Chapter Four
I stood the golden harp upright on the ground. It looked strangely familiar to me somehow; however, I couldn't recall having seen it before... One thought entered my mind, but I quickly dismissed it due to its impossibility...
I looked around slowly and more calm than I had been minutes before. I knew that I had to calm myself, or I would not be able to find a solution to my problem. The air had a faint scent of smoke from the ashes and charcoal on which I stood. I started to venture through the clearing to the tree line, deciding that I would travel deeper into the land to try and find someone else who could help me.
After a few minutes passed, I noticed something that saddened me deeply: the clearing was not any kind of a burning ground – it was a crater... My goodness! I thought. This place has been bombed, or something! Afraid that such 'bombing' may not yet be over, I fled as quickly as possible to the trees. It didn't occur to me that I was probably not in any danger: whatever place this was, it was completely destroyed – the deed had already been done.
I wandered through the trees, picking my way carefully through the thick brush. The wind whistled gently through the trees, and the soft chirping of birds could be heard among them as well. I could feel a heavy moisture in the air... Indeed, everything was wet around me – the trees glistened with water droplets, and from them the sunlight was reflected brilliantly.
After a while, it started to rain slightly. I found it soothing, and it helped me think clearly about my situation. I tried to think back, to recall anywhere I had been before that this place might be. I could think of nowhere I had been in the past that resembled this mysterious place, as the plants and trees were different – they were shorter and fuller than any I had seen before. There was no place near my home that I could think of that was like this... All that I could do was to just keep walking.
About an hour later, the rain was pouring down fiercely, so I decided to take shelter under some thick high bushes. Even these bushes looked strange to me, with long thin leaves, and roots that grew partially above the ground. I squatted underneath them to cover myself as much as possible in the loud torrent of rain. I was trying to get comfortable, when suddenly, above the noise of the rain, I heard rustling in the brush ahead of me. I saw two dark figures walking toward me, a small distance away. I waited quietly, hidden in the bushes, in case they were dangerous. They passed me far to my right, and I could hear them chatting merrily, so I decided that they were probably not dangerous; plus, I was looking for anyone who may be able to tell me where I was, and they seemed to know their way. Cautiously, I emerged from the bushes to introduce myself.
"Uh, hello there... I..." and I trailed off after I had a close look at the two strangers. They weren't human! They stood upright and wore clothing, which was gray and blue, but they had long tails which I was sure were real. Also, they seemed to be covered in light fine gray fur on their faces and on their hands and feet, on the ends of which were dark and sharp- looking claws. As well, their ears were large and were on the tops of their heads, under strange-looking hats. They had long snouts in place of their noses, and I could not see their mouths until they spoke.
"Greetings, stranger..." said the one on the left. "I'm soldier Kal, and this is soldier Doyle. We'd like a talk with you for a moment."
Feeling dizzy, I sat right down on the ground where I stood and closed my eyes. This was all happening so fast, and my mind was swimming with thought... I didn't know what to do. I thought that perhaps my eyes had somehow tricked me in the rain, so I opened them and looked up at the two strangers, but they looked as they had a second before. Then, suddenly, it all dawned on me... My god, I thought, They're... they're Burmecians! How...!?
The Burmecian called Doyle asked, "What's wrong? Can you not speak?" He took a step toward me, his head to one side.
Trying to get a hold of myself, I stood up and breathed deeply and slowly. Finally, I responded: "Uh... my goodness, I... I can't believe this! How did I get here...!?"
"What's wrong?" Doyle asked again. "Do you not know where you are?"
"Well, yes," I answered, "I think I know where I am, but I don't know how I got here... Hey, wait a minute – you said that you wanted to talk to me... To me, specifically? Why? Do you mean that you know who I am...?
Kal explained, "We don't know who you are... it's just that we spotted you in the Cleyra site – did you not know that trespassers are forbidden there?"
At the word 'Cleyra' I startled. My gosh! I realized. That was Cleyra after all! The thought had entered my mind, but I had quickly dismissed it without piecing together all of the evidence... It appeared now that I was right after all. Had my dream finally come true?
"Hello?" Doyle asked, "Are you sure you're alright? You seem greatly disturbed..."
"Oh," I said, returning from my thoughts, "I'm sorry – this is just such a sudden thing that's happened to me..." The two soldiers turned to each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. Not wanting to describe my past in case I might provoke fear, I changed the subject, asking, "W...what is it you had to talk to me about?"
Kal turned back to me with a more stern look on his face, and stated, "I'm afraid we have to take you to our king, so you may be questioned."
"Questioned," I asked, puzzled, "Whatever for?"
"For trespassing in the site of Cleyra, like we said before," he answered, "No longer can we allow intruders to tread there – it is a place to be respected."
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry..." I explained, "It's just that I'm... not from around here. I came from a very far way away... I didn't know that I was doing anything wrong..."
"Well," said Doyle, "just come with us and explain your story to the king. He should understand... you don't seem to me to be someone who means harm."
"Nor to me," said Kal. "Will you come with us now?"
"Alright," I decided, "lead the way..." Then the three of us set foot to the kingdom of Burmecia.
I stood the golden harp upright on the ground. It looked strangely familiar to me somehow; however, I couldn't recall having seen it before... One thought entered my mind, but I quickly dismissed it due to its impossibility...
I looked around slowly and more calm than I had been minutes before. I knew that I had to calm myself, or I would not be able to find a solution to my problem. The air had a faint scent of smoke from the ashes and charcoal on which I stood. I started to venture through the clearing to the tree line, deciding that I would travel deeper into the land to try and find someone else who could help me.
After a few minutes passed, I noticed something that saddened me deeply: the clearing was not any kind of a burning ground – it was a crater... My goodness! I thought. This place has been bombed, or something! Afraid that such 'bombing' may not yet be over, I fled as quickly as possible to the trees. It didn't occur to me that I was probably not in any danger: whatever place this was, it was completely destroyed – the deed had already been done.
I wandered through the trees, picking my way carefully through the thick brush. The wind whistled gently through the trees, and the soft chirping of birds could be heard among them as well. I could feel a heavy moisture in the air... Indeed, everything was wet around me – the trees glistened with water droplets, and from them the sunlight was reflected brilliantly.
After a while, it started to rain slightly. I found it soothing, and it helped me think clearly about my situation. I tried to think back, to recall anywhere I had been before that this place might be. I could think of nowhere I had been in the past that resembled this mysterious place, as the plants and trees were different – they were shorter and fuller than any I had seen before. There was no place near my home that I could think of that was like this... All that I could do was to just keep walking.
About an hour later, the rain was pouring down fiercely, so I decided to take shelter under some thick high bushes. Even these bushes looked strange to me, with long thin leaves, and roots that grew partially above the ground. I squatted underneath them to cover myself as much as possible in the loud torrent of rain. I was trying to get comfortable, when suddenly, above the noise of the rain, I heard rustling in the brush ahead of me. I saw two dark figures walking toward me, a small distance away. I waited quietly, hidden in the bushes, in case they were dangerous. They passed me far to my right, and I could hear them chatting merrily, so I decided that they were probably not dangerous; plus, I was looking for anyone who may be able to tell me where I was, and they seemed to know their way. Cautiously, I emerged from the bushes to introduce myself.
"Uh, hello there... I..." and I trailed off after I had a close look at the two strangers. They weren't human! They stood upright and wore clothing, which was gray and blue, but they had long tails which I was sure were real. Also, they seemed to be covered in light fine gray fur on their faces and on their hands and feet, on the ends of which were dark and sharp- looking claws. As well, their ears were large and were on the tops of their heads, under strange-looking hats. They had long snouts in place of their noses, and I could not see their mouths until they spoke.
"Greetings, stranger..." said the one on the left. "I'm soldier Kal, and this is soldier Doyle. We'd like a talk with you for a moment."
Feeling dizzy, I sat right down on the ground where I stood and closed my eyes. This was all happening so fast, and my mind was swimming with thought... I didn't know what to do. I thought that perhaps my eyes had somehow tricked me in the rain, so I opened them and looked up at the two strangers, but they looked as they had a second before. Then, suddenly, it all dawned on me... My god, I thought, They're... they're Burmecians! How...!?
The Burmecian called Doyle asked, "What's wrong? Can you not speak?" He took a step toward me, his head to one side.
Trying to get a hold of myself, I stood up and breathed deeply and slowly. Finally, I responded: "Uh... my goodness, I... I can't believe this! How did I get here...!?"
"What's wrong?" Doyle asked again. "Do you not know where you are?"
"Well, yes," I answered, "I think I know where I am, but I don't know how I got here... Hey, wait a minute – you said that you wanted to talk to me... To me, specifically? Why? Do you mean that you know who I am...?
Kal explained, "We don't know who you are... it's just that we spotted you in the Cleyra site – did you not know that trespassers are forbidden there?"
At the word 'Cleyra' I startled. My gosh! I realized. That was Cleyra after all! The thought had entered my mind, but I had quickly dismissed it without piecing together all of the evidence... It appeared now that I was right after all. Had my dream finally come true?
"Hello?" Doyle asked, "Are you sure you're alright? You seem greatly disturbed..."
"Oh," I said, returning from my thoughts, "I'm sorry – this is just such a sudden thing that's happened to me..." The two soldiers turned to each other with puzzled expressions on their faces. Not wanting to describe my past in case I might provoke fear, I changed the subject, asking, "W...what is it you had to talk to me about?"
Kal turned back to me with a more stern look on his face, and stated, "I'm afraid we have to take you to our king, so you may be questioned."
"Questioned," I asked, puzzled, "Whatever for?"
"For trespassing in the site of Cleyra, like we said before," he answered, "No longer can we allow intruders to tread there – it is a place to be respected."
"Oh my, I'm terribly sorry..." I explained, "It's just that I'm... not from around here. I came from a very far way away... I didn't know that I was doing anything wrong..."
"Well," said Doyle, "just come with us and explain your story to the king. He should understand... you don't seem to me to be someone who means harm."
"Nor to me," said Kal. "Will you come with us now?"
"Alright," I decided, "lead the way..." Then the three of us set foot to the kingdom of Burmecia.