I was sent to my Aunt and Uncle’s soon afterward. When I first confronted them, I never saw so much as a smile. There would be times I could hear them weeping from down the hall and cursing my name, and the next morning, they would act like nothing happened while wearing the same dull expressions. I felt like such a burden on them. I could see the dark circles under their eyes, putting their exhaustion and melancholy on full display. As time progressed, they shouted obscenities toward me, and I could sense their intense rage mixed with an unprecedented despair. It made my stomach churn to hear it all, and occasionally I felt nauseous.

I know they hated me, every smile of mine, every word of mine, they hated. And I felt the exact same way.

During the storm, Seth stumbled upon a cave at the foot of a nearby hill. Upon entering, he noticed it was damp and reeked of rotting animal carcasses, almost making him vomit. However, since this was the nearest place that could be considered shelter, he laid down on the cold stone ground and put up with it. His sight blurred, his breathing slowed, and his consciousness faded as the night grew colder.

The following morning, the rain had passed and the Sun’s light covered the prairie like a warm blanket. Seth removed his clothes and laid them out to dry, along with his phone, which was remarkably still in the pocket of his jeans, and a random piece of caramel candy that was still perfectly fine.

“Okay… does this still work?” Seth picked up his phone and pressed the power button on its side. The screen refused to respond as it just sat there in his hand. “Maybe if I could put it in some rice,” he said while gently setting it down. “Now as for this candy, I think it should be eaten only in an emergency! It’s only logical after all. I don’t want to starve and not have backup food,” he said calmly, dropping the candy beside his now useless phone.

Then, he got back to thinking. “A wolf that breathes fire huh? I’d think I would be in some fantasy RPG, but I know I’m not—I’m here, and it’s all real…” he turned his left arm inward a bit, and saw the burn wound that stretched from his wrist to his shoulder. The exposed tissue was coated in a slick, sticky clear substance, paired with blood and small amounts of pus. Each movement of his challenged the sensitivity of the damaged nerves, creating a sharp pain like a thousand tiny needles attempting to puncture his arm. He let his arm fall back to his side and exhaled through his clenched teeth, attempting to bear it.

“So, does that mean I can assume that this is in fact some fantasy world?” Seth wondered while scratching his chin. “I can think of only one way to find out.”

He stretched out his right arm forward and spread his fingers apart. “Hmm… let’s try: FIRE!” He shouted, creating an echo through the cave. Whatever he was trying to accomplish it certainly did not work.

“Ok… how about this—“ he closed his eyes, and imagined a faint glow of heat. In his mind, it evolved into a bright ball of fire, illuminating the void of nothingness his consciousness currently resided. With haste and a spark of hope, he opened his eyes with vigor and focused them on his open hand.

Nothing happened.

A look of incredible disappointment ran across his face, and he crossed his arms. “I guess I don’t have what it takes to use magic,” he contemplated. “Assuming there is magic, which there probably is.”

He stood up and by some chance, his stomach growled. Having not eaten for almost 24 hours, his energy was nearly depleted. A few small rodents and several large insects had scurried in and out of the cave since his awakening, but hunger had not struck his system yet. Of course, he felt a shallower hunger prior to his deep sleep, but he ignored it then. Now, it was much more intense and demanding than before. He laid down once more on the wet stone ground, his eyes facing the cave’s entrance.

Seth let out a sigh, “I sure would like a pizza right now,” he said, salivating at the thought.

Suddenly, a noise came from within the grass outside. It sounded like gelatin moving in select intervals, squishing against itself and the dirt. What appeared was not at all what he expected. A yellow slime creature, about the size of a soccer ball, had hopped from the brush into clear view. Its body wobbled and jiggled with each landing—almost hypnotic. Seth just stared as it made itself welcome, entering the cave.

“Is that—no it can’t be… a slime?” He gasped, flabbergasted. He continued to lay there wide eyed as it hopped past him, completely oblivious to its surroundings, into the dark, dank abyss.

Is it possible that this is all a dream? No. I still feel the burn on my arm. So that means that this is definitely some fantasy world…

He sat up again, tired and starving. “I better find some food, if any,” he said wearily. Within a few minutes he put on his semi-dry outfit, picked up his phone and piece of caramel, and stepped from the cave into the Sun’s light, greeted by the smell of wet grass and the sight of the blue sky once again.

Seth continued wandering through the tall grass with no idea where he was headed. The heat was much more intense compared to yesterday, and the wind was just barely noticeable. Time seemed to slow, sweat trickled from his forehead, and the all too familiar wave of exhaustion had come over him again a few hours before. Suddenly, he refrained from moving forward any more and fell backwards onto the soft, muddy ground. His vision was blurred and the hunger was devouring the remaining energy in his system. He laid without a word to spare and stared up at the sky with slightly parted eyes. The clouds drifted across, in and out of view.

Food…

Just when Seth was about to give up, he felt something hit his chest. He moved his hand up and felt the object.

Kind of round and smooth. Almost like a potato…

Seth weakly grabbed it, put it near his face and opened his eyes. It did indeed look like a potato. It was mahogany in color and fit perfectly into the palm of his hand. He lowered it toward his face, opened his mouth slightly, and took a small bite from one of its ends. At first, there was no flavor. But as he chewed and swallowed, a wave of colorful sweetness filled his mouth.

This is no ordinary potato. It’s sweet—even more than a sweet potato.

His eyes widened and sparkled with delight, before taking another, larger bite. Then another, and another. Upon eating the final piece, he sat up to look around, only to be greeted by the tall grass that brushed against his face. He saw no sign of where the potato came from, let alone any animals nearby. Just then, the once motionless grass began rustling beyond his view. He crawled backwards to prepare himself for what was to come.

“Hey! Stay back!” He yelled, the words failing to cloak the terror and powerlessness. The grass parted right in front of him, and his adrenaline nearly kicked in, but he saw something that was even more shocking than any wild creature. Two small hands, human hands, or so he thought. They were lavender colored, not the normal pigment of human skin. His eyes shifted upward, and were met with a face. It belonged to a little girl, probably 8 or 9 years old. She had deep cerulean blue eyes, long grey hair, and a lavender colored face, the same as her hands. On her forehead were two small, white horns that stuck out like a sore thumb, contrasting well against her other features.

“W-Who are you?” Seth shouted, petrified by this unusual sight. The girl remained still, unfazed by his rampant noise. Then, without warning, she exploded into laughter.

What? Why is she laughing? He sat there absolutely bewildered, not knowing what to do or say. Her laugh spread across the endless prairie, gracing it with the sounds of happiness and glee, bringing life to all around her. Even through the heat, she still managed to smile. It reminded him of someone he knew, or rather someone he once knew.

After her laughter abated, the girl pulled into view a small beige sack tied with a red string. She brought out another one of the potatoes Seth ate just a minute before, and presented it to him, as if she were offering it as a gift. He looked up at her face again, to see a pure, innocent smile. A smile that was so transparent, you could recognize the obliviousness behind it, but also feel the generosity derived from such obliviousness. He gently grabbed it from her hand and started chowing down again, and the little girl watched in awe as this sad, lost boy satisfied his hunger.

Seth followed the girl as she weaved through the tall, golden grass. In the near distance stood what appeared to be a small settlement or village. As they arrived at the clearing that established its territory, she turned around to face him and said something that he couldn’t quite understand, then turned back toward the village and waved, and shouted a sort of unintelligible farewell as she ran off. Seth stood there with his hands at his sides and a perplexed expression drawn on his face.

“…What did she say?”

Now that she was out of the tall grass that almost covered her entire body, he could see what she was wearing now. A vast brown cloth covered everything from shoulders to knees, and was tied at her waist by a strand of frayed rope. The cloth had been tarnished by dirt and food stains all over, and several holes had made themselves apparent.

Seth watched her enter a structure that was in the center of the village. Its exterior was light brown colored, similar to that of the little girl’s handbag, and it appeared to have a fairly rough texture, like brick or possibly sandpaper. It was about the size of a standard suburban one-story house, with only massive square holes to serve as windows.

He started to look around at what else was nearby. To his right, a woman with long dark violet hair, deep cerulean blue eyes, and white horns on her forehead stood not too far away. She wore a dark black cloth to cover herself, similar to the little girl from just a few seconds ago. But instead of a rope holding it in place, she had another cloth that was longer and less wide than her main article of clothing. Her horns were much larger and longer than the previous pair he saw. She shot daggers at him with sharp, hateful eyes, before scoffing and turning away.

“What’s her deal?” He murmured, raising an eyebrow. Just then, the little girl emerged from the large structure, along with an older man who followed. If he was a normal human, he would probably be in his seventies or eighties. But, the horns on his forehead said otherwise. He wore a red cape with a brown cloth underneath it, tied on by another cloth. The girl’s eyes sparkled as she looked up at the man, who had a cheerful smile spread across his face. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, however Seth couldn’t understand a single thing they said.

Maybe they’re speaking some other language? It’s completely unknown to me. He thought as he scratched his head. She then pointed at Seth, obviously excited by this mysterious boy she came across. The man steadily lifted his head to look at her newfound acquaintance, and stared at him wide-eyed. Seth continued to be confused by what was going on, and when he saw the man’s eyes directed at him, he waved and forced a smile. Seth’s eyes drifted back down to the girl, who also smiled, although it was a genuine one, not forged by any underlying desire. The man got lower to the ground while keeping his eyes on this stranger, and forcefully turned the girl around, walking back toward the structure they came from. They bickered back and forth until Seth could no longer hear them, and they disappeared

“Huh,” he sighed, letting his arm drop back to his side. “I guess things like that happen no matter where I am.” A distraught frown had appeared, and his eyes looked like foggy glass, fragile and sad.

Later that evening when the Sun was setting on the horizon, Seth was lying down surrounded by the tall grass, as if it was a massive impenetrable wall. Out of nowhere, he heard rustling to his right and sat up. It was the little girl who found him in the blazing heat earlier that same day. She was carrying a leather canteen over to him. Once she was close enough, she squatted low enough and offered the canteen with her signature smile. He smiled back and took it from her hands. Now that he was holding it, he realized that it was pure leather with a wooden lid that could be screwed on and off, and he could feel the water move around inside. He then popped it open and gulped down all of it in just a few seconds, leaving nothing to remain. The little girl watched him drain the canteen in amazement, her eyes filled with light and wonder. He flung the lid from his mouth and panted, then handed it back to its assumed owner.

“Thank you very much!” Seth croaked, his throat still a bit dry, though he still managed to smile back. She gently grabbed the canteen and held it close to her chest. Looking back at him, she put on another grand smile, so bright and joyful it could make even the heart of the most downright malicious and malevolent villain imaginable soften. She turned around and hurried back to the village, the rustling returning to his ears.

The silence flooded everything around him. There was nothing to be heard except his own breathing.

I guess I’m lucky to have found a place like this. It would be in due time, but I could finally call this place my home. With those final thoughts fading, he drifted into a deep sleep under the cool sunset.

Seth awoke without any reasonable cause. The sky was a deep blue with its usual tiny white dots called stars. The wind was soaring across the prairie, whistling through the grass. Then, a familiar noise invaded his ears. The sounds of hopeless, frightened people screaming. In a split second, he sprung up to his feet and gazed toward the village.

A heat. It wasn’t like body heat. It was an external heat that was fierce and relentless, only wanting to dispose of everything it touched. Moreover, he had felt this heat before.

Seth stood there before the chaos in absolute total horror, as flames of destruction engulfed the already frail village.