Chapter 2
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'Crash!' The sound of falling could be heard across clearing of the gigantic forest. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow: the only thing which remained the same was the light that appeared just milliseconds before impact, which seemed to soften the fall.
Blinding light illuminated the clearing, creating a scene like countless stars falling. A roiling sea of sound and light: it was not moments later before quiet descended in the clearing as night approached; although, describing it in so simple terms was far from explaining the awe and mystery surrounding what had happened.
Imagine as a kid the first time flying on a plane, for someone knowing that things like air planes are real: experiencing something out of your expectation for the first time definitely was different. The turbulence of the plane taking off, the movement pressing against your body, the taste of air at an higher altitude all these things come together to form an unique experience.
As the falling stars descended, those who arrived in the clearing were inundated with a similar feeling. Their eyes automatically looked around the clearing only as the light began to dim, to discover there were many people like them.
A small hubbub of noise extended out as many tried to make sense of the situation, a simple glance could see different people of various races and ages, in a myriad forms of apparel and state of undress. Noises in different languages and intonations had already began to spread and shout out as disorder became more and more apparent. Panicked, the first sign of response for those who had been summoned to this strange situation.
The second sign, acceptance: whether because of their temperament or experiences a few had even skipped the first signs of panic and were already settled down. Calm like in the eye of the storm, it was apparent who these people were in the crowd.
Standing inconspicuously, eyes still blurry from waking up from his dream, a young figure was trying to remember his dream. Despite those around him being more and more riled up with the situation, his focused eyes looked at his hand and slowly clenched it in a rubbing motion, the words 'big' could be very faintly heard, that is only if you had been standing close next to him.
It was unfortunate but it just so happened over the shoulder a small girl, had chosen this time to glance in his direction, eyes that were curiously big and seemed to almost whisper a seductive tone of its own.
It could have been coincidence but there was no mistaking what the girl's reaction was after having witnessed the sleezy movement of the guy in front of her. 'Hmpf' a light sound seemed to escape from her mouth as she glared at him.
Almost as if he had sensedthe strange feeling directed at his back, Deer could only snap awake from his imagination as he quickly grasped the strange situation around him.
Rather than worried he remained calm as he began to slap his face. Slightly at first; but slowly hitting himself harder and harder, he finally convinced himself it was not a dream: 'these many people, where are we?'. Standing there with puffed up cheeks that were tinged by a hint of red, he made a queer sight in the crowd. No one had gone as extreme as him to hit themselves with such force only to check whether this was still real.
Perhaps anticipating the question on everyone's mind, a small voice whispered in his head. It seemed he was not the only one as the sounds in the surroundings began to slowly die down. Like a receding tide, the ebb of noise seemed to disappear and re-emerge at the same moment.
"THE OPENING BID WILL BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE... TAKE YOUR TIME AND DECIDE WELL, YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE"
It seemed like magic or it might have been some advanced form of technology but a slip of paper began to materialise into the hands of every person there.
Not sooner had this happened but it was at this time that Deer began to hear a strange voice inside his head explaining the rules. Short and to the point, there did not seem to be any emotion behind the voice, like a robot reading it's lines: there was only five simple rules.
<1. Failure to tend a bid will invalidate your bid.>
<2. Any bid will need to be submitted 10 seconds after the bidding opens.>
<3. To make a bid, picture your bid onto the paper.>
<4. There can be more than one successful bid.>
<5. Those who are unsuccessful, will be eliminated at this stage.>
Reading the rules over and over in his head Deer could only feel himself beginning to experience a throbbing headache. It didn't help that for whatever reason the sky above their heads suddenly began to show a timer that slowly started to count down as the opening for the bids was soon to start!
He didn't even have a clue what he was bidding for, although from what he could tell it seemed there would be more than one 'item' up for bid. Slowly ticking down Deer could see that the timer had almost reached the thirty second mark and was soon entering the twenty second mark.
Panic seemed to dredge his mind and looking around him he was not sure what he could bid. The rules were ambiguous and carried a mysterious meaning beside the simple wording.
That's right he had to picture his bid onto the paper, 'how was that possible?' Glancing around it seemed many people were like him and confused, it didn't matter, he could only risk it and go with his feelings.
But the question was what could he bid?
THIRTEEN! It was counting towards the final ten seconds before the opening bid began. It was at this moment he could not help but recall his dreams and how happy he had been before he awakened to this nightmare.
'Argh' the sensation in his hands and the soft supple skin that rested on his palms. It seemed like time slowed down as his brain began to work in overtime.
It was this moment which decided the rest of his path. To imagine, an ordinary youth, he had been enjoying his summer break just fine doing what most people his age would: the freedom of being young and carefree, only now... Out of the corner of his eye he could a lot of people panicking.
Strangely it seemed even out of this group there were some who were different compared to the rest, in the far right a spectacled eastern man seemed to be carefree and slowly tightening his tie on his neck. 'What's wrong with these people!' He could only shout in his head as the frustration began to build itself up like a flood bursting to come out.
He couldn't care any longer, it was at this point in time that he decided his bid. Who could have guessed, it was not till many years down the line when others asked Deer what his opening bid was that the truth came out and everything became clearer and clearer. Explaining the age old saying never ask an idiot to take a fool's job because he might just succeed.
'CONGRATULATIONS <<Deer>> YOUR OPENING BID HAS BEEN ACCEPTED'
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'Crash!' The sound of falling could be heard across clearing of the gigantic forest. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow: the only thing which remained the same was the light that appeared just milliseconds before impact, which seemed to soften the fall.
Blinding light illuminated the clearing, creating a scene like countless stars falling. A roiling sea of sound and light: it was not moments later before quiet descended in the clearing as night approached; although, describing it in so simple terms was far from explaining the awe and mystery surrounding what had happened.
Imagine as a kid the first time flying on a plane, for someone knowing that things like air planes are real: experiencing something out of your expectation for the first time definitely was different. The turbulence of the plane taking off, the movement pressing against your body, the taste of air at an higher altitude all these things come together to form an unique experience.
As the falling stars descended, those who arrived in the clearing were inundated with a similar feeling. Their eyes automatically looked around the clearing only as the light began to dim, to discover there were many people like them.
A small hubbub of noise extended out as many tried to make sense of the situation, a simple glance could see different people of various races and ages, in a myriad forms of apparel and state of undress. Noises in different languages and intonations had already began to spread and shout out as disorder became more and more apparent. Panicked, the first sign of response for those who had been summoned to this strange situation.
The second sign, acceptance: whether because of their temperament or experiences a few had even skipped the first signs of panic and were already settled down. Calm like in the eye of the storm, it was apparent who these people were in the crowd.
Standing inconspicuously, eyes still blurry from waking up from his dream, a young figure was trying to remember his dream. Despite those around him being more and more riled up with the situation, his focused eyes looked at his hand and slowly clenched it in a rubbing motion, the words 'big' could be very faintly heard, that is only if you had been standing close next to him.
It was unfortunate but it just so happened over the shoulder a small girl, had chosen this time to glance in his direction, eyes that were curiously big and seemed to almost whisper a seductive tone of its own.
It could have been coincidence but there was no mistaking what the girl's reaction was after having witnessed the sleezy movement of the guy in front of her. 'Hmpf' a light sound seemed to escape from her mouth as she glared at him.
Almost as if he had sensedthe strange feeling directed at his back, Deer could only snap awake from his imagination as he quickly grasped the strange situation around him.
Rather than worried he remained calm as he began to slap his face. Slightly at first; but slowly hitting himself harder and harder, he finally convinced himself it was not a dream: 'these many people, where are we?'. Standing there with puffed up cheeks that were tinged by a hint of red, he made a queer sight in the crowd. No one had gone as extreme as him to hit themselves with such force only to check whether this was still real.
Perhaps anticipating the question on everyone's mind, a small voice whispered in his head. It seemed he was not the only one as the sounds in the surroundings began to slowly die down. Like a receding tide, the ebb of noise seemed to disappear and re-emerge at the same moment.
"THE OPENING BID WILL BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE... TAKE YOUR TIME AND DECIDE WELL, YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE"
It seemed like magic or it might have been some advanced form of technology but a slip of paper began to materialise into the hands of every person there.
Not sooner had this happened but it was at this time that Deer began to hear a strange voice inside his head explaining the rules. Short and to the point, there did not seem to be any emotion behind the voice, like a robot reading it's lines: there was only five simple rules.
<1. Failure to tend a bid will invalidate your bid.>
<2. Any bid will need to be submitted 10 seconds after the bidding opens.>
<3. To make a bid, picture your bid onto the paper.>
<4. There can be more than one successful bid.>
<5. Those who are unsuccessful, will be eliminated at this stage.>
Reading the rules over and over in his head Deer could only feel himself beginning to experience a throbbing headache. It didn't help that for whatever reason the sky above their heads suddenly began to show a timer that slowly started to count down as the opening for the bids was soon to start!
He didn't even have a clue what he was bidding for, although from what he could tell it seemed there would be more than one 'item' up for bid. Slowly ticking down Deer could see that the timer had almost reached the thirty second mark and was soon entering the twenty second mark.
Panic seemed to dredge his mind and looking around him he was not sure what he could bid. The rules were ambiguous and carried a mysterious meaning beside the simple wording.
That's right he had to picture his bid onto the paper, 'how was that possible?' Glancing around it seemed many people were like him and confused, it didn't matter, he could only risk it and go with his feelings.
But the question was what could he bid?
THIRTEEN! It was counting towards the final ten seconds before the opening bid began. It was at this moment he could not help but recall his dreams and how happy he had been before he awakened to this nightmare.
'Argh' the sensation in his hands and the soft supple skin that rested on his palms. It seemed like time slowed down as his brain began to work in overtime.
It was this moment which decided the rest of his path. To imagine, an ordinary youth, he had been enjoying his summer break just fine doing what most people his age would: the freedom of being young and carefree, only now... Out of the corner of his eye he could a lot of people panicking.
Strangely it seemed even out of this group there were some who were different compared to the rest, in the far right a spectacled eastern man seemed to be carefree and slowly tightening his tie on his neck. 'What's wrong with these people!' He could only shout in his head as the frustration began to build itself up like a flood bursting to come out.
He couldn't care any longer, it was at this point in time that he decided his bid. Who could have guessed, it was not till many years down the line when others asked Deer what his opening bid was that the truth came out and everything became clearer and clearer. Explaining the age old saying never ask an idiot to take a fool's job because he might just succeed.
'CONGRATULATIONS <<Deer>> YOUR OPENING BID HAS BEEN ACCEPTED'
'Crash!' The sound of falling could be heard across clearing of the gigantic forest. Sometimes fast, sometimes slow: the only thing which remained the same was the light that appeared just milliseconds before impact, which seemed to soften the fall.Blinding light illuminated the clearing, creating a scene like countless stars falling. A roiling sea of sound and light: it was not moments later before quiet descended in the clearing as night approached; although, describing it in so simple terms was far from explaining the awe and mystery surrounding what had happened.Imagine as a kid the first time flying on a plane, for someone knowing that things like air planes are real: experiencing something out of your expectation for the first time definitely was different. The turbulence of the plane taking off, the movement pressing against your body, the taste of air at an higher altitude all these things come together to form an unique experience.As the falling stars descended, those who arrived in the clearing were inundated with a similar feeling. Their eyes automatically looked around the clearing only as the light began to dim, to discover there were many people like them.A small hubbub of noise extended out as many tried to make sense of the situation, a simple glance could see different people of various races and ages, in a myriad forms of apparel and state of undress. Noises in different languages and intonations had already began to spread and shout out as disorder became more and more apparent. Panicked, the first sign of response for those who had been summoned to this strange situation.The second sign, acceptance: whether because of their temperament or experiences a few had even skipped the first signs of panic and were already settled down. Calm like in the eye of the storm, it was apparent who these people were in the crowd.Standing inconspicuously, eyes still blurry from waking up from his dream, a young figure was trying to remember his dream. Despite those around him being more and more riled up with the situation, his focused eyes looked at his hand and slowly clenched it in a rubbing motion, the words 'big' could be very faintly heard, that is only if you had been standing close next to him.It was unfortunate but it just so happened over the shoulder a small girl, had chosen this time to glance in his direction, eyes that were curiously big and seemed to almost whisper a seductive tone of its own.It could have been coincidence but there was no mistaking what the girl's reaction was after having witnessed the sleezy movement of the guy in front of her. 'Hmpf' a light sound seemed to escape from her mouth as she glared at him.Almost as if he had sensedthe strange feeling directed at his back, Deer could only snap awake from his imagination as he quickly grasped the strange situation around him.Rather than worried he remained calm as he began to slap his face. Slightly at first; but slowly hitting himself harder and harder, he finally convinced himself it was not a dream: 'these many people, where are we?'. Standing there with puffed up cheeks that were tinged by a hint of red, he made a queer sight in the crowd. No one had gone as extreme as him to hit themselves with such force only to check whether this was still real.Perhaps anticipating the question on everyone's mind, a small voice whispered in his head. It seemed he was not the only one as the sounds in the surroundings began to slowly die down. Like a receding tide, the ebb of noise seemed to disappear and re-emerge at the same moment."THE OPENING BID WILL BEGIN IN ONE MINUTE... TAKE YOUR TIME AND DECIDE WELL, YOU ONLY HAVE ONE CHANCE"It seemed like magic or it might have been some advanced form of technology but a slip of paper began to materialise into the hands of every person there.Not sooner had this happened but it was at this time that Deer began to hear a strange voice inside his head explaining the rules. Short and to the point, there did not seem to be any emotion behind the voice, like a robot reading it's lines: there was only five simple rules.1. Failure to tend a bid will invalidate your bid.2. Any bid will need to be submitted 10 seconds after the bidding opens.3. To make a bid, picture your bid onto the paper.4. There can be more than one successful bid.5. Those who are unsuccessful, will be eliminated at this stage.Reading the rules over and over in his head Deer could only feel himself beginning to experience a throbbing headache. It didn't help that for whatever reason the sky above their heads suddenly began to show a timer that slowly started to count down as the opening for the bids was soon to start!He didn't even have a clue what he was bidding for, although from what he could tell it seemed there would be more than one 'item' up for bid. Slowly ticking down Deer could see that the timer had almost reached the thirty second mark and was soon entering the twenty second mark.Panic seemed to dredge his mind and looking around him he was not sure what he could bid. The rules were ambiguous and carried a mysterious meaning beside the simple wording.That's right he had to picture his bid onto the paper, 'how was that possible?' Glancing around it seemed many people were like him and confused, it didn't matter, he could only risk it and go with his feelings.But the question was what could he bid?THIRTEEN! It was counting towards the final ten seconds before the opening bid began. It was at this moment he could not help but recall his dreams and how happy he had been before he awakened to this nightmare.'Argh' the sensation in his hands and the soft supple skin that rested on his palms. It seemed like time slowed down as his brain began to work in overtime.It was this moment which decided the rest of his path. To imagine, an ordinary youth, he had been enjoying his summer break just fine doing what most people his age would: the freedom of being young and carefree, only now... Out of the corner of his eye he could a lot of people panicking.Strangely it seemed even out of this group there were some who were different compared to the rest, in the far right a spectacled eastern man seemed to be carefree and slowly tightening his tie on his neck. 'What's wrong with these people!' He could only shout in his head as the frustration began to build itself up like a flood bursting to come out.He couldn't care any longer, it was at this point in time that he decided his bid. Who could have guessed, it was not till many years down the line when others asked Deer what his opening bid was that the truth came out and everything became clearer and clearer. Explaining the age old saying never ask an idiot to take a fool's job because he might just succeed.'CONGRATULATIONS Deer YOUR OPENING BID HAS BEEN ACCEPTED'
