One
“Yana….”
I opened my eyes to the figure standing beside my bed. It was very dark around us and must’ve been well into the night, and while I normally slept through most of it, I had awoken to the feeling that I wasn’t alone. Of course, being only seven years old, I had assumed the worst, although I hadn’t been expecting to see this creature who was now visiting me.
While his voice was deep, attesting that he must’ve been male, he looked nothing like a man. His form was towering and dark, his pale face only slightly standing out from the dark hood over his head. His eyes were pitch black, feeling like they could bore into my soul.
Yet, as much as I’d grown up fearing monsters, I couldn’t say I felt any immediate fear of him. If anything, it was more intrigue that filled me and I couldn’t stop myself from speaking to him.
“What are you?” I whispered.
I kept my voice low both out of bewilderment and fear of waking my parents, who were sleeping in the next room. The walls of our small home were very thin, and I knew that my father was a very light sleeper due to how the war that was breaking out.
“You may think of me as a messenger,” the figure answered. I never saw any movement from what could’ve been his mouth as he stood over me. “You are as fearless as I anticipated. It gives me hope for what is to be.”
I tilted my head, more curious than afraid. “What are you talking about? Who are you?”
“As I said, I am a messenger.” The figure appeared to glance toward the bedroom door before continuing. “You must listen well, child. Your destiny is not to be here, and when the time comes, you should follow your instincts to ensure that all goes as needed.”
“Does that mean you are planning to take me away from Mommy and Daddy?” I asked him.
“Not at all.” A thin black hand with incredibly long fingers rested on my head, and even if I couldn’t see it, I sensed that the creature was smiling. “I am certain of what is to come. You shall be the one to tame his heart, and we shall be one step closer to our goal.”
That memory was ingrained into my mind, even twelve years later as I sat in the soft grass of the forest. I’d come out here as I often did to meditate, and my mind had wandered back to that night. Even though most of it had become blurry as if it were a passing dream, I never could forget it. Whether or not it had been some strange dream, it had left an indelible mark upon my soul.
My eyes opened slowly, the sounds and smells of the forest filling my senses. This was the place I felt most at peace since my father and I had arrived in this region. Years of moving about as refugees had taken their toll on us mentally, especially when my mother passed. Coming to the village was finally our chance to settle down, even if my home life hadn’t been as serene as I’d prayed for.
I can’t blame him, I reminded myself. Father went through so much to at least bring me here. Alcohol is how he escapes those memories, even if it is the worst way.
I sat up and stretched, pushing my long dark hair over my shoulder before standing and brushing off my long skirt. The evening was approaching, so I needed to get home and see what I could fix for dinner. There was always a chance that Father may come home and want it.
The forest I was in was vast and beautiful, although I’d heard stories about it since Father and I had come to the area. The people who lived around it tended to avoid going too deeply into it, saying that it was the home of many spiritual beings.
“Beware of the forest,” they’d warned us. “That is the home of the spirits and if you venture too far in then they will take you away.”
I’ll admit that this had never really frightened me. Not with that memory of that night. It was part of what brought me out here, even if I’d only been exploring before taking up meditating to help ease my troubled mind.
But more than any of that, I'd wanted to understand what that creature had been trying to tell me. I was certain that he had been real, even if no one else had ever believed me, and my mother had begged me to never speak of it again before she’d died. If there was any place to find those answers, it had to be here.
That was if the rumors about spirits were true.
I walked for another few minutes before stopping to sit on one of the fallen logs and look through the high canopy of leaves. The sky was cloudy and the air was cool, but the signs of spring were all around me. The leaves and grass were deep green, and the forest was alive with the scurrying of the different animals and insects.
This life still felt a little foreign to me as I took it in. It was hard to believe that the world could be this beautiful after everything I’d been through. I wished that I never had to go back to that dreary little house. If I could’ve stayed out there forever in this peace, then I would’ve done so in a heartbeat.
A sudden flash of movement from the corner of my eye caught my attention, and I turned my head to the left, fully expecting to see a deer or some other animal. But what I saw didn't look like an animal.
It was a black shape darting deeper into the trees.
Curiosity was always my weak point, so I didn’t hesitate to get up and follow it. I didn’t hear any noise like footsteps, so what could this shadow have been?
There shadow figure headed further into the woods and away from the path. I didn’t think about that as I followed, convinced that I could find my way back. I’d been coming out there since I'd arrived in this area, and I felt that I could navigate these woods with ease.
The shadow remained at least six feet ahead of me, picking up speed as it darted through the trees. Oddly, it appeared to slow down when I thought I was losing sight of it. Realizing this was enough to make me stop as reality set in and I recalled the stories I'd been told about this place. There was more than one person who would tell me how dangerous it could be. They claimed that this forest was bewitched, that people came out here and vanished, or that they’d seen strange creatures roaming within it, creatures they thought could be Jinn or other demons.
Was it possible? Was what I was seeing some kind of spirit? Could it even be the one who had made contact with me all those years before?
I looked around me, realizing that the woods were starting to look darker. Unease set in and I decided not to follow anymore. I could always come back in the morning to figure this out.
I turned around, heading back toward where I was certain I'd come from. Yet the farther I went, the more I began feeling like I was going the wrong way.
Didn't I come straight?! Where is the path?!
I picked up my pace, the sticks and underbrush snapping under my feet as I ran. Panic was rising within me, the real possibility that I’d messed up and gotten lost overtaking my mind.
This is bad! I need to get out of here before it gets dark! The wolves may end up killing me if I don't!
I suddenly lost my balance, falling forward. I managed to catch myself with my hands, the breath knocked out of me and debris from the forest floor cutting into my palms. I remained on my hands and knees, catching my breath as I closed my eyes and desperately tried to pull myself together.
Breathe, Yana! Panicking will only make this worse!
Oddly, everything seemed to become brighter and warmer as I repeated this in my mind. I slowly opened my eyes and raised my head, now seeing bright sunlight beaming through the tops of the trees all around me.
What in the world is going on?! This doesn’t look like the forest I was in!
Everything around me was much more vivid than before. The tree trunks were darker and the grass and leaves were bright green. The wildflowers were vibrant shades of white, yellow, and red, and even the underbrush and dirt were vivid shades of brown.
I slowly stood up, looking around me and trying to make sense of this. This couldn’t have been the same forest I’d been in. There was simply no way that was possible. Whatever this was, it wasn’t right, and I needed to figure out how to get back home.
I finally moved forward, determined to find my way home. While it was hard to believe that I’d somehow stumbled into a different world, I couldn’t get myself to discount it. If that was the case, then maybe I could find how I’d slipped in here and get myself back out.
Everything was quiet as I slowly walked. No birds were singing, nor did I hear any animals moving among the trees. The silence was eerie, unnatural.
I walked for another few minutes but saw no sign of anything being different. Panic was rising within me now. How was I going to get out of here?!
The sudden sound of crunching made me stop, and I listened closely to my surroundings. It sounded like quick footsteps moving through the woods. I looked around me, anticipating finally seeing another person, but my heart sank when I finally spotted the figure that had stopped about ten feet from me. They stood silently among the trees, dressed in a long deep red cape and hood that obscured their features. I couldn’t even tell if they were a man or woman, although I leaned toward a man for how tall they were.
My head whipped around and I realized that there were other figures just like it standing around the trees. This caused fear to rip through me and I began sprinting forward through the woods to get away.
Are they demons?! I frantically wondered. Was that one I saw years ago a demon too?! Are they going to catch and kill me?!
A strange sound came from overhead as I ran, and I skidded to a stop as a figure landed in front of me, causing me to slip and fall. I stared up at the figure who now blocked my path, not believing what I was seeing.
Although he looked like a young man, he clearly was not. He was tall and broad-shouldered, dressed in dark pants and a white dress shirt with a creamy complexion and blonde hair that fell over his forehead and sides of his face. His dark eyes were sharp as they regarded me.
But these were the most human parts of him. He also had yellow and black strips on his neck and hands, and black antennae on the top of his head. Clear wings came from his back, which were folded back now that he’d landed.
“Well, what do we have here?” he said. There was this mild amusement in his smooth deep voice as he regarded me. “It appears a human girl has managed to slip through to this side. How very peculiar. This never happens anymore.”
I began pushing myself back but stopped when I realized that the cloaked figures were surrounding us. It was getting hard to breathe because of the fear eating at me.
“W-where am I?! What are you?!” I managed to demand.
The man in front of me sighed, pressing a hand to his cheek.
“That said, I couldn’t in good conscience leave you here. You are a human after all, so I really should return you to your world once I erase your memories of this one.”
One of the hooded figures stepped over to him as he said this, speaking quietly to him. The voice sounded male.
“A thousand pardons, Sir Ramone, but that is not possible at this moment. The gateway has closed and is not responding to us.”
“Oh, dear,” the creature sighed. His name was apparently Ramone.
I scooted back a little more. “Please, don’t kill me! I really didn’t mean to come here! I just want to go home!” I begged.
“Now, now. Let us not make such a fuss,” Ramone reasoned. He knelt in front of me so that we were at eye level, even though he didn’t move any closer. “No one is going to cause you harm here. We’re all well aware that you had no ill intentions in ending up here. The issue now is how to return you to your world.” He stopped for a few seconds, thinking it over. “I suppose there would be no harm in watching over you while we figure that out. I cannot imagine Lord Merrick would be against it.”
“Lord Merrick?” I repeated.
“He is the ruler of these lands. All of us answer to him.” Ramone stood up, offering me a hand as he introduced himself. “My name is Ramone, and I am Lord Merrick’s Mage. Please, have no fear, human. I will take you to the palace so that we may look after you until we can return you to your world.”
I scooted away from him, scurrying to my feet.
“No way! If you want me to go home, then take me there now!” I demanded.
Ramone wasn’t the least bit bothered by my reaction or words. The next thing I knew, he’d grabbed me and easily tossed me over his left shoulder. I tried to struggle, but it did no good. His grip was too tight.
“Calm yourself down. I told you that I’d take you home when I could, but for now, you have no choice but to remain here,” he quietly reminded me.
His wings spread and we flew up into the air. I immediately stopped struggling upon realizing how high we were, gripping his shirt and closing my eyes.
It felt like he was flying forever, and my mind was racing the entire time. I didn’t know what to do now. I was stuck in this strange world, and he was telling me that I had no way out.
We finally descended and he gently landed on the ground.
“You don’t need to be so tense. I would not have dropped you,” Ramone reminded me.
I slowly opened my eyes, realizing that we were now in a big, beautiful garden that was surrounded by a huge concrete wall. There was an iron gate in it that was closed, although I could see a path and trees beyond it.
My eyes widened when I saw the palace sitting about five feet from us. It was as elegant as the ones I’d seen in books, with three floors lined with large windows and two massive wings.
Ramone took me inside through a set of double doors and up a massive staircase. He didn’t stop until he’d reached a bedroom, where he deposited me on the bed.
“You’ll be safe in here while I figure this out. It’ll also give you time to calm yourself so that you can act and speak rationally,” he told me.
“I’ll be calm if you take me home!” I retorted.
I wanted to get up as I demanded this, but couldn’t make myself move. I was still so shaken up by all of this, and I didn’t trust yet that he wasn’t planning on killing me.
Ramone shrugged off my demand.
“Just take some time and calm down. I will be back to check on you soon.”
"Wait!"
I jumped up as he disappeared in a whisp of smoke, my hands going through it as it dissipated. The room was eerily quiet around me, and for the first time, I felt incredibly alone. Panic filled me and I ran over to the door, turning the knob only to find that it had been locked from the outside.
“Damn it!” I yelled, banging my fist against the door before hurrying over to the windows on the other side of the room.
I pulled the curtains aside, trying each window, but they were also locked. I could see the garden below, and there was no sign of anyone else being out there.
I hung my head as the reality washed over me. There was no way I could get out of here. I was trapped here in this new world, and I may never be able to go back to my own.
