1 Rotting Clouds and Invisible Bridges
It was the routine. Get up, get ready, out the door. My job was still the same as it always had been. I was to get good grades, obey my elders, and stay out of trouble. Life is boring like that isn't it? At least it was until Lauren Faust blessed us with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Of course that's not a joy I shared with many people. Many bronies understand that it's simpler to keep things under wraps, especially when you're not the captain of the football team, or the next Tony Hawk at the skate park.
As I walked out the door I noticed something off about the sky. The clouds were somewhere between yellow and green, and the wind was strong enough to push them along at a considerable rate. Ignoring the meteorological peculiarity, I pushed on lest I be late for class.
A page of notes here, a quiz there, and a few scribbles in my sketch book before lunch. I shoved my way past the somber kid and walked into the chaos of our cafeteria. Now don't get me wrong, I'm a friendly guy. I've worked hard to avoid conflict and drama that turn others into the lepers of our society. Sitting with the guys, I admired the scenery. One of the aforementioned lepers was being hustled by a jackass named Derek. He wasn't the largest of guys, but he had a lot of friends. I estimated his cronies numbered around thirty or so. The other jerk people were hastening away from was Terrence. Remember how I mentioned I wasn't the captain of the football team? Well Terrence was. I probably couldn't join the team if I wanted to. See, Terrence ran a monopoly in the jock world. If you weren't strong enough to choke money out of the geeks or fast enough to run down a nerd with his underwear over his head, your only choice was badminton.
Art class was one place where I didn't lay low. I was easily the best artist in the class, whether sketching portraits or painting sunsets. I sat near the window planning to capture the warm colors of the sky I'd seen that morning, but they'd changed to deep indigo and violet.
"Ma'am," I began.
"Yes Caleb?"
"The sky is purple."
Naturally everyone rushed to the window.
"Caleb, I'm glad to hear your creative ideas, but I'd rather you put them on canvas then make up stories.
I didn't understand. The sky was not blue, not gray, but purple. NFL Viking purple. My pal Jeff had punch me three times before I realised that class had ended. All day I thought about that purple sky.
The school day was over and I was stumbling through the hall on my way to my locker when I slammed into the wrong person.
"Watch where you're going retard!"
As usual, Derek's friends thought this was the cleverest insult since 'stupid-head'. I kept walking, laying low like usual, but he wasn't done yet.
"I have a reputation to keep fag. I want to see you behind school."
It was never a good sign when Derek told someone to meet him behind the school. That usually meant you were going to be a bloody pulp, or do him a favor. I don't have too many talents, and I didn't think he'd want me to paint his portrait. So, after I grabbed my stuff I snuck out a side door and dashed between dumpsters. Before I made the treeline between the school and my house though, I heard a whistle that gave me a sinking feeling in my stomach.
"Loser thought he could slink away from a challenge did he?"
"No Derek, I was in a rush to get my chores done." I glanced up again and the clouds were now showing magenta.
"Well you better tell mom and pops you're gonna be late."
It wasn't the smartest decision I ever made, I'll admit that. Then again, there weren't a lot of options open to me at the time. Needless to say, Derek and his gang did not take well to me sprinting off into the forest. Let me tell you, leaping over roots and dodging oaks is not made any easier with a stuffed backpack on your shoulders. I'd been running for about three minutes when it felt like I lost him. That's when I heard a deafening explosion. With my ears ringing I stumbled into a small clearing. I was very surprised when I looked up and saw a perfect sphere, made of every color imaginable. Turning my head towards the heavens once more and witnessed a white, blank sky. I couldn't help walking to the sphere, it was incredible. Against my better judgement I reached out and touched it.
Everything became black, and I was falling.