Quietly, I walk through the rose-garden, listening to the gentle sway of the high hedges surrounding me on all sides, as their dense foliage flows back and forth in the fake wind. Tilting my head, I look at one of the small, blooming flowers facing my way and reach towards it. I don’t pull it from the stem, that would be cruel. But I do let my fingers run along the soft body of the red petal.

 

It’s raining.

 

  Not a lot. Just a little. A gentle stream of water that trickles down from the cavernous ceiling so far above us. It’s not really real rain. It's fake, like everything else in the dungeon. It’s just pretend-rain. These are just pretend roses. It’s all just pretend.

 

Letting my hand drop, I keep walking, holding my head that itches on the inside. The slime swishes around, rubbing the top of the inside of my skull for me. Thanks.

 

She bubbles excitedly, happy about having done something nice.

 

  The rain trickles on as I stand at a crossroads, the hedge-maze goes left and it goes right. Both ways are lined with the same roses, both ways are damp from the trickle of the cave-water falling down from above.

 

  I leap, jumping up high. My gauntlet grabs the rim of the hedge and it crashes down beneath my weight, as my heavy armor sinks through its gentle branches that are too frail and weak to support my heavy body. There is a loud thudding, as I fall back down onto the stone path below, several crumpled roses and broken branches beneath me.

 

With a lethargic sigh, I sit there and stare at the dead roses. The flowers placed as if decorating the grave I sit atop.

 

The forty-five floor deep grave below me.

 

  Looking up, I watch as a small snake slithers through the gap in the hedge. It stops for a moment, taking a second to look at me, but then it simply vanishes into the other side with a flick of its tongue precluding the slithering of its body. A snake?

 

“A slither!” calls the slime-girl excitedly, peering into the hedge. I rub my head. I feel… like I’ve been here before. “A group of snakes is called a slither!”

 

“Is it?” I ask her and she nods excitedly. Huh. I’m not sure if that’s true, but it’s good to know I suppose. Maybe I can use that in one of my rambles.

 

Wait…

 

  Droplets of water splash against my armor, like the beating of tiny hands against a drum, they strike against me and all that rings out is the sound of something… hollow. My eyes rise up towards the ceiling and I look, as droplets of water fall into my sockets and leak down into my armor. I tilt my head, wondering what it is that’s bothering me. But I can’t remember. It’s becoming foggy. I’m foggy. What were we doing?

 

  I look over to the slime, who looks back at me with two large, soapy, yellow eyes. She forms a hand, placing it onto her chin as if she were assuming a thinking pose, I suppose on my behalf. Thanks. I nod, she nods back, thinking for me. Weren’t we doing something with… honey or snakes or something? No… wait… uh…

 

She raises a finger explaining. “I was climbing!”

 

“I was?” I ask her. I don’t really remember.

 

  “Mm!” She nods excitedly. Her hands form in-front of her into a rectangular shape and I watch as she makes a block out of her goo. It almost looks like a book. She sticks a finger into her mouth as if to wet it and then ‘flips’ a page of the slime-book. Clearing her throat, she talks with her wet, goopy voice.

 

“Once upon a time, there was you and me!”

 

Oooh, is this a story? I like stories. I pull my knees in and hold them as I listen to her talk, as the gentle rain splashes around the rose-garden.

 

  “We were friends!” she goops and I nod. This is a nice story. “We were climbing to the apex of the world,” she explains, turning the ‘book’ around. Two little goopy figures bob up and down, protruding out of the slime. I like that one. I point to the one on the left. It has a little lance and cape. She nods excitedly and then flips a page, returning the two figures to the rest of the goo.

 

  “But then, came a hero-” Oh no! She makes a scary face, bubbling in agitation. “He was a dumb jerk!” I gasp in shock and she nods again, this time somewhat solemnly. “He smelled bad! And he was stupid! And he doesn’t like lizards!” That piece of shit. I’ll never forgive him. “So we gouged out his eyes! The end.” I clap excitedly. What a nice story! I love a happy ending! Her goo sloshes around excitedly as she takes a bow. The little figures from the story pop up again and then disappear back into her slime as they do the same.

 

  We were going to steal the hero’s eyes? That makes perfect sense! I hit myself on the head. How could I forget something so important, haha! I’m a real knuckle-head sometimes. Of course. What else would we be doing?

 

  Getting back up onto my feet, I hold out my hands and ‘pull up’ the slime. It doesn’t really make sense, since she’s attached to my body. But I’m a gentleman, if nothing else. My fairy-mama raised me with manners, guy, tell you what.

 

  Grabbing my lance, I look at it and then with a sharp turn, I rush down the left-hand path, running through the hedge-maze as I continue my search for the hero who has my eyes. What a jerk. Ugh. I hate him so much.

 

Rounding the bend, I leap, bounding over a heap of debris from an old battle and I continue on my way. As I run, I can’t help but notice a little snake crawling through the bushes.

 

It goes “Ssss~”

 

I nod to it, before running further without it, since I’m in a hurry after all.

 

Sssss.

 

 

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