Chapter 1: Survival
There used to be a time when people believed in more than one God and believed that sacrifices to these Gods would bring them good fortune. They’d sacrifice their animals, their hunt and even their children. One day a child escapes.
“Mina, Mina! Come back! The Gods will strike us all down! Mina!” The man argued with his daughter who was running off into the distance, he argued no more when she was just a speck on the horizon.
Words, thoughts, everything went through Mina’s head. Why would they do that to me? These Gods can’t be good if they make their followers kill their daughters! She knew running off was the better idea but what she would face was unknown to her. A 15-year-old girl on her own in the jungle, desert and plains. Her people were strict and unchanging. They’d lived in the same place for years, ever since their nomad ancestors had decided to settle in that place. Mina would never see that place again, she didn’t want to, she would be a nomad she’d see what no one else had seen.
The girl walked into the jungle a place no one dared step foot in. It was a place where Gods danced and demons walked, or so they’d said back in the village. Anger still filled Mina’s short body, words she didn’t understand exited her mouth and played with the air making shouts and echoes. A noise stopped Mina, she’d walked right into the jungle, and how long she had been walking became unclear. Was it night already? She’d come to a clearing were a fire burned brightly.
Spirits floated in and around the fire, somebody stepped out of the fire, they wore peculiar clothes and had strange features. The man saw her then disappeared back into the flames.
Birds flew all around and animals watched the faeries that danced around the fire. A man sat on a log playing a flute, the music was beautiful and hypnotising, Mina felt herself walk towards him, and she couldn’t stop herself. The man saw Mina and stopped playing his flute. The faeries stopped dancing and looked at the man impatiently. Why had he stopped the beautiful music? Who was this interruption and why was she so important?
“Mina, you see what others don’t,” The man said, his voice just as beautiful, relaxing and hypnotising as his music.
“How do you know my name?” Mina said softly.
“I am Krishna, I know.” He said simply. Mina looked at his eyes they were the bluest blue, like the sky on a clear summers day. “You can see the faeries, others cannot.”
The faeries had noticed that the girl could see them by the way she stared at their wonderful wings and the strange clothes and vibrant colours that adorned them. They were the size of a normal human, but they could change , some of the children had shown this unknowingly to the girl.
“Faeries? Is that what they are?” She touched the hand of one of them. A tall handsome male who was offering her a dance, his eyes sparkled and a smile was permanently fixed on his lips.
“Do not dance with him. He will trick you and you will be dancing with him for eternity, unless someone pulls you out of the ring. You don’t want that now do you?” Krishna spoke.
“No,” She turned to the male faerie, “I’m sorry I cannot dance with you, but it was nice of you to ask” She said politely and let him go.
“Good you were polite to him, never be unkind to a faerie, and if they offer you food or a dance, politely refuse, if they offer you anything else you may take it.” Krishna said.
“Why can I see them when others cannot?” Mina questioned.
“You just can, it is the way. You see, others don’t.” Krishna smiled knowing immediately he was about to be asked another question.
“Will you ever give me a straight answer?”
“Maybe, maybe not, it depends how long you survive.”
“Oh, you know about my escape then?” Krishna nodded his head.
“Yes, many are furious most don’t care.” Mina looked at him but didn’t say a word. “It is not the people that will end your life, it is yourself.” Mina looked at the faeries they had begun to dance again, this time the music was from far away, in the fire. Mina dared to look in the fire, beyond the flames she could see something, it was not clear though. She squinted a little and looked again, she turned to Krishna in shock.
“What is that beyond the fire? She asked.
“Future is all that is beyond.” Mina was a little puzzled. Krishna put his flute back to his lips and began to play. Mina was looking into the flames again, the faeries began to dance and one by one they left the circle, miniaturised and flew into the fire to the strange world beyond. The flames, or what was behind them anyway, entranced Mina.
Her bare feet danced across the dusty floor and around the fire, her blue eyes had turned orange with the glow and her face was illuminated in the darkness. Her white dress dragged behind her, courage Mina had never felt before filled her, and in a moment of pure bravery she walked peacefully into the fire and to the world beyond.
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