The Vase

Writer's Cramp Prompt: You're plucked from the cornfield and placed in a vase on the counter in an alien's kitchen.

Story:

When I came to, I was encased in glass. Clean, sparkly glass. I reached out and lightly tapped the wall.

<clink!><clink!> Glass allright.

I freaked and stood up quickly. Unsure, I started forward and smashed my nose on the glass. It left an oily print that I instinctively wiped clean with my shirt.

What is this? I dream of freakin Jeannie??

My mind raced to put some sense to what was happening. I told Dad I would find Tabby's ball that I threw in the field. Tabby had screamed bloody murder when I did it, as if she hadn't been bouncing it off my head for 5 minutes before I yanked it away and took care of it.

"You want to be treated like an adult, David? Here's some advice - ACT LIKE ONE!" Dad screamed. He pointed to the field and I lumbered away.

I trudged through the corn field, the ground mushy from last night's rain. I remember thinking: "This is where I threw it..."

And then....nothing. Except now I'm in a glass - vase- yes, it's a vase!

Now I'm a freakin flower??

Outside my vase walls were appliances - KITCHEN appliances! Crazy-large appliances: A toaster, a microwave. Above them, a sign. It read "Home is Where the Hearth Is".

Am I going to be toasted?? Or Nuked???

My mouth gaped open and I noticed the light from outside darkening like a storm front approaching. If I were looking in a mirror, I'm sure I would've seen the color drain from my face. I slowly turned around...

Had I even looked behind me before??

A one-eyed creature with a slimy discharge stared in at me, the blink of his eye like a garage door opening, shutting. I'm sure I screamed, although I can't be sure because my mouth became startlingly dry. This creature's eye, just his eye, was bigger than Dad's equipment shed.

I instinctively retreated only to get reacquainted with the glass. Ole' one eye blinked again then quickly shook the vase, like I did to the crickets back in 6th grade. I could have been a pinball as I bounced from side to side, hitting the glass and bruising both arms and my head.

"Stop shaking me!" I shouted. It stopped, and so did the blinking. "Who..what are you?!"

The creature slammed the vase down (ow..my head!) and backed up. In contrast to it's eye, the mouth was tiny, like a pinprick. No ears, as far as I could tell. It's skin looked more like polyester fabric and hung on it's body loosely like a toga. I couldn't quite see it's feet - it could have been floating for all I knew.

Despite the pinprick, my captor unleased a shrill whistle. I thought of Ella Fitzgerald and the glass.

It ain't over till the fat lady sings!

I jumped up and down and waved my arms wildly. It screamed. I jumped some more.

"Sing to me you ugly thing!" My arms flailed and legs kicked to the sky.

"Whistle!!! Whistle!!" The thing was going crazy and my ears hurt.

Then it started to dance...to imitate me. It's fabric-skin waved in the air as it gyrated up and down, back and forth, little bits of eye goo hitting the walls. It screamed as it danced, but nothing cracked.

Damn - bullet-proof glass! Or is that human-proof...

Then it all stopped. Me, because I was tired, and I was a human in an alien's vase. It, because I ceased to be a source of amusement. No cracks, no chance for escape. Apparently bored, the creature left it’s kitchen and I was alone. I sat down hard on the floor.

<clink!>

Your keys! You have a knife on there!

My hands plunged into my pants pocket and pulled out the keyring. The multi-tool that my dad gave me last year on my 16th birthday felt large in my hands. I grabbed the end and beat the tool frantically against the glass.

<clink!><clink!><clink!>....

I could feel that would work, that is if I could break the vase before the creature heard me. Finally, I heard it crack. A few more whacks and I broke through. Spider cracks whipped around the base and I knew if I didn't get out of there quickly, the whole structure would rip me apart.

I cleared the vase...freedom!...and ran away from the collapsing glass, all the while looking behind me to make sure the creature wasn't following.

The problem was, the vase was on a table. A table in a large kitchen belonging to a large alien, something akin to Jack and the Beanstalk. As I cleared the table and found only air under my still flailing feet, I felt like Wile E. Coyote when he realizes Acme has failed him again.

I fell straight down towards the Alien's outdated linoleum floor.

"David? David, I'm sorry..."

I opened my eyes and saw Tabby hovering over me blubbering her apology.

"I shouldn't have told on you...it was just a stupid ball."

"Tabby, back away," Dad said. "David? How do you feel? You whacked your head pretty good. The doc thought you'd be out for a while."

"W-what happened? I fell off the table..."

"Table? What are you talking about?" Dad cocked his head to the side. He always did that when he was confused.

"I...where am I?"

"County General...you must have fallen in the mud and hit your head on this." He pulled out a craggedy rock and spun it in the light. It was still wet and glistened in the harsh hospital lights.

Tabby ran to the other side of the room and returned with her hands behind her back. "I have something for you. Something to show how sorry I am."

In her hands were a bunch of wild flowers in a vase. Drops of water fell to the floor.

"Ah, Tabs," Dad said. "The vase has a whole in it. Go see if you can find one that isn't cracked."

I screamed.

Word Count: 1000