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Real life hurts

by TigressPL

Chapter 2: Time solves all problems

She didn't have to open her eyes to know where she was. In the middle of nowhere. Literally. She was surrounded by undisturbed void. It wasn't so bad, especially compared to what happened next. Because suddenly the non-existent surrounding gained material form. First and most perceptible evidence was something that appeared right below her, something cold and very uncomfortable.

For a while she continued to pretend nothing abnormal had happened, but she had to give up. Whatever it was, the thing she laid on wasn't going to dissipate. Plus, every second of lying on that freezing cold matter was a torture for her. She opened her eyes and stood up with a heavy sigh. Looking about the place she found herself in, she had to admit she's never been in odder one. If not for the gravity, she would have no idea, which of the perfectly flat, white surfaces surrounding her should be called a floor and which a ceiling. Furthermore, this 'room' had no windows, no doors and no artificial source of light; even though she could see everything clearly. And being able to see everything when there was nothing to see meant seeing nothing and was completely inconsistent with the first statement. She sighed.

'It's not for a cat's mind to deliberate over such paradoxes… But where the hell am I? I wish this »room« wasn't so spacious and empty… I wish somebody was here, even someone as annoying as Bolt.'

All of a sudden, something heavy landed atop her. With a weak meow she gave in to it and collapsed to the ground. After a second she heard a vague muttering, then the unexpected incomer got off her. She got up, silently thanking no one in particular that she got out of this impact unharmed, then turned to face the new guest of this strange place. And she was completely stunned to see…

"Bolt?!" she screamed. "What… what are you doing here?"

"Well, you tell me… I was just about to superbark some agents of the Green Eyed Man when I felt that strange twirl in my head and landed here… wherever 'here' belongs to," he looked about the place.

"I wish I knew… But, wait a second, hadn't you stopped believing in the Green Eyed Man and all those imaginary stories you participated in?"

"What are you…?" he tilted his head a bit, confused, but after a while he nodded. "You may have a point here, Mittens… Besides, I didn't know you back then. But… unless some unnamed, evil force dragged me through the time… It makes no sense."

"Eureka," she muttered. "There is no way in and no way out, so we can't escape, but we also simply cannot be here, as we couldn't have come in… This place is too much of a paradox, it threatens with headache at every step," she complained.

For a moment they just stood in silence, then Bolt uncertainly came close to one of the abnormally white walls. He seemed deep in thought for a moment, then suddenly decided. He slowly put one of his hind legs a step back, then he moved one of his front legs forward a little, he gathered all his strength and barked at the wall with conviction.

After a short, awkward moment, he turned back and looked at her.

"What?" he asked in a half-guilty voice as he noticed she's looking at him like he was an alien. "It was worth trying, when even stranger things happen around…"

She rolled her eyes.

'We're starting to lose sanity. And where? Wow, nowhere. I wish there was a door at least.'

"Whoa!" Bolt exclaimed unexpectedly.

"What is it?" she opened her eyes widely when she saw what the dog was looking at. The wall in front of them, perfectly flat just a minute ago, now hosted a heavy wooden door.

Bolt came to the door and tried to push it open. She wished he could achieve that – and, luckily, it opened with a quiet creak. Bolt poked his nose into the next room, then pushed the door a bit harder. Behind it they saw another white room, an exact clone of the one they stood in.

"Is this some kinda joke?" she thought aloud. "Could someone explain me any of the things happening here?" she cried out, expecting no answer. Yet it came, in a booming voice coming from every corner, making both animals jump up from surprise.

"Yes, of course," the voice said.

'I've heard something like that before…'

"Rhino…?" she called, still a bit frightened. "Is this you playing with the ventilation again?"

"No."

'You're really talkative, aren't ya?'

"Mittens…?" Bolt cut in quietly, coming near her. His face showed pure incomprehension of the situation.

She shrugged to ensure him she's as surprised by all those events as he is, then looked up and asked aloud, "Who are you? And, most importantly: where are we?"

"I'm Morpheus, and you're in my arms… well, in my domain. But I have almost no power here, it's all under your control, Mittens."

"What the hell does it mean?! Something about arms, domains and control… Be more precise, please. Where are we?"

"You haven't moved an inch from where you actually are," her answer came.

She snorted. "If you don't want to tell us, fine. Just show us the exit…"

"I can't tell you more, it's your realm, you are to rule it, not me. And that reminds me - I have other things to do. Good luck!"

"Hey! That's not fair…" Mittens stood silent for a second. "Morpheus? Say something!"

Her calls were effortless though, Morpheus didn't return.

"Damn it… Bolt, did you understand anything from what that Morpheus, whoever he was, just said?"

"Well..." he answered hesitantly. "He said you got power, that you control the whole place… Haven't you noticed any signs of that?"

She already opened her mouth to deny it, when a crazy thought popped into her head. Was it possible, that she created that door? If so…

'I wish I could see where we are,' she insisted silently.

Once more, Bolt spotted the new creation first.

"Hey, did you do this? Whatever 'this' is…"

She looked at what his was staring at and let out a quiet sigh.

An intangible image was hovering in the air halfway between them and one of the room's walls. She looked with disbelief at incredibly real, moving picture of… themselves. It reminded Rhino's beloved television, aka Magic Box, but this image was way more advanced than what the rodent enjoyed so much. She didn't care about the quality though, it was the view that made her shiver.

On the Image, as she called it, she was asleep, lying on a couch with a certain dog… much closer than she would ever consciously allow herself. It made her question the credibility of the Image. Besides, she knew all too well that Bolt always slept soundly, while the slumber of the animals it showed was very agitated and fidgety.

"Huh… now it makes sense," Bolt said suddenly.

"What are you talking about, crazy? You cannot possibly believe this ridiculous figment we're seeing-"

"Figment, that's the word!" he cut in, earning a strange look from her. "Don't you get it? It's all just a figment of your imagination! We're in your dream."

She was taken aback by the idea.

''No, no, no, no, that's… That's not even possible, what would you be doing here then?" she slapped her forehead. "It's either you going nuts again or me talking to a non-existent dog I'm considering real… If it's a dream, I want to wake up!" she screamed, pinching her cheek sturdily.

She heard Bolt - or the image of him - gasp. When she gave him a questioning look, he pointed the Image with his nose. She looked at it only because she was too confused to come up with any other reaction… and she froze, utterly shocked at the sight. The cat on the Image, supposedly herself… had a dribble of blood on her cheek, seeping from a small wound in the spot she had just pinched to wake up. Still in a state of desperate denial, she touched her face gently and was left agape when she saw the red spot on her paw.

"This isn't normal," she muttered. "What a weird dream is it anyway? Unless it ends quickly, I will be a total wreck in the morning," she looked at Bolt. He seemed to be thinking hard. She almost burst into laughter at the view.

'His face is so amusing when he is exerting his mind...'

He made her forget about worries and smile for the first time from the moment she became imprisoned… with an insignificant change of his look. Realization of this simple fact astonished her immensely.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked just to put her mind on anything else than thinking about this weird dream again.

'Even naming it properly sounds weird, I cannot have a dream about a dog…'

"Piano," he replied, cutting her thoughts short.

'Again, it's either me or him going nuts… And, supposing that he's only a figment…' She howled mentally.' Is this ever going to end?'

"Do you see that hole?" Bolt asked, pointing something behind her back. "Maybe it could lead us out of this room…? I see some very nice plains there."

She looked in the direction he pointed, but saw nothing.

'What is this mental dog playing?'

"Don't you see it?" he smirked. "Maybe you don't want to see it and your power does the job?"

"What?! Of course I want to see a hole that would let us escape this bloody prison…" her jaw dropped when part of the wall simply disappeared, letting her look at a beautiful meadow on the other side of it.

Bolt laughed happily and launched out of the room into fresh air. Led by an instinct, she gazed at the Image, the real world. Bolt, barely sleeping from the second the Image appeared, has suddenly relaxed, becoming soundly asleep. She smiled when he unwittingly dragged himself closer to her.

'Maybe that's it… the nightmare's ended, so he returns to normal sleep. And why doesn't that move enrage me? Maybe I'm also starting to relax…'

She decided not to deliberate the matter further, at the moment she had only one wish: to join the dog and calm down as he did. She run to the hole and glanced back… But there was nothing that would keep her from leaving this damned place. She smiled upon hearing a familiar barking and seeing Bolt, running towards her with a stick in his mouth. She took the final step out without further hesitation.

Bolt's ear twitched when a bothersome, mincing sound attacked it. He laid still for a moment, unwilling to give up on those wonderful dreams he was having yet. Unfortunately, all his sleepiness already vanished, so he finally surrendered and decided to get up. That's when he felt something really pleasant and warm lying on his back. After quick thinking, he decided not to get up just yet, but he couldn't help yawning. In the moment he opened his mouth, the mincing stopped. He opened his eyes to determine the source of this sound, when it - well, he - decided to reveal his identity without an order.

"Finally!" if hearing the addicted voice wasn't enough for him to recognize the speaker, Rhino was hopping blithely in his ball just a foot away from his nose.

"Shut it, hamster…" came a muttering voice from over Bolt's neck, but he hadn't time to think about the cat, bothered with something else. It was too late to react though, so he just watched in horror, as his friend's ball rolled on the remote…

The TV turned on immediately, showing a THX screen with the digital sound on full speakers' capability. The sound wave literally blew Mittens off Bolt's back. He knew what will happen now, so he was about to hold on the enraged cat, therefore preventing her from killing Rhino, when he spotted Penny.

In a flash all the events of previous day rolled through his mind, making his knees weak for a while. Long enough for him to lose his balance and land on the ground heavily. He could not see it, but his fall pacified his friends immediately. At the moment he didn't care though, seeing only his person. She went through the living room, not noticing the animals, then turned into the kitchen and started talking to her mom.

'Mittens said it will get better in the morning, as time solves all problems… But… Penny never raised a hand against me.' He barely felt the impact with Penny's bedside table, what hurt most was the very fact that his person used corporal punishment against him. 'If I failed her too much… will she kick me out, sell me? Will I ever see Mittens and Rhino again?'

Deep in apocalyptic thoughts, he haven't even noticed when he came into the kitchen. Ears and tail dropped, head low over the ground, he neared Penny. He was waiting for another strike, for a sharp word, for her to ignore him…

He never expected Penny to fall on her knees beside him, raise his head to make him look her in the eye and start apologizing.

"Bolt… I'm so sorry, doggy. I shouldn't have pushed you back then, I keep forgetting you don't know about so much things. I treated you like some stupid animal when you're my friend and I… I only hope you will be able to forgive me the cruel, undeserved treatment I brought upon you. I'm really sorry…" she trailed off, her voice wet with tears.

Bolt was completely astonished. Her reaction took him off-guard. He only managed to lick her nose to tell her how happy he is she forgave him. In response, she hugged him tightly, sobbing into his fur. But those were sobs of joy.

They remained silent for a minute or two, just sitting together, enjoying their reconciliation. Bolt has already been through an over week-long separation, but he was coming back to the person that loved him then. Now, when negative emotions cut in, even a few hours long separation was hell for both of them. But they were together again, so the only thing Bolt now wanted to do was…

"Wanna go play fetch?" Penny asked with the regular mirth returning to her voice. Bolt didn't even have to beg, she knew he probably longed for it as a final act of rejoining. She sniffed for the last time, chasing the sadness away, then stood up and rushed to the door, looking back on Bolt, who of course was hot on her heels.

Mittens and Rhino were sitting outside the kitchen, silently watching the scene. When Bolt came out after Penny and gazed at them, the hamster raised his thumbs and rolled back to his spot to watch something on the TV. Mittens only smirked. She had to speak with him, but this was not going to be possible in the closest hour or so - reconcilement will surely be the only thing Bolt will be able to think about. She didn't mind, he needed to end the nightmare of separation with his person.

Having considered that, she was astonished when he stopped in front of her. But he did even more – he leaned close to her, put his head over her neck and squeezed gently, whispering, "Thank you, Mittens. Thank you."

She was speechless, utterly confused. She haven't even noticed when he disappeared. It could have been minutes, it could as well have been hours, even days. It just didn't matter to her.

She finally found her happiness.