Inktober #3: Bait

I've always known I could do things other people couldn't. Even when I was young, walking through a door could be...perilous. Sometimes what should've been on the other side, wasn't.

As I looked up into the red sky of my dying world, I knew why. I might be the only one who survived. Miles in the distance, the ship that would carry as many as it could stood like an oddly shaped egg on the horizon. The ground quaked. It was time.

Slowly the ship rose, kicking up a dust storm that might not ever go out, if there were even a world left for a storm after this.

I grabbed my bag full of whatever I could scrounge that I might need to survive, and turned towards what had been my front door, and only a front door, for 30 years. But today, it would become a door to somewhere else. I took one look back at the last vestiges of my people taking to the stars. I breathed. And then, I opened the door.

Beyond lay an island no bigger than my bedroom, with blue skies. I murmured a quiet "Goodbye" and left my world behind.

The reality I had entered was familiar. It had been years since I had learned to control my power, years since I had needed to. But the first stop had always been here.

Countless islands, each with a door, drifted through an open blue sky. Between and amongst the clouds I could sometimes see others, all in wonderment about what they were seeing, but none who would remember it. Once, another child had drifted close and I recognized them from my class, but the following day they remembered nothing.

I also soon realized that each door was tied down, as it were. Connected to an individual world. But not mine. Or at least, not with what I could do.

I turned back to my door, placing my hand upon it, and like sliding in a key I felt it respond. Sometimes the door would become hot or cool, or odd smells would drift from beyond it. I twisted through the worlds until I felt one that just seemed...right. It settled into place, and I twisted the handle.

What greeted me was green. Green, with hints and yellows and purples. But mostly, a verdant display. Trees not tall yet thick and clumped together. Flowers I had never seen nor never would have if I hadn't stopped here. Curious insects I hoped weren't deadly scuttled throughout the underbrush.

No sign of my kind or anything like me. Good.

I walked in and shut the door behind me. A wide strip of bark, having almost completely shed from the tree but for two hinges served as the door on this side. I tried to take note of my surroundings, this might be the only naturally occurring "door" I might find here. After making some brief notes and drawings, there was nothing left to do but explore.

It wasn't long before I found an anomaly. A river of lava, stretching as far as the eye could see. Far too wide to jump, and far too long to test the limits of how to get around it. Yet there was no diminishing in the plant life, and as I approached the heat coming from it seemed nowhere close to what it should be.

This was soon proven by what I could only describe as a monkey-adjacent creature suddenly appearing from the trees. Its skin was completely blue with a bright purple snout, and teeth that looked like they could do some damage. Thankfully it seemed not to heed me too much, stopping at the edge of the lava, regarding me for a couple seconds, and then lightly trudging through the apparently not very deep stream. It made it to the other side without a care, though it did turn to regard me once again and made no movement to leave.

Obviously whatever substance was before me was not one I was used to, and while I certainly was not made of the same stuff as that creature, well, it was worth at least seeing what would happen. I dipped the tiniest portion of my foot that I could in the stream and immediately took it back out.

Nothing. No residue, no burning, just lightly warm.

The creature remained across, its attention seemingly around the trees but obviously at least one eye on me.

I stepped in. Nothing. Just like a warm bath around my foot.

I trudged through, for though it was seemingly non-harmful it was also rather viscous. About halfway across the creature seemed satisfied with its observations and bounded off through the trees to the right.

After safely making it across I continued on to the left, figuring I would leave my helpful companion to its life. But within ten steps I heard a noise in the trees and looked up to find the creature...was it the same one?...staring at me. It made towards the right, and then looked back. Was I to follow?

I took a couple steps towards it, and it climbed through the branches a little further before once again turning back to me.

I started to walk towards it, and it lead me on.

Not being a tree-faring species hindered the journey somewhat, as well as trying to make my way around the local flora, which appeared to be some kind of cross of lettuce and a fly-trap.

It led me to a clearing, unusual amongst the seemingly endless forest. And when I stepped through, I saw why.

There was a house.

Not a treehouse, or some alien structure. A house. Just like one from my world.

And it hit me quite suddenly that I was not the only traveler.

Most of it appeared in some state of disuse and needed repair. A gray mold covered the stairs to an outdoor patio on the main floor, with a stately second floor and attic above.

The creature sat, almost thoughtfully, looking at the house.

And then there was movement in the window.

And then there was another.

And then, they were there. Standing on the patio.

"Thanks for taking the bait," they said. "It's good to see you."