The Elementals
You head down the path to Huntington. The path heads into the forest and eventually you are under a canopy of trees. The ground beneath your bare feet becomes moist and begins to cake to your feet as you walk. This is disgusting, you think to yourself. You bend over, brushing the damp ground off your feet.
Suddenly, you hear a loud thwack! and you stand up, startled. You see an arrow in the tree closest to your right.
“What the hell?” you say outloud.
You hear some talking and look to your left. Two men are running towards you. One man is short and a little chubby, wearing strange clothes that look like rags on his body. The second is tall and olive skinned and is wearing a plain white short sleeved shirt, brown pants, and brown shoes that point up at the toe. Who are these freaks?
“Sorry, ma’am!” the short one says, out of breath, “We thoughts you was a grappledore.”
“A grappledore?” you say, thinking out loud.
“What? You’s never seen a grappldore before? Like a horse with a long neck, white feathers?” he continued in disbelief.
You shake your head no and the quiet tall one begins to speak.
“Corus, go to the tavern.” he says, talking to the short man.
Corus’s mouth slacks open, “But sir, why? Is just a girl.”
“Do as I say.” the tell one replies, sternly.
You look up at the tall one as Corus starts walking away and you can feel your heart beating heavily in your chest. You’re in the middle of God knows where, in a nightgown, and this man is telling his friend to leave. Your head starts to assume the worst, murder, rape, torture.
“You are not from around here.” He says, simply.
“No,” you say timidly, “I’m not.”
The man takes a deep breath in and you see the bow contort to his chest, “My name is Saa. I am the son of the emperor of this land. Or, well, who was the emperor.Where are you from? Perhaps I can help you get back home.”
You blink at him, relieved that he doesn’t seem to be a murderer, “I am from Hansen, Pennsylvania”
The man looks down at you confused, “What district is that in?”
You blink, “I’m not sure.”
“I haven’t heard of it. But I know someone who can find out. There is a topographist in town, he can tell us how to get there.” Saa says, calmly.
“I really don’t feel that is necessary,” your begin, “if you can just point me to the way of a Starbucks, I can call my friend Sybil to pick me up, assuming she didn’t have to bring her car into the shop today.”
Saa looks down at you in a stern manner. His eyebrows come together in a confused manner. “I do not know what half the words you said are.”
You start to get angry, “A Starbucks? The world renowned coffee shop?”
“What is a coffee?” Saa asks, carefully.
You feel your frustration bubble over “You know what, I really don’t have time for this. I need to get home. I just follow the path and get to the town, right?”
Saa nodded his head.
“Good, I’ll be on my way then.”
You begin to storm off, but your small legs can’t seem to walk fast enough. Saa keeps up with your pace easily with his long strides. You keep walking in faster spurts, feeling your pulse start to race, hoping to lose his company. You realize that this will never work and whip around.
“Will you just leave me the hell alone?” the words burst out of your mouth, meaner than intended.
You look up at Saa, who is looking down at you with his warm, brown eyes. You start to feel bad for yelling at him.
“Are you from Earth?” he asks, shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the question.
You give him a weird look, “What the hell do you mean am I from Earth? Have you lost your mind?”
“So… you are not from Earth?” he says, sounding slightly disappointed.
“Of course I am from Earth.” you say, running your hands through your hair frustratingly. What is wrong with this guy?
Saa looks up to the sky and basks in the sunlight that is peeking through the forest’s branches. He takes in a deep breath and you can see the bow bend with his chest. He crosses his arms and looks back at you, seriously.
“You are not on Earth anymore,” Saa says sternly, “and it is about time that you got here.”
Suddenly, you hear a loud thwack! and you stand up, startled. You see an arrow in the tree closest to your right.
“What the hell?” you say outloud.
You hear some talking and look to your left. Two men are running towards you. One man is short and a little chubby, wearing strange clothes that look like rags on his body. The second is tall and olive skinned and is wearing a plain white short sleeved shirt, brown pants, and brown shoes that point up at the toe. Who are these freaks?
“Sorry, ma’am!” the short one says, out of breath, “We thoughts you was a grappledore.”
“A grappledore?” you say, thinking out loud.
“What? You’s never seen a grappldore before? Like a horse with a long neck, white feathers?” he continued in disbelief.
You shake your head no and the quiet tall one begins to speak.
“Corus, go to the tavern.” he says, talking to the short man.
Corus’s mouth slacks open, “But sir, why? Is just a girl.”
“Do as I say.” the tell one replies, sternly.
You look up at the tall one as Corus starts walking away and you can feel your heart beating heavily in your chest. You’re in the middle of God knows where, in a nightgown, and this man is telling his friend to leave. Your head starts to assume the worst, murder, rape, torture.
“You are not from around here.” He says, simply.
“No,” you say timidly, “I’m not.”
The man takes a deep breath in and you see the bow contort to his chest, “My name is Saa. I am the son of the emperor of this land. Or, well, who was the emperor.Where are you from? Perhaps I can help you get back home.”
You blink at him, relieved that he doesn’t seem to be a murderer, “I am from Hansen, Pennsylvania”
The man looks down at you confused, “What district is that in?”
You blink, “I’m not sure.”
“I haven’t heard of it. But I know someone who can find out. There is a topographist in town, he can tell us how to get there.” Saa says, calmly.
“I really don’t feel that is necessary,” your begin, “if you can just point me to the way of a Starbucks, I can call my friend Sybil to pick me up, assuming she didn’t have to bring her car into the shop today.”
Saa looks down at you in a stern manner. His eyebrows come together in a confused manner. “I do not know what half the words you said are.”
You start to get angry, “A Starbucks? The world renowned coffee shop?”
“What is a coffee?” Saa asks, carefully.
You feel your frustration bubble over “You know what, I really don’t have time for this. I need to get home. I just follow the path and get to the town, right?”
Saa nodded his head.
“Good, I’ll be on my way then.”
You begin to storm off, but your small legs can’t seem to walk fast enough. Saa keeps up with your pace easily with his long strides. You keep walking in faster spurts, feeling your pulse start to race, hoping to lose his company. You realize that this will never work and whip around.
“Will you just leave me the hell alone?” the words burst out of your mouth, meaner than intended.
You look up at Saa, who is looking down at you with his warm, brown eyes. You start to feel bad for yelling at him.
“Are you from Earth?” he asks, shifts from foot to foot, clearly uncomfortable with the question.
You give him a weird look, “What the hell do you mean am I from Earth? Have you lost your mind?”
“So… you are not from Earth?” he says, sounding slightly disappointed.
“Of course I am from Earth.” you say, running your hands through your hair frustratingly. What is wrong with this guy?
Saa looks up to the sky and basks in the sunlight that is peeking through the forest’s branches. He takes in a deep breath and you can see the bow bend with his chest. He crosses his arms and looks back at you, seriously.
“You are not on Earth anymore,” Saa says sternly, “and it is about time that you got here.”