A Katydids Struggle

There was a light. A square light glowing from the side of one of the gigantic blocks of plaster and stucco that grew from every foot of land. It was dark and I was blind, helpless to the grips of nighttime predators. The light was all I could see, thus I flew towards it. If I was lucky, there will be food by the light. I flew through the opening and landed on the ledge inside. It was covered in dolls and rocks and other strange items. They didnt smell like food. I dragged my smooth, green antennae across them. They didnt smell like danger either. I crawled past them, over the edge of the platform and across the wall where I saw another, larger plain covered in more trinkets. But these were different. There were wide carpets of white, striped with fuchsia and blue and scattered across the plain and many other strange things. I crawled over them and found a large pillar attached to the underside of the platform, its other end resting on what appeared to be a mud floor. However, it smelled not of familiar soil, but of something strange. Suddenly, the scent of fresh, sweet fruit wafted through the air. Food. Must get food. Crawling down the pillar onto the floor, it was indeed not black mud at all, but a spongy surface made of many loops of foreign material. All across it were scattered strands of foreign pubescence, surely of that of a predator species. I maneuvered my way around and occasionally over many of the obstacles, until I was faced with a large hill. It was more unfamiliar material, but of a finer texture and a different shade. This was far more vibrant, and had a distinct pattern. As difficult as the mountain would be to maneuver, the scent of the fruit still beckoned me. I climbed on the mountain, which I could now sense was covered in the pheromones of a predator, far larger than myself. Unfazed, I continued to assess my surroundings. On my left was a long, tall, barrier the color of eggplant. In front of me a large white square inlaid into the purple wall. Then finally to my right, a smaller but still impressive wall of deep crimson, lined by two round metal pillars. This wall, unlike the solid purple one surrounding the perimeter, was made of the soft synthetic material that seems to cover this room. I leaped from the top of the hill and landed on the side of the left ends metal pole. It was very smooth and difficult to keep traction, so I carefully crawled to fabric, since its many loops made easy climbing. This material had yet a different feel, almost fluffy like a pile of leaves. The strands were organized in a very specific grain, going horizontally across the wall. I walked up the side until it tilted like the rest had done, into another long plain. And like the others, this surface was cluttered was other items and materials. I crawled over the clutter and came upon another object. On the edge of the crimson plain, another hill of fabric, this time black and much larger. It seemed more organized in structure and was covered in lines of red, varying in thickness and position. Smelling the air once again, I immediately knew. Food. Food was there. Food in fabric. In order to get there though, I had to scale yet another mass. It was a large sideways pillar, much resembling a black tree branch. The only difference was the end, which pointed towards the sky and was white. Its tip had a few symmetrical bumps and hills and it wreaked of predator pheromones. Unfortunately, there was no other way to get to the fabric and thus the food. So, reluctantly, I began to combat the obstacle. In order to go over as fast as possible, I hopped on top of one of the white bumps on the end of the branch. I began to crawl over, but suddenly I was thrown across the red platform. The branch moved! I realized now the branch was the predator. No time for food. Run. I hopped frantically to the edge, but the fatal mistake had already been made. Before I could even reach the floor, I was suddenly surrounded by darkness. I hopped and pushed and shoved at every wall but each held fast. As I struggled, a new platform, soft and warm like my new walls, carefully slipped under me. After a brief period of movement, my sight returned to reveal I was again next to the window. However, I was now surrounded by an invisible forcefield, the word Mason branded in the air. Here I shall remain, mocked by the open sight of freedom, until a way of escape is found.