"Pleeeeeeeaaaaaasssssseeeeee" Susan pleaded to her friend Tanya, her large brown eyes getting larger by the second. "Pretty please with sugar on top!"
"Just go by yourself!" Tanya siad while gathering supplies for her sandwhich. To be honest, Susan's plan sounded interesting and fun, but she knew her mother would never let her go awayfor a whole week, Especially not with Susan. Meanwhile, Susan was following Tanya like a lost puppy dog. Tanya didn't dare look her in the eyes.
"But if I go by myself they will kill me." This finally caught Tanya's attention, although she had no idea who would kill her or why. She turned around and looked up at Susan who was nearly twice as tallas her. "Pleeeaaasssee?"
"I'll call my mom," Sighed Tanya giving up as she reached for the phone, but Susan's slightly-tan hand beat her too it and had already dialed the phone number.
"Heya missus T." Susan said casually as Tanya's mother answered the phone. Tanya could hear mumbling on the other side of the phone, and Susan looked bored. She was probably getting lectured. "Ya, anyways," Susan continued, sitting on the counter, then hopping down as she became aware of Tanya's strict green eyes following her every move. "Tanya's coming to Salt Lake with me for a week or so. Ok?"
Tanya sighed and continued working on the sandwhich she was about to make before Susan showed up. She preparedfor another hour or so of begging, but surprisingly it didn't come. Susan hung up.
"Pack your bags." Susan managed to say in a serious tone even though she was smiling like an idiot.
"She's actually letting me go?!?" Now Tanya believed anything to be possible.
"You deserve a vaction." Susan shrugged as she followed Tanya downstairs to get a suitcase, then back upstairs to Tanya's room. She sat on Tanya's tiny bed and looked around the familiar room as her short friend packed small clothes into a tiny suitcase.
"Do you think someday we will be able to travel to another planet?" Susan wondered out loud, her eyes traveling from one painted constellation to the next on Tanya's black walls and ceilling. Tanya struggled and finally closed her siutcase and snaped it shut, then she sat on it and stared at Susan.
"I think you already come from a different planet."
----
It was getting dark, and starting to rain when Susan's phone began to ring. She looked at the number, then set the phone back down.
"Aren't you going to answer that?" Tanya asked, watching Susan closely, unsure of her driving skills.
"She'll call back." Susan said as she brushed one of her short brown stray hairs back into place behind her ear. Sure enough, when they pulled into the hotel parking lot, the phone began to ring again. But still Susan ignored it. She went to the lady at the counter and asked for a room. When they got up to the room, her phone rang again. Susan flopped down on the bed and flipped open her cell phone.
"Heya missus T. What's up?" Susan asked casually and then a long loud list of mean words began flowing from the phone. Susan held it away from her till the screaming slowed. "Ya, I heard you..." Susan said, "Oh ya? Well, too late!" Click, Susan hung up. "Jerk." She mumbled.
"Why was my mom yelling?" Tanya stood dumbstruck in the doorway. "Didn't she say it was ok for me to come?"
"I said it was ok, your mother said no such thing."
"Susan!" Tanya turned around and stormed out of the room. Susan Shrugged and turned on the TV.
Out in the hall Tanya could her the sixth television show ending. That means it's been at least three hours, and Susan still hasn't come out to apologize. Tanya was surprised she hadn't even come out for the vending machine. Tanya sighed and stood up. She opened the door a crack, then she heard something. It was a low grumbling sound. Snoring. Susan was asleep on the floor in front of the TV. Tanya threw a pillow at her, and she rolled over.
"I can't leave without you. It's your car." Sighed Tanya even though she knew Susan couldn't hear her, and wouldn't care even if she could. "Well I guess I can wait till morning." Tanya turned off the TV and crawled into bed.
When Tanya woke up, Susan was still on the floor, hugging the pillow. Tanya left her there, knowing it was useless trying to wake her up, and went to get breakfast.
About ten o'clock, Tanya had finished breakfast, and was sitting in the lobby, when Susan came stumbling out of the elevator, hair in a tangled mess, and still wearing yesterdays clothes, looking for her.
"TANYA!" She exclaimed, when she finally spotted her. "I thought you might have took my car and left!"
"No," Tanya said, staring of into space knowing she would have if it was possible, but Susan still had the keys in her pocket. "I was waiting for you," She paused, "Now we can go." She added as she stood up and headed for the doors.
"Tanya," Susan whined, following her friend, "Your not mad at me are you? I mean, your eighteen! You should be able to do things for yourself! Your mom shouldn't be able to tell you what and what not to do!"
"Well," said Tanya, as she stoped, and turned to look at her friend, "I guess we could have fun for a day, I mean, We are already here..." A wide stupid grin slowly started to spread across Susans face. Tanya sighed. "Fine! But we are leaveing tonight, Understand?"
Susan nodded.
"So, umm," Tanya tried to pick her words carefully, "Where are we going? I mean, What are we going to do?" Susan could tell by Tanya's struggling that she wanted something. She smiled.
"Where do you want to go?"
"Well," Tanya wasn't quite sure how to say this. She looked down and played with a golden lock of hair, "I heard of this place-"
"OOO a place."
"Ya," Tanya continued, her voice getting quieter like it was a dark ominous secret, "No one's sure if it even exists, but they say that there is a hidden city somewhere in Salt Lake. It's called Hobbit Village-"
Tanya would have continued, but she was interupted by Susan's laughter. Everyone in the hotel lobby stared at her, like she was a phsyco. "Let me guess!" She said, "Short people live there!"
"Well, that's what's been said, and they are treated kindly..."
"Then let's go!" Yelled Susan heading to the car, always ready for adventure.
"You know," Said Susan as they turned a corner, "When you said you wanted to go somewhere I thought you would want to go to the planetarium, or something. The way you love stars and all, but no, You want to go get lost in the woods looking for a possibly non-existant city, so that you don't feel like the shortest person in the world." She smiled. "You continue to amaze me every day."
"You know you find this more interesting." Frowned Tanya, "To tell you the truth I was hoping to go to the planetarium tommorow, but since we are leaving tonight, that's not going to happen."
"Maybe you will change your mind." Susan said, then they were silent, driving the red Volkswagen to the edge of town. They pulled up in front of a think patch of trees.
"Well," Said Susan getting out of the car, "We could drive around and look for an entrance, or we could take the shortcut."
"Ha. Ha." Said Tanya sarcasticly at the short pun. "What shortcut?"
"This one." Said Susan disapearing into the trees.
"Wait for me!" Tanya yelled running after her.
"We're doomed!" Yelled Tanya. "We're gonna DIE! We'll never find it, We're lost!"
"Don't worry Tan, I brought a tent." Susan said. Tanya stared suspiciously at the canvas backpack on her back.
"You planed this."
"Did not!" Susan protested.
"Then why did you bring your survival pack for a peaceful week in Salt Lake!"
"Just in case." Susan said smiling, and Tanya could tell she was lying. Sudenly Tanya screamed. Susan turned to look at her curiously.
"I heard a noise." She mumbled.
"Sure you did." Susan said, "Your just nervous cuz where all alone in the middle of the woods, and it's dar- OWW!" Susan cried in pain looking down at her bloody leg and the large black wolf scratching at it. Tanya screamed, then the wolf left Susan's leg, and pushed Tanya backwards. There was a flash of purple light and she was gone. "TANYA!" Susan screamed, and jumped where her friend had just been, in spite of her injured leg. Again, there was a flash of light and she was gone.
"Serves 'em right." Said the wolf transforming into a handsome young man with long black hair, and empty black eyes. "Let's see if they ever come back." He adjusted his pitch black cape, made sure his sword was secure on his belt, then hopped through the portal into his own world. The world of Tambala.
----
"Uuhhhhh..." Susan moaned, drifting slowly back into consiousness..
"'avin bad dreams?" A man's voice came from somewhere in the darkness.
"Where's Tanya?"
"Ahh," Said the voice, "So you are alive? The dwarf is fine."
"She's not a dwarf." Susan said. Slowly, her sight was begining to return to her. Above she could see the grey sky...
"Ahh," said the voice again. Susanwas already begining to hate the owner of that voice. "So Dogboy's loyal to 'er master is she?"
... and the grey trees... Susan sat up and looked around at the the grey grass, and the grey bushes. Everything she saw was in black and white, like an old photo... And she couldn't figure out where that voice was coming from...
"What on earth," Susan wondered out loud, "Is going on?"
"What's earth?" The voice asked from behind her. She quickly turned around, but saw nothing. "Down 'ere." She followed the voices directions, and looked down. Standing there was a three inch tall boy, with medium length hair covered by an inch tall pointy hat. Susan was sure his clothes would have been very brightly colored, if only her vision were working correctly. "I asked you a question Dogboy." Said the little man, getting angry, "What's earth?" Susan just stared at him.
"Why are you calling me Dogboy?" She asked.
"Hmmm," He said, "Your right. It's not completely fitting is it?" He then clapped his hands together, and started rubbing them together. As he rubbed them, they started glowing with a dim blue light. It was the only color Susan could see. After a while, the light slowly started drifting away from his hands, and toward Susan. Then it disapeared. "So," He said, wipeing his hands on his pants, as if to get dirt off of them, "What's yer name Dogboy?"
"Susan..."
The short person started laughing.
"SUSAN!" He laughed, "That's not a very manly name!"
