While I was not yet completely awake, the gentle warmth of the sun touched my face, its rays breaking through my closed eyelids, the heady scent of nearby flowers, and the soft rustle of the wind in the crowns of trees woke me up. I rubbed my eyes and panicked – and I found myself in a forest. Around me, there were huge trees, tender-scented flowers, and green plants. I was stunned.
"I- I- Where am I?!" I thought aloud, less aware of the words.
"What is this?"
"Where is everyone?"
My mind could not understand what was happening. My mind would not understand. In front of me, the forest appeared instead of the city I knew – that alone left me confused. Did someone bring me here just now?
"I was standing near my home a few seconds ago… I am really not excited about someone else's fun."
I thought somebody put me here the moment I wasn't paying attention. I even shook my head angrily and looked around wildly. I might have thought this was some kind of joke wherever I was taken. I wanted to find a prankster who brought this to life as a joke. I just wanted to know why. I was shaking with anger, looking around wildly, hiding behind the crowns of trees and bushes.
"STOP IT!"
I shouted at the top of my lungs. I heard my voice echo in the woods, not caring what dangerous beast would be hungry after hearing me roar. But there was not a single rustle in return. I'm starting to think that they are crazy or that they left me in the middle of nowhere. There were no cameras, no traps, just me.
"Maybe they left me. Hmm. Let's see where I am."
I shook my head and dug into what I did know about nature, scanning the environment for any clues to point me in which way we were headed. I squinted at the forest and saw many trees with thick bark and dark leaves. That must mean I'm somewhere in the north. Thinking that, I drew a sign on one of the trunks. I'd read that trees in cooler climates evolve thicker bark as a guard against winter. But something was off. The grass, shrubs, and flowers that grew around me...none of them resembled those in any book I had ever read.
'This place is… different somehow. But no matter. There is another way to determine where I am.'
I backed away from the trees and began searching for an open clearing where I could see the sky.
'This spot should work. I'll try to figure out where I am from the birds that are soaring.'
I sat, staring at the open sky and waited. Because I knew a bit about the forests and what bird species lived in each habitat, it was my hope that this ability would help me figure out which forest I had come to be lost in. I sat staring, waiting for something to come skittering by, noting how little movement I could see in the clouds no matter where my eyes went, and then it happened: a shadowy shape drew itself between two passing clumps. But the sun was too bright, and I shielded my eyes with my hand, squinting.
'There… A bird. Now to determine which species it is.'
But the figure was soaring high, and there were rays of sun directly behind it — I wasn't able to make out any features. So I couldn't even be sure it was a bird.
However, given its size and the height at which it was flying overhead, I made a rough guess that it could be an eagle.
'They normally fly that way when cruising for prey. So it must have seen something nearby.'
Suddenly, the figure started descending. The closer it came, I began to make out its form — and then I realized this wasn't an eagle after all.
'This bird… It's much bigger! It's not an eagle. It's something else…' I attempted to squint, but even the sun's piercing rays were getting in my way. I blinked repeatedly, rubbed my eyes, and prayed what I was seeing would change. It didn't.
'This can't be real.'
As it got closer, I could finally see its form. A huge, heavy thing—far too big for any normal bird—and covered in shining scales rather than feathers.
'That… that's a dragon!'
As soon as I realized it, my entire body began to shake. I broke into a cold sweat all over. I was frozen in place. I felt something going down my throat, and I couldn't breathe. In utter panic, I screamed: "DRAGON!!!"
It was terrifying and colossal. So big that it would make a tall building look like a toy. And it was not skinned or feathered, but scaled like a wheel. Claws like spears, teeth like blades. When it did so, I turned and fled through the woods with all my might. "I didn't care where I was headed. I didn't stop to think. I just ran. I couldn't outrun a dragon; I knew that much. I needed to hide. Desperately.
'Where can I hide?! Think, think!'
And in no place could I find a safe hiding space, try as I might. I felt like a rat in a trap, with no way out.
With all the running, I was feeling tired, so I stepped behind a tree and sat down to rest. Reaching out with all my senses, I surveyed the space behind me.
'And you can't hide from a dragon… So, what do I do now?'
Suddenly, there was a huge crash behind me—something big had fallen. Its weight rocked the earth so hard that I almost fell over once more. A second later, the trees started breaking off and snapping — like twigs stuck under a monstrous hand. I was too scared to move. I didn't even have the heart to look back. I didn't need to. It was there; I could feel it behind me. Then, the crashing stopped.
'Please… let it be gone. Please…'
And as I was thinking that, a foul-smelling gust of wind blew up behind me.
There was the most revolting odour — worse even than that of a man who had never cleaned his teeth in all his life. That's when I knew. The dragon was breathing … right down my neck.
'It's still here.'
Summoning up all the courage I had left in me, I slowly turned around—quivering from head to toe. I was face to face with a huge eye looking down at me. Its gaze rooted me to the spot, and I fell back in fear. The dragon cocked its head and laid its gaze.
And the unthinkable happened — something I'd only witnessed in cartoons. The dragon… spoke. Yes. It actually spoke.
"Who are you?" it growled in a deep, howling tone that rattled around my bones. I trembled at the sound of its voice. This was the first time I'd ever seen a dragon — and heard one talk.
It was such a simple question, and yet my brain couldn't produce an answer. My tongue seemed to be stuck, glued to the top of my mouth. The sweat from my panting wasn't just in the air; I could hear it ringing through my ears. It was as if it would explode out of my chest. The dragon then asked again, realizing that I was unable to reply:
"Are you mute?" Fear, awe, shock, and confusion — it was all tied up in me. Unconsciously, I was shaking my head before I even knew it.
The dragon peered at me silently for a moment… Then said, "I see. In that case, you're no good to me." It then unfolded its wings and took to the air. I was standing there quaking, holding both hands to my breast.
'I'm… still alive!'
My heartbeat began to slow. I'd never felt this way before: light as a feather in every inch of my body.
Nothing seemed real at that moment. My heart, my thoughts — they didn't even feel like mine. It was only after I raised my head that the reality struck me.
"I'm… far from home."