A few seconds later Mona found herself in an enigmatic place where she could barely identify the things around her. Her vision was blurry. Rubbing her eyes she tried to get a clear view. But failed.
Vague structures were floating around.
She stood up and started taking wary steps. She didn't realise when she started perceiving things clearly in the process.
"Violet leaves with the red trunk and what's with that size of leaves? An elephant-like creature flying around? Are you kidding me?" she was blabbering to herself. "Haha, now this is what they call delusions. I think I hit my head while trying to get my bracelet out of there. This is the perk of being a science student, you can diagnose your case. No, wait... Is that something I should be proud of right now?" she face palmed herself, being all irritated.
She kept wandering around the place. It was all so similar that she couldn't distinguish the way she came and the way she was going. At this point, when she was on the edge of believing she was dead and reached heaven, she saw a Dodo, which gave her conclusive evidence for her presumption.
"Am I dead?" she questioned staring blankly at the sky, which was practically identical to magma rather than the sky.
"No, not yet" Mona flinched when she heard the voice.
She cautiously turned her head enough to get a glimpse of an old woman standing in the shadows. She stood still but her hair flew around her. It looked like the entry of a ghost from haunted movies. It was at this moment Mona realised she might have been in hell, not heaven 😂.
Without uttering a single word she turned and started sprinting, only to trip after taking three steps.
"Wowoo, easy, easy little one. Am I that scary?" the old lady appeared in the air in front of her.
Mona was busy analysing how fast the woman reached her, not to mention she was floating in the air with roots around her when the woman held out her hand to help Mona up. Mona, being Mona, didn't take it, she stood up on her own and took her time looking at the woman.
"Mam I don't know who you are and what I am doing here. If you could please tell me the way out, I will be grateful. For the question you asked me earlier, you were scary when you were in the dark, but now I think you look okay" Mona said bluntly.
"What do you mean ok? I am one of the most beautiful women of my time," The woman yelled.
Mona let out a sigh in disbelief. How could a woman that old not understand the graveness of the situation and be bothered about her beauty like a mere teenager who just hit puberty? 🫤
"I personally don't like you right now. But still, you are the girl this planet chose. So let me formally welcome you to the 'PLANET OF EXTINCT'. I am the Saviour of this planet" The woman gave her a head turn.
Mona became silent. 'What did she just say?' was her only thought. She, right now, right here, heard some absolutely nonsensical words put together, that too in this weird circumstance.
'If this is a dream, you better wake up, Ms.Mona. Who asked you to watch so many fantasy movies? They messed up your circuits' Mona warned herself.
Mona again sighed "I think I am not the only one having delusions." She started walking away.
That woman couldn't control her anger anymore "How come you are such a rude brat? And this planet chose you? How annoying."
Mona halted on her track and turned around swiftly, "Excuse me, mam. You don't even know me, so don't judge. If some random person came to you and said the same things you said, would you accept it and think she is sane?"
That woman pondered for a while and said "Well, I think you do have a point. I threw the whole basket of grapes on his head, compared to that, your reaction is subtle."
A chuckle escaped Mona, but in a split second, she drifted back into the chaotic state.
This whole scene was quite frustrating and frightening. She was in a completely different place, not knowing anyone, not having anywhere to go, fighting for her life and this strange woman was not letting her breathe.
Mona, with an expressionless face, utilising her last drop of patience, "So... mam, as you think I am right, can you tell me the way out?"
"Sweety, there is only one way you can go home and that is to let me speak. You must understand every word that's coming out of my mouth. Only then I am letting you go. Is that clear?" That woman said in a commanding voice.
'Woow. This woman is a kidnapper. Remind me to force her into jail the moment I get out of it. Should I just kick her and run? Run where? Where do you think you will go? But I can't be standing here doing nothing and let this woman steal my organs. Wait, organs?'
"Hello..." This word from the woman disrupted the flow of thoughts in Mona's head and brought her back to reality.
"Y-ya, yes" Mona shuttered.
"So should I start?" The woman asked.
Mona shook her head in tiny, nervously.
"Follow me"
With every passing second the suspicion and anxiety were waning away. The things she was seeing with her naked eyes were something she could never put into words. This random world was getting incredibly fabulous with every step. Whether it's the panorama or the creatures moving around. The little ones were portraying what's called being adorable. 🥰
She raised her head and her eyes widened. Mona saw a castle that was almost touching the sky. It was huge. The architecture was out of the globe. Fine details. In a word, it was magnificent.
"We are here," the woman said. She made some gesture with her hand and raised her hand, the ground they were on rose with it.
That was when Mona's life flashed before her as she realised this was a magical world. Like in the novels. The only thing she wasn't sure of, was whether she was dreaming or if this was all true.
Also, she came to terms with the fact that she could never leave this world without that woman's permission. If she had the power to control the land they were standing on, she could surely control Mona's every single move on it.🙄
She stared at the lady for answers to the questions she never asked.
They reached a big, empty hall covered with darkness, the light was following the lady like a sensor system. They reached the centre of the hall. Mona looked at the ceiling as it was reflecting different coloured light. Abstract paintings covered the whole hall.
Seeing her perplexed face, the lady said, "Let's get to the main topic. Mona, are you ready?"
Ok now this was another shock, that woman knew her name.
"Little one, as I already brought up, I am the saviour of this planet. I am called Green. This planet and Earth have an inseparable connection. The organisms, whether they are animals or plants and the terrains, once they get extinct on Earth, exist here. That's the reason it's called Planet of Extinct. This planet runs with magic and power. It chose you" the woman said with a calm and proud face.
"Ok...Everything is falling in place now, the reason I could see creatures which I never saw on earth, the reason I saw a dodo, the reason why I was having problems with my sight and the reason you could find me that easily," said Mona after putting the last piece of the puzzle together."Wait-"
"Magic" She nodded realising something, "You were the one who created an abrupt tornado out of nowhere?"
The woman shrugged her shoulders "Smart girl."
"So why did you bring me here and why do you keep telling me this planet chose me? Chose me for what?" Mona asked the second question. Her heart was hammering in her chest.
"Well, good question. You are going to be the next Saviour of this planet. This planet chose you for that." replied Green.
"What Saviour? There is no Saviour here. Oh, please. Let me go. I let you talk and now you are done. So send me back. Now!"
Seeing her getting edgy, Green beamed "As I said, this planet runs on magic. It's fragile. It needs exclusive attention and care for it to evolve completely. It needs us, it needs you. Trust me, Mona, this planet doesn't choose someone who is not capable enough for this work. You are strong and brave, the way you spoke to me even though you just met me explained how you trust your guts and believe in whatever you do and feel"...."I know it should be your choice to be a part of this or not, but I insist you accept this planet. It really ought to have you, also, I don't have enough time to find a new person and train them now."
The last sentence stabbed her like a knife. "Your-"
Green laughed. "No. No, I am not dying."
Mona inhaled sharply "Then why can't you find someone else? You sure know how to play me."😒
"One, why will I find someone else when I have you? Two, I said I am not dying that does not mean I have a lot of time. My power is rapidly going down and I no longer can protect this planet. I need to train you as soon as possible. Three, you ask many questions."
Mona blinked once, twice. "So let me sum up all the details you said till now" She looked at Green, asking permission. When she got it, she continued, "This is Planet of Extinct, and you are its Saviour who is having a power crisis right now, and you need me to replace you. Right?"
"Exactly, you understood quite quickly. It's incredible" Green clapped.
Whether it was sarcastic or not, Mona didn't know and didn't want to know it either. "What if I say I don't want to be here, I have no interest in becoming extinct?"
Green smirked and spoke," Nothing much, you are just not going home."
"Hey, that's not fair" Mona shrieked.
"How is it going honey?" came a growl from the side making Mona stumble and fall to the ground.
"Oh, oh, careful, there" a man picked her up. "Hello sweetheart, this is Blue. The Saviour of this planet and the husband of the gorgeous lady standing in front of you" said the man, who was almost the same age as Green and was also in similar attire.
Mona was pissed. This was getting crazier. "How many Saviours does this planet have, and why do all of you have the habit of giving entries like a ghost?"
The man cracked up. "We are just two. By the way, she is a tough one. Feisty. Dealing with her is not gonna be easy. All the best, my Grace." Green blushed at the way he addressed her.
Mona looked away and mumbled, "Why am I witnessing people flirting with each other without bothering someone here is about to cease functioning." 😮💨
Green asked her husband, "Where is your candidate? He is all set for the mission?"
Blue threw an 'I wish' look, "I just gave him the stone and explained things briefly and asked him to meet me tomorrow. I just hope he will show up. I don't have the energy to create another tornado", his voice lowered.
He sounded exhausted and pale.
Mona felt bad seeing them bothered, but she couldn't just accept this whole thing which was so absurd@.
Suddenly she realised one thing "I have a partner too?"
The couple nodded, "A single person can never protect the entire planet without help. Every person deserves to have support."
"Complete your work, honey; I will be waiting for you in the garden. Love you" Blue winked and walked away, leaving the ladies alone.
Green waved bye to her beloved before turning to Mona "So, what do you say? You're in?"
Mona looked deep into her eyes, piercing her soul, and asked, "I have a serious question. If this is a planet, why doesn't anyone know about it? If there is a mass in the system, surely there will be differences in the physics calculations, but still, no one knows about it?"
Green was surprised that the girl levelled up from being dumb quite quickly.
"This planet is invisible to Earth and coming to calculations, I am not sure." "Is it a yes or a no?"
Mona became numb, it was the toughest decision of her life. "I n-need time, Granny."
"Granny? Baby, I think I got the answer. You are surely coming back to me," said Green, being relaxed. " 7:30 sharp. We are already behind schedule. So, let's start tomorrow itself"
"But I am not sure, please don't raise your hopes. You better look for someone else in the meantime," Mona said, looking down.
Green handed her a shiny stone, saying, " No buts, I decided to trust you with this planet, and I know you will never prove my instincts wrong."
Mona glanced at the stone in her hand, it was bright as the sun.
Looking at how Mona's eyes were twinkling, Green said "This is called the Keystone. It's a key between the Earth and the Extinct. It will take you home."
"You know that you cannot discuss the things that happened here on Earth, right?" Green asked when Mona was ready to go back. "Don't lose the gem. Keep it safe, sweety. You are supposed to say 'back' holding the gem, to come here and 'home', to go back to Earth. I will be waiting for you." "Now hurry and say 'home', your friends will get their senses back in a few seconds. Hurry"
Mona hesitantly closed her eyes after saying, "I am not sure about coming back tomorrow. If perhaps I don't come back, please collect this gem from me. I don't deserve it." She said "Home" which made her disappear.
A knowing smile formed on Green's lips.
On Earth.....
Mona opened her eyes and found the clear sky. Her friends were lying on the floor beside her. It was the scene where they had just completed their lunch and rested their heads. She was confused, was it just a vivid dream? 🤔
She sat up and noticed her clenched fist. She opened it and saw the keystone.
"It was all true."