The fall felt like more than the 30 or so feet it was. And the crowd must have spread because I slammed into the gravel on the rooftop. But when I hit, my world changed. I can't really explain the how's or the why's, but I can tell you what happened. I hit the rooftop with tremendous speed. Immediately upon impact, I involuntarily shook the box loose, and it exploded, completely eradicating itself. The sound was delayed. Like a sonic backdraft, every noise that wandered the rooftop got sucked into the box the moment I hit the gravel, and, when the explosion happened, there was 2 seconds of complete silence. Then the Big Cardboard Bang. I wish I could have stood on the clouds and watched the box explode from the heavens. I would have seen the tidal wave of light originate at my left arm and blanket the entire rooftop, pouring down each side of the building, painting it with the traits that I witnessed in the hallway. The light infected everything it touched, and left beautiful changes in its wake. The light ran amok in the streets, forcing itself into every crack and crevice of Cardboard City, drenching all of its inhabitants and structures. The vines were everywhere. The colors were violent, but vibrant. The buildings were breathing. The city was, for the first time in decades, alive.
And while the light-storm was coating the city in perfection, my head mimicked the box and practically exploded itself. Or at least, it felt like it. I couldn't move. My head was a blur. Then suddenly, the pain dissipated, and that's when the transformation started. I felt the skin around my chin tear and the bone crack and split apart, bringing to life a feeling that i have felt inside of me many times before. But surprisingly, it didn't hurt. It felt a little hot, though. I felt my nose get sucked back into my sinuses and disappear. I tilted my head back and my teeth pulled themselves outward, and elongated, revealing years of decay and neglect that were kept hidden inside the pulp of my gums. I couldn't see what it looked like, but I can guarantee you I looked like something out of an RK Sloane painting. I felt the back of my head gain so much weight the Olsen twins would be jealous had they cared about theid deteriorating figures. My neck swelled and twisted. Something felt like it was boring into the left side of my head, and I felt the blood rush out of the wound. At the same time as my teeth were being stretched from the meat of my gums, my upper jaw cracked and migrated upward, taking the place of my nose, and parting my eyes like the Red Sea. My eyes expanded upward, and for a moment, I was blinded because my sockets filled up with a thick white liquid and hardened immediately. The darkness I was seeing lightened up quickly, and I uncontrollably shook my head. And with each shake, more mass was added to my head. It felt…good. I think I passed out.
When I came to, I was on my knees, my back to the mob. I didn't even know if the crowd was still there, but if it was, my back was to it.
I sat there, dumbfounded for a few moments.
I was able to move my arms. Good.
I looked to my right. Ok. I looked to my left. The box was gone. It wasn't attached to my hand anymore, but the fingers on my left hand had basically, like, melted together and stretched out. It looked squishy. But it felt right.
I moved my hands upward, to comfort my head, which was pretty much out of habit since I felt no pain in my head, just a little pressure. My head was heavy, but not abnormal anymore. I felt the difference, though, when my hands touched my new (?) head. It was huge, and cubical.
I stood up straight, and turned around to face the crowd.
It was incredible. The light from the box must permanently exist on the planet now, because everything and everyone was transformed. All of the tenants resembled those I saw in the first hallway what seemed like hours and hours ago. They all had large, geometric heads that looked like cartoons wrapped in human epidermis. It was frightening before, because before, I didn't…understand.
Sandy was there. And so was Ripley. She WAS the pumpkin headed thing I saw at the bottom of the stairs. But she wasn't threatening at all now.
Sandy smiled at me. Her orange, bloated torso that I saw earlier now extended up all the way to her triangular head. Her head was shaped similar to her daughter's. Her palsied arms still flailed uncontrollably, but they seemed to have more life now. And when I looked closer, they had more life because they were like her siblings. Each of her arms had faces, and mouths, and their own, separate appendages. I'm rambling because I can't describe it in the words I would usually use. There's nothing to compare what I was looking at. But everyone had their own unique features.
Sandy finally spoke out of her deep-set mouth.
"Thank you, Chadam. We have been waiting for you. We almost thought you weren't ever going to do it."
"Do what?" I asked.
"Let go." She said. "If you were going to be stubborn about it for much longer, Tom was going to have to push you off of the edge." She smiled.
"But…" I didn't really know what to ask. "Why did you all change?"
"We didn't, Chadam. YOU did. But not your face, or your shape. You changed your eyes. The way you SEE. You didn't seem to want to do it on your own so we eventually had to help you. Because you couldn't help us without being able to see correctly."
"Why…how…I mean, I don't understand what changed. What do you mean, the way I see?" I probably sounded naïve, but I was so overwhelmed I really DIDN'T understand what happened.
"You have always viewed the world through fantastical eyes. You have always noticed the beauty in the mundane and the decrepit. Your imagination was sparked by the first time you opened your eyes, as a child, and saw how beautiful our world is. But your brain was too beautiful, itself, to handle it, so it shut down, and told your eyes to replace everything you see with items and feelings that were a little more…depressing, and desaturated. You've seen like this for years. Your rebellious brain played tricks on you and showed your eyes things the way it WANTED to see things, so that it wouldn't overdose on beauty. But your eyes could only lie so much, and they were dying because of it. The pressure your eyes felt from being convinced by your brain to lie to you was causing your headaches. It was causing your sadness. And it was causing your fears. It was hard to convince you. Trust me, we tried, but we were never forceful, because you needed to make the decision yourself. And you needed to convince your brain that the only way to avoid death was to accept what exists around you, and accept your reality, and to SEE the beauty in it, rather than to hide from it. I'm proud of you, Chadam. We all are. You have finally confronted your brain, taken off your mask, and left the lies to the liars."

I never suspected that the headaches were sprouted from my insides fighting over lies and beauty. Nor did I ever think that the physical feelings that I had about my appearance could ever be justified. But they are. And for the first time in my life, I feel…correct. And I love it.
I was still getting used to seeing everyone as oversized, living toys, but when I looked at Ripley, it was still apparent that she was smiling. And that she was waiting for me to tell her a new story.
I think I have just the right one in mind.

I turned back around and faced the skyline. The clouds were thick, and golden. They were slightly transparent and looked like they, too, had entire worlds existing inside of them. I looked across the way and noticed that even that old Crystal Pepsi billboard had revealed itself. There was no Pepsi ad on there anymore. Instead, in huge, spray-painted letters, it read "Chadam Lives.."

Though I doubt it was apparent by the shape of my real, new mouth, this made me smile. But before I could bask in my new found comfort, I felt Sandy put her arm on my shoulder.
I turned around.
Everyone was still facing me, staring at me.
"Now, Chadam," she said, "Are you ready to find out why we need your help?"

THE END (for now…)