The Day Everything Changed
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It was one of those days, my boss was on my back all day, nothing did go good and I had to deal with a lot of angry customers. It seemed like every time I turned around that someone wanted me to fix something or they were just plain rude about it.
Then there was the fact that I got stuck in traffic for almost an hour because some idiot hit another car while doing eighty-five miles per hour down the interstate. When I finally made it home, I went inside and collapsed onto my bed without even taking off my shoes.
All I could think about was how glad I would be when tomorrow was over so I could sleep late… if only things didn’t have such a way of not working out as planned.
I woke up sometime later after having weird dreams where I couldn’t breathe properly but no matter what I tried, this strange feeling wouldn’t let me take any deep breaths until suddenly everything stopped moving at once except for me.
My eyes opened slowly trying hard to focus on anything other than the bright light shining into them from above. There was also a sharp pain in both sides of my head which felt oddly familiar. What wasn’t familiar though, was being here! Wherever “here” is? That’s right, I’m still alive despite all the odds against it! How does that work exactly?!
Then before I knew what was happening, I saw her; she looked beautiful and radiant standing next to the man who saved me. She smiled brightly at him as he held his hand out towards me. The moment our hands touched, I heard a loud pop sound followed by a blinding flash of light and then blackness again.
When I came to, I found myself staring up at the ceiling of a dark room. I blinked several times as I tried to figure out why I was awake now instead of sleeping. After sitting up I noticed that there was a bandage wrapped tightly around my forehead and behind my ears.
Looking past my shoulder, I spotted a small window near the top of the wall opposite the door. The sun shone through casting a soft glow across the room making everything appear brighter. As soon as my eyes adjusted to the brightness, I realized that the rest of the room was much darker than it should’ve been considering the amount of sunlight coming in through the windows.
This led me to believe that either these walls weren’t really solid or maybe they were covered in glass. Either way, I couldn’t see outside since whatever was blocking the view must have blocked my ability to do so as well.
Once more, I looked around the room looking for clues as to who might have brought me here and why. Nothing stood out except for a large wooden chest in the corner next to a chair. Sitting down in the seat, I reached for the handle and pulled open the lid.
Inside sat a few pieces of clothing along with a pair of boots, two sets of leather gloves, a set of chain mail armor (which looked rather uncomfortable), a longsword, a dagger, and a bow and quiver full of arrows.
I picked up each item thinking they’d probably tell me something important about my situation, but unfortunately, none of them gave away any information whatsoever. So, I decided to try putting on the clothes first. They fit perfectly and I could feel them molding themselves to my body as I moved.
Next, I put on the leather gauntlets and the boots. The gloves were easy enough to get used to while the boots took some getting used to because of their extra length compared to normal footwear. Finally, I pulled on the chainmail shirt and attached the helmet which quickly slipped onto my head.
Once completed, I grabbed the sword and tested its weight in my hand as I walked around the room practicing swinging it in different directions. Even though it was heavy, it felt comfortable in my grasp.
After testing the blade’s capabilities, I returned the weapon to the box and closed the lid. Now it was time to test out the gear itself. Since I already knew how to fight using a shield, I figured the best course of action would be to practice with the sword in case I needed to defend myself somehow.
First, I drew the sword out of the scabbard and spun it around in front of me several times. To my surprise, it never faltered in the slightest nor did it ever lose balance. Then I swung it several times in rapid succession striking various targets including the floor, wall, and chair.
Each strike caused sparks to fly off the tip of the blade leaving little trails of smoke behind. At last satisfied with my progress, I returned the sword back into the sheath and placed it on top of the chest.
Next, I turned my attention to the bow and arrow. It was a simple design made completely of wood. No string or anything like that was present. Instead, the bow had a looped metal bar sticking out of one side which connected to an odd-looking device that resembled a short rod with a series of holes running horizontally across its surface.
When I gripped the handle, I noticed that the ends of the rods were actually sharpened points. With great care, I lifted the bow and aimed it at a target hanging over the door. There was only one problem: I didn’t know where to aim!
“Oh no!” I said aloud realizing that I hadn’t even thought about this part yet. “Where am I supposed to shoot from?”
As if reading my mind, my new friend appeared once more. He seemed genuinely upset that I wasn’t ready when we arrived at our destination.
“You’re going to need to learn how to hit things,” he told me sternly.
I nodded in agreement knowing that I’d failed him.
He sighed deeply before turning around and walking away without another word. Seconds later, I heard a loud clap followed by a bright flash of light and then darkness again.
***
The next time I woke up, I was lying on my bed still wearing all the same clothes. However, this time I also had a plate filled with food sitting in front of me. Apparently, someone else had come to visit after I went unconscious earlier.
Looking around the room, I noticed that it was much brighter than when I first awoke. This must’ve been due to some sort of window since there was now sunlight streaming through it. Also, the walls weren’t bare anymore either; instead, they had paintings of people doing various activities such as fishing, cooking, playing musical instruments, etc.
All were painted in vibrant colors so it almost seemed as if you were watching the events unfold right in front of your eyes. Although, I couldn’t help but notice that every single person depicted in these pictures was female. In fact, the only male figure was the one standing outside of the painting holding his spear.
There was also a small table beside my bed with a pitcher of water and a cup sitting on it along with a couple of scrolls tied together with twine.
On closer inspection, I saw that the top scroll read ‘How to Use a Bow’ and underneath it, ‘A Brief History of the Kingdom.’ I opened both of them up to find that they were written in a common language and contained lots of diagrams showing exactly how to hold and draw the bow, how to release the string, what type of arrows were appropriate for different situations, etc.
After skimming through the pages, I found it interesting that most of the instructions focused on hunting large game rather than smaller animals. If anything, it looked like archery involved more work and skill than simply shooting a gun. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to practice just in case.
With nothing better to do, I grabbed my bowl and spoon and started eating. For some reason, everything tasted delicious despite being cold and not having any spices added to it. Not wanting to waste a drop of the broth, I poured the rest down my throat before returning the empty dish to its place on the tray.
Once finished, I decided to go ahead and get dressed since I wanted to see who came to visit while I slept. As I stood up, something caught my eye. My shirt had changed color from white to blue!
“What?! How is that possible?!” I asked myself out loud noticing that my pants too had turned into a dark gray color. The whole ensemble felt lighter in weight as well. I took a quick look around the room and realized that all of my other clothing items had also changed to match my shirt.
After getting dressed, I checked out the window again and discovered that the sun had risen high enough that it was starting to set behind the mountains. I guessed that it was late morning judging by how long the day seemed to be lasting already.
Looking back at the clock on my wall, I saw that it was currently 10:30 AM. That meant that I’d spent roughly seven hours asleep during my entire stay here. Even so, I could tell that I’d gotten less sleep than usual.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to sleeping more? Or maybe I have an internal body clock that keeps track of days and nights automatically? Either way, it doesn’t matter since I probably won’t ever wake up again anyway…right?
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Before I knew it, two women entered carrying a tray full of freshly baked bread, pastries, and fruits. They placed it on a low table near my bedside before leaving without saying anything. One of them did leave her handprint on the floor though.
It was a simple circle that she made with three fingers pressed together. When I examined it closely, I noticed that it was actually quite detailed and beautiful. She must really love making those marks! What kind of magic does she use to make them so perfect?
Once alone, I picked up one of the rolls and bit into it. Its soft texture reminded me of fresh butter and it practically melted in my mouth. Next, I tried a slice of fruit cake which was sweetened with honey and cinnamon. Finally, I popped one of the pastries into my mouth only to discover that it was stuffed with cheese.
It was surprisingly good even though I didn’t expect it to taste very good considering it was covered in flour.
As I ate, I kept thinking about what happened yesterday. Why would he try to kill himself? And why am I still alive? Is he going to return anytime soon or should I assume that I’ll never see him again? He said something about needing my help but how can I possibly do anything against something like that monster?
Plus, there are tons of other people here and none of them seem willing to help. No wonder he went crazy trying to protect everyone else. At least this place has plenty of food, water, and shelter. But what happens after we’re done fighting off the monsters? Will we be able to survive on our own once everything is over?
I guess I don’t need to worry about that yet since no one seems interested in helping us fight. Besides, the more time passes, the harder it will become to gather supplies and prepare for battle. We might end up running out of food before the monsters arrive!
My thoughts continued to wander until eventually, I fell asleep. This time, however, I dreamed of the man in black standing outside the village. “Come now,” he told me. “It’s safe to come back inside.” Then he pointed toward the sky and said, “We’ve got a lot of work to do!”
***
When I woke up next, I immediately recognized where I was. Everything around me appeared to be completely normal except for the fact that there wasn’t anyone else here anymore. All of the beds were gone along with their occupants.
After confirming that I was alone, I sat down on the edge of my bed to think things through. There was definitely something strange about last night but I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was. Was it just a dream or did someone sneak into my room and steal all of the others’ belongings?
I mean, they weren’t wearing any clothes when I first met them. Couldn’t they have stolen those too if they wanted to? If not, then who brought them here while I slept?
After mulling it over for several minutes, I decided to get up and search the rest of the house. As expected, I found nothing suspicious anywhere else. Once I finished checking every single room, I headed downstairs to see if there was anything left in the kitchen.
Unfortunately, most of the cabinets had been emptied out and only a few bowls and plates remained. However, I did find some apples, oranges, bananas, and a large pile of potatoes sitting on a countertop. The smell coming from them was delicious and I quickly started peeling them as fast as possible.
While I was working, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. Turning around, I realized that it was the girl from earlier. Her hair was tied up in braids today and she wore a white dress similar to mine. Unlike yesterday, however, she was now fully clothed.
“Hello?” I asked.
She nodded slightly before speaking, “Yes…hello…”
Her voice was much softer than I remembered. It also seemed different somehow. Did she grow closer to me during the night? Or maybe she was simply tired because of being woken up early. Either way, I felt bad for disturbing her so I gave a quick wave and turned away.
A moment later, I stopped short when I saw that she’d followed me. She stood right behind me with an expression that clearly indicated that she was confused by my actions. For some reason, I suddenly felt nervous.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t spoken to another person besides the guards since arriving here. What could I say to this girl anyway? That I wanted to talk to her? Would she really understand?
Then again, we probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without talking to each other already. How many times had we exchanged words throughout the day? A dozen? Twenty? More? Regardless, I knew I needed to break the ice at some point. So instead of saying anything, I simply waited for her to speak first.
Thankfully, she didn’t take long to start conversing. “You look very nice today,” she said. “Did you change your outfit for me?”
I looked down at myself and noticed that I was wearing the same thing I always did. In fact, the only difference between this morning and yesterday was that I now had a new belt to hold up my pants. My shirt was also clean and free of holes in spite of having worn it for two days straight. Had someone washed it for me? Not wanting to offend her, I responded with a simple nod.
The young woman smiled and replied, “Thank you.” Then she added, “What are you doing?”
As soon as she spoke, I realized how stupid my question sounded. Of course, she would know what I was doing! Still, I couldn’t help feeling embarrassed by my own ignorance. Instead of answering, I tried changing the subject. “So…what happened to everyone last night?”
There was a brief pause before she answered. When she finally did, I wished I hadn’t asked. Apparently, she’d spent the whole night searching the forest for survivors like me. And even though she managed to save five people, three of them ended up dying once they reached the village. They were attacked by wolves while trying to cross the mountainside and were killed instantly.
That explained why no one else was awake. But what about the other villagers? Where were they? Why didn’t she tell me about them sooner if they died in their sleep? Were they all dead too?
Just then, my stomach began rumbling loudly enough to wake anyone nearby. Realizing how rude it must sound, I quickly apologized and told her that I was hungry. Thankfully, she understood and led me back outside where I helped her gather more food from the garden.
We both worked together until our combined efforts produced a basket full of fruits and vegetables. By the time we returned to the house, we’d eaten almost everything we picked.
Once we finished eating, the girl suggested that I show her around the village. While it might seem odd for us to go exploring together considering that she’s a stranger, I agreed after thinking it over. After all, I’ve seen plenty of villages before and I’m sure I can handle myself just fine.
Besides, we’re not exactly strangers anymore. Now that we’ve met face-to-face, it doesn’t make sense to keep avoiding each other.
With that settled, we walked through the streets hand in hand. Although she kept looking around nervously, she didn’t try to leave my side once. There was something comforting about holding hands with her.
It made me feel safe and protected despite knowing that she wasn’t responsible for protecting me. As we went along, I thought about asking her name but decided against it. If I did ask, there was a good chance she would refuse to answer me. So instead, I focused on making small talk using whatever came to mind.
“Do you live here?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t.”
My eyes widened at her response. “Are you a traveler?”
Again, she nodded. “Sort of…”
I stared blankly at her for a few seconds before responding. “Why do you stay here?”
After taking a deep breath, she sighed and responded, “Because I want to be close to you.”
At least that’s what I think she meant. Even though her tone was soft and sweet, I still couldn’t hear any specific details. Was she referring to the man who saved my life or to me specifically? Or perhaps she was just talking about staying near someone important to her. Honestly, I didn’t care which of those options was true. All I cared about was getting to spend more time with her.
And so, I continued walking with her as she talked softly into my ear. Despite being unable to understand what she was saying, I could easily pick up on the emotions behind her words. She seemed happy when she spoke about my saving her life.
At the same time, however, she appeared sad whenever she mentioned losing others. Her voice became quieter than usual during these moments but it was clear that she was hurting inside.
Eventually, we arrived at an old wooden building. From the looks of things, it used to belong to another family. The front door was broken and the windows were covered in thick spider webs. Yet despite its sorry state, the owner clearly took great pride in keeping the place well maintained.
Every inch of the exterior was painted with intricate designs that reminded me of tribal art. The walls themselves weren’t decorated either, although some of them held faded portraits of men in military uniforms. Most likely, they represented the original inhabitants of this land.
Before entering, I glanced back at the girl. She stood next to me silently as we waited for permission from whoever owned the property. Once he saw us standing outside his home, the man emerged from behind the wall and approached us slowly. He had dark brown skin and wore a long black robe.
His beard matched the color of his hair and was tied neatly beneath his chin. Unlike most of the other villagers, he looked very healthy and fit. In fact, he probably weighed twice as much as me!
When the man noticed that I was staring at him, he smiled warmly and said hello. “Hello,” he replied in perfect English. “It is nice to see you again.”
The way he spoke made it obvious that he knew who I was. However, I pretended like I hadn’t heard anything. Instead, I turned toward the girl and introduced myself by pointing at myself. “This is Larken,” I explained. “He’s from America.”
As expected, her expression changed completely upon hearing my accent. With wide eyes, she exclaimed, “America?!” Then, without warning, she rushed forward and hugged me tightly. She squeezed me so hard that I nearly lost my balance. When she finally released me, she stepped away and wiped the tears off her cheeks.
“You really are from somewhere faraway!” she cried excitedly.
Although I felt a bit awkward being embraced by such a young child, I tried to hide my embarrassment by smiling politely. “Yes, I am.”
Her father laughed heartily at the sight of her excitement. He reached out and gently patted my shoulder as if to reassure me that everything was okay. After giving me one last smile, he returned to the house. Before going inside, however, he called over his daughter and whispered something in her ear. She then ran up to me and repeated what he’d told her.
The End