This had been the best day for Leafy ever! She had gotten to spend time with her friends, travel the entire world and have some wacky adventures together! This was more than she could have ever hoped for and she could experience this day over and over and over again since she had gotten an infinite number of flags from Yellow Face’s shop awhile back, what a good purchase. This was so much better than all the times she had with…that flame. Her smile wavered a bit thinking about him, her pace slowing as she thought back. Oh yeah, it had been just over three years since her and Fi-that random flame’s separation. She still couldn’t believe that it had been that long, three years in exile! Exiled for something impulsive she had done, yes but it wasn’t without reason. Needle turned to her, noticing her pace slow down.
“Leafy, what’s wrong?” She asked, turning around to her, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. Shaking off the original thoughts, she placed back on a smile, albeit a fake one but a smile nonetheless, and tried to make up an excuse. Needle didn’t fall for lies that often so this would have to be a good one.
“Oh, uhhhh, just thinking about how there’s no more places on the world to go to!” She pointed out, realizing the fact that it was quite true what she just said. Needle gasped, realizing this as well. She thought for a moment, looking up at the sky as she turned gears in her mind. What would Leafy like, what would Leafy-
“Wait, I got it!” She cried, snapping her fingers quickly. “There’s this hip new attraction ride that’s like a ferris wheel, but it has a fun lavafall!” She pointed in the direction of the attraction, smiling at her good new idea, Leafy however suddenly faltered at this. Ferris wheel? Oh no no no, she could not do this again! Her last friendship ended so terribly with a Ferris wheel, she couldn’t stand being alone again by a Ferris wheel. She would just have to think of something to say, something nice perhaps. She took a step back, trying to process the situation at hand while Needle continued to chat about how ‘amazing’ the Ferris wheel was and how much fun they would have.
“Umm…” She tried to think of an excuse but Needle quickly scooped her up and charged ahead towards the bridge, Leafy held tight in her grasp as she sprinted, leaving Coiny coughing up her dust. Leafy felt her throat tighten as her mind raced with images of that day, trying to rid her mind of them. “Hey, how about we go somewhere else? L-Like,” She tried to think of something else to say but she was running out of places to go. Needle ignored her pleas, her eyes only set on the prize set before her. Setting a smile on her face, Leafy tried to ignore her thought, plastering a smile on her face while they neared the wheel. Maybe it won’t be so bad she told herself, maybe the worse that could happen is that it’s a scale model!
As they made a sharp turn, they neared the Ferris wheel. It was quite large with a large green circle in the center and a grey bucket with orange stripes at the top which would tip every few seconds. Each cart was covered with a metal ceiling so the riders wouldn’t give lava on them. Needle dropped a coin in the slot and the two of them got into the queue, moving along quickly since there were few people in line. Leafy fidgeted with the rope which delegated the waiting area. It was quite soft, made of some sort of velvety materiel which made a nice feeling as she dragged her hand across it, sometimes digging her nails into it as well. The two of them got into the pod, Leafy’s legs shaking violently as she tried to force herself into the cart, attempting to steady herself using a nearby guardrail as she lifted one leg at a time until she threw herself into the pod with a slam. Needle looked confused as she saw Leafy lie flat against the wall but didn’t say anything as she shut the door behind them with a sound of nails on a blackboard. Her heart began to pound loudly, feeling like it was trying to escape her body. It echoed throughout her whole body, screaming in her ears. It was getting faster by the second, feeling like an engine in a car going over a hundred miles. Sweat began bead on her forehead, trying to wipe it off was of no use so she just sat down across from Needle, laying herself on the ice cold metal. Did they not have enough money for actual seating or was it part of the ‘experience’ that they were advertising? What ever it was, it was super uncomfortable; Leafy felt her stomach drop as the Ferris wheel began moving. Gears ground unceremoniously as they began to squeak forward through the machine. She gripped on tightly to the seat, clenching her teeth as she tried to look anywhere but at the Ferris wheel. She felt her breathing become faster, looking back through the window as the bucket tipped over, lava spilling all over the pod as the guests inside screamed excitedly, or maybe that was her imagination but she whirled her head back and screwed her eyes tightly as her breathing quicken, whimpers being let out as she wrapped her arms around herself in a tight hug. She dug her sharp nails into her arms, feeling blood being drawn as she gripped herself tighter. Feeling bile rise through her throat, she swallowed quickly feeling the warm fluid burn the back of her throat along with tears stinging the sides of her eyes as she tried to calm herself back down but the overwhelming feeling of pain coming closer and closer, ruined her. Was it the end for her? No, it wasn’t. She’d get recovered and told she’d have to leave again. Be alone for another three years and have people believe she was some sort of monster. She would try and explain that she changed but that didn’t matter, all they wanted was for her to suffer and suffer she had. You the pain she felt was unmatched, physically and emotionally. Was pain all she was good for? Was being the punching bag for any situation her purpose in life? Was pain all she was here for? Living every day just to be the universe’s favorite bug to squish? A vessel for pain even seemed like too much, she was probably some speck of dust that had been granted the curse of infinite pain but even that was too good. All she was deserving of was loneliness and pain. That’s right, pure and unfeeling pain. Maybe that’s why she lived every day like this. She felt her heart beating even faster, clutching her chest in pain as she tried desperately to keep herself together. Soon the lava rushed over them, making a sizzling sound when contacting them. Vomit rose back into her mouth but this time she couldn’t swallow it, lurching over and feeling it come out her, pouring all over the floor. She could feel herself choking on some of it, puking out more on the floor. She slowly opened her eyes but all she could see was a blurred green mass and the pink fuzzy carpet on the bottom of the pod. She felt a cool hand on her back, rubbing her back softly in small circles as they whispered softly. Turning to face the stranger, she felt tears pour down the sides of her face, her breath hitching as she felt herself falling apart. Her tears hit the ground of the cabin, wetting the floor as she struggled to speak from her labored breathing.
“It’s okay, I’m here.” The voice was high pitched and soft, the figure in front of her was thin and grey a lot like Needle wait-it was Needle! Leafy fell into Needle’s arms, tears still following down her face as she hiccuped softly in her arms. She held tightly to Needle’s back, smothering herself in her cold body. Needle continued to whisper in her ear, trying her best to comfort the broken leaf in her arms. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” She looked away, Leafy slowly bringing her breathing back to normal rate as she carefully opened her eyes and looked up at Needle, who looked warmly down at Leafy. The side of Leafy’s mouth had a bit of vomit on it which Needle wiped away with her finger. “Do you want to get off?” She asked, carefully helping Leafy stand up as Leafy nodded in reply to her question. Leafy’s legs shook as she clumsily gangled out of the cabin once it stopped. Leafy’s vision still felt a little foggy but she held fast to Needle’s hand as they walked away from the Ferris wheel, never turning back on it.