Just Fall Asleep

by FlatmatesForLife

Conan was laying on his back, staring at the ceiling. One leg bent over the other leg at the knee, hands resting underneath his head and his brown hair in a mess. He always found it more comfortable to be on the floor than on his bed.

Nobody knows what he is thinking about, though when he gets deep in thought, he starts to frown as if he was trying to solve a very hard equation in his head. We could wander into his thoughts, but we may get lost down there, for there are many thoughts that pass through that brain of his that we may get swept away.

A loud piercing knock interrupted his thoughts. His head whipped to his bedroom door just as it opened revealing a blonde-haired boy around the same age as Conan. The boy plopped his bag down on the floor and flopped onto Conan's bed. Completely messing up what was once a nicely made bed.

"Do you have no manners?" Conan spoke from the floor, placing his eyes back on the ceiling.

"Nope." The boy said while popping the 'P'.

"Well," Conan sighed, the dread on his face already visible, "you're about two hours late. So, you might have to stay here longer than planned."

"You said that I could go home at nine." The blonde boy readjusted his hair from his eyes and sat up to look at the boy on the floor.

"Yeah, after you had done three hours of studying, Otto." Otto let out a big sigh and stood up from the bed, making it even messier than it was when he first laid down on it.

"Well then, let's get this started so that I can go home earlier." Conan didn't reply, for he had already drifted back into his own world of wonder. Only when Otto was snapping his fingers in front of his face did he snap out of it, no pun intended. "Why are you lying on the floor?"

"It's more comfortable than my bed." Otto rolled his eyes at the other boy, sighing, he started to pull books out of his bag.

The two boys spent two hours trying to study. Otto just didn't seem to be getting anything right and Conan was trying his hardest to explain it in the way a simple-minded person like Otto would understand. So, Conan just gave him a page of problems and went and laid on the floor again.

He was close to drifting off when he left something nudging his foot. He opened his eyes and looked at what was waking him up from his doze.

"Conan. This was on your windowsill. It says Just Fall Asleep. Did you put it there and forget about it or something?" Conan sat up and took the piece of paper from him. It was about the size of a post-it-note, but the edges had been torn. On one side it was blank, but on the other side it said, 'JUST FALL ASLEEP' in dark, scratchy writing.

"That's... really creepy." he said handing the piece of paper back to Otto. You could see confusing and a hint of fear on his face as he was giving it back.

"It's probably nothing. Do you mind if I stay the night? It's late and I have no way to get home." Otto started packing his studying up while Conan nodded his head and got up off the floor. He went into his wardrobe and got out some blankets and pillows. Dumping them on his bed, Conan let out a big yawn and Otto just happened to catch the yawn too.

Both boys would normally stay up a lot later than eleven-o-clock, but tonight they both seemed very tired. Conan pulled the curtains shut while Otto started to get his bed ready. Once the curtains were shut, Conan walked over to the bed and started to help Otto set it up. Both boys being inexperienced with bedmaking (seeing as their mothers do it for them), they struggled to get it looking as nice as how their mothers do it.

"This really is a struggle." Otto said, flicking his head to get the hair out of his face.

"Yeah, I thought it was easy to make a bed." The other boy replied, just as the corner of the sheet he had finished tucking in suddenly flicked out because Otto had pulled the opposite side to far. "Dude! I just put the corner in!"

Otto grunted his response and went over to fix the sheet. Around ten minutes or struggles and the occasional grunt from the two boys, they had finished making the bed.

"I can't be bothered getting changed." Otto yawned as he flopped onto the bed, pulling the covers over himself and almost instantly falls asleep.

Conan goes and turns out the light before climbing into his bed, still dressed in the clothes he wore that day. Pulling the covers over his head, Conan, like Otto, fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

*****

Somewhere out in a field, far from home, two boys lay in the tall grass fast asleep. The blonde and brown-haired boys lay in the grass peacefully. Unaware of the chaos they were about to be thrown in. For the second that they open their eyes, it will all begin.

A dark shadow passes over the two boys. The figure brings out a stick and starts to poke the two boys. Trying to wake them up.

"Stop poking me with your bony fingers Mum!" The brown haired one mutters and curls up further into a ball.

"I'm not your mother." a high-pitched, wiry voice said. The brown-haired boy instantly opened his eyes to be met with the sight of bright green grass. The blonde-haired boy to his left was still fast asleep.

"Wh-what the... where am I?" The boy stood up quickly, the grass coming up to his waist. He did a quick scan around the place, only being able to see the green grass stretch for miles. The boy turned back to the figure, seeing that it was an old woman dressed in what looked like layers and layers or coloured rags.

"You're in my pasture, that's where." The old woman said as she turns away from the two boys, walking back wherever she came from. The grass is just a bit shorter than her, so as she walked away, her wiry grey hair stuck out.

The boy nudged his friend with his foot, trying to wake him up. "This has to be a dream." He said as he kicked the boy one final time, making it hard so that the blonde boy would wake up.

"Ow." The boy moaned as he touched his back where the other boy kicked him. "What was that for."

"Get up. I want you to pinch me." The other boy rolled onto his back, opening his eyes to also see that they are standing in a massive field of grass.

"What the... where the heck did you take me Conan!" The blonde boy turned on Conan and grabbed his shirt in his fists.

"I-I didn't take us anywhere. I just woke up!" Both boys started to panic. Neither had any clue where they were.

"Did we get kidnapped?" Both boys stayed silent after the question was asked. They both were either dreaming, or had been taken from their homes.

"Pinch me." Conan said to the other boy and he punched him in the arm.

"Ow! What was that for? I said pinch, not punch." Conan growled, getting ready to punch the other boy back.

"Same difference." Otto muttered. That's when a look of fear passes over Conan's face.

"I'm not dreaming." Conan whispers.

"What?" Otto grunts and Conan repeats what he just said and says it louder.

"I'm not dreaming."

"So, we were actually kidnapped?" Otto says and both boys had a look of fear and panic cross over their faces.

"Wait! There was an old lady who was here before, she woke me up!" Conan took off running in the direction that the old lady had walked in. He was constantly searching the wide field of grass in search for the woman who had been with them merely minutes before. But she seemed to have already disappeared.

The other boy took off after the first, the long grass making it hard to see if there was anything that could make them trip over. The boys were tiring out quickly and they slowed down to a steady jog, then to a walk. Both breathing heavily.

"Where the heck did she go?" Conan muttered, scanning their surroundings, finally seeing something that made them both sigh in relief.

"She must be in that cottage." There was a small cottage made of stone and clay. The roof was thatched and smoke was billowing out of the chimney. It was a welcoming sight for the two lost boys.

The two walked over, the closer they got, the smell of freshly baked apple pie drifted into their noses. Both hummed in delight for they were both very hungry. They made it to the door and they knocked on it.

The door flew open and the old woman was standing in the doorway with a big smile on her face. She seemed like a completely different person to before. The smell of apple pie became stronger and both boys' stomachs growled at the same time.

"Come on in." the old woman said, beckoning them inside with a warm smile. "I'm glad you made it."

The two boys walked in, completely transfixed by the smell of apple pie. Inside the cottage didn't look too shabby. There were three wooden armchairs, with plump cushions seated on each of them. The fireplace was roaring with fire. The stone oven and the fire made the room extremely warm.

In the stone oven was where the smell of the apple pie radiated from. The old woman slowly made her way over to the oven and opened it. Heat waved out from the open oven, reddening the woman's cheeks as she brought the pie out and set it on top of the oven. Both boys sat down in one of the chairs and sighed at the sight of the pie.

"Would you two like some pie?" The woman kindly said.

"Yes." Otto said almost instantly, earning a glare from Conan.

"Yes please." Conan answered and the old woman laughed. She reached up to the overhead cupboard and brought out two plates. She grabbed a sharp knife and two forks from the drawer and began to cut up the apple pie into reasonably sized pieces.

While the two boys were looking around the cottage, the woman plated the pieces of pie and hobbled over to hand the boys' their pies. The two instantly started to dig into the pie. It was nice and warm with a bit of a tangy taste, but it tasted delicious.

"This is amazing." Otto said with his mouthful of pie.

"Yeah. It's wonderful. Thank you for the pie." Conan said after swallowing his mouthful of pie before taking another fork-full.

"You boys must be very hungry." The woman laughed and she walked back over to the oven and started to sharpen the knife.

Once the two boys had finished their pie, they placed their plates and forks onto the small table in front of them and leaned back in their chairs feeling satisfied. They were suddenly feeling very tired again, after the running and then their bellies being full of apple pie.

Otto let out a big yawn. Both boys were fighting from the sleep from taking over. The warm heat coming from the fire, the comfortable chairs and their stomachs being full kept on lulling them into a sleep. The old woman started to hum a song which made it even worse for them, as it lulled them further into their sleep.

In a deep cavern where your way is paved,
Lies the Toad King in all his fame.
Do not disrupt or you won't be saved,
So do not worry for he is tame.
Submit to the master and give him something,
And make sure it isn't the same.
But if you anger the Toad King,
Be sure that you're to blame.

The Toad King awaits on his toadstool,
Waiting for his feast.
'Just fall asleep' says the old fool,
And we'll take you to the beast.

Follow the followers and you will find,
that the Toad King is filled with greed.
Make sure that you haven't gone blind,
For there is a chance to be freed.
Once you are in his grasp,
You may be forced to bleed.
But don't mind that throaty rasp,
And you won't have to plead.

The Toad King awaits on his toadstool,
Waiting for his feast.
'Just fall asleep' says the old fool,
And we'll take you to the beast.

The old lady sung the song and by the time she got to the end of the lullaby, the two boys were fast asleep in the chairs. The lady kept humming the tune to herself as she finished sharpening the knife. The lady advanced on the two vulnerable boys, but a sharp knock on the door interrupted her and she hobbled over to the door, slightly sad that she couldn't cut the two boys up for her next pie.

The second that she opened the door, the old lady screamed. She tried to shut the door to block whoever it was at the door from coming into the house, but it failed. She tumbled over a small ornament that was laying on the floor, and hit her head against a wall. The shelf above her broke and everything came tumbling down on top of her. She lay there under the pile of pots and pans before she suddenly burst into black smoke then disappearing into nothing. Leaving no evidence that she had ever existed.

The intruder came into the house, wearing a deep brown cloak with the hood pulled over their head. The person looked around the room and saw the two boys asleep in the chairs. Just as they had thought they would be. It would make things a lot easier. The intruder hoisted one boy over their shoulder and brought them outside the house to their horse and cart. They dumped them on the cart and went back inside to get the other boy.

They came back outside to put the blonde boy onto the cart and left the door open to the old hags cottage. The two boys had no idea what had happened after they had fallen asleep. The old woman had put a simple sleeping potion into the mixture of the apple pie. The boys would never know what kind of danger the mysterious person just saved them from. For they will not remember a thing that happened the second they had started to eat the pie.

*****

The two boys were being jostled around in the cart that the mysterious person had put them in. Neither of them had awoken yet since it usually takes a few hours for the effects to wear off. This mysterious person was taking them to a town not far from the witch's hut, where the two boys could lie safely and recover. But this town was riddled with supporters of the Toad King.

Toad King? I thought that he was a fable or a myth since he has a lullaby written about him. You ask? Well the Toad King has many supporters, but everyone only sees him once. When they are initiated into the Church of the Almighty Toad King. They aren't really a church, more of a cult. They call themselves a church to make them seem more approachable, though everyone knows they are a cult. When someone has been accepted into this church, they become what is called a 'Toadie'.

The ones who have seen him more than once don't tend to live to tell the tale. There are many rumour that go around about why they disappear. There are rumours that they have been eaten by the Toad King as a sacrifice to keep him youthful. Other rumours say that once you have seen the Toad King for a second time, you have a chance to be promoted to his inner circle.

But enough about the Toad King. Let's get back to Conan and Otto.

The mystery person has now taken them into their home and laid the two boys next to each other, since there is only one small bed in their home. They knew that they should wake up soon.

The person went over to a small stone furnace in the corner of the room and lit it up. They got a pot and put some water inside and put it on the furnace until it came to a boil. They went into a wide cupboard that was filled with different bottles and objects. They grabbed five different bottles, all with varying colours of powder or liquid.

They went over to the pot of boiling water and started to add some of the powder to it. They added a dash of some purple powder, half a bottle of some green slime, a small pinch of black powder, a drop of a deep red liquid and another dash of a pale blue powder. They then stirred the contents in the water and let it settle.

They put back the bottles and went to the opposite corner and lifted a stone up from the floor that is invisible to the eye unless you look very hard. They reached their hand in the hole and pulled out a small pouch. They took the pouch over to the pot and took out a coffee bean from the pouch. They took one small sniff of the coffee bean, sighed and dropped it into the mixture.

Once the coffee bean was added to the mix, the water turned a deep rich brown and it almost looked like coffee. They then poured it into many small bottles until it was all gone and walked over to the two boys, wafting it under their noses. Conan and Otto stirred in their slumber and slowly awoke.

"Is... is that the smell of coffee?" The blonde boy said as he woke up, stretching, he elbowed Conan and he fell off the bed.

"Oi!" He shouted, he was about to yell at Otto for pushing him off the bed, but then many questions came to his mind.

Why were they on a small bed? Was there a small bed in the old woman's house? Are we in the old woman's house? Why can't I remember anything? Who is that person standing over them with a small vile that had something brown in it? Were they a kidnapper?

Conan scooted to the corner of the room once he saw the person with the cloak drawn up so that their face was hidden. "How do you know what the smell of coffee is? Caffeine is illegal around here."

"Wh-who are you?" By now Otto had also realised that they weren't in the old woman's house anymore and couldn't remember what had happened.

The person reached up and removed their cloak. A girl with hair as dark as the night, and eyes a bright brilliant green was revealed.

"I am Liyan. I have never seen you two before and you wear weird clothing. Where are you from?"

"Strange clothing? You're the one who is wearing strange clothing." With a quick look at the girl, we can see that she is wearing what would seem like scavenger clothing, but with rags made into pouches. She wore all brown, even the cloak was a very deep brown. There were many pouches that surrounded her, a lot of them on her belt that was made from a brown rope.

"What land are you from? Obviously not from here." She asked the two boys and they looked at each other, trying to talk with only their looks but nothing happened. To Liyan, it looked like they were just making faces at each other. That's basically what it was.

"We are from New Zealand." Conan said confused. Where they not in New Zealand anymore?

"Where is this New Zealand? I have never heard of a land called New Zealand." Liyan had become even more interested in where these two boys had come from.

"How have you not heard about New Zealand? Have you never looked at a map before?" Otto snapped at the girl, earning a small glare from Conan.

"We don't have maps here in the Toad Kingdom." The girl looked confused. "Does the Toad King rule where you live too?"

"No, he doesn't. We have never heard of the Toad King before. And why don't you have maps here?" Conan replied.

"We don't have maps because the Toad King doesn't like having anything on paper because he says that reading strains his eyes. Whenever he hears that someone has a book, he sends some of his terrorists who hunt them down." Liyan said. She walks back to where her kitchen and poured some water for the two boys. Her back to the two boys.

"What do these terrorists look like?" Otto asked, it seemed as if he feared what this girl is talking about.

"Well