Bananas

There are many things in our world that cannot be explained. Such as why bananas grow on trees, why the universe is eternal and why we are even human. It is a good thing, then, that things can be explained in worlds that have no relation to our own in terms of race in a completely different eternal universe with a completely different understanding of why bananas grow on trees.

The Planet Yarth - a distant planet in an ever expanding universe in which the residents believe that they are on the only planet with life, itself. Yarth's inhabitants are complicated people with simple minds, with most delving on greed and aspire to become rich and perhaps become something in their greedy lives. You've guessed it - exactly like humans. Indeed, this planet resides in a dimension unlike our own, but resembles the equivalent of Earth.

Perhaps it is this simple greed that caused Smaz to steal the small box in the first place? Or even the greed of the King, himself? Or perhaps it was that Smaz had recently become increasingly suspicious of the King's orders to him, as a knight of the castle, and was only stealing the box so that he could lead the police group, running hot on his tail, to the King and shout 'He did it!' to the King, in a false hope they would believe him. Or perhaps... not everything can be answered, after all, even in this backward reality in a different universe in which people believe bananas grow because it's a banana tree's way of excreting faeces. Lovely.

**********

Dawn was approaching fast as Smaz swiftly rushed around a corner into a shadowed alley. He was huffing and panting from the sheer distance he had run, attempting to lose the police force that was after him. However, he did not want to give up. He couldn't. Not now.

The brilliant orange light was shining across the sky valiantly, only to be suppressed by the low altitude of fog that had recently congregated during the chase. Smaz rushed through a particularly thick blanket of the suffocating mist, at least, that was what it felt like to Smaz at that very moment.

Looking up as he rushed to the end of this dark alley, shouts of the fuzz strong in behind his flowing cape, he could see the smudged pastel Sun, covered by the thick fog, peeking from behind a far away silhouetted hill. This small beacon of light was what Smaz needed... and then the eclipse of shadowy malice occurred as three officers pounced out from in front of him, only meters away from the alley's mouth. His mind racing, Smaz turned his head behind him to see no more than seven blue-uniformed police officers running towards him, one with a pistol and the others with metal truncheons. There should have been four more, but they had been left behind long ago, their doughnut infested bodies burning off more calories than they could handle. This was it. Smaz was trapped.

There was no need to about face. There was no need to turn back. He couldn't. Not because of the officers, but because he couldn't disobey the King's orders. He held the small box firm in his arms, flattened across his chest as he saw the three police officers in front slowly ascending towards him, a triumphant look upon their faces, knowing they had finally won the chase. This was the chance Smaz needed.

As the middle officer made a lunge at the knight, Smaz jumped. Time seem to elapse slowly. As he did so, one of the behind officers raised his pistol in slow motion, ready to fire at Smaz and bring him down. It took only milliseconds for Smaz to land his right foot on the policeman's back, and spring himself upwards, but it felt like minutes to him... if he didn't make this jump, he was a goner.

Smiling as he propelled himself above the other two officers, in front, Smaz felt a rush of relief... joy... and also an admittance that he still had what it took to be the King's most trusted knight, no matter how ludicrous his orders were.

Then two things hit Smaz at once.

The immediate thought was the recurring one that Smaz had become suspicious of the King; his bizarre orders, recently, had been a cause of worry for the faithful knight, and he was beginning to question the King's motives in his mind. Killing, theft and banana eating? It was unlike the King to order such things. Especially ones as atrocious as banana eating.

The second thing that hit Smaz was a piercing bullet from the pistol's barrel, from directly behind the knight. His current thoughts diminished within an instant as searing pain electrocuted its way through Smaz's right shoulder and down his arm. Sure enough, the bullet had connected and caused Smaz's right arm to go almost limp with pain. Any tension stung like crazy.

He landed perfectly behind the three officers; the bullet wound not affecting his perfect landing. Immediately, he whizzed off into a crowd of people down the main cobbled street - the market workers busily preparing their stalls for the day. By the time the police looked, he was gone.

**********

Smaz fell to his knees, dropping the box in front of him on the lonely cobbled ground. He had stowed away in a shadowed alley, to lay low until the police stop looking. It was a good thing they were such slobs, staying inside eating their salty snacks until their Emperor called them out.

It was a sad time in which the country of Ivel was suffering a fate of two rulers. One ruling one side of the country, and one ruling the other side. King Yutah was the King of this southern half, and was generally known as Yutah the Booter, since his kind nature was spoilt by his constant habit of kicking those who annoyed him into the other side of the country, as banishment. This darker side of him had more recently been showing and the kindness increasingly felt more like a facade to Smaz.

Emperor Pikhaul was who ruled the northern side in this age and time of 1609. This time had no relation to our own; even the technology was more basic in some places, and more advanced in others. This time was full of piracy, rulers and the poor. Most things were wooden or metal and no plastic could be seen anywhere. Not even in the hi-tech Emperor Pikhaul's Fortress, who was renowned for his gadgetry and more modern life. However, he was a torturous ruler and hated the company of others, wanting nothing but his life to himself. And power. Don't forget the power. As a result, he was disliked by many and even received many sniggering comments about his fully attired black armour he constantly wore in order to keep his body to himself.

Smaz coughed from both exhaustion and from the blood that had formed in his mouth. He simply knelt there as he attempted to control the searing pain in his right shoulder; only his left arm supporting his weight on the cobbled floor. He clenched his teeth together. Who knew that guns would be this nasty? They had only been invented not long ago by Emperor Pikhaul, himself, and already had taken a shine to his forces. Then again, Smaz shouldn't have been so surprised to see them in use - the police force was owned by the Emperor, and the King had no power over them. It was amusing to think that the police could technically arrest the King, but it would never happen.

He looked up, his left eye closed from the pain. There was the box, made of pinewood and varnished to perfection... had the fog been thinner, perhaps Smaz could have seen some sunlight reflect off of it and see his furry face on the box's lid. He pulled himself up to the box with hefty might with just his left arm, and clenched his teeth further. He finally was up to the box, dust from the cobbled floor pattered against his dark purple trousers. He could faintly see his reflection in the beautifully crafted, black, varnished box. The intricate design fascinated Smaz. He wondered why the King would want such a small item.

Studying his reflection, he hobbled up and leant against the brick and wooden wall to his left, some wooden fruit crates below him. He could faintly make out his pale white face, and his long muzzle. Amusing. This world saw many anthropomorphic creatures from the two main species – Kyotes and Fies. Smaz was a Kyote - a strange creature who bore long muzzles, very long and thin ears at the direct top of their heads and a handy tail. Kyotes usually had two colours of fur, too. Smaz's face colour was that of white, as was his scruffy tail, which stuck out from beneath his crimson cape. He checked his reflection through a squinted eye, trying to get better detail on whether he was bleeding anywhere else. He saw his grey, fluffy, fur from his torso, not wearing anything on the top half of his body other than the red cloak that draped behind him, supported by the purple gem that indicated that he belonged to the King. The brown, leather, straps wrapped around him to support his sword and his long boots were dark with the colour of the night. Smaz was a sight.

Then the pain returned more so and Smaz realised that he must find a doctor of sorts, first, despite whatever cruel medicine they would give him. Anything but a banana. Holding his injured arm, Smaz slowly walked down to the end of the alley, sure that the police were now gone, and placed the box in his pouch on his main belt, for safe keeping.