BLESSED-TOPIA : Chapter 20 - Seperated

CHAPTER 20 - SEPERATED

As soon as Michaedeer touched the forbidden wine bottle, she knew it was a bad idea. The entire room started to shake. It felt like an earthquake

“OH GOD!” screamed Little Bozling.

Joel, still grasping onto the stairs was crying like a girl. “WE’RE GOING TO DIE!” he yelled out.

They all at the same time realised where the shaking was coming from. Ahead of them, the wall collapsed. The blue glow of them quickly faded away as a tidal wave of red wine came crashing towards them.

“RUN!” Little Bozling cried as he began to run down the stairs. He ran straight into Joel, who had been too terrified to move. They both started to roll down the stairs. It hurt. And it was bumpy. But it sure was the quickest way to get down. They touched the bottom.

“MICHAEDEER! COME ON!” Joel shouted, trying to get his voice over the huge sound of the wine wave.

She just stared at it though, in complete awe. “My god… It’s…”

But then she was gone. The wave hit her and she was instantly consumed by it.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!” Little Bozling screamed as hard as he could. He slumped to the floor. Joel’s instincts took over again. Now was not the time for emotions. Without thinking, he grabbed the little elf and began to run.

Joel ran as hard as he could out of the blue cave. Behind them the wave had now completely overridden the staircase.

“Oh god! She’s gone!” Little Bozling sobbed.

Joel just ignored this though; he reached the end of that cavern. He began to run through the tunnel. He had forgotten how slippery it was. He started to slide.

“OH GOD!” he cried out, unable to stop himself. At the end of the tunnel, he fell flat on his face. Little Bozling, still on Joel’s shoulder started to scream manically as he saw the wave drawing ever closer.

Joel got to his feet though. He started to run through the warehouse of wine. The wine wave was definitely gaining on them though. Huge crates of wine started to explode behind them. The crash of the wave just destroyed everything in its path.

A box flew straight past Joel’s head. It barely missed him.

“WHOA!” Little Bozling gasped in wonder at the sight behind him. The smashing wine was simply adding to the already gargantuan wave. Splintered wood also got mixed up in it. It looked pretty dangerous.

Joel managed to get out of the warehouse; they were running through another tunnel now. Wine dripped from the walls and ceiling still. It started to soak Little Bozling’s elf suit. It got slippery, and of course, as you may have guessed… Joel accidentally dropped Little Bozling.

The small elf rolled along the ground. Joel stopped and looked back. “COME ON!” he cried.

Little Bozling luckily was quick, and got to his feet fast. The two began to run side by side. Joel could now feel the wine start to spray the back of his head. It was too close for comfort now.

“There’s the door!” Little Bozling said to Joel, pointing up the stairs ahead of them.

Still in a sprint, they both began to run up the stairs, trying to keep a good balance between speed and staying steady, and not slipping. Joel could see the light through the grand door. He just had to reach…

The wave hit them both.

It catapulted them forwards. Joel’s whole body hit the door and it flew open. He and Little Bozling splashed out, back into the Grand Hall. The wave had stopped. They had done it.

Joel rolled onto his back, panting for air, “Another hour in Blessed-Topia…” he joked.

The small elf was stone faced though.

“Little Bozling?” Joel asked softly.

The tiny man began to cry. He had seen Little Bozling cry before. Cry because he was scared. Cry because he was being bullied. But Joel had never seen him upset like this.

“I’m so sorry about Michaedeer…” Joel said softly. “She was wonderful to us…”

“She was more than that Joel!” Little Bozling suddenly snapped back at him, “She was my friend! She was your friend!”

“We don’t know that she…”

“That’s she’s dead?” Little Bozling shouted, “No… of course not, everyone could easily survive being hit by a giant wave of wine!”

Joel was getting annoyed now. “Listen! I’m just trying to help!”

“That’s what you always do! You just want to help! Well maybe I don’t want to help! Maybe I don’t want to help you!” Little Bozling exclaimed.

“But…”

Little Bozling took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Joel. It’s just… you don’t seem to care…”

“I do care,” Joel replied, “More than you know… I just want to get out of this Christmas Hell!”

Little Bozling then got upset again. “You know, to some of us, we are proud to call this Christmas Hell of yours our home. I am. Michaedeer would have been.”

“Don’t start again…” Joel said calmly.

“What’s so bad about this place? Is it me?” the elf asked.

“It’s just so…”

“So what?” Little Bozling shouted.

“Christmassy! I can’t help it! Christmas isn’t a great time of year! I don’t like it and I just want to go home!” Joel yelled back at him.

“So… that’s how it is… you hate all things Christmas do you?” Little Bozling asked.

Joel immediately said, without any hesitation, “I do!”

Little Bozling stood up, wiping the wine from his face. “Well, I guess you have no business with a Christmas Elf then!”

“No! I guess I don’t!” Joel angrily said back.

Little Bozling started to walk off as Joel got up. This had all escalated very quickly.

Little Bozling then stopped. He didn’t look back at Joel, but his words were still powerful. “Maybe Christmas isn’t just about you?” the elf said.

He then walked off.

“FINE! GO! I don’t need you!” Joel shouted, but it was too late, he had gone.

Joel began to walk the other direction. He exited out the Grand Hall and walked back into the Land of Elves. The streets were still grimy and dirty. No change there.

Ahead of him though, was Santa’s Grotto. He started to walk there, by himself, ready to face whatever it threw at him.

TUNE BACK IN TOMORROW FOR CHAPTER 21 - THREE CHALLENGES