Aceline's Paracosm by Tal Lingenua (classic books for 12 year olds .txt) 📕

being squeezed by the bars too much and can't go in either direction. I try twisting my body but that just causes pain.

I hear somebody tsking behind me, "Has the King's special little girl gotten herself stuck in-between the bars of the Tigers' cage?"

I wish everybody wouldn't call me that. They think the King gives me special treatment, which is true, but I don't think they think that special treatment means threats of bodily harm to me and my family and being harassed by the King's goons.

"Are you going to help me?" I struggle some more against the bars.

"No," The man says and I can hear him sip a drink. The man laughs and I hear the click of a camera and then I see a flash on the tigers. This wakes them up and I hear the man scurry away.

"Aceline?" Kason says, walking slowly over to me. "What are you doing?"

"Hi Kason." I smile at him, "I was trying to get through the bars but..."

Kason bites down on my pink sweater and pulls on it. He pulls it part way over my head before his father tells him to stop.

"Leave her." Karom says, "Let her feel what it is like to be trapped somewhere when someone can easily free you. But they refuse to help you."

"But dad!"

Karom picks Kason up by the scruff of his neck and carries him to the opposite side of the cage.

I struggle against the bar and find that I am able to move back some, but not much. I realize that this is because my sweater is over my head. I worm my way out of it and then pull myself out of the cage, "Ha!" I scream triumphantly.

Karom snorts and lies back down in the cage. I see Kason trying to hide a smile. As I collect my sweater I think of what Karom had just said. I don't care if he stays in this cage forever. But I do want Kason to come out. Not just of his cage but of Tamale-Netam.

I press my face against the cage. "I'll be back soon Kason. and when I return I'm going to take you with me." I feel myself being pulled from Tamale-Netam, "I promise."

I am staring at my big brown eyes in the rear view mirror. My auburn hair covers my entire forehead and when I move my head down farther I see that there is no tiger hairband on my head.

I have always thought it was some sort of essence of Kason's. He had given it to me when we first met four years ago. I was just three and everything was so much different back then.

Everybody thought I was adorable and imaginative and I couldn't imagine ever being alone. Now it feels like I'm in and out of the psychiatric hospital. I think they like getting rid of me every three weeks.

Wait a second... I was just here one week ago! They are trying to get rid of me!

The car pulls up outside of the psychiatric hospital. I'm getting antsy and can't sit still. Dad steps out of the car and I undo my seat belt. I inch over to the door and as soon as he opens it I dart out!

I rush in the opposite direction. I'm going back home... I look at the trees and roads. They are so unfamiliar to me. I don't really know where I am. I hear Dad calling for me and I also know I'm gonna wind up being totally lost.

But I don't care. They don't ever want me home anyway.

Come to Tamale-Netam. Come home, Aceline. Come home.

Billy whispers. I usually hate the messengers. They are usually repeatedly telling me things that I do not wish to hear.

But for once, they've brought me a message I agree with. My dad scoops me up.

"What has gotten into you?" He demands, "You know better than to run off like that."

I chose to ignore him. I close my eyes and feel myself leaving Earth.

I'm in the middle of Tamale-Netam Square. It seems like everybody is here and it appears that there is a celebration. Everybody turns and looks at me and they begin applauding wildly.

Someone sings Kde domov můj?

, the national anthem of the Czech Republic, but they've changed the last two lines of the song to Tamale-Netam, domov můj, Tamale-Netam, domov můj!

I never really noticed it before, but I think Tam Ale Ne Tam

means something in Czech. I'm lifted into the air by two strong goons and placed onto a litter.

They decorate me with lovely orange flowers, some I've never seen before. Now four of the King's goons lift the litter and carry me through the retreating crowd. They place the litter in front of the King.

I'm smiling from ear to ear.

"Hello Aceline." The King said, "I am so glad that you have decided to come home. I am so glad that you've come home to stay."

"Well-" I start.

"We all love Tamale-Netam. But it is simply too small and the residents are unhappy here."

"You want me to do something about it don't you?" I say.

The King hands a ring to me and I examine it. It's golden and there is a blue bulb at the top.

"You just have to go to Earth one more time." The King says, "Once you're there you must use the ring to activate a portal. We will send a few scouts and you can give them the ring and return to Tamale-Netam forever."

"But isn't everyone else leaving?" I ask.

"Not everyone. Just most of them."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the goons inching closer to me.

I put my ring on, "Okay. I'll go." I feel the world fading away and I'm staring up at the depressing white stucco ceiling of the psychiatric ward.

I hate this place. I'm going to be imprisoned here for eleven days. They take everything away from you and they only give you the bare essentials. I'm no longer allowed to have my hairbands, because apparently, I 'act up' and they are 'dangerous'.

I climb to my feet and walk lazily out of the ward. There's a doctor coming towards me. Joe Saden. He's a tall man with glasses and he is also my doctor. He smiles at me. It seems fake to me, because unless you're some sort of a creep, you shouldn't enjoy working at a psychiatric hospital.

"Hello Aceline." Doctor Saden says, "How are you feeling today?"

Even if my mind let me answer him, I wouldn't. I stare at him because I know he's going to keep talking eventually. After a minute or two, as I expected, Doctor Saden keeps running his mouth.

"Now I know you are used to coming here every few weeks. But you were experiencing symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. It is a rare side effect of Thorazine so the best course of action is to slowly wean you off of it."

I nod slowly. My mind seems to be functioning properly again so I ask him, "How long will it take?"

"Just one week."

At least it was going to be a shortened stay. But none of my friends, or at least the people I spend most of my time with, were going to be here. Doctor Saden ran his mouth more about the process but I don't really pay any attention.

I'm able to leave and go to the art group. Katie is there drawing what I assume to be dark and creepy art. She's my 'friend', for whatever reason, but she's a serious downer.

I go over and sit down next to her. "Hi Katie."

Katie sighs and puts her crayons down. She looks at me and says, "Hi Aceline. You aren't usually here this early are you?" She speaks in a quiet and monotonous voice and she has a bored look on her face.

"No." I say.

We stare at each other for a while. Looking into the slow blinking, lifeless blue eyes of Katie is enough to make anyone think life is pointless. I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"Where'd you get that ring?"

"This ring? From the king to do something."

She looks at me for few seconds before asking, "Do what?"

Don't tell her.

Billy says.

"Um..."

"Never mind. It doesn't matter." She puts her head on the table and I just want to give the poor girl a hug. So I do. It's a one-sided hug that doesn't seem to faze Katie at all.

She lifts her head slowly off the table, "Can I see your ring?"

No!

Billy yells. But I twist the ring off my finger and hand it to Katie.

Billy keeps yelling while Katie examines the ring. She raises the ring into the air to look at it under the light. Then she drops it into her mouth and starts gagging. My eyes get big and I'm completely shocked.

I told you not to give it to her!

A group leader, Diana, rushes over to Katie and wraps her hands around her stomach. Katie is fighting her as much as a choking 11 year-old can. Diana presses twice on Katie's stomach and I hear the ring clink against Katie's teeth.

Apparently, so does Diana, because she starts pressing against Katie's cheeks. Katie manages it keep her mouth shut but she's having trouble getting the group leader off of her.

Katie swallows and a stunned look crosses her face. Diana frowns and opens Katie's mouth without any resistance and looks inside. She hauls Katie out of the room and before they get too far away I realize that Katie has swallowed my ring!

I jump out of my seat and dart after them. One of the group leaders grabs my arm and I yell, "She ate my ring!"

"We'll get your ring back to you. But for now please sit down." He says.

"She ate my ring!" I yell even louder and I feel myself losing control and the next words I speak come out as a growl, "she ate my ring!" I wish I had my hairbands, because I feel like rampaging through this place to get my ring back.

I'm so angry that I give it a go anyway. I punch the group leader in his crouch. He reflexively grabs himself and I dart out of the art room. Katie is being lead to the front desk.

I run towards them. I hear feet stomping behind me and I accelerate my pace.

"She was choking on something." Diana says to the receptionist, "She put it in her mouth and tried to prevent me from giving her the Heimlich."

"Give me my ring back!" I yell. I lower my head and ram it into Katie's stomach in hopes that she will vomit. This hurts my head and we both tumble onto the ground. Katie is groaning and I crawl on top of her. I press down hard on her stomach.

"Stop it." Katie moans.

Diana rips me off of Katie and hands me to one of the art group leaders. I'm kicking and screaming as he takes my back to my ward. He puts me on my bed and leaves me there alone.

You should not have done that.

Billy said.

I wish