"W#@e u&"
"Wa_- §P"
"Wake up!!!" an old woman screamed as she poured a bucket of water straight onto my face.
"Waaahh—?!" I panicked, jolting upright.
"What the hell, Mrs. Granny?!" I shouted.
She calmly replied that it was my fault for not waking up to her voice. Logically, that made some sense—but not really, considering she was a complete stranger.
Yes, a stranger.
We had only met the previous night and decided to stay together, taking turns sleeping and keeping watch.
Why?
Because I was lost in a forest—a deep forest that seemed endless. I couldn't see an exit anywhere nearby, though one might exist. I had been separated from my family during a landslide. They were traveling in a different carriage and survived, while I was thrown into a giant bird's nest atop an enormous tree.
All I remember after that is the massive bird lifting me and dropping me into a nearby river. And that's how I ended up here—alone, in the middle of nowhere.
Fortunately, I encountered an old woman who had also lost her way after fleeing from a beast in the forest. She fell into the river as well, and now we were stuck together, trying to survive in the cold wilderness.
There was something unnatural about her. She wasn't scared. She wasn't worried. It was as if she simply didn't care.
I asked, "Yo, Granny, why are you so chill?"
She gave me a strange look, as if I had just asked her to explain the value of π. Then I realized—oh.
"I mean, why are you so carefree?" I corrected myself. (This world doesn't understand much of Earth's slang.)
She replied that she and her husband lived near the forest's border, and that he would surely come to rescue her.
I jokingly said she was being delusional, but she didn't respond. She simply turned over and went to sleep.
Four hours later, exhaustion finally hit me. I gently shook her.
"Granny, wake up. It's my turn now."
She opened her eyes and slowly muttered something.
"Huh?" I made a confused noise.
She repeated, "My husband is an SEn user."
That was shocking—but honestly, I didn't care much at the moment. All I wanted was sleep.
[Dream]
"Woooah, bro! Stop riding so fast!!!"
I was terrified as my friend sped at 100 on a gearless vehicle. Just seconds later, my house appeared.
"Right here!" I shouted.
His name was Peru—not a close friend, but a good one. He laughed, pointing out that tears had streamed sideways from my eyes to my ears. Truthfully, we both looked the same. It was my first time experiencing such a dangerous ride.
{My father is very strict.}
That morning, I had discovered my bicycle had a puncture. My father dropped me at school and told me to return by taxi—but I'm clumsy, and I forgot to bring money.
That's where Peru came in. He was my classmate, and he offered to take me home on his vehicle.
When I reached home, I opened a social media account I had secretly created.
Something felt off.
"Huh? What's written here? Why can't I see properly?"
Water on the screen?
No—water was everywhere.
They were tears. My tears.
What did I see?
…
#&-+#) Up
"Wake up, brat!!"
It was the Granny again.
The forest had begun to brighten—a forest sunrise.
{In a dense forest, sunlight doesn't reach the ground until nearly two hours after the real sunrise.}
"Wipe your tears and go hunt, little peanut."
"Huh?" I snapped. "Who's crying?"
Then I realized—I really was.
"Probably the same dream…" I murmured.
She didn't look angry anymore. Gazing at the river, she asked, "You have nightmares at such a young age. What did you go through?"
I opened my mouth—but no words came out.
She changed the subject. "Well, anyway, go hunt some fish. I'll make a fire so we can survive."
I wiped my dried tears and headed toward the river.
"Woooh!"
The water was freezing. The cold sent shivers straight into my brain.
I tried catching fish with a net I had made from tree branches, but the gaps were too wide. Not a single fish stayed trapped.
Then the Granny threw me a solid, dry piece of wood, telling me to strike the fish using the three randomly pointed ends.
Surprisingly—it worked.
I caught five fish and handed them to her.
She looked confused and asked why I gave all of them to her.
"I don't eat animals," I replied.
She laughed and sighed, telling me I was the worst possible person to be stranded in a wild forest.
I ignored her and moved deeper into the forest, marking my path while searching for fruit trees. I found a bush full of berries—and I also caught a mouse.
Why? I'll explain later.
After wandering around, hiding from strange creatures, I finally found an avocado tree.
Jackpot!!
I marked the tree using a sharp stone I found near the river and plucked as many avocados as I could carry.
Smiling, I returned—only to find that the Granny was gone.