Johnny cuts himself off, but only because he realizes he's in a library, and it's quiet, and he has no desire to draw any attenton to himself. Shelves tower over him. He's sitting on the floor for some reason, hands buried in plush carpeting. The library is grand, huge, with an old and academic atmosphere, not a building he's ever been in, one he doubts he'd be allowed into under normal circumstances.
But these aren't normal circumstances. He's dreaming again - it's starting to get familiar now. And he doesn't like it. Dreams aren't safe. Bad things happen in them, almost every time.
"Don't be scared, Johnny," says a small voice beside him, just as a soft nose touches his hand.
So much for keeping quiet. He lets out a loud and rather inappropriate string of syllables and staggers to his feet, whipping around to see...
"The fuck?" he hisses. Is he going crazy again? "Did you just..."
"I talked!" she squeaks. She wiggles her nose nervously. She looks up at him, shuffling a little closer. "Johnny?" She's talking. The rabbit is talking. "Do you know me?"
"I don't know, are you related to the last rabbit that appeared in front of me?" says Johnny drolly, but at the same time...
Does he know her?
"I think my name's Novatiana," she says.
Johnny starts to back away. She is familiar somehow, like he's known this rabbit forever, even with the talking and everything. But that doesn't mean he wants to be near her. In fact he feels like he wants to get away. "Nice to meet you, I guess," he says, shuffling back. "I'm, uh, gonna have a look around if that's okay."
"Yeah," she says slowly. She seems jittery, more fidgety than the average rabbit level of fidgetiness. She takes a little hop towards him but then stops as he continues to back off. Like she can feel it too. The aversion. Or at least his intent.
"Johnny?" she says, sounding a little shrill.
He can feel a little bit of an ache in his chest, like something slowing him down, or pulling him back, but he ignores it. It feels too much like what Zagreus did to him before, and even as this invisible draw hurts him, he wants to feel it snap.
He turns sharply, and that's when it hits him - the pain, harder, sharper, unlike anything he's ever felt in his life. He drops back down to his knees, shaking and sobbing, already in tears, how did that happen?! And all he wants is the stupid rabbit, wants her back. He feels like she's being ripped violently away.
And then it subsides.
"Johnny, don't!" Novatiana has scampered toward him, desperate and frantic, her voice trembling. "Come back! It hurts when you... when we..."
He doesn't let her finish. He scoops her up in his arms and holds her close, pressing her to his chest. She's warm and her heart beats rapidly, almost in unison with his. It feels so good - so new. Like he's holding a part of himself. He's never felt this before.
"I'm sorry," he says, feeling terribly ashamed.
"I know," she says.
He curls over, holding her, momentarily unaware of his surroundings.
(i'm sorry I wrote an even BIGGER small book)
Johnny cuts himself off, but only because he realizes he's in a library, and it's quiet, and he has no desire to draw any attenton to himself. Shelves tower over him. He's sitting on the floor for some reason, hands buried in plush carpeting. The library is grand, huge, with an old and academic atmosphere, not a building he's ever been in, one he doubts he'd be allowed into under normal circumstances.
But these aren't normal circumstances. He's dreaming again - it's starting to get familiar now. And he doesn't like it. Dreams aren't safe. Bad things happen in them, almost every time.
"Don't be scared, Johnny," says a small voice beside him, just as a soft nose touches his hand.
So much for keeping quiet. He lets out a loud and rather inappropriate string of syllables and staggers to his feet, whipping around to see...
...a rabbit.
Why is it always rabbits?
"The fuck?" he hisses. Is he going crazy again? "Did you just..."
"I talked!" she squeaks. She wiggles her nose nervously. She looks up at him, shuffling a little closer. "Johnny?" She's talking. The rabbit is talking. "Do you know me?"
"I don't know, are you related to the last rabbit that appeared in front of me?" says Johnny drolly, but at the same time...
Does he know her?
"I think my name's Novatiana," she says.
Johnny starts to back away. She is familiar somehow, like he's known this rabbit forever, even with the talking and everything. But that doesn't mean he wants to be near her. In fact he feels like he wants to get away. "Nice to meet you, I guess," he says, shuffling back. "I'm, uh, gonna have a look around if that's okay."
"Yeah," she says slowly. She seems jittery, more fidgety than the average rabbit level of fidgetiness. She takes a little hop towards him but then stops as he continues to back off. Like she can feel it too. The aversion. Or at least his intent.
"Johnny?" she says, sounding a little shrill.
He can feel a little bit of an ache in his chest, like something slowing him down, or pulling him back, but he ignores it. It feels too much like what Zagreus did to him before, and even as this invisible draw hurts him, he wants to feel it snap.
He turns sharply, and that's when it hits him - the pain, harder, sharper, unlike anything he's ever felt in his life. He drops back down to his knees, shaking and sobbing, already in tears, how did that happen?! And all he wants is the stupid rabbit, wants her back. He feels like she's being ripped violently away.
And then it subsides.
"Johnny, don't!" Novatiana has scampered toward him, desperate and frantic, her voice trembling. "Come back! It hurts when you... when we..."
He doesn't let her finish. He scoops her up in his arms and holds her close, pressing her to his chest. She's warm and her heart beats rapidly, almost in unison with his. It feels so good - so new. Like he's holding a part of himself. He's never felt this before.
"I'm sorry," he says, feeling terribly ashamed.
"I know," she says.
He curls over, holding her, momentarily unaware of his surroundings.