Bagless

The light shining onto the plinth gave no instructions. It asked him to select his blessings but left out directions explaining how.

Maverick, standing before the display of marbles attempted to grab one of the spheres again. As if a hologram, his fingers faded through them. The pile of spheres looked every bit as real as the rest of this place. Yet when he attempted to select one, he couldn’t.

He had found himself cataloging the different types of marbles. Some were small while others matched the size of his tolley. One was pocked with small shimmers of gold flakes, hints of white smoke and what appeared to be fire in the center while another large orb appeared wet. Droplets formed on the inside and ran down the glass wall of the Tolley. Many of the marbles appeared glorious and to his surprise made him think about the Marvelous assortment that drew him into Bernie's so early on a Saturday morning. Unable to move any of the marbles he sat down on top of his knees and sighed.

At this point another hour had passed. Had he kept time, he would gauge that he has been stuck in this room for nearing 2 full hours. Mavericks stomach long since empty, audibly announced another cry for food. Food that he did not have. His tongue was starting to dry. His saliva not enough to moisten his lips as they were slightly chapped from the morning jog to the shop.

Denial-

"Okay, this is a dream. I am still in the shop right now and this is just a terrible dream."

Maverick slid down with his back against the podium.

"Maybe I passed out from the excitement." He pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his mouth..

"Pugh" he exhaled. Well if I am dreaming, it seams like I am doing a great job at fooling myself. Pinching his arm also sent pain radiating up to his shoulder.

Laying down and slightly bent around the podium he took long breaths. Closing his eyes he leaned forward and started to stand up in order to walk back to the plinth.

*Bam!*

The edge of the podium caught his shoulder on the way up sending an unexpected pain into his upper back and into his neck. Rage filled his small frame. In a room filled with no one but himself and some furniture he managed to nearly bludgeon himself.

Anger-

Taking two extended steps towards the plinth, Maverick grabbed two sides of the fixture and screamed. No words, just an ear splitting howl.

Taking one arm and crossing it over the table like you would to smash everything off a countertop, Maverick again screamed.

"Go Away!" slamming the marbles across the table.

Hearing the clicks and clacks of marbles hitting the ground, he paused to see what he had done. Spilling them onto the floor, some rolling off the tower. Somehow he was interacting with the previously holographic stones. He found that if he focused he could touch the marbles. He began to ponder about what he had just done. How his mindset allowed him to interact with the marbles.

He was not thinking of anything other than removing this stupid game from sight. He just wanted out. To go home. And just like that the System spoke.

"Error, the trial has been compromised." - System

The light faded from the plinth, returning to the podium.

On repeat, the green stone announced the message. Where the voice was once immune to the echoing affect.. this no longer remained true. The message compounding upon itself growing more and more intense as it mixed in with the clacking of marbles bouncing across the floor and down a part of the stairway into the abyss.

Maverick rushed to grab the marbles off the floor and return them to the table. Wanting to put an end to the escalating noise that was filling his every thought. As the words repeated he attempted to put the marbles back in place. The only issue was that some had fallen off the Tower, too numerous to carry at once. With a hand full of marbles, he grabbed his leather sack and shoved them in, freeing up his hands. Directing his focus to the podium he placed both hands against his ears and shuffled over to the stand.

His eye bloodshot as his head pounded.

"Shut UPPPP!" [echo]

he grabbed the green tolley and shoved it also into his bag. Cinching down the cord to close it off.

Maverick clutches his head as a pounding behind his brows failed to realized the echos had left. A pain unlike his hunger filled his stomach. His mouth now salivating as a need to hurl grew. The spinning turmoil from before returned with a new fury. His vision again blurring as another announcement sounded in the back of his mind and everything went blank.

The message stopped. The echo's gone. The room now pitch black.

***Marvelous Marbles***

Bernie just finished plating the marbles that were traded between him and Maverick. Dawning felt gloves he picked up the laden plate, walking towards a glass tower near the beginning of the staircase. Opening the sliding door to the case he slid the plate of marbles into the showcase. Wiping a smudge off the edge of the glass he closed the door back with a small inaudible click.

Now humming, Bernie chuckled to himself as he muttered quietly “What a lucky boy indeed. How did he do it?”

Bernie clicked off the lights in the room leaving the towering cases dimly lit. Making towards the staircase, ascending caused each step to glow dimly while making a light chime. As he made his way up the lights lining the steps went out behind him. Reaching the top floor, he disappeared behind a large door that centered the balcony. The large doors closed revealing a large marble decorating the joining seam of the two halves. A marble that was remarkably similar to the one placed earlier within Mavericks new leather sack.

Entering a dark room with a small lit pond in the middle, Bernie reached the edge of the fixture and gazed down to look at a floating note titled Contestant 700.

Smirking to himself he reached down below to a cabinet door that was at the edge of the pond next to a seat and small ledge. Pulling out a hot plate with a whistling beverage resting in the center, he arranged an assortment of steaming drinks accompanied with confectionaries. A padded stool clanked to the floor as he sat down adjusting his glasses to the brim of his nose. Upon reaching for the wet paper within the pond Bernie was startled as the note became plural. At first the name Maverick appeared as an addendum to the word contestant. This was normal and expected.

Having witnessed the addendum take place over many such occasions, he was not perplexed by the change in words. What troubled him was the paper notes floating up within the waters to surround the larger post-it.

'Error' - Note

'Error' - Note

'Error' - Note

'Error' - Note

'Error' - Note

The notes started filling the pond as hundreds of them lifted to the surface. Each note neatly hand written on a new color post-it.

Abruptly Bernie slid the tea and small plates to the side and stood to grab Mavericks Note. Immediately the ponds depths rippled. The smaller notes sinking back down into the pond. The waters now showed a new vista - a dimly lit tower with a boy currently shoving marbles off a table. With no audio coming from the water the spectacle appeared melodramatic as the boy embodied anger and distress.

Bernie was chuckling up to the point where Maverick clutched his ears and started scooping up the fallen marbles. Dropping as many as he gathered. It was the moment that the boy shoved a hand full of blessings into his soul bag that Bernie snatched a piece of paper from what seemed to be thin air along with a pen and set to scribble out a message.

Placing the note onto the pond, Bernie stood and walked out of the room per a door on the opposing wall from the entrance.

Peering down onto the floating note was the following phrase.

'Admin - Clear Room - Door'

***Trials***

Maverick woke up to find that the he was still alone. The room had changed. Before he was in a room upon a high tower. Rubbing his temple he could recall two structures and small round spheres. Ones that he had just sent tumbling off the tower.

The change was that he was now back on green pastel flooring. This time the center was lit with a notably missing tower in the middle.. Replaced with what appeared to be a plain wooden door. He was floor level with nothing but himself and the darkness. Standing up Maverick took in his surroundings to find that it was comprised of the door and himself.

He walked up to the door that was not placed within a wall but just existed slightly offset from where he was laying down just a moment ago. He maneuvered around the wooden frame looking for a way to open it. One side of the door was completely grey. As if who ever was making the door forgot not just to place a coating of paint upon the door but also a handle or anything resembling a door. The backside was flat and gave off an odd feeling of not really being there.

Walking back to the normal side of the door Maverick could smell something like bread and honey. Getting closer to the door he could hear murmurs and the patters of foot traffic. With little delay he pushed the door open and walked through.

The door swung both ways as it shut behind our young star it equally opened outward to allow entrance for no other than Bernie the store clerk.

"Wait!" - Bernie said. Catching his breath as he looked around to find that now he was the only one in the room.