It was a late night, the moon shone through the forest and the bay. I walked alone down a dirt road that was familiar. Then yet, as I walked, I felt as if the world had changed.

And I was right. The world had changed... for me anyway. I came to a old, broken house. My old, broken house, the one I grew up in.

I wandered through the broken halls and cracked doors, everything was damaged and grass was starting to grow over the floor.

The ceiling was barely there, it was cracked and shattered, same with the windows.

I lit the old torches as I walked through the great halls and the ball room, lighting each one with great care.

I finally came to the court room, and it was the room filled with the most memories. I could remember the towering ceilings, and the large stained glass windows. I could remember paintings and colors, dancing around the room.

I saw the vision of a man, standing with his wife by one of the windows. The man had long blonde hair and kind, serious eyes. The wife had very long black hair and the lightest, most blue eyes I had ever seen. And they both smiled, and watched their children dancing in a circle in the middle of the room.

The four children danced spinning and twirling, and I saw a fifth child. This child played a silver flute that echoed the room, her hair swayed with the beat, and the wind.

And, I knew this child was me. I watched, and slowly the memory faded, and then again I saw the broken room, and all the gloom hanging over me. The world always has to change. And I had to change with it.

It was hard for me to see everything so different. When your mind and heart do not always match, it hurts. And I found myself with tears rolling down my face, and when the first tear hit the ground. I could here the splatter echo forever.

I was sorry for myself, but, in the world I was in now, had no room for my pity. I had to head back into the forest quickly, or my life would be at stake.

I walked through the towers and columns with speed in my steps. My bare feet touched the cracked marble floors and my past memories guided my feet to the top floor.

I stopped and looked around at the single grand hall that always amazed me the most. The 11 wood doors in it still stood; five doors on one side, and five on the other. Then, the great door that was at the end of the hall.

I went down the hall, and stared at all the doors I passed, and the doors seemed to stare back. I walked right to the great door at the end of the hall. I looked up at it. And then I touched my fingers to the smooth, old lock.

I touched my fingers to the thin silver chain around my neck. And on the chain was a slick brass key. I took the key off, and held it in my hands. It was a big key about the size of a hand, but as skinny, and as light, as a pen.

The key slid into the lock, and two clicks later, the door was unlocked. I grabbed the handles firmly, and pulled slowly. As I opened the door, dawns light pierced through, and the large room, was dancing in color.

This was the reason I came out of the forest, to see the room come to life. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

The room had streams of pictures on the walls, they told stories and past adventures. The pictures where so realistic, I swore they where moving. My mother had painted them all by herself.

Though the house was broken, this room was untouched. And I hoped it would stay that way, a place the world would never change. But I could only hope.

I took one more look at the room, and started back. But my eyes never left the paintings. I looked at all of them one more time. I even looked at them as I closed the door. But, I had to realize that I couldn't stay there.

I locked the door, and once I turned around there was a noise, CRASH! I looked around with fright. "She's 'ere some where, I can smell 'er blood!" A voice echoed.

Orcs! Just what I'd been trying to avoid! They over took my home a long time ago, and are where still hunting me and my siblings! They where a terrible race that would stop at nothing to kill my people.

"Don't worry, she ain't getting out, we have her surrounded, unless she can fly!" They where right, I was already on the top floor and there was only one way down and up. But, I had a secret they didn't know.

I heard them clomping up the stairs, I guessed there was about 15. But that's a lot to a young lady like me. I ran over to the balcony, and look over the edge. It was a very long way down.

"There she is!"

I turned around franticly, they where running straight at me! I looked at them, looked how high up I was, and then jumped backwards off the side of the balcony.