Tennessee Nunez
Wonder Tower
"Daddy, when can I go outside?" asked Callie innocently.
"There is nothing out there for you honey. Don't even think about it. Here with your Daddy is where you belong. I can take care of you just fine, right?" her father retorted gently.
"Yes, daddy."
Leaving the lightly furnished living room, Callie walked down the blue hallway, made a left and stepped inside of her room, hanging her head low. She hopped onto a step stool leaning against her bed, and sat on her mattress. She wondered why Daddy would not allow her to leave Wonder Tower.
"Yes, this place is fun and big and cool, but I want to go outside! When I look out of my window I see so many people walking around and having fun. I see the little girls and boys going to the park. I want to be like them. Daddy just keeps giving me toys and stuffed animals. I don’t want them anymore. I want to go outside. I want to know what it’s like to be someone’s friend," complained Callie.
Callie had been living in Wonder Tower for as long as she could remember. She was only 8-years-old and was just beginning to realize that there was more to life than her dad was letting her see. There was only one way to see the world.
“I’m leaving tomorrow,” she decided, leaning her head against her small circular window, barred with white poles wrapped in pink streamers. Her hair fell across her face and she sighed onto her window creating a bleak and gray layer of moisture. She took her index finger and reaching in between the bars, drew a sad face on the wet glass.
* * *
Callie woke up and tumbled clumsily out of bed. Glancing out the window she saw the moon burn with white intensity, and the streets were barren and silent. She made sure to put on her pink princess slippers and went into her bathroom. She fixed her hair, put on make up (today was a special occasion) and got dressed, layering five tee shirts. She had never been outside, and for that reason had never needed warm clothing. She put on a long and frilled skirt, tucking the five shirts in. She then grabbed a pair of black, plastic heels her dad had bought for her to pretend play, and held them between her fingers while she crept down the hallway. She knew if she put them on, the constant clack of the plastic heel hitting the ground would wake Daddy, and that was the last thing she wanted. As she neared the end of the hallway, she saw Daddy’s room. The black, and chipped oak door was closed, like usual, and she quickly slipped by. She hurried past the green-tiled kitchen, and headed for the exit. The exit was an elevator she had seen him use multiple times.
One night, he had told her a story about the outside world:
“Whenever I want to buy you a gift, buy food, or leave on a business trip I take that scary little elevator there. It brings me down into the city, and I do my best do get what I need very quickly,” said Daddy. He looked sincere but this ice clue eyes burned with deceit. “Out there I’ve seen monsters, animals, and beasts of all sorts.”
“That sounds terrifying…I promise I’ll never go out there!” comforted Callie.
Callie stepped inside the elevator. She was caught off guard immediately. The interior was completely white—the sterile lack of color, something her home was covered in, was harsh and unexpected. She quickly pressed the button that read, GROUND LEVEL and blushed with excitement. The button hauntingly glowed red, and pulsated as each floor was passed. Callie now learned she lived on the top floor, floor 13, of the mysterious tower. As the elevator descended, Callie’s mind was in a fury of thoughts.
Where would she go first?
Who would she play with?
What did snow feel like?
After a minute, the elevator began to slow and she heard a disjointed voice coming from a small speaker by the button that read GROUND LEVEL:
“Please exit, watch your step”
In her excitement Callie had forgotten to put her heels on. Rushing, she poked her toes out from beneath her skirt, threw off the slippers, and shoved her plastic heels on hastily. As she took her first hurried step, she tripped over her other foot, which had not had its heel put on all the way, and fell face first onto a cold marble floor. She began to cry and curled up in a ball, salty tears trailing her face and finding their way to the corners of her mouth. After a minute, she looked up with blurry vision and took in her surroundings. She was in a large room with a shiny, but dark floor. It was the blackened color of pepper, yet much more uniform. Sitting up, she stared blankly in awe of the grandiose space. Gold lines traced the floor, and darting off in separate directions, unsure of where their destination was. Callie got to her feet and began to walk forward, with each of her little steps making a gentle echo in the grand chamber. The area was empty and she continued forward with an excited pep. She finally reached a large glass door, with a swirl of dark snow on the other side taunting her forward. Pushing with all her might she opened the door, and the white powder on the other side crunched as it was slid backwards.
She realized that this was her first day outside of Wonder Tower and she had to live it to the fullest. She began to walk around the building and spotted a sidewalk. She skipped over and jumped onto the grey, crumbling cement. Laughing, Callie sprinted across the street she had looked down upon her whole life. The park Callie had always seen full of little boys and girls playing in was in front of her, and overcome with joy and glee, she was frozen in place. She was too excited to know where to start. She ran for the swings, causing the snow to compact softly every time her heel hit the ground. She began to swing, rising and sinking, bringing her bliss and ecstasy. Daddy had read her enough stories about parks, and swing sets, and slides for her to know how to have the most amount of fun at one. At the peak of her swing, Callie intentionally slipped out of her seat, soaring in the air before landing on her feet and tumbling out because of the momentum she had. Lying on the floor covered in snow and wood chips, she laughed hysterically.
Suddenly she became very serious. Looking up she saw the Wonder Tower. The colorful facade of the building and the lit up clock were beautiful. Thinking to herself she created a mental Venn-diagram, one circle representing the outside, and the other representing the inside.
“I can go home, be with Daddy, and stay warm and safe. I’ll have all the yummy grilled cheese sandwiches I could ever want, and watch all the Disney movies I could ever think of. But…I’ve never had this much fun in my life. The wind feels amazing; the sky looks so much more alive. I don’t think I want to leave.”
She began to walk around the playground, climbing a ladder, leading to a set of high monkey bars. She wanted to enjoy her day and forget about Wonder Tower. She decided she was going to try and walk on top of the monkey bars. She read about an adventurous boy who had done it with ease in one of her books. She thought that walking on the bars was a lot cooler than swinging across them. Once Callie was at the top of the ladder she slipped off her plastic heels, and stood on the first rung.
“Wow, this is a little harder than I thought!” Callie said as she swayed back and forth on the rung, trying to keep her balance.
She took another step forward, giggling. Then another step.
“If Daddy saw me he would be so angry!” laughed Callie.
She took another step, and with that one, had reached the middle of the monkey bar set. She continued cautiously, her feet starting to sting because of the cold metal bars. She took another step, slightly quicker to avoid the pain on the soles of her feet. The pain was beginning to become unbearable. She had three more rungs to cross, and without thinking took a quick step to the next one. Her foot hit the rung and slipped out, flipping Callie over the side of the monkey bars, sending her spinning to the ground. There was a faint snap as Callie tried to catch herself, breaking her wrist. Callie let out a sharp gasp, and her eyes bulged as the adrenaline in her body started to rush though her veins. Looking to her right hand she saw a couple red droplets falling to the snow, and a white protrusion from her skin. Finally, the pain of her broken wrist flushed over her arm and she let out a high-pitched shriek. Her sight started to blur as tears flowed out of her eyes, as if pales filled with seawater were being tipped over slowly from her sockets.
“Help! Help! Please, can someone help me!” screamed Callie from the cold, snow-ridden floor.
Her cries of help carried through the cold air, but did not reach a single person’s ear. Crying in vain, Callie squirmed on the floor in a whirlwind of pain, and contemplated her decision to leave Wonder Tower.
“I should have just listened to Daddy, coming here was such a big mistake. He kept telling me how this world was cruel and harsh and I didn’t listen. The real world is no fun! It’s torture. The Wonder Tower is where I want to be. I want to be in my bed, I want to pretend play with Daddy and get lots of toys from him. I want him to treat me like a princess. I want to be read to every night and I never want to get hurt! I don’t want to feel this cold snow, and I never want to play at a park again!” sobbed Callie.
She began to cry for her Daddy, and cry to be carried to bed, but no one came. Suddenly she was very tired. As her eyes began to close, she looked up, and Wonder Tower was glowing with colors, as her fading eyesight created a vignette around her home while she fell asleep on the park ground.
* * *
Callie slowly opened her eyes. After realizing how bright her surroundings were she quickly closed them. Again, her eyes slowly fluttered open and as her eyes grew accustomed to the light she realized where she was.
“I’m home! Daddy, Daddy! I’m home!” yelled Callie from her bed.
Callie tried to get up but her body was stiff and sore, and she collapsed back into her mattress. Looking over to her right hand, she was shocked. Her hand was covered in a heavy pink cast. Written in fresh black marker, bleeding downward, were the words, “Get better soon honey.”
“Hey baby, how’re you feeling? You took quite the nasty fall, hmm?”
Callie turned over to her doorway and saw Daddy smiling softly. He walked to her bed and sat next to her. Sighing, he tipped his head near her head and whispered, “I hope you’ve learned your lesson Callie. The world outside is no place for a little girl. There is too much to do, too much that can, and will go wrong. Stay in Wonder Tower. You’re safe here. You’re problem free here. There is no pain here. Here, everything is perfect.”
