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When the Sun don't shine

Upside down in Dirt town

By Jody RandallPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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In a deceptively, devilish, distorted dystopian reality, little David had adapted quickly to this world of upside down truths. This was his reality, and navigating through it took skill and wits, not to mention luck of serious caliber to survive a days’ worth of adventure here.

The morning light greeted him with an intense heat that was not of the norm. The typical light of the day was one that resembled a light bulb on its last leg of utility. The flickering on and off is what normally would trigger his inner clockwork to wake and start the day.

David left the shadows of the street alley where he stayed with other less unfortunate souls of society. It was with these people he learned the ways of survival in this new world that no longer held care for anything other than chaos and confusion.

Rumors had been buzzing around that there was a crack in reality and it was this day in particular that the time clock would no longer function past mid afternoon. Roaming the streets today would not be in vain, trying to survive one more day of twisted individuals who preyed on the weakness of others, let alone what may very well be the last possibility of life as he knows it.

One had to watch their steps here in this version of life as nothing was what it appeared to be. The huge Green Victorian house across the ways, appeared to be a most beautiful exquisite piece of architectural history, but the first time he had entered there, was exactly the opposite. Filled with old antiques and energies that were disturbing, depressing, and deceitful, one was forced to really pay attention mentally to the ones that resided in that house.

David learned the hard way, when he allowed himself to be conned into an invite for a tour of the house, he went unknowingly inside allowing them to con him with delicious food cakes. Once he entered, he was then taken down many levels in the house and would have no idea that the next time he emerged it would have been years later, to a world he no longer remembered. David had no way of knowing just a simple “yes” to their question could mean that they would subject him to such devastating mental mind torment of trying to split him apart.

When he finally found the way out it wasn’t because he was looking for it, rather because the owners were frustrated and tired of trying methods that were not successful on him. So he got to leave intact. When it was made known that someone emerged without harm, others searched for this person to question, probe, test, and prod on what made him so special. So David had to learn to hide in the shadows, not being noticed. He realized to map your way in this world one had to be aware and on their game at all times, and above all do not let the roaming empty souls convince you that they are the ones here to help you. Above all of not fall for the invitations, or wooing of a tempting delight that may distract you from focusing on your free will.

David was nine when his old reality left him, he remembered a picnic in the park with his parents, then the ride home. From there it all went black and he couldn’t remember anything after that. When he woke up he was in this world where there were no more parks, no picnics and no parents. It was him and the streets in a world he was a complete stranger to. This was not the world he knew where you could get a burger at the corner restaurant, or play games on his console with his best buddies. No this was not the old world anymore that celebrated cook outs on a long holiday weekend.

Somehow, things got turned upside down when he awakened. Now everyone was like an empty shell of themselves. The world no longer saw the brightness of the sun and felt its warmth, it only saw flickering like a worn out strobe light struggling to keep up.

The people here, always conning you unless your lucky enough to find a wandering soul that happened to be pure in heart.

Those are rare, and those are the ones they cannot break. It’s those ones they seek out and want to exploit, because it’s something new, something pure, and apparently very delightful to the soulless one and their senses including taste. Some empty souls would kill to devour someone who is of pure heart. They become almost animalistic with their moans of desire when they sense them around. In this new world, word travels fast so when someone of pure intent comes wandering through, it takes little time to see how quick they are literally sniffed out of the woodwork.

That morning as David strolled down the streets, He was already hearing the murmurs of those who were searching for this new wandering soul.

“Someone is here in town with a pure heart; the smell is too great not to notice.” That was stated from one of the soulless ones who was already drooling from anticipation. David always tried his best to save and navigate others through this part of town, sometimes he was a hero, other times, not so much.

This day though he had no desire to help another soul through this neighborhood, he had to find a way to come up with some night stones to pay for his portion of alley use and security from nightly sweats. Each alley tenant was required to pay their portion for protection against wandering nightly creatures that would work their way into your mind as you slept and preyed upon your body as you slept. If the alley did not have its guardians keeping watch than everyone was at risk for losing their minds on a nightly basis. His portion because he was small was three night stones.

The night stones were payment to the soulless ones as they came through to feast, they would be paid with a stone that allowed them to hallucinate eating a pure intent individual for hours on end. No one really knows how long the stones distracted the soulless ones though, because here, time was only known when the flickering of the “sun” would go on and off at about the equal moment equivalent to a days’ worth of activities in the old world.

Moving through the streets and ignoring the ones that kept trying to persuade him to come with them for a delightful adventure, he made his way safely to another alley that his companion was assigned to when they arrived in town.

“Are you ready? We have to make it down to the lake by noon or else there won’t be any fresh stones to collect.” He was trying to shake his friend who laid on the ground.

“Hey… Jake come on man, don’t play around. What is wrong with you?”

“ I don’t feel well today.” Jake mumbled.

“What is wrong? What are you feeling?”

“David, I think they got me last night.”

“Nonsense.” David insisted. “Wouldn’t you feel it?”

“I think I am feeling it. I feel nauseous and not right in my head. I am seeing things, I am angry, sad and things are even more distorted currently for me. My vision is all blurry and I am hearing angry moans and whispers. They keep their distance right now they are telling me until the time is right.”

“Right for what?” David inquired

“Right for feasting.” His friend barely uttered the words before he fell back asleep again.

David was angry now, and stood to go speak to the Guardian of the alley on shift that morning.

“Hey, what is wrong with my friend Jake? He thinks the soulless ones may have gotten him.”

“Jake? Yeah that would be a good assumption if he is saying that.” The moderator seemed callous with his response.

“What the heck man? What happened?” Now David was in tears.

“Must not have paid his fee for the night, Look man go away kid I have things to do, it’s just that way sometimes.” He gave David a small push aside as he walked down the alley for his hourly round.

David was left speechless and in shock.

“David, are you David?” A gentle female voice emerged from the noise in the streets.

“Who wants to know?” David snapped back in a crackled broken voice holding back his anger and rage.

“David you need to come with me.”

“Leave me alone, I have things to do!”

David looked up from where he stood in shock and saw a little girl standing in front of him wearing a simple blue dress that resembled the color of a robin’s egg. She was reaching out to him with her hands extended. Color here was not accepted, everything here was dark, black and grey. He was puzzled as to why she had not already been devoured from the soulless ones. It was obvious she was the visitor they were referring to. What did she want with him, and how did she know his name? It didn’t matter he was dealing with his friend at the moment.

“I said Go AWAY!” David pushed her hand harder than what was necessary causing her to fall down.

“As she fell he was almost blinded from the sun light that now stopped flickering and was on full blast. Suddenly it became quiet in the streets. Was it true? The end of the world as he knew it was happening? The sun never stayed on before ever. He looked back down now to help the girl off the ground and as he reached to help her off, her bright silver locket reflected the brightness of the sun and caused him to go blind for just a moment. He closed his eyes to refrain the impact from being so harsh to him, but when he slowly opened them back up, his vision was blurry and all he could see was bright silver.

He readjusted his focus once more to ease more into the blinding light and he could see a massive silver overhead lamp with a fluorescent lamp over him as he lay on a table with what appeared to be doctors fawning over him. His eyes came more into clarity as he heard off in the near distance his name being called once more.

“David, are you here? Are you with us? You had a little accident and we are here to help you and your parents, but I need you to stay with me here.”

David strained to see the lady that spoke to him, it was a doctor, and as she gazed down at him with a smile from ear to ear, the silver lamp lit up her face like that of an angel. The lamp was so bright it also happened to reflect off of the very same necklace the little girl had in his other world. Had David just returned from death? Had he just had a bad dream? Why did it feel like forever in that world? As he pondered the answers, his head throbbed away. His body was being forceful in its demands for him to close his eyes and go to sleep. As he fought the urge the doctor explained in the distance they would medicate him to rest easy until he was stable.

He gave in without choice, and as he did, the blackness once more took over, and David was left to hope this time he would come back.

Short Story
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About the Creator

Jody Randall

Author of 3 published novels, working on fourth. Oneironaut, Great Dane Lover, Laser designer, Vintage Business owner... I could go on, but if I did, you wouldn't be taking the time to scroll through my stories, so I shall stop here 4 now!

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