Chapter Two

            Jed’s eyes struggled to flicker open as what sounded like a rock concert going on in his head. His body was physically and mentally exhausted as he felt a gust of wind whirl by.

            “What am I lying in” Jed thought to himself. Slowly he turned his head as part of him wondered if he really wanted to know. Jed’s eyes finally focused fully on the world around him. A brownish sludge was all around him, a sludge made up of coffee grounds and water.

            “Gross” Jed belts out as he bolted up only to slip back into the sludge once again. The ground started to quake slightly as Jed watched Erin stomp past the garbage can disappearing into the distance.

            “Even in here I can feel the power of her footsteps. How in the world am I going to get her attention? How small am I compared to her? Do I even exist to her?” Jed thought to himself as crawled to the edge of the cliff he was on.

            Jed yelled Erin’s name several times before he once again gave up and looked down at the deep trench which separated him from the plastic rim of the garbage can. That’s a long ways down. He thought to himself as he contemplated what to do next.

            Jed’s thoughts however were all too quickly erased as a shadow appeared over head. The shadow stretched out in all directions encompassing the world as far as could be seen.  

            “Erin, Erin NO!! I’m right here.” He screamed as she reached down towards the garbage can. Jed cringed as she grabbed the sides of the garbage can and began to pull the bag away from the rim.  The entire “world” as Jed knew it begun to shift and slide from left to the right. The sludge was splashing up against him as white walls rose up into the sky.  The blue eyes of Erin obliviously were staring right at Jed.

            “This can’t be happening” Jed muttered to no one in particular as he darted his head from left to the right trying to find some way not to be taken out with the trash.

            “Hey Erin, I thought you were suppose to be training in some new guy.” shouted a new voice. Jed looked around quickly as Erin released her hold on the bag allowing it to slide back into the garbage can.  Luck however, was on Jed’s side as the shifting left a bridge across the trench. A lone stir stick lied precariously between the deep cavern and the rim of the garbage. Jed gulped as he made his way towards the stir stick.

            As Jed neared the stir stick he got a glimpse of a tall brunette. She had her hair pulled up in a pony tail while dawning the same khaki pants and white polo that Erin wore. Awestruck he watched her reach seemingly hundreds of miles above him grabbing an apron off of a wooden peg pounded into the wall. She looked simply monstrous; however Jed quickly noticed that this new giant wasn’t nearly as tall as Erin was.

            Time was quickly dissipating and Jed knew it. He shakily reached his arm out to grasp the plastic stir stick. He then pulled his body onto the stir stick. As Jed started crawling across he began to feel a bit depressed that he was small enough that he could easily crawl on a stir stick, then, that something like this could support his weight.

            Jed continued crawling across the plastic stir stick, slowly placing one hand in front of the other. As he slid his left leg forward he began to lose balance, quickly he grasped the plastic stick with his left hand. Jed yelled in panic as his body slipped from the plastic stick. He grasped the plastic stir stick with his left hand as his body now dangled from the stir stick. Sweat beads begun to form at Jed’s brow as he looked down into the darkness.

            “That trench has to be a few thousand miles deep” Jed said to himself as he begun to swing his body from back to front trying to get his leg to catch onto the plastic stir stick.

            “Watch counter Stace, I want to take out this garbage” Jed fought his urge to cover his ears as he knew it would mean a plummet to his death most likely. He stared up as an all too familiar shadow appeared overhead. Jed gulped as he now frantically tried to swing his legs up onto the stir stick. His eyes however were focused on Erin as she reached down towards the garbage can. Jed’s right foot finally caught the edge of the stir stick allowing him to pull himself up.

            “ERIN!!” Jed futilely yelled as she grabbed at the edge of the garbage bag. Jed began to make his way speedily across the stir stick. Left then right left then right he continued to shimmy across the stir stick but Erin was much too quick. The tall white walls begun to rise well above Jed as the stir stick bridge began to teeter up and down a few times.

            “NOOOO!” Jed screamed as the stir stick along with him began to plummet into the deep dark recesses of the trench.  Quickly he reached out towards the sides with his right hand while keeping his left arm firmly attached to the stir stick hoping to latch onto anything.

            The descent finally stopped. Jed looked up at the opening to the bag which now seemed so far away. It had to be miles he thought to himself as he looked up at the opening. He could still faintly make out Erin but she seemed to be in another world. The light was gradually cut off as Erin tied the bag shut sealing Jed in the rank darkness.