The reunion

"If walls could talk, what in the world would they say?" Andrea sighed, gazing at the scorching flames growing in the wood-burning stove, and could not help but wonder what the walls would say after witnessing that unusual reunion. She wasn't particularly fond of get-togethers, and the scent of gift wrapping paper almost always made her feel nauseous and frail. Anastasia, looking like a snowball, lay in the cat tree curled up into a crescent with its head tucked in toward its chest and its lavish and furry tail swooping around its little body, looking cozy as can be. "Maybe they'd laugh at our giant act!" she exclaimed cynically but then slowly dozed off on the mahogany desk until she fell into a deep, dark sleep. After what felt like a lifetime, Andrea finally wakes up and starts scanning the room. She can't quite pinpoint what feels different about it this time, but something is off. The room looks darker and shadowy, and the scent of wrapping paper is more nuanced than usual. She puts her glasses back on and notices Anastasia is gone.

"Where did she go? And how did she get out of here anyway? Someone must have let her out!" speculated Andrea as thoughts inundated her mind faster than ever. The more she thought, the more her thoughts seemed to echo through space in the great study room of her great-grandparents. Different light hues came through the stained glass windows as dust particles slowly settled off the bookshelves. Andrea's anxiety began to rise when she sensed she was no longer alone in the room. Convinced, she continued to scan the room thoroughly as if she had laser technology attached to one of her pupils. The sun had just set, and deep down, she knew she had no real reason to fear anything at twilight. Suddenly, a deep yawn bursts from the east windows, and her heart begins pounding like a drum beat off her chest.

"Who's there?!" shouted Adrea. The room went quiet. Really quiet. "Hello?! Is anyone there? Stop playing and come out. I'm not in the mood for these silly games today, " shouted Andrea, with her voice shaking. A moment passed, but all she could hear was the sound of her breath coming through the damp nostrils of those cold winter days when suddenly, another deep yawn broke out from the other side of the study. "Yaaaaaaaawn, all these books are making it hard to see you," the wall said with a wobbly voice. Andrea could not believe her eyes when the wall before her began to reveal its true form. It had big eyes with vertical pupils, similar to Anastasia's eyes but no colors except for the pale yellow of the wall itself. Its tiny mouth seemed pretty ironic to Andrea for such a deep, loud tone, and she could not help but laugh a little inside.

"This can't be real! I must be dreaming!" said Andrea pinching herself so that hopefully she would wake. She kept pinching away but with no luck. "You must be the girl who asked about our thoughts when it comes to your little reunion," said the wall taking its time. Andrea, astounded, stood there speechless. "Well, let me tell you something. We haven't had one like you in here in a very long time. Perhaps a hundred years or so," said the wall as if speaking through an old record player. "Let me have another look at you," said the wall studying every inch of Andrea's body. "You look very familiar, just like your great aunt, Anna. You have her physique and even a similar demeanor." Andrea's mind turned into a black canvas. She wanted to think thoughts, but nothing came to mind. "I'll give you a moment, dear. No worries. I have all the time in the world unless these walls collapse one day," said the wall looking straight into Andrea's eyes, piercing them with its mystifying expression.

Andrea slaps herself in the face several times, hoping to wake from this bewildering nightmare. But fate seemed to have other plans for her during those cold and long winter holidays. Gathering all her strength, Andrea finally speaks up. "Are you really a talking wall?" with barely any voice left in her. "Well, of course I am. Can't you see that I am just as sentient as you are? I can see you, hear you, and even smell your fear from where you're standing," said the wall. Andrea wanted to believe it was real because it felt real with every fiber of her being, but it couldn't possibly be real. At least not in the real waking world! "Walls don't come alive in my world, so of course, this must be some other place or dimension I have fallen into," thought Andrea quietly in her head. "Since I'm stuck in this weird place for now, I guess I can only entertain the situation until I find a way out," thought Andrea, trying to be as objective as possible.

"Okay then. Why have you come alive to talk to me? Is there something you'd like to say about the reunion?" asked Andrea cringing at the words coming out of her mouth. The wall went silent for a while and gazed into Andrea's eyes endlessly as if lost in thought. "You know, I have met many humans during these 200 years standing here, and I can't help but notice a few similar traits that are impossible to ignore. You see, I'm standing here, and it's true, I never asked to be built, but neither do I feel you owe me a new coat of paint simply because I exist. Perhaps destiny has it that one day I will get a fresh coat of paint, but I don't make it my job to worry or argue about it," said the wall. Andrea sat with her legs crossed on the wide plank floors made from pine and began to observe the wall more carefully. The initial shock of a talking wall was slowly dissipating, and the features of the wall became more apparent than before. She noticed a few wrinkles around the mouth and cheekbones and a subtle smile underneath the unsettling expression of its sunken eyes.

"What is this place? Is it a real place?" asked Andrea inquisitively. "It's as real as both our thoughts put together. And what difference does it make anyway? Fate has brought us together at this point in space and time and probably for a reason," said the wall changing its expression quite drastically this time. Andrea paused and noticed a distinct chill in the air. The scent of gift wrapping paper finally got to her, and she began to feel dizzy and nauseous. "Are you the only talking wall in this room, or are there other ones like you?" asked Andrea. "I am one and all," said the wild-eyed wall with a mischievous smile. "I can be here and there, and on this side and this other side," as it became crazed while shifting between all sides of the study. Andrea almost jumped up off the floor, struggling to regain her composure. "This is very unusual, I must admit," said Andrea. "I'm having a really hard time believing any of this is real. I have to be dreaming. There's no other explanation for this."

"Dream or awake, real or fake, fiction or non-fiction, yady-yady-ya. Your grandfather and his obsession with all these myths, untold stories, and unusual theories are what drove him to madness. I've never met one single human without any existential questions before. It's starting to bore me, if I have to be frank," said the wall, seemingly irritated. Andrea looked confused. "Why can't you just enjoy this moment in time? You never know if it'll ever be back," said the wall with glistening eyes and getting quieter as if its batteries were running out. "You're right," said Andrea. "I'm here now, so I might as well make the best of it or find out as much as I can about this place anyway." "That's the spirit!" said the wall. Andrea got up and began to observe the room better, but it didn't seem like the same room anymore. She noticed the books in the library were different and didn't recognize any of them. One stood out to her in particular, as it had a pale purple cover with golden letters on it. As she got closer, she could make out the name. "Cities Above the Firmament," author unknown.

"What is this about?" inquired Andrea. "Hah! I'm not surprised you picked that one," said the wall. "I couldn't think any less of you anyway. Most humans wallow in pity and despair for hours, if not days, once they realize they can't get out of here or get themselves to awaken, as you humans describe it," said the wall. "What do you mean I can't get out of here?" asked Andrea. "Well yeah. I can't help you get out of here. Only you can do that," said the wall. "I figured that," said Andrea, feeling quite discouraged. Andrea opened the book, and a sweet, mild note of lavender arose from it. "Someone must have left lavender flowers inside the book a while ago." Andrea's scent had always been strong since little. In fact, she always had issues with wearing new clothes and even eating certain foods or being around people who wore strong perfumes. She turned the page to the first chapter. "The Invisible City of Oaan." "What in the world is this?" Andrea muttered, peculiarly interested. She went on reading.

"Once upon a time, when the sky had two moons, Luna and Fatia, the inhabitants of Arvan, weary of endless wars..." when suddenly the door in the study slams shut. "What's going on?" asked Andrea in panic. But the wall had no response. "Hello? Wall? Are you there?" The wall seemed to have gone to sleep or perhaps disappeared altogether. Contemplating whether she should leave the study, Andrea's anxiety rises once again. "If I leave, I'll know for sure that I'm not dreaming," thought Andrea in despair. "I don't want this to be real. It's all because of that stupid question I pondered earlier this afternoon. What would walls have to say about our stupid reunion anyway?! We're all mad, and I know it. There's no way they'll ever sell grandpa's inventions. I won't allow it. Not over my dead body, anyway. It's all my inheritance. He left everything under my name, and I won't let anyone convince me otherwise. I believe in him because he believed in me. There's nothing more to discuss." Andrea decided to stay and take a nap, so hopefully, she would return to her own world where walls didn't have anything to say. She sat back at the mahogany desk, forcing herself to sleep, but sleep didn't come. This time she feels alone, but really alone and scared. Twenty minutes pass before the wall yawns again.

"Where the hell have you been?!" asked Andrea. "You can't just leave me here all alone! You're the one who brought me to this weird place!" The wall burst into laughter and couldn't contain itself for a good minute. "Well, hello again. I see you haven't left the study at all." "Of course, I haven't left," said Andrea. "I don't want to be here anymore. I just want to get back to my own world." The wall listened carefully but didn't respond. "I want out. I don't care about exploring this place. I just want to wake up in my own world. I already have all that I need. I don't need your opinion anymore, nor the opinion of those who don't believe in grandpa's inventions. I'm not selling anything to those lousy scientists." The wall still didn't respond. "Hello?!" shouted Andrea in despair. It must have been around 9:30 pm, and Andrea's stomach growled. The wall began to hum a little tune. Like a purring cat, the tune with a faint melody in the background hypnotized Andrea, leaving her lightheaded and weak. She dozed off on the desk until, once again, she fell into a deep, dark sleep. Suddenly a loud knock wakes her up. "Where am I?" Anastasia was still asleep on the cat tree. The fire in the wood-burning stove was almost out. "Andrea, are you in there?" asked Andrea's mother. "Yes, I'll be right out, Mom." Andrea was so relieved to be back. She took some time before leaving the study and couldn't wait to see everyone's reaction to what she's decided to do with grandpa's inheritance.