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…