged in cartoon.

“Stop that sorry excuse for cleaning and bring this man a fresh pint of our Moon Ale right away before I decide to make you work a double shift!”

“Yes, sir!” The rabbit hopped away, skipping on it’s two large feet. As bizarre as the sight was, Drake remembered the reason he had ended up here in the first place.

“Uh… sir?” Drake spoke timidly, somewhat afraid of being interrupted again. The man, however, did not speak this time, but only responded with the raise of a single eyebrow. “I was actually wondering if you had seen a girl around my age come through here?”

The man let out a hearty laugh that sounded like he had spent a good load of time practicing it. “A girl? A human girl? Boy, I’d have better luck finding two four-leafed clovers in a field than see both a human boy and girl within moments of each other.”

“But have you seen one recently?”

The same laugh came from the man’s laugh, heartier than before. But then suddenly began to subside, the man coughing as if in an attempt to hide his laughter. He cleared his throat, then spoke in a dignified manner.

“Yes, I believe I have.”

“Then which way did she go?”

“I don’t know. I wasn’t paying attention.”

“But didn’t you just say it was rare to see a human here?”

“Lad, when you’re busy preparing drinks for a lot of drunken dwarfs, there’s no time for sightseeing.”

Drake sighed, covering his face with his hands. “Then what am I suppose to do?”

The man paused, slowly letting a breath out through his now in a sigh of his own. “Look, kid. You obviously wanna find this girl for a reason. So if you need her, why’d you lose her in the first place?”

“I didn’t mean to!” Drake exclaimed in frustration. “How am I supposed to keep an eye on a person all day long?”

“Well, I suppose you can’t. But maybe you should’ve been more prepared.”

“So you expect a person to be prepared for someone to disappear at a moments notice?”

“All I’m saying is that it’s a good idea to be prepared for the worst, lad. You’ve got to expect the unexpected.”

Drake stared up at the man. “What are you saying?”

“Look, what if I told you that you were never going to see this girl again?”

“Did something happen to her-“

“Hypothetically speaking, what if you were to never see her again?”

Drake opened his mouth to reply, but struggled to find the words. What could he say to that? “I… I don’t know.”

“Then perhaps, if you find this friend of yours, you should be more prepared for the future and start living like you might not see her again. After all,” he nudged Drake with his abnormally pointy elbow. “I’m taking a guess that this lady might be more than a friend to you?”

“I… what?”

“Well, she’s a human girl, right?”

“That’s not how it is.”

“Keep telling yourself that, laddie.” Before Drake could open his mouth to respond, the small rabbit from before hopped over with a glass mug of some sort of clear liquid. It’s frothed over the mug as the rabbit hopped, spilling onto the sticky floor below.

“Here’s the Moon Ale, sir!” The creature replied. “We’ve got five minutes until the next-“

“Damn it, you dense fur bag.” The man slowly turned with his voice of steel. “What did I tell you about speaking only when spoken too?”

The creature shrunk back, casting it’s gaze on the floor as if to search for an answer. However it couldn’t seem to find one within the rainbow colored muck on the floor. It stood there until the man spoke again, snatching the mug from the creature’s paws.

“We’ve got five minutes until the next shift. So get back to work!” He screamed. The rabbit hopped away frantically, resuming it’s attempt at mopping at double speed.

“Sir,” Drake spoke up again. “I’m sorry, but I really need to find my friend, so if-“

“Yes, I concur. Besides, I believe it’s time you got going.” He shoved the clear mug into Drake’s hands. “Here drink up before you go.

“Bu-But I’m a minor.”

“Yes, I used to be a miner when I was about your age as well. But I don’t see what that has to do with anything. Now drink up!”

It suddenly occurred to Drake that the drinking laws that exist in the United States might not necessarily applied to other dimensions.

Lifting the mug to his lips, he slowly took a taste of the clear beer, giving off what appeared to be a soft glow. The liquid felt chilled and cold inside the mug, but as soon as it enter Drake’s mouth, it seem to turn warm and sweet, spreading warmth throughout his entire body. And all the confusion and worry that he had felt before seemed to subside ever so slightly. He was in a strange place with strange circumstances. But somehow, this drink began to make Drake feel a little more comfortable. “It’s very delicious.” He commented to the man.

“Of course it’s delicious! It’s the best beer in all the dimensions! That’ll be 35 Pads, by the way.”

Drake choked mid-sip of the beer. “What?”

“I said, that’ll be 35 Pads.”

“Y-You mean money?”

“Yes, of course. Do they just give everything away for free in your dimension?”

“But I thought you said this was on the house!”

“Yes, of course it’s on the house. It’s moonlight ale, I brew this beer right on top of the house!” He pointed upwards to the roof of the building. Before Drake could say anything more, a small chime began to emit from one of the doors across the room. “Never mind, you’ll have to pay it off some other time. It’s time for you to go.” The man grabbed him by the collar of his shirt towards the door.

“B-But how do I get out of here?”

“I have no clue, laddie. But good luck. Try to remember what I told you, alrighty?” The man pulled open the door Drake had come through, revealing not a wooden room, but darkness. Absolutely, total darkness. “Good luck out there, alright?”

“W-What?”

“Adios, laddie!”

“Wait!” Drake shouted just moments before the man pushed him through to door. “Where will this take me?”

“As I said, I have no idea. With any luck, it’ll take you where you need to be.”

“But… But what if I need to come back here.”

The man let out a sly grin. “That’s the thing about my lovely abode. You won’t ever find this place again if you look for it.” With that, the man pushed Drake into the darkness. As he began to fall. he attempted to let out a yell, but found no voice to yell with as he plunged downwards. As he fell and the light from the door began to subside, he heard the man say one last thing.

“But maybe, just maybe, when you learn to expect the unexpected, you’ll find this place when you least expect it.”