The Night of Squares (Alternate Ending)

I woke up in a creepy, melancholy, dark room. I saw about 80 boxes in the room. I don't know how I got here, when I got here, or what time it is. I don't remember the time, either.. I scampered to the square made of boxes, I climbed to the top of the square. As I began to open the box, an ox came out of the box.. Quickly, it began to hop off the square, as if it was trying to knock me over.. With fear deeply instilled in me, I ran.

 

After some time, I began to lose my breath. I looked up, realizing for the whole time, I had been looking at my feet.. Additionally, I had reached a white room. In front of me sat a brown, cardboard box. Thinking maybe something else would pop out, my heart began to race. Suddenly, two oxen popped out once again.. The worst part is that one ox jumped while it was on top of the boxes.  I opened another box on the top,  Then, the second ox made all the boxes fall. 

 

Next thing I knew, 80 oxen were chasing me. In terror and panic, once again, I ran. Ahead of me was a pure white, barely visible door. I opened it, hoping inside would be an escape route? I didn't even care what the room contained, I just cared that it could get me away from this living nightmare... I shut my eyes, and I began to breathe arrhythmically.. I opened the door, finally realizing. "I made it, I escaped the oxen." 

 

I didn't want to open my eyes. I didn't want to know the details of this room, I just wanted to say in my solace of knowing I've escaped. It was like a temporary, calming haze, and I never wanted to leave. 

 

I opened my eyes. I didn't feel in control anymore. This haze was no longer with me, and now I felt I was a child again, and someone took my toy and took it far away from me. I felt a sense of falling. Falling, falling endlessly. my breath became arrhythmic again. My heart raced, and instead of the comforting haze, I felt anxiety. Pure anxiety. Not knowing where I'd end up when I woke up.

 

As I began to fall farther and harder, I passed out. 

 

This time, I woke up in a.. basement? The basement contained an empty bed, a desk, and the desk had some pens and a notebook. There was a sign on the desk that said "Writing, try it out! You can't leave anyway.."

 

I wrote down a short story. Suddenly, the paper disappeared into little sparkles.. 

 

I decided to go to bed sometime after that. When I woke up, a wardrobe appeared, and the sign instead said "Level 2 unlocked!"

 

I repeated my process from yesterday, waking up the next day.. I unlocked a window, and I saw.. 2 kids. Wait.. Level 2? Level.. 3? Am I in a video game? I figured I was.. Maybe I could escape by just staying in bed?

 

After a while of staying in bed, I fell asleep. I woke up in a dark room with only a desk. 

 

There was a note on the desk, similar to when the simulation started. 

 

It read, "You didn't do what you were asked.. Now you can only write for the rest of your life.."

 

To escape from this dreadful reality, I would imagine a weird place. The place was calm, and liminal. No person or thing was there that could hurt me. It was strange, almost similar to my video game land where there were different levels. Everyday was a different level, but there were no consequences. I could do whatever I want..

 

After a month or so of imagining this land, I got my bed back. I went to sleep, and when I woke up, there was a note on the desk that read "Now, the world is in your hands, you can write whatever you please and it will come true. Just don't imagine escaping.."

 

So, I imagined the world I created in my story. And that's where I lived out my days.. So this is the end of my story, I guess?

originally written by Amari

co-written and edited by Zoe