Just as I was about to hit the ground, I woke up in a heavy sweat. It had all been a dream. I couldn't believe it. But when I looked at my surroundings, they weren't the same as when I had gone to sleep. I was on the bank of some lake. Had I slept walked there somehow? Had some magical force led me here subconsciously?
At the other side of the lake was a cave that was exactly the same as the one in my dream. It seemed impossible. I pinched my arm to make sure that I was awake now. "Ouch!" I was definitely awake. Now I new the directions to the portal. It was all just as in the dream. I went smoothly all the way through the cave until I got to the ledge in the portal room. I had jumped in my dream and gotten hurt. I didn't want that to happen in real life. Then I noticed that the ledge circled part of the way around the room. As I followed the it, I saw that it circled closer to the floor as it went around. So I went around, and jumped from the end of it without getting hurt.
Now the problem was to find out which portal to use. I walked up to each sign, which now I could read. I had no idea what to look for. Each portal had a sign next to it that told stories of the worlds history and descriptions. All that I really knew was what I had heard from the strangers that one day. Now I was stuck. I had to go into a portal because it was the only way out. I had jumped from the ledge, and I couldn't get back up. Then I thought that if I had been led to the cave in the first place, surely I would get some sort of leading here too. But I was not drawn to any one portal. I would just evaluate which one was most likely it from the signs. Some of the signs described a light happy place. Others were completely dark and gloomy. If I chose the wrong one, would I be able to come back just as easily as I went? I didn't know. One sign caught my eye. It's history was known for being a place for the evil, but on the other side of this world it was known for being a place for the good. Why this got my attention, I'm not sure. I just knew this was it. I opened a heavy wooden door and inside all I saw was light. It gave me a sense of comfort. All that was left for me to do now was to walk in. I didn't hesitate any longer.
I stepped through and on the other side of the portal it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. I was in an open field. I looked behind me, but there was no portal. Just the open field. I would have to worry about that later. Now I just wanted to explore this world.
As I walked through the field, I noticed the beautiful flowers and the butterflies. Then something caught my eye. In the far off sky, it was pitch black. I hated to go there, but I knew I had to eventually. I would wait as long as possible though. Then As I walked again, I noticed something else. What was it? I felt shorter for some reason. Had I shrunk when I came here? I couldn't see my reflection because there was no water around, but I was sure that I felt younger. I dropped the thought from my mind for the time.
What I needed to do now was to find someone to talk to. I came to the edge of a small hill. At the bottom of the small hill was a fenced in pasture. I decided I'd try going down there to see if the land owner could help me at all. As I got closer, I saw a small cottage. I went to the front door and knocked. The man that came to the door was medium height.
"Would you like to race my horse for a chance to win?" the man asked.
"Win what?"
"A horse of course." He said.
"Sure"
"Well, go away and come back when your old enough."
Then he slammed the door on my face. He seemed kind of rude to me. I guess I'd have to find someone else to help me. I walked away in search of another persons house. It wasn't long before I food an old beat up shack. I decided I'd stop there to see if anyone had some good advice for me. When I knocked on the door, an old man came to the window and went away quickly. I hoped this person wouldn't be as rude as the last person.
I began to grow impatient. Finally I decided to leave. Just as I was turning to leave, I heard the door creak open. I turned back around and there stood an old, hunched man with a long beard. He waved for me to come in. I followed him. I sat in front of the fireplace and waited until he sat down.
Then I asked, "Can you give me any advice as to where I should go to begin my journey to save the princess? And can you tell me why I shrunk when I got here?
Then he said, "One question at a time. First of all, how do you expect me to know what you're talking about? For all I know your just some beggar here to try to steal something of mine."
"I just figured that you would know what I meant, I guess."
"Well, lucky for you I do. I am the one who led you here. I know that your true quest is to save the princess, but there is a much bigger problem then that. This world once, a long time ago, was filled with only that which was good. Then the dark forces creeped into here and slowly began to expand out. Now, nearly half of this world is completely evil. And here and there are scattered some people without the best intentions. I led you here because I knew that you were truly a brave young lad. I knew that you would fight your hardest until you had defeated the dark forces and cleaned this world of the darkness. Will you agree to do this?"
It was a big decision but I wasn't going to say no, so I said, "Sure."
"Wonderful. In that case I have here something that you probably have never seen before. It's a communication device. Whenever you've accomplished one goal or you need help, just push the button on the side and ask me for help. For now I'll tell you what your first goal is and answer your second question too. You want to know why you are smaller. That is because you are now a young child. You have a lot of training to do before you can start on your mission. But once your training is done, you will find a sword in a stone. When you pull this sword from the stone you will become an older lad again. That is also your current mission. Go on your way now."
Now all my questions were answered. I now had a heavy burden to bear though. Could I handle it? I would soon find out. But now I was tired from the heavy mental load placed on me, so I found a place to rest.
Explanation: In explanation of being able to read the signs, the first time He went he was dreaming and you can't read in a dream. The second time he was Awake. There you go.