I was startled awake by a large piece of wood falling into my lap. I had feared this would eventually happen, but thankful that it had waited until morning.
“Good morning Tydides! I see you made it through the night. I am happy for this!” The man was on his hands and knees, gazing through the hole in the ceiling. “I apologize for ruining your roof, however I could not find a door on this…shack. I would have thought you would have already figured out how to make a door…but no matter! Today is a new day, and we have much to discuss!” Though I was not as cheerful as this man appeared to be, I was glad to be able to finally get some answers.
We walked a few minutes without much talking, as he showed me the easy way down the hill I had built my shelter on. “I am happy to see you figured out how to use your tools! Some of the others…no mind now! Building the shelter on top of the hill was a wise move, you will be glad to have chosen that spot as your home at a later time!”
Too afraid to ask about these ‘others’, I kept the conversation moving forward. “What do you mean my home? You don’t really expect me to continue living there, do you?”
“Hahaha! Of course not! I would not expect anyone to continue living in such abysmal conditions! I expect you to continue building upwards and outwards! I’m sure you can find the right materials to create a comfortable home.”
“I’m sorry, but you must keep forgetting, I don’t even know where I am.”
The man’s face formed a quizzical look as he responded, “You mean you really don’t remember where you are?”
“Well, no. Should I know where I am? Nothing around here looks familiar. Please, can you just tell me what this place is?”
“Hmm.” The man scratched his head, unsure of how to word his next sentence. “Let me show you something. This might help you.” He led me over to a short post, with a wooden board stuck to the top. As strange as it was, I didn’t recall seeing it the day before. I must have missed it in the tall grass. “Read this, and tell me what you think.”
I leaned around the board, and read it out loud, “’Welcome to the land of Tallon IV’. I don’t understand. How is this supposed to help me? Tallon IV sounds strangely familiar, but I don’t know why. Who owns this land?” I looked back at the man, and was surprised to see a smile form on his face.
“Why, you do of course. You named it yourself. Really son, whatever hit you must have had some impact on your head. Now look, it’s early morning, and I’d advise you to rebuild your home. I have a feeling that this next night will need something a little sturdier. I seem to recall a cave just past the hill you live on. Why don’t you go check it out? It may provide you with better materials to build your house with.” As much as I wanted to continue with my questions, I knew he wasn’t about to let on so easily. I turned away, but not without some more advice. “Oh, and if I were you, I’d take the sword along too. Just in case.”
With this statement, I had revised my thoughts, to ask just one more question. “Before I go, I need to know – how can I get home?”
“And as much as I’d like to answer that question Tydides, you’re not at the point for that to become clear. But hear me out – I promise that one day, you will find a way home.”
This time as I walked away towards my hill, he did not disappear. He stood there, watching me slowly make my way up the hill. Even though I still did not learn his name, I trusted him. I didn’t know who he was, where I am, and why he insists that I was the owner of these lands. Part of him seemed crazy. Then again, the sounds and images from the night didn’t seem natural either.
I found the other side of my hill to be much easier to traverse, and had no problem finding the entrance to the cave. Many vines draped over the top of the entrance, which didn’t leave much light to enter. Darkness extended well beyond my view into the cave, though it did not seem very steep. Slowly a cool breeze wept out of the cave and brushed over my face. The sense from the breeze last night returned, having the same effect. The hair on my arms raised up, along with my sense of fear. “Damn, the old man wants me to explore the cave, but how am I supposed to do that without a light? And even if I do manage to find a light, what does he expect me to find?” Suddenly I heard a rustle from behind. I noticed something move in the deep grass, but blended in so I wasn’t sure what it was. Instinctively I pulled out my sword, yet I had no idea how to use it. With a quick jump, a green slime came flying at me! I closed my eyes as I swung my sword with all my strength, falling backwards into the entrance of the cave. I rushed to my feet, and found that with such a poor swing, I had barely hit my target. Yet, unsure of how, the green slime was dead, a liquid oozing out of its side. Curiously I leaned in to get a closer look at this remarkable creature. For some reason the fearfulness of the cave had left me, the feeling of winning such a small fight raising my confidence. Whereas the enemy had the form of a round slime about a foot across, its insides were more gelatinous. I took a leftover stick from my chopping last night, glad that I had picked them up as I came back over the hill. Slowly I reached down to poke the unfortunate creature. *FOOM!* As if by magic, the gel attached itself to the wooden stick, and lit itself aflame. “How is this possible?! Nowhere in science has anyone discovered a gel such as this! By attaching it to a piece of wood, one can make a torch!” Quickly I turned around, my eyes upon the cave. “I suppose this answers my question of where to get light from.”
My happiness soon came to an end when another rustling came from behind. I retrieved my sword, and assumed a better position than the previous battle. *This time I’m ready for a slime!* My anxiety rose as the seconds went by, slowly waiting for it to jump out. Out popped a small white bunny, and I had to slow my swing as to not harm the creature. “Well this is a surprise. I suppose this land isn’t all magic and evil after all.” The small bunny sniffed the dead slime, then turned to nibble on some grass. I smiled at the thought of a peaceful land, and returned my thoughts to the cave. I grabbed as much gel as I could stuff into my pockets while careful to avoid the sticks, and faced the entrance. “I sure hope to see you again soon, Mr. Bunny.” And with that I stepped into the darkness of the cave, the torch my sole guidance.
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