There’s this rumor that Steve overheard a few times among
Lilliputian boys in Clover High. ‘Secret paradise’ they say, some describe it
as heaven on earth for Lilliputians, everything that you ever want is available
in there… sounds too good to be true, of course. But curiosity never escapes
Steve’s mind, after hearing all these rumors for weeks, probably it’s time to
check this one out today…
Bells ringing, schools out. Connecting all the dots from
various rumors that he heard, Steve writes something on a paper until he could
make out something from all the clues:
‘Subway A-19, men’s toilet, left-most stall with ‘UNDER
REPAIR’ sign’
In a toilet? You’re joking? Nevertheless, Steve is already
determined today to spend his after-school time finding this secret paradise.
Stood up, backpack on his back, through the Lilliputian subway tunnel connects
to this classroom before finally sitting down on a train leading to his
destination: A-19 station. As the train speeds through the tunnel while Steve
sits down, Steve’s mind could only wonder what’s this paradise looked like, why
the rumor always exists even on the internet for months now. Not even any
pictures or video leaks, just buzzwords on social media or daily casual talks
around his fellow students.
“A-19, A-19,”
Snaps out from his thought, Steve stood up and exits the
subway train, quickly his destination is set to the men’s bathroom in this
station. Smell of the usual hand soap and cleaning agents filled the
white-tiled subway restroom, Steve noticed four urinals and five stalls… also
the left-most stall with ‘UNDER REPAIR’ sign hanging. The door itself is a bit
cleaner than the other, obviously rarely touched by anyone thanks to the sign.
Giving the door a light push… it opens! Steve wasted no time to get in and…
nothing. Just the usual toilet and a toilet paper. Confused yet still
determined, Steve take a peek to every inch of the stall, but nothing
suspicious, not even a secret button or anything.
Steve opened the top of the toilet and noticed something; a
red button drowned on the side of it. Question mark sprouts in his mind and
Steve’s right hand instinctively pressed that small red button underwater…
Suddenly, there’s some kind of a rotating mechanism that
brought Steve through the other side of the wall while the similar toilet from
the other side replaces the one inside the stall. Now Steve is inside some kind
of a tunnel in which it turns left a few steps ahead illuminated by a light.
Walking through, Steve now noticed that the light comes from a human-sized
ventilation fan that spins slowly behind the steel cuffed links. Steve saw a
turn to the right ahead and he saw… a single door with what looked like two
bouncers outside stood like a guardian of a temple. On the ceiling, Steve
noticed a CCTV camera aimed directly to the corridor where Steve slowly walking
towards.
“Oh, a Clover student? Let him in, guys,”
A voice came through the speaker on the side. One of the
bouncers simply opened the door, seemingly letting Steve to go through. Giving
a split-second glance as Steve walks past the two bouncers, inside is just a
black curtain all over, almost pitch black. The bouncer closed the door behind
Steve as the fascinated Lilliputian student keep walking forward until he
opened the black curtain in front of him and…
Steve’s jaw just dropped as low as it could after witnessed
something in front of him… a city! Tall buildings decorated with lights, noise
of music and motor vehicles come about. A city inside a toilet stall? Steve
still couldn’t believe it!
“Hi there, so you’ve found the secret paradise,”
A voice straightened Steve’s head back from looking around
in awe. A figure wearing black coat and what looked like to be an expensive set
of buttoned shirt and pants, but his face… Steve could tell that he’s probably
still in his highschool age just like Steve.
“I’m Darius,” the figure extends his right hand. Still with
blank and confused face, Steve just shakes his hand. “So what’s your name? and how
do you find this place, my friend?”
“I-I’m Steve, and um, well… rumors,” Steve answered
sheepishly.
“Then you found it! Good for you!” Darius slapped Steve’s
back. “Come on, let me show you around,”
Just to give Steve even more questions than answers, Darius
entered… a limousine. But not just an ordinary limousine… it got a jacuzzi on
its back! Steve is just speechless with all of the sudden reveal that welcomes
his sight after entering the unsuspicious toilet stall earlier; a whole city
inside this tunnel? A stranger wearing cosplay-looking clothing welcomed him?
Now a fricking jacuzzi-strapped limo!?
“Well? Get in!” Darius now already in his swimming boxer,
leaning comfortably in his jacuzzi. “There’s other pants you could use inside
before splashing in here, come on!”
No question asked, Steve just get in the backseat and
changing into the swimming boxer as well before joined Darius on the jacuzzi.
“Jeremy! To the tower!”
“Right on!” Jeremy, the limo driver, put his right foot on
the gas pedal as the car rolling through the bright street of this unknown
city.
“Look around, soak it in, you had just found… Paradise
City,” Darius never got tired seeing his guest being confused and amazed
finding this place for the first time. Steve could saw nothing but darkness
above the city, while the city itself… it definitely lit brighter than any
Christmas tree that Steve ever saw, probably on the same level as the city that
famous for its expensive hotels and grand casinos. Then Steve started to see
peoples waking to and fro on the sidewalks… they’re wearing Clover High uniform
as well. Surreal can’t even begin to describe everything here for Steve. Then
he heard loud sounds of roaring engine as the limo stopped on the intersection:
there’s a street race going on consists of heavily modified cars and sport
bikes, just by looking at the racers Steve could recognize those are the same
uniform that he wore.
The limo continues its trek through the bright street until
they’re arrived on… a tower. Looking up, Steve estimates that it must be around
70 stories tall when he looked at it from afar earlier.
“Welcome to my HQ,” Darius dried himself with a towel before
wearing his usual outfit once again.
+++
The elevator arrives on the top floor, Steve and Darius
walks into what could be described as ‘teenager’s dream room’; Game consoles,
CCTV security screens, computers, comfortable bed; basically everything that
you wanted when you’re still young.
“Make yourself comfortable, sit anywhere you want,” Darius
let himself fall down on the couch. “So… where do you want me to start?”
“Well…” Steve sat down nervously, his mind still trying to
process everything that he saw even now. “Who are you? And… what is this place,
in detail,”
“You already know my name, so let me start with your latter
question. This is Paradise City, built to be a… heaven for us Lilliputian boys,
mainly Clover High boys. Basically, this city is ours, nothing stopping us from
doing anything we want. You want street racing? Pick up any cars or bikes you
want and rev away. You want gaming? There are arcade machines out there that
you could try. Hell, pick any consoles or PC that you wanted and plug it in
anywhere you want. Or maybe some sports like football, basket, tennis, golf, or
whatever? It’s here, there’s stadium, there’s golf course, there’s even
fighting area if you want to punch someone. Or… even better, you want to live
here? Pick a place, anywhere. Any vacant house or any vacant rooms. Just do it,”
Steve couldn’t believe what he heard, it’s like that movie
about the rich kid that has everything, but this time it’s a whole city!
“But how can this city exist? Surely, you’re not building it
alone, right?” Steve asked.
“Course not, I got some help, thanks to those human city
construction group,”
“Pardon me for saying this… but if this city is basically
yours… how rich are you? WHO are you?”
“I’ll give you just the short version for now…” Darius
clears up his throat. “My mother died years ago, and then my father remarries…
a Brobdingnagian woman,”
“WHA-!?” now this one catch Steve off guard. “But… how is
that possible!?”
“Turns out she’s a rich Brobdingnagian, so unbelievably,
ridiculously rich that I could have this whole city for myself. I didn’t really
like her though, it’s obvious she’s just using my dad because of his wide
connection in some business that she’s interested in. But the thing is, she adores
me despite my microscopic size to her. Hell, let’s just say her accepting my
wish of this whole city is her trying to spoil me and well, you know, that
family bonding thing,”
“Then you’re making it a paradise for everyone here? What
about school?”
“Screw it, nobody even noticed missing Lilliputians in our
school, isn’t it?”
“Well, that’s true…” not even a hesitation in Steve’s tone.
“Where is this city located now then?”
“This here is still Clover High area, but there’s an unused
area behind a wall, my human and Brobdingnagian assistants cleaning it up for
me. By the way, this city is basically hidden behind a wall, so no humans or
Brobdingnagians going to find us, just us Lilliputians living happily without
worry of those huge mischievous bitches,”
“Damn…” Steve couldn’t believe it. Now he’s can be a part of
this secret society that he’ll sure enjoy. “So… now I’m a part of this club
then?”
“Not so fast!” Darius raised one finger toward Steve. “I
know how all of this is so grandiose and alluring to you, BUT. You want to be a
part of this paradise? Then you need to earn it,”
“Earn it?” Steve tilts his head.
“Everyone that uses this city now had already passed the
tests that I gave them. If you want it here, then you need to pass my seven
days of trial,” Darius stood up from his couch.
“What kind of test is this?”
“I won’t tell ya, you just need to do what I told you to do
for seven days ahead,” Darius extends his right hand. “Now, do you accept it or
not? Success, then you’re welcome here anytime, forever,”
Wait, what about failure? Steve wonders why Darius didn’t
spoke anything about failure? Thinking hard, Steve could only imagine living
here forever without worry about anything else in his life. Party everyday,
play everyday, enjoy life everyday, no more school assignments, no more all that
busywork of being an adult, basically a key to guaranteed easy life in this
paradise!
Without a word, Steve just shook Darius’ hand, accepting the
trial for his approval into Paradise City…