Lunch was horrible, like it had always been.
The white part was terribly bland; and the crust was like a rough sponge, and with a dirt flavour to it. The fat that's just cartilage? That was like how his meat was, just too terribly chewy, but he was hungry anyways, so he tried. He couldn't stop the dirty looks he got from the critters hanging about his small cottage, especially from "Moustache," who was openly eyeing him disapprovingly. It made him cringe and flush in a sense of a lack of privacy all at once. They were enough to finally make him put it down, too sick to his stomach to continue consumption.
Well, there went his hunger problem.
But perhaps not. Potential thneed was out there, waiting to be made, but a sudden feeling of light-headedness overcame the Once-ler as he went to stand, causing him to wobble a bit and clutch his chair, straightening his back out. But the odd sensation never went away - like his leg fell asleep but never seemed to wake up. Just in his head. Not that this was anything new; he'd gone without eating before just to work - he was, admittedly, a bit addicted, - and this feeling was now a friend of his, a familiarity. But really, that was it, hadn't he grown used to it? He'd learned to cover it up...
His mother might ask him if he'd gotten something in him, he'd say yes, end of conversation. But if he seemed too hungry or tired, she'd know that he was lying. His mother wasn't stupid. He might be forced to eat some of the pumpkin cheesecake she'd order in every Tuesday, even though he didn't like it. She didn't care. In her eyes, if he was hungry, he wouldn't work as well. Which was wrong. Completely wrong. Utterly wrong. In fact, he worked much better if he just didn't eat. Still this incessant feeling of light-headedness was making his head feel hot and heavy. He began to see stars and for some reason resisted the urge to sit down. The various colors around him that covered his room had begun to swirl and twist and turn like they never had before.
Then, it all stopped.
The Once-ler shook his head. Maybe he really should start eating more, if things like that were going to happen to him. Wouldn't that be embarrassing to explain? He reached for the truffula leaves to begin knitting again, when he realized that they had started to curve in his hands. They were twisting, moving, along with everything else, but this time, the feeling of his head being asleep was replaced with a pounding. He suddenly felt himself spinning, turning, his eyes burning.
Everything went black.
That wasn't why lunch was horrible.
No, it was because of where he woke up. The Once-ler didn't realize it until he sat up and observed his surroundings. Pretty colors surrounded him, but something in his screwed-up vision told him that it all seemed false. Though he couldn't put his finger on why until his eyes cleared, revealing the busy street before him, the smooth surface of greenery beneath him that he ran his hand over carefully. The sun beamed down on him, blinding him temporarily when he looked up. A shadow passed over, blocking out the light. It was a boy's shadow.
The look on his face was the pure embodiment of confusion, as if the Once-ler were alien, or as if he had grown a second head. "You look - " the boy started, but cut himself off with a bewildered and befuddled huff and a furrow of his brows. He looked a bit younger than the Once-ler, actually, he looked a bit like how he used to as a child. It was strange and gave him a sense of nostalgia. Who was he, though? He was to ask, but the boy shook his head and offered him a hand up, which he politely took. "Ted," He started up once more, "Um, my name is Ted. What's your...name?"
His voice was considerably deeper than the Once-ler had expected. Yet another thing to compare to himself. Dear him, they were so alike already! Still, he had to look down, towering over the boy, and his small form was almost endearing, almost cute. Maybe that was his narcissism speaking. "I'm the Once-ler, Ted. Mind telling me where I am?"
His answer apparently wasn't satisfactory to Ted, as his look of confusion returned, though now mixed with frustration and disbelief. Suddenly, the familiar unbearable nagging of that small, orange moustache had not seemed so unbearable. He rolled his eyes. "No, you're - " Again, the boy cut his insisting off, realizing to himself how rude that may seem and his eyes softened. "Thneedville. You're in Thneedville."
...That was odd.
Had his Thneeds become so popular elsewhere, so much that they had become the name of a town? Trees, though...where were trees? The Once-ler looked around, confusion now belonging to him. The truffula trees were out of sight. Everything...everything was fake. Plastic. How could they live life such a way? Had they not known the amazing, refreshing sensation of nature and what could be better? His mouth dropped open. "Where...?" He asked as he turned back to Ted, startling the boy.
"Where are the trees?"
Ted looked back at him with his eyebrows raised in shock. "You...you know about trees?" This was perfect! If this man could get a tree for him, then - wait, was this the Once-ler that his grandma was talking about? But...she knew him...shouldn't he have been much older? As he was, the Once-ler was a lean, particularly good-looking young man who didn't seem too much older than Ted himself. A smile appeared on his face, confusing the Once-ler, though also satisfying him in that he was relieved that he was at least aware of the trees. He was lost. If this boy could get him back...that would be marvelous!
"I'll tell you what, kid?" The Once-ler started up, getting down on a knee to see him at eye-level. "I can see you want to see the trees. If you help me out in getting there, I can...knit you some thneed, free of charge!"
It wasn't like him to give out his products for free, but he was desperate. The boy was in shock, clearly. "Thneed...that's expensive!" He exclaimed happily. Ted looked out, around them, eyeing any cameras or guards, or anyone even remotely suspicious. But...thneed was not what he was looking for, no matter the expense. "I don't want thneed," The look on the Once-ler's face was swimming in slight disappointment and amazement, as well as amusement. He corrected himself quickly. "I just want a tree to bring back! That's all..."
All the boy wanted was a truffula seed? Oh, the Once-ler was on cloud nine! Ted was willing to take him back to the forest without argument, with only the request of a small truffula seed. There were hundreds of those, though he'd mostly cleared them away once he'd cut the trees down, preserving one should not have been any trouble. He was so happy that he could just kiss the boy!
Truly, such things should be kept hypothetical, as actually kissing the boy only caused them both to flush in sudden embarrassment.