Dimensional Hotel

(.)

The squirrel’s anxious muttering made Yu Sheng’s mind churn. As thoughts of hidden “loopholes” in the forest and ways to free Little Red Riding Hood from her curse flitted by, he found himself growing more curious about the squirrel itself.

“You… it seems you’re always trying to help Little Red Riding Hood escape the forest,” he said, eyeing the squirrel seriously. “Why?”

“Why what?” The squirrel froze, confused. “Do I need a reason?”

“Aren’t you an ‘entity’ created by this forest?” Yu Sheng asked, his brow furrowing. “You helped me too. So why are you helping ‘outsiders’ like humans?”

The squirrel scratched at its whiskers, mumbling, “Yeah… why though? Why would I help…”

All at once, it stopped as though its thoughts had short-circuited.

Yu Sheng grimaced. The poor creature seemed to have limited reasoning, even though it was a speaking entity. His question must have caused a logical glitch.

He was just starting to worry that the squirrel might remain stuck in this confused state when it twitched, like it was rebooting. Suddenly, it raised both paws high and cried out, “I’m a squirrel!”

“A super cute squirrel from the forest!” the squirrel shrieked in a shrill voice. “Every story has a little animal in the woods, right? A cheerful little companion that helps kids about to be eaten. That’s my purpose! I can’t sing, but I still help lost children in the forest because—I’m a squirrel!”

It thrust its paws upward dramatically, looking strangely triumphant, as if it had rediscovered why it existed in the first place.

Irene leaned toward Yu Sheng and whispered in his ear, “Is it just me, or is that squirrel out of its mind? It seems… unhinged.”

“It’s a product of the Black Forest, so what do you expect?” Yu Sheng said in a thoughtful voice. “It must be one of the forest’s rules—or maybe the rules of ‘fairy tales.’”

“Why do you think that?”

“In fairy tales, there’s always a threat trying to harm the main character, and a helper who comes to their aid. Usually, that helper’s an animal. At least, that’s what I’ve noticed.”

“Huh… I guess that makes sense.”

Just then, the squirrel stopped shouting. It stood up straight, like it heard something, and leapt onto Yu Sheng, scrambling up to perch on his shoulder.

“Hey! That’s my spot!” Irene protested.

“Shh!” The squirrel lifted a paw in warning, its entire body tense. Yu Sheng could feel it trembling. “Listen. Outside. Listen…”

Yu Sheng motioned for Irene to remain quiet, then moved carefully to the window. He pressed his ear against the frame and listened.

Silence. Complete silence. The gentle, distant wind and the faint howls of wolves that had circled the house were gone.

The hush was so heavy it felt like a blanket, until a sudden, sharp knocking sound cut through it.

Knock, knock, knock. Knock, knock, knock.

The noise came slowly but forcefully, pounding straight into their chests.

“The wolf is here! The wolf is here! The fire’s going out!” the squirrel said in a trembling whisper, so fast that its words almost blended together. “How can the fire die so quickly? Oh no, oh no, oh no…”

Yu Sheng glanced toward the fireplace. Indeed, the flames, even though they had plenty of wood, were withering, as if the fire was being swallowed up.

Turning back to Irene, he asked, “Can you fight in your state right now?”

“Not really,” she replied. “I’m just a projection that managed to sneak in. Remember, you drew me here. How strong do you think I can be?” Her portrait frame wobbled. “About all I can do is cheer you on—try not to die too horribly, okay? I don’t want to have nightmares about it.”

Yu Sheng groaned, feeling both relieved and annoyed. “Of course. You’d be perfect if you just didn’t talk so much.”

Knock, knock, knock—

Another round of knocking echoed, louder than before, like thunder shaking the little house. The walls creaked, and the whole structure shuddered as if it might collapse.

The squirrel let out a high-pitched squeak. It rummaged for something, then pulled out a stiff pine needle and held it like a sword. In its other paw, it clutched an acorn as though it were a shield. “The squirrel is ready! The squirrel knight is ready!”

The third set of knocks crashed through the cabin. The shelves and wardrobe toppled over, then vanished as soon as they hit the ground. The fire flickered to a faint glow, and fractures spread across the walls. Suddenly, a giant hole opened in the roof.

Yu Sheng saw a massive wolf’s eye—cold and gleaming—pressed against the opening. A long, pointed snout covered in black fur peered in behind it.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Booming knocks came again, the wolf striking the house as if it were pounding a flimsy drum.

The flames in the hearth extinguished in an instant. The house splintered under the crushing blows. The red cords and cloth strips tied around the doors and windows snapped with an earsplitting crack—like a shriek—before the enormous wolf burst in front of Yu Sheng and Irene.

It dwarfed any “evil wolf” Yu Sheng had seen before. Its towering body nearly filled the entire sky. Lowering its head, the beast glared at the prey spilling out from the wreckage of the cabin, eyes glinting with a ruthless hunger.

“It’s getting bigger! It’s getting bigger!” the squirrel screeched, brandishing its “pine needle sword” and “acorn shield.” “Little Red Riding Hood must be even more afraid! The more frightened she is, the bigger the wolf becomes!”

Yu Sheng whipped around. “Wait… you mean—”

He didn’t get the chance to finish. The squirrel, overtaken by panic and desperation, let out a fierce cry and raised its tiny makeshift weapon before hurling itself straight at the giant wolf, as though sprinting along an invisible path. “The squirrel knight is ready! The squirrel knight will protect you!”

“Stop—come back!” Yu Sheng shouted.

But the squirrel had gone beyond reason. It moved like lightning, aiming its pine needle at the massive shape overhead.

“The squirrel knight roams the forest trail!” it sang in a horribly off-key tune, the lyrics chaotic. Just as it had said, every story needed a helpful creature—even if it couldn’t sing properly. “It’s here to help poor, lonely Little Red Rid—”

Its voice cut off as it vanished into the wolf’s jaws.

The wolf didn’t even shift its head, just opened its mouth, so the squirrel seemed to dive right in.

The singing ended. The wolf’s teeth crunched a few times, then it lowered its head, fixing its gaze on Yu Sheng—an intruder who had no rightful place in the forest.

“S-so… the squirrel… it died?” Irene asked, shocked. “I was sure it would do something amazing at the last second… but it just got eaten?!”

A rush of wind swirled around them as the wolf swung its paw at Yu Sheng with crushing force.

He leapt away at the last moment, hitting the ground with enough impact to crack it. Then he slipped under the wolf’s belly, looking for a blind spot. “Stop staring! I’m about to be next!”

Irene’s portrait glided shakily through the air after him. “Got any last words you want me to pass on?”

Yu Sheng sidestepped another blow. “Tell Foxy we’re having dumplings tonight! She should take the meat out of the freezer!”

“Roger that!” Irene called back. Her frame flickered, turning faint. “I have to leave—this place is kicking me out!”

“See you soon!” Yu Sheng hollered, waving as her portrait vanished.

A fierce wind roared as the wolf, furious at Yu Sheng’s quick dodges, leapt aside to face him, lunging forward yet again.

This time, Yu Sheng didn’t dodge. Instead, he gave a wild grin.

“Come on! Take a bite! I guarantee you’ll never forget it!”