It Smells Like Shoes in Here

"Ack! Lanie, you're kneeing me in the ribcage! GET OFF!" Julie whined.

"I'm sorry but I can't move; I'm too squished!" Lanie whimpered.

"Oh you'll find space to move, otherwise you can say goodbye to those beautiful curls of yours...." Julie growled, sending Lanie into a fit of shrieks as she tried to wriggle away.

"At weast woo won't have Wanie's foof wuck in wour mouf!" I complained, glad that Lanie had showered this morning.

"Pardon?" I heard Samantha's elegant voice coming from near my feet. I sure hoped that my feet didn't smell.

"PAH!" I spat Lanie's foot out of my mouth, "I said 'At least you don't have Lanie's foot stuck in your mouth'!"

"I hope my feet are not intruding upon anyone's space and I do apologize if they are." Samantha was so polite, no wonder she was the Headmistress at Proper School. I wonder if she was always this proper or if there was ever a time where she was as crazy and outgoing as me....

"NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Kirsten screeched into our ears, causing us all to cringe.

"WHAT?!" If we weren't all stuck in here packed as close as sardines in a can, I'd be totally slapping her face about until it resembled one of Picasso's paintings.

"I forgot my mustache!!!!!!!" Kirsten wailed.

"Oh my god, Kirsten! That mustache was never a good fashion statement anyway! There's a reason why girls wax their upper lips if there's even a hint of hair, let alone a full-on Swedish mustache!"

"Yeah, but now I can't be the crazy lady when we film!!! I was just starting to enjoy my big break of stardom!" Kirsten moaned.

"Wait...that's a character?" Lanie said, confusion lacing her words.

If my hands weren't trapped under fifty pounds of clothing right now, I so would've done the classic face palm.

"It smells like shoes in here, and not new ones either!" Julie cried, making me finally take notice of the lingering smell of rubber and feet.

I wish there was a window in here. It was so hot and stuffy in here, not to mention pitch black. I had a feeling being kidnapped would be better, although being stuffed in this gym bag was pretty darn close.

Many hours later, we heard the long-awaited zipping sound of the bag's zipper and I was the first to burst out of the bag. I breathed deeply in the fresh air and Kirsten popped up beside me, gasping for air like a fish on desert sand.

I leaned over and my eyes caught sight of a humongous window with a breathtaking view. I pulled myself free from the quicksand pit of clothes and I walked over to the window, gazing out at the forest.

"Wow," I breathed. It was so beautiful and even after spending twelve hours sandwiched up against four of my friends and cousins, I knew it was totally worth it. I opened the door and walked out onto the deck, breathing in the dewy mountain air. The birds chirped somewhere off in the distance and a hummingbird whizzed past my ear. A smile stretched across my face and I felt like I was in a dream. I loved this place so much and I never wanted to leave. Where we lived in Canada was great, but nothing compared to the mountains. We didn't live near the mountains normally, so this was a delightful shock to the senses when we got to come here.

I pinched my arm, but I never woke up. I was lost in a world and I never wanted to be found and taken away from it.

-Kanani (The One and Only)