Over the Rainbow

I covered my face with my arms as small bits of shattered glass exploded towards us. My arm stung from yanking on the shunt, but other than that I was unscathed. Kirk was blocking my view, but I could tell that the witch was on the other side of him. When I leaned around the captain I saw the same woman I had in Munchkin land, but she looked way different.

For one, she wasn’t wearing that horrible hooker outfit, though this did still cut it awfully close; the only thing keeping it somewhat practical is the fact that she wasn’t wearing shoes that looked like they could compete with the Eiffel Tower. Actually, she was completely covered, her clothing was just tight enough to be a second skin.

“Leave Witch!” The captain shouted, pointing his spear at her threateningly.

“Out of my way traitor,” with a flick of her wrist, Kirk was hurtled over my bed and crashed against the wall, falling unceremoniously onto the chairs.

My door burst open, and I caught a glimpse of The Apprentice’s determined face, as well as many others of Captain Kirk’s guard. With a scoff, the witch flicked her wrist again and they all were pushed out of the room and the door slammed shut. I could hear pounding on said door as the witch smirked and walked over to me.

“You know you’re a real pain in the ass to get a hold of?” I didn’t respond. “Oh well. What’s in the past is in the past! I’ve got you now my pretty, and that’s all that matters.”

She grabbed my upper arm and yanked me out of the bed with an unnecessary amount of force. I let out a low hiss and a few tears as the IV was ripped out.

I knew it was a bad idea to put it in the first place.

“Bitch! Was that really necessary?” I all but yelled.

“No,” she said as her hold tightened and she dragged me over to the window she had blown out- or in I guess. “But it was fun! Come on.”

I struggled but she just dug her black nails into my skin.

“Grab her boys,” the witch said as she flung me out the window, and do you know what I found out? I found out I can’t fly, or fall with style. I also found out that my room was located on the third story of the building. I screamed as I plummeted to my death, and screamed even more when my upper arms were grabbed and my body hoisted higher in the air by flying blue monkeys.

I hate flying blue monkeys, especially when I know I’m not hallucinating.

I was at moot point here. I could scream and struggle until the witch’s flying minions let me go and fall to my death, or I could let them carry me to where ever the witch’s hiding place is, where I am quite certain I will be killed.

Choices, choices.

I chose to wait and die at the witch’s layer. I figure I might as well wait- I mean sure, it’s going to happen either way, but at least on solid ground I stand a fighting chance.

Well, a small chance anyway.

I groaned as I landed on a hard cement floor as the flying monkeys dropped me. The witch landed a few feet away from me, hopping off her broom gracefully from midair. I turned and stared at the witch from my position on the ground.

“Hello my pretty,” She smiled sarcastically at me. As she came closer, I crawled backwards trying to keep some distance between us. It worked until I hit a wall. She smiled maliciously.

“Let’s get down to business shall we?” She asked as she came closer; I crawled backwards away from her. “I want those shoes. And I’m going to get them, by whatever means necessary.”

The door slamming open distracted us and one of those evil flying monkey things came in with a lump of cloth.

A struggling lump off cloth.

A struggling yipping lump of cloth.

“Oh good,” the witch feigned relief, reaching inside the bundle and pulling out a white fluff ball. “Glad you could join us Pinkly. That bastards going to be so pissed.”

“Is that Brian’s dog?” I asked, standing, and grabbing the back of the hospital gown to keep it closed. Funny how you tend to forget about things like ass-showing hospital gowns when in trying times. “Why the-“

“Yes,” she turned the dog to face her. Its tail was in between its legs and its lips were curled back as it growled at her. She growled back.

Somehow, that didn’t surprise me.

“I took something from the other boys, I didn’t want to leave my dear cousin out of the loop.”

“Cousin?”

“Of course. But that’s off topic, I want the shoes,” She dropped the small white dog and it landed on its side with a yelp before fumbled to stand up and practically flew into my arms. The dog growled at her, baring its teeth again “Oh shut up you little shit!”

Pinkly gave a high-pitched bark and I cuddled closer to the tiny animal. Right now it was the only thing that was on my side.

“Ugh!” She came over and ripped the dog out of my arms by the scruff of its neck and stormed over to an open window. When She got there she held the growling dog out of the window.

“No! Stop!”

She stopped and looked at me; I was watching the dangling dog. She snapped her fingers and a monkey minion immediately entered the room. She handed the dog to him and walked to me.

“Give,” her eyebrows furrowed; “me,” her eyes squinted; “the,” she frowned; “shoes,” she completed the look by scrunching up her nose. She very much resembled a prune.

“Take Them! Jesus Christ!”

Damn! If she wants the shoes so bad she can have them!

I watched as she leaned down with a malicious smile on her face. I bit my lip as I second-guessed my decision to let her have them. Apparently they’re pretty powerful (no matter how useless they are to me) and if the witch got them… I just couldn’t help but wonder if I made a very stupid choice.

“Ah!” The witch shrieked as she shot up glaring at the shoes. I looked down to see sparks dying down. “Damn!” She stomped her foot before rolling her eyes and blowing air out of her mouth. “I forgot that part.”

“What part?” I asked; I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t trembling.

A large smile crept its way onto her face, “The part where you have to be dead for me to get the shoes.”

I paled and tried to gulp, the latter was hard due to my sudden cottonmouth, “Is that really nec-”

“Ah-aa!” The monkey suddenly yelled and dropped the dog, who then ran out the door.

“Ugh! Damn!” The witched groaned. “After her you idiot!” She yelled at the minion and pointed towards the door before returning to me. “Well, I won’t have time to kill you the fun way, so… aha!” She walked over to a large hourglass and brought it over towards me. “This,” she smiled, “is an hour glass. It times exactly one hour, it also emits a poisonous gas. When the last grain of sand falls, you’ll be dead.” She turned it over and gave an evil laugh; all the windows shut with a bang. “Have fun my pretty.”

She immediately left the large room. As soon as the door slammed shut, I heard a series of clicks and snaps. My guess is that she locked it. I rushed over and tugged on the latch- well, pulled until my muscles screamed in pain.

Yeah, it was locked.

I am so screwed.

Three minutes and the panic set in.

Twelve minutes more and I gave up hope.

At twenty minutes, I started to feel the effects.

I’m sure you’re wondering how I had any concept of time… well, there’s a giant digital clock on the wall. When I spotted it I laughed, it looked so out of place among the gothic looking witch’s lab. Big black cauldron in the corner; giant crystal ball in the center of the room; wooden tables covered in dust, dead animals and potion bottle type things- you know, the usual.

Thirty-five minutes passed, and I started to feel noticeably woozy. I went to a corner behind a table made myself into a tight ball. I’ve always like tight spaces, and corners especially- nobody can sneak up on you.

Twenty minutes to go and I could really feel it. It’s like poison gathered and then attacked all at once. My eyes burned, my head hurt, my chest was tight, I was having trouble breathing and, once again, I was freezing my ass off in this hospital gown.

You know, I’m really not having any luck in this place.

Somewhere between five and fifteen minutes later, I started seeing things in the crystal ball. Well, not things, images- memories.

I can see my mom and my dad having a fight. They did that a lot when I was really small.

I can see my mom talking to me with tears in her eyes, bags at her feet, I was seven when my mom left.

Is this supposed to be my life flashing before my eyes? If it is it sucks. Show me somebody else’s life- someone with a happy childhood. Someone who grew up happy and with lots of friends. Someone who went to college and became successful. Someone who fell in love and got married and had a family. Someone not me.

Now I can see my dad yelling at me for leaving something in the hallway, I get the feeling I was ten.

Next I can see my father and his friends; they don’t acknowledge me. I was ignored from age ten to fifteen.

Yeah, my home life wasn’t very good. Mom wasn’t home, Dad ignored my very existence, pretty much raised myself.

Typical sob story.

Next I see my dad yelling at me for coming home three minutes late- and I see myself get punished.

I hold my knees to my chest and rest my chin on them; might as well finish watching, no matter how many tears are caused from doing so.

I watched the brutality that was the only acknowledgement my father ever gave me.

I watched myself steal money from him and get on the first plane out of that hellhole at age sixteen.

I watch myself work my homeless ass off through high school under a fake name till I turned eighteen.

I watch myself continue to work my ass off to pay for college, only to fuck up and be confined to cleaning hotel rooms so I’m not out on the street again.

Then meeting my friends, my bitchy manager, that horrible room that the rock stars rented out, the rock stars them selves.

That’s where the crystal ball pauses. Well, the men in the ball seem to be running, but they aren’t going anywhere.

Then one disappears, and the images warp.

“Lane!”

I gave a dopy grin and a lazy wave before I sink into a black abyss.

Again.

DAMN IT!