I was out biking, searching for food. The overcrowded streets of New York City held few prospects. Looking into window after window, seeing all the treats I couldn’t afford made my mouth water. Feeling really down, I started to lose hope. As I rode past another window, something made me freeze. From between two welcoming restaurants drifted a heavenly aroma. I looked back and forth. Nobody else seemed to notice it. It was like this discovery was meant for me. It seemed too good to be true. All I could think about was getting to the source of that delicious fragrance. I peeked into the alley to see where it was coming from.
The alley itself was littered with trash: plastic utensils, overflowing garbage bags, even broken glass. Yet the aroma was getting stronger. I continued into the alleyway, leaving my bike outside. There were vines coming out of the walls, grasping and choking everything in their way. A low hissing sound came from behind me. I turned around, not knowing what to expect, yet saw nothing. Where the exit back to the dirty streets should have been, there was only a brick wall. I slowly approached it, and as I did, the vines moved out of the way, creating a path for me. The aroma was strongest here, right next to the wall. That’s when I noticed a miniature door that was huddled into the only space not covered by vines; it was almost like the little door was hiding from something. I sniffed the air, realizing the appetizing fragrance was coming from this entryway. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door, ready to grab whatever lay on the other side into my shaking arms.
The air here was cleaner, the sky clear and blue without a single cloud in sight. There were trees everywhere, circling a single patch of land where the sun shone brightest. I ran into this meadow, excited to accept whatever this magical land had to offer. On the ground lay a giant checkered blanket, big enough for schools of children and their parents. On the blanket lay the most extravagant meal ever, large enough to feed the entire human population. My eyes widened and my mouth watered. I found an apple pie and slowly took a bite, savoring every last bit of the scrumptious dessert. After a few minutes, when I was sure everything was real, I dug in. I was so hungry I finished the full-course meal in just minutes, finishing off every last piece of food, leaving no crumbs. Even after such a huge meal I realized I was still hungry, so I ate everything in that meadow. I ate the trees, the grass, even the blanket. In just a few hours, I had picked the entire meadow clean. Not a single blade of grass remained. Still feeling hungry, I searched for more, running across the vast, barren land.
After searching for a while, I found my bike, which I had left outside of the alley. Not caring about how my bike had gotten here, I tried to take a bite, only to find my jaw aching from attempting to bite into the metal bicycle frame. Strange, I thought. If my teeth and jaws were strong enough to bite into trees, why couldn’t I make even a dent in a metal bicycle? Shaking this thought off, I continued to move forward. Finally, I saw it. A single golden apple sat in the middle of the naked land, shining as bright as diamonds in the sun. It was like discovering the Fountain of Youth. I ran towards it, knowing that if I were to eat that apple, I would be full, happy, and finally at peace. Just before I grabbed it, I stopped, mesmerized by the beauty of that single apple. It was so bright, so golden, so— I shook my head and seized the apple, determined not to let the beautiful fruit hypnotize me. I wanted to eat it—now! I took a bite and felt like I was floating, soaring off the ground and leaping into the sky, drinking up the invigorating splendor of the apple. I was so drunk with the feeling that I scarcely noticed the ground beneath me starting to crumble.
I dropped the apple and ran, the cracks in the earth beating me to the finish. I screamed as I realized that only a cliff lay before me, and there wasn’t a way back. I tripped as I ran, rolling towards the precipice with no way to stop myself. As I fell, I didn’t feel any pain. In fact, I felt quite peaceful, like I was slowly sinking into the ocean but was still able to breathe. I smiled, the rocks below me piercing my body. I felt no pain at all. At least I’m dying peacefully, I thought.
Back in the streets of New York City, Emma Vargas had just come out of a bookstore when she saw a bicycle pedaling on its own past restaurants on her favorite block. Huh, she thought as the bike came to a stop outside a dark alley. Maybe ghosts are real.
The alley itself was littered with trash: plastic utensils, overflowing garbage bags, even broken glass. Yet the aroma was getting stronger. I continued into the alleyway, leaving my bike outside. There were vines coming out of the walls, grasping and choking everything in their way. A low hissing sound came from behind me. I turned around, not knowing what to expect, yet saw nothing. Where the exit back to the dirty streets should have been, there was only a brick wall. I slowly approached it, and as I did, the vines moved out of the way, creating a path for me. The aroma was strongest here, right next to the wall. That’s when I noticed a miniature door that was huddled into the only space not covered by vines; it was almost like the little door was hiding from something. I sniffed the air, realizing the appetizing fragrance was coming from this entryway. Taking a deep breath, I pushed open the door, ready to grab whatever lay on the other side into my shaking arms.
The air here was cleaner, the sky clear and blue without a single cloud in sight. There were trees everywhere, circling a single patch of land where the sun shone brightest. I ran into this meadow, excited to accept whatever this magical land had to offer. On the ground lay a giant checkered blanket, big enough for schools of children and their parents. On the blanket lay the most extravagant meal ever, large enough to feed the entire human population. My eyes widened and my mouth watered. I found an apple pie and slowly took a bite, savoring every last bit of the scrumptious dessert. After a few minutes, when I was sure everything was real, I dug in. I was so hungry I finished the full-course meal in just minutes, finishing off every last piece of food, leaving no crumbs. Even after such a huge meal I realized I was still hungry, so I ate everything in that meadow. I ate the trees, the grass, even the blanket. In just a few hours, I had picked the entire meadow clean. Not a single blade of grass remained. Still feeling hungry, I searched for more, running across the vast, barren land.
After searching for a while, I found my bike, which I had left outside of the alley. Not caring about how my bike had gotten here, I tried to take a bite, only to find my jaw aching from attempting to bite into the metal bicycle frame. Strange, I thought. If my teeth and jaws were strong enough to bite into trees, why couldn’t I make even a dent in a metal bicycle? Shaking this thought off, I continued to move forward. Finally, I saw it. A single golden apple sat in the middle of the naked land, shining as bright as diamonds in the sun. It was like discovering the Fountain of Youth. I ran towards it, knowing that if I were to eat that apple, I would be full, happy, and finally at peace. Just before I grabbed it, I stopped, mesmerized by the beauty of that single apple. It was so bright, so golden, so— I shook my head and seized the apple, determined not to let the beautiful fruit hypnotize me. I wanted to eat it—now! I took a bite and felt like I was floating, soaring off the ground and leaping into the sky, drinking up the invigorating splendor of the apple. I was so drunk with the feeling that I scarcely noticed the ground beneath me starting to crumble.
I dropped the apple and ran, the cracks in the earth beating me to the finish. I screamed as I realized that only a cliff lay before me, and there wasn’t a way back. I tripped as I ran, rolling towards the precipice with no way to stop myself. As I fell, I didn’t feel any pain. In fact, I felt quite peaceful, like I was slowly sinking into the ocean but was still able to breathe. I smiled, the rocks below me piercing my body. I felt no pain at all. At least I’m dying peacefully, I thought.
Back in the streets of New York City, Emma Vargas had just come out of a bookstore when she saw a bicycle pedaling on its own past restaurants on her favorite block. Huh, she thought as the bike came to a stop outside a dark alley. Maybe ghosts are real.
