Hope you all enjoy my story! It was based on the tale East of the Sun West of the Moon. If you can please leave a review!
"The weather was wild and rough outside, and it was cruelly dark. The rain was falling and the wind blowing, until the walls of the cottage shook."
Rey was far away from home. Jakku was a desolate place, with deserts and a scorching sun. But, instead, she found herself in a forest, or at least that's what she thought. Since she had never left her planet, all she could use as reference was what other scavengers and travelers had said about it. Regardless, everything seemed to fit, because the trees were so tall that they covered the night sky, and the flowers were so colorful, painting the ground with red, blue and lilac.
She tried to see between the trees, yearning to find a way out. As she walked, sounds and flashes of light started to appear in the shadows. Visions of snow and darkness. They seemed out of order, abstract concepts of feelings she could distinguish like fear, loneliness, anger and sadness all brought together, without a reason, as if they belonged to someone else. She couldn't be more confused. Never, not even in her most terrifying nightmares, had she dreamed like this.
Then, as she turned to try to go back to her initial spot, and to wake up from this strange dream, she saw a giant bear staring at her. He was much bigger than any beast she had ever had the misfortune to encounter back on her planet. His fur appeared to be white, but the shadows covering him almost made it black. Brown eyes stared at her and it seemed like the bear could see her soul.
"You should leave. This place is dangerous," the bear's words echoed on her mind. This is getting weirder than she thought.
"Where this place is exactly?" she said, even if talking to a bear made no sense whatsoever.
"It can't be located by normal means. Only a certain kind of people can come here but, even so, it's still not safe. That's why you need to leave."
"I don't know how. Besides, why are you here?" she asked, not knowing why such a beautiful creature could have such sad eyes.
"I'm trapped in this forest. I've chosen the wrong path and to survive, I was forced to be locked away forever." The bear lowered his head and closed his eyes. Rey could not refrain from feeling sorry for him.
"I'm sorry about that. But can't you escape? After all, if you can get in, you can get out, right?" Her scavenger experience gave enough proof of such. That's what she said to herself whenever she got trapped in ships that were labyrinths on their own.
"It doesn't work like that. This is a cage for me and can only be unlocked by the person who put me here in the first place." He shook his head and opened his eyes. "But I appreciate your concern."
The bear and his emotions almost flood her mind. Honestly, she learned that the hard way; taking care of someone else may make you vulnerable or in trouble so she always made sure to look after herself. But it seemed that this beast would make her refute everything she thought about surviving.
"Well, then tell me who did this and I will make this person free you." He chuckled; the deep sound almost made her jump, and said, "I'm afraid this is not viable. Doing so will only make you his target, and when he sets his eyes onto something, he never lets go." The way he spoke was probably meant to scare her off, but she didn't back away.
"Well, this will be my problem to handle. So show me the way out and leave the rest to me," she said, while crossing her arms. She didn't know what the bloody hell was passing through her mind. And yet, here she was, volunteering to enter a fight that wasn't hers to begin with.
"It seems that I won't be able to convince you otherwise." He shook his head again, but this time Rey could see his eyes gleaming with happiness and relief. "I can help you find an exit, but the rest is up to your own choice. Saving me will require not only bravery but also understanding and perseverance."
"Are you trying to make me quit?" she asked as he stepped closer to her, slowly coming out of the shadows, his fur much whiter than she thought. "No, just warning you of the obstacles ahead." He stopped right in front of her, his head at the same level as her own, and his eyes looking at her with care and worry.
"Sorry if I'm being rude but I never asked what you were. I have never seen nor have I heard of someone like you." She slowly detangled her arms and hesitantly, reached for his head.
"What you are seeing right now is a fragment of my mind, a representation of everything that was needed to be cast aside." He crossed the space separating them and let her hand rest between his ears. She frowned. "I don't understand. How could one separate their own mind?" she asked, patting his head.
"It's complicated. I ask that you trust me on this matter and stay in the dark for a little longer." He leaned into her hand.
"Alright, I will, though I have no idea why," she said, shaking her head. "Now, can you show me the way? This place is starting to freak me out."
She didn't know if her mind was playing tricks again, but she could swear that some shadows were moving toward them. The bear agreed. He moved his massive body to the side and said, "Get on my back and I will guide you back safely."
An expressive 'no' was about to be said when she noticed the flowers start to turn black around them. So, as he lowered his bulk to the ground for her to climb on, she jumped on him and balanced herself by putting both her legs around him. As soon as she was accommodated, he got up and started to walk. The forest was beginning to become darker and the stars above lost their shine.
"Are you afraid?" he asked, hurrying his step, trying to get away from the shadows. But, strangely, perhaps for feeling his fur or his warmth… no, she wasn't.
"Just hold tight to my shaggy coat, and there's nothing to be afraid of," said the bear. And, as she did so, for the first time in many years, she felt protected. She closed her eyes to try to only feel him and the next thing she knew, a blinding light surrounded them.
She woke up the next morning feeling exhausted, with hair clinging to her face due to sweat. She looked over the place she called home and everything seemed normal. No forest, no bear. She went outside; the sun was starting to rise. Desert and arid air welcomed her back and she was relived. No one was chasing her. Taking two deep breaths, she came back inside and started to gather the things she needed later to scavenge.
Later that day, she disregarded the dream, even forgetting most of it. After all, she needed to focus on surviving until her family came to pick her up. At least, that's what she thought, until she saved a BB unit and all hell broke loose, leading to her escape from Jakku, meeting Finn and destroying a planet.