Acceptance In A New Realm

Gatcha stood at the top of the foreboding staircase, looking down into its deep darkness.  He’d heard dinosaurs gossiping and talking about this place, but for a long time he feared to venture inside.  Gatcha had met the Oviraptors who seemed nice enough, but Gatcha was extremely wary of Morpheus' buildings and their experiments.  Gatcha hesitantly stepped down the metal stairs and into the underwater glass hallway.  Its construction was good, but it clearly hadn’t had any maintenance done in awhile as it creaked and featured small spots of rust where the saltwater had begun to leak through and corrode the metal.  The floor of the hallway was littered with dirt that had blown down the staircase, along with freshwater from rainstorms.  Small plants and weeds had begun to grow in this slurry including lots of mosses and liverwort thriving in the humid and moist conditions.  Gatcha carefully took his time walking down the hallway, the sunlight flickering through the waves of the overhead ocean shining through the thick glass ceiling, casting a calm and peaceful aura over this mysterious place.

It didn’t take long before Gatcha reached a large empty space; a small station that a subway car once ran through to bring people around the facility.  Gatcha trotted to the edge of the platform and stopped before it dropped down to where the tracks stood long abandoned and out of service.  Gatcha paced a bit before spotting a small staircase leading downwards and followed it, trying to ignore the pained groans of the old metal staircase that was clearly built for humans as it strained underneath him.  The railway tracked down a long, wide and unlit hallway; the glass ceiling was not present here and Gatcha was left to trust his footing as he listened to the silence around him.  To his surprise, it didn’t take very long before he could see that undulating light from the waves again coming from what he assumed was another platform.  Gatcha picked up his pace and began to trot until he reached the rickety staircase that he climbed up to the platform. 

This subway platform had far more gregarious plantlife with many different species growing from little nooks and crannies reaching for that twinkling sunlight from above.  Vines wrapped around the metal benches that leaned up against the walls and small leafy weeds sprouted from the dirt that collected in the corners of the room.  Some of the plants were even growing directly on the flooring itself in places where water had gathered and small pools of algae-laced water stood still.  A worn sign hung above the door, “Biodome Research A1”.

Some of the broken tiles beneath Gatcha’s padded feet crunched and ground as he walked out of the room containing the subway platform and into another hallway.  This hallway was dotted with office doors, many had let go of their hinges long ago revealing dishevelled offices.  As Gatcha walked, the plants seemed to become more and more dense, their roots now growing in the cracks of the floor despite the absence of any soil.

“YOU!” Gatcha was snapped out of his rhythmic walking pace and stopped dead in his tracks.  He stood silently before the voice spoke again,

“What are you doing here.”  The voice was echoing down the hallway, just out of view.  

“I’m nice I promise!”  Gatcha shouted back, a bit lost for words.  He knew he would encounter others, but he hadn’t prepared for it.  Gatcha took a single step forward, head lifted high and alert instinctively.  From around the bend of the hallway a green, blunt head poked out as its heavy footsteps approached.  It sported tan and brown adornments, an ornate bridle with four ornamental circles trailing down their forehead connected by tanned leather strips.  

“What’s your business being here, we’ve had many intruders since the doors opened.”  The dinosaur’s voice was stern, but not hostile.  Gatcha stood for a few seconds, studying this dinosaur closely before speaking,

“I’m curious as to what’s down here.  I’ve been overhearing rumors about this place and wanted to see it for myself.  I have seen the creations of Morpheus expose themselves for years now and this is no different.”  Gatcha lowered his head a bit, locking eyes with the sturdy-looking dinosaur across from him.  He walked a bit closer, watching their expression and only taking a few small steps in her direction.  

“I’m Pumpkin.  I patrol these halls and lately me and my fellow Euos have been running into lots of outsiders recently.  We have been sealed down here for a very long time.  It seems we are a fascination to many.”  Pumpkin let out a sign of relief.  Gatcha got the feeling that not everyone was coming down with good intentions.  

“I’m sorry if some have been giving you trouble, I can only imagine some of the carnivores you guys have been having to deal with.”  Gatcha gave Pumpkin a worried and sympathetic look, “But I promise I’m only here to learn.”  

Pumpkin let out a small sign and smiled slightly,

“Let me show you our world, then.”  She turned her side to Gatcha, gently motioning further down the tunnel with her head; her armor slightly rubbing and jingling.  Gatcha walked forward toward her, feeling her warmth. 

The two of them hadn’t walked long before reaching a large set of glass doors, seemingly stuck in an open position. 

“This is our pride and joy,”  Pumpkin began through a smile as she walked through the set of dilapidated doors, “The plants here have kept us alive for many generations and it’s up to us to nurture them and help them grow so they can nurture our children and the children after them.  Some of the plants here are dangerous, but those are kept separate, generally.”

Gatcha followed through the doors, looking around at the deep green foliage that rose into the large vaulted dome above him.  The ceiling featured more thick glass along with bright lights to fuel the plants below.  The pathway beneath his feet turned to large flat stones with gravel in between.  On either side were stone pavers holding back dirt to create neat garden beds.  

“If you’d like, I could teach you about some of the plants here.”  Pumpkin offered as they reached the center of the dome and the room opened up a bit.  Gatcha nodded and Pumpkin padded over to a small pile of what appeared to be oval yellow fruit.  She gently dropped the object at Gatcha’s feet,

“Now don’t eat this,”  She murmured while meandering back to the pile, “This is a treat we enjoy here in the dome and is coveted by many.  We share it on special occasions or if the harvest is plentiful.”  Pumpkin gently took a fruit in her beak and walked over to one of the garden beds.  The soil appeared freshly tilled and turned, a beautiful deep brown soil lay ready to be planted.  She dug her nose into the dirt, creating a small divot where she gently dropped the fruit before using her front foot to push dirt over top of it.  Gatcha picked his fruit up, he could smell its sweetness through its rind.  He followed suit, eyeing Pumpkin while he did it to ensure he was planting this treasured fruit correctly. 
“Like this?”  Gatcha said, using his beak to gently shift dirt over top of the fruit, Pumpkin nodded happily.  She looked at him and smiled happily,

“Would you want to stick around for a bit?”  She motioned to the large pile of fruits and Gatcha looked at the empty tilled garden bed.

“Of course, Pumpkin.”  Gatcha obliged gleefully, trotting over to the pile to retrieve more fruits alongside Pumpkin.  The two planted until the sun had set, and Pumpkin invited Gatcha to spend the night amongst the garden with her.