It's been a few minutes since Daniella and Sweetheart began their trek through the airport. Sweetheart insists on carrying Daniella's items despite her guilt-induced pleas to hold her own belongings. It bothers her that he is insisting on bearing the burden... particularly since... well... he is an omnipotent bear with the temperament of an angel and a five-year-old simultaneously. She's hoping that Sweetheart does not hear that last bit.

As she finishes her last thought, Sweetheart chuckles out of the blue.

"What's so funny, Sweetheart?" asks Daniella.

"Oh, nothing." replies the bear.

A whistling tune catches their attention, which causes them to take a pause in their trek.

"Do you think that it's-"

"No, Daniella Spencer."

"Are you sure? It sounded a lot like a person."

"It's not, Daniella Spencer."

"How do you know?"

"It's just the wind."

"Sweetheart, what makes you think that?"

"I just... I don't know. I just do, Daniella Spencer."

"Whatever you say, Sweetheart..." Daniella nods and they keep walking.

Daniella tries to take the lead on their path. Sweetheart silently insists on physically leading them through the airport.

"I've been here before, Sweetheart."

"I'm aware that you have been to an airport before, Daniella Spencer."

"Actually, I have been to numerous airports around the world. Including this particular one."

"Just because something resembles something you're familiar with does not mean that you have the knowledge to deal with the thing at hand. That's that same thinking that got you a C in calculus."

This comment stings Daniella. Literally. She winces at the literal burning sensation that she begins to sense within her chest, making her wince in pain. Sweetheart hears her groans. He drops his items and gives his full attention to Daniella.

"Uh-oh. I'm sorry. That wasn't so sweet of me." he pleads as he squeezes her into a tight hug. The longer they embrace, the more the sting seems to lessen. Daniella taps his back, and he lets go. "Feeling better?" he asks. Daniella nods, and they keep going.

"Good! Because we have to keep moving to be on time..." Sweetheart comes closer to Daniella and slightly nodges her shoulder causing her to step forward. As they pick up speed, something piercing breaks the silence around them.

This time, a piercing tune catches their attention, causing them to take a pause yet again in their trek.

"Did you hear that sound? Do you think that it's-"

"No, Daniella Spencer."

"Are you sure? It sounded a lot like a person whistling Sweetheart!"

"It's not, Daniella Spencer."

"Well, how do you know? Do you even know what a whistling sound is?"

"No, but I know it is not that! It's just another wind."

"Sweetheart, there is only one kind of wind!"

"And how do you know that Daniella Spencer? Just because something sounds a lot like something else, it doesn't mean they are the same thing"

"Whatever you say, Sweetheart... Whatever you say!" Daniella shakes her head and follows after him.

They walk silently together and soon come to a moving walkway.

"I love moving walkways!" exclaims Daniella.

"Not this one you don't!" Sweetheart childishly screams startling her.

He then shoves her as far away as possible from the moving walkway.

Daniella lands on her side.

"What was that for? Pushing was uncalled for! "

"I don't even know what that word means, Daniella Spencer" Sweetheart pouts as he crossed his arms.

"Why did you push me, Sweetheart?"

"Because you were going into another thingy!!!"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"You would have disappeared and I don't know where!"

Daniella stares at him blankly and nods. "Oh. Next time, use your words not your hands!"

"Okay, Daniella Spencer. Look at the moving stuff."

As she looks at the moving walkway, she realizes that it is never ending, merging with a wall of fog. Daniella stares at the neverending walkway in shock. How did she not notice that before? She was pretty sure that there was an ending when she first noticed it. As she stares at it, it is clear that the walkway is leading to... nothingness? A trap? Hell? Heaven? Limbo? Nirvana?

"STOP WITH THE NAME CALLING!"

"What are you talking about?"

"The names that you call the thingy is not polite."

"Why not? I didn't say any bad words."

"But it's not the right name."

"Well, what is the right name?"

"If you called it by its right name, if you used the right word, if you used the right thinking, you would not be here."

"Can't you just tell me? Why so many riddles?"

"That's cheating. You're a human girl, you know what cheating is... right Daniella Spencer?"

"So where are you taking me?"

"So... you don't know what cheating is!" Sweetheart looks at her, eyes wide open.

"You know what Sweetheart? I'm not doing this with you! You are a teddy bear! A giant teddy bear... For all I know, you might not even be real..."

"Of course I'm not real, Daniella Spencer. But you said you wanted to go to your car, so we're going there."

"But my car is outside." She states as she circles her hands in the air and hits her sides.

"And that's where we're going even though I'm not real to you!" answers Sweetheart.

"Sorry Sweetheart! I didn't mean it like that!"

"Yes you did mean it like that! Words are used to express what we mean... so don't feel bad because that's when and how you change the meaning of words used." insists the giant bear. Daniella stares at him speechless.

Once again, Daniella and Sweetheart walk in silence in search of an exit sign. It has been more than 15 minutes now. Countless empty stores, restaurants and cafes greet them in silence yet there is no sign of an exit in sight.

"What are you thinking about, Daniella Spencer?"

"Nothing much..." she replies as she shakes her head.

"Thinking about nothing is thinking about something..." Sweetheart remarks and continues "You are thinking about the emptiness of this airport just like you did the last time you came through here and yelled at the baggage handlers that you wished this place was empty... You wish for this place to be empty so you can walk around like a famous person... Daniella Spencer, what is a famous person?"

"Are you sure you can't read my mind, Sweetheart?"

"I'm a teddy bear. what do you think?"

"You are a talking teddy bear who knows a lot of things about me..." she whispers-yells at him.

As she is about to snap at the bear, her mind is suddenly flooded with memories and images of all of the unpleasant moments she has experienced at all of the airports she ever traveled through. Something or someone at some point always made her wish that everyone could disappear. If she had a penny for each time she could walk through an empty airport, she would be a millionaire by now.

Daniella specifically recalls a time where she discovered that her luggage was literally slashed between the time she checked them and before she retrieved them after landing. She hears a muffle of herself screaming and berating at a group of airline baggage delivery service workers. She sees their confused and fearful faces as they tried to calm her down. She even demanded to talk to their manager, and proceeded to scream at him as well. Despite their constant apologies, insistence that it was a rare accident, and her own observation that nothing was stolen or lost, she insisted that they were "clueless", "pathetic", and "idiots". Daniella also sees the glaring faces from bystanders as she remarks that she wished they all minded their own business and just disappeared.

Her only consolation prize from the manager? A teddy bear with the name "Sweetheart" on its tag.

"Stupid f**king bear...what a bunch of idiots... what the f**k am I supposed to do with it? What am I, a 5 year old child? This creepy bear thing is bullshit! Giving stuffed bears to grown adults should be cancelled!!!" Daniella remarked as she threw the bear into a trash can and continued to swear at the airline baggage delivery crew under her breath.

This particular imagery, amongst others, is vivid and intense, almost knocking her to the ground. The significance of the word 'sweetheart' is not lost on her. The sudden experience leaves her shaking. To say that the recollection rattled her is an understatement. She is visibly upset. This whole thing is confusing. This thingy thing is upsetting. This airport is upsetting. This giant teddy bear in front of her is upsetting. Her very presence at this airport is upsetting. The absence of humanity is eerily disturbing! The only thing now running through her mind like wildfire is to go and get out here as soon and as fast as possible, by any means necessary.

At this point, Daniella is done with everything. She is done with picking up Luca. She is done with going home. She is done with trying to fly home. She is done with herself. She is done with being done.

Taking a long deep breath, she pinches the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm herself down.

"You know, you can't keep putting yourself down like that." she says to Sweetheart in an attempt to compose herself by changing the subject.

"I'm gigantic. No one can put me down."

"That sounds like an inspirational quote you'd see on a notebook at TJ Maxx."

Sweetheart nods along at her sentence. "I don't know what that is, but that sounds nice."

"I could show one to you when we get back."

"Yes. After the happening has happened."

"What does that mean?"

He shrugs. "It means what it means. But it means different things to everyone"

"You speak in sweet mysterious ways, Sweetheart. Did anyone ever tell you that before?" Daniella asks him nicely. It seems she has decided to adopt a more cautious and mindful approach with this giant teddy bear calling himself Sweetheart.

"Another Daniella Spencer told me that before."

"Wait, what?"

Just when she is about to ask him to clarify his comments about "Another Daniella Spencer", a giant exit sign manifests itself out of nowhere, with a loud chimes sound, in front of them. She turns to Sweetheart and notices that Sweetheart is not super expressive at the sight of the giant exit sign.

"Do you know something that I don't know?"

"No?"

"Are you sure, Sweetheart?"

"....Yes....?"

As she looks ahead of the sign, she spots a glass door leading to the outside towards the streets.

"Okay, maybe I'm going crazy again, let's use this exit to go find my car."

"Yay!"

A quiet Sweetheart follows her without resistance. He just nods at her with a blank expression on her furry face. At least he doesn't push Daniella to her side this time around!

"Do you want to text Luca before we pick him up?" Sweetheart suggests to Daniella as they are reaching the exit door.

Daniella looks at him. "How do you know about that?"

Before Sweetheart could respond, the duo is enveloped in a thick, opaque fog, rendering them unable to see anything around them, aside from each other. Blinded by the fog, Daniella tries to rush outside but she must have run into something solid as she experiences a violent WHACK on her forehead that sends her to the ground.

"DANIELLA SPENCER!" shouts Sweetheart. It's the last thing she hears before blacking out on the ground.

Daniella wakes up gasping... except she is seated. A red paper airplane lands perfectly on her lap. Talk about synchronized timing. On the wing it reads "Open Me!" She unravels the structure to read a childishly handwritten note in black crayon. It reads: "WAKE UP DANIELLA SPENCER" with a creepy looking upside-down smile.

"Sweetheart?" she calls out. "Sweetheart?" She looks around erratically and instantly notices that Gate 3 is populated. "SWEETHEART?! SWEETHEART!!!!! NOOOOOOOOO! SWEETHEART!!!!!"

In a hyperventilated frenzy, She trips over her carry-on and hits the ground chin first. People immediately rush over to help her. She hears a vocal chorus of "Are you okay?" and "Do you need help?" flood her ears as she feels random people pulling her body up and straightening her up.

As she finally pulls her head up to pull her rattled psyche together, Daniella's thoughts are interrupted by a "choo-choo" noise in the background.

"Planes... don't make choo-choo sounds...right?"

To Be Continued... 

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