New Friends

What started with a small shift on the ground, the relentless waves carried me further into the forest.

No no no no no no! This is getting to far from Celphi!

Sitting and holding onto the cushion, which had now become my mini one seater life raft-boat, I drifted with the flash flood happening underneath the forest. Everything is moving up and down like on top of waves.

Is this like a landslide flashflood, but I am riding on the whole forest? I, uh, what? As long as the water doesn’t get through and the ground stays intact, maybe I can find a way to survive.

My wet boots reminded me that water was already seeping through the soil earlier.

Uh, where’s my bell?

I looked around my body frantically for the bell and it's gone.

Shit. Shit. Shit shit shit shit.

I am in deep trouble. It must’ve fallen off me when I was jumping through the roots, or when I’ve face planted into the cushion.

Thank goodness for this thing I’m seating on. But I shouldn’t have even left Celphi’s side to begin with! Wait, will the bell even matter when the whole section of this world seems to be moving and rumbling? Will he even hear me?

I patted down the cushion and it seemed to be non-absorbent.

I can stay afloat!

For how long, I don’t know. The waves seemed to be getting bigger and erratic. I got pushed and bumped into huge roots and trees, but I hesitated in grabbing any, in case the whole tree capsizes. It's better for me to just drift into safety. Or further trouble?

I looked around for items I could use and realized that I still had the rope around my waist. I tied my foot on the other end and the other around the cushion.

I have been on the lookout for a long branch and grabbed the first one I saw. Something to push or pull myself against as I ride the cushion.

It doesn’t have a flat edge so not for paddling, but better than nothing.

So far on my cruise to destination unknown, I was able to see what was in front of me for a good fifty meters. Then, it came to a time where it seemed like I couldn't see the next few meters.

So far, I was able to see where the wave was taking me and if I needed to push myself a bit to the side to avoid an obstacle. 

It really wasn’t that I can’t see it, well that too, but the horrific sounds of thunderous and violent crashing of trees and ground was what rattled me the most. 

Scratch that. Destination unknown free upgrade to destination hell. 

I squinted as hard as I can but the forest ground up ahead is coming up to a wave, so I can’t see if it would fall down normally, or drop deeply.

Haha..Right…

I felt my sanity slipping. My gut is saying that I do not have time to think about it for now. Just go. A part of the forest to my right doesnt seem to move with the rest.

Please be a stable ground. Please please please.

Hard to verify when I am also being carried by waves up and down.

I could only try to get there rather than waiting to arrive in the drop area I can’t see. I haven’t tried pole vaulting in my life and I never thought that I would ever try it.

Sorry and bye cushion. I have to make this jump.

I used the long stick as an anchor to the ground, as I jumped from the safety of my cushion to my right. I got airborne and launched a bit further than I expected. Who would’ve known, the stick I got was also rubbery, sending me further than I anticipated.

I was bracing for impact and made the mistake of closing my eyes on landing. I should’ve kept my eyes open so I can see where and how I can manage a more safe landing.

I really do not think I deserve any of this…

But it wasn’t necessary. I somehow landed on my cushion again. I’ve forgotten that I tied it to my foot, so it got launched with me. And with some sort of miracle, I landed on it again. How unlucky that I got drifted by flood away from Celphi, yet lucky that I keep getting saved by this cushion.

I can actually keep going further with this!

I got flung a bit further than I expected on my first try but it seemed like the non-moving land was still a bit further. Once more I planted the edge of the long stick on a stable looking ground and got myself lifted once more. This time, with eyes opened, I landed securely on stable ground with my own two feet.

‘OUCH!!’ I screamed in pain.

My right foot was still sore from being snagged on the root earlier. Too busy with trying to get myself propelled to safer grounds, I lost track of how close I got drifted to the area where the forest waves ended. I landed just shy of approximately 3 meters on stable ground, from where the rest of the forest waves seemed to dip into.

What exactly am I looking at now?

The forest ground remained intact and moved with the waves. Was being raised up and down as if the water flow was underneath the forest floor. But what happens if the water flow wasn’t just up and down? I guess it would look like what I was looking at.

A whirlpool?  The trees and the forest itself were being eaten by ground. Circular motion that ends up at the middle where everything disappears. Gnashing and grinding of the earth. Or Meu in that instant.

And I was only a few steps away from being sucked into that. Haha...Why am I even here. I felt my sanity slipping again, but the pain of my foot brings me back to reality.

With my cushion at hand, I ran the length of the stable ground, in the opposite direction of where the ground whirlpool was, for as long as my foot and lungs would allow me. Hopefully back to where Celphi was. 

As much as I wanted to venture out, I am not just built for this world… I have to get back to him…

The pain was unbearable. I couldn’t catch a breather. My vision slowly dimming.

*bang*

It.. It’s probably ok now to rest? My lungs were on overtime, legs swollen, my eyes slowly shut as I controlled my fall into my cushion.

*Darkness*

*Murmurs*

W-who is it?

‘Is she going to be ok?’

‘I saw her throw the poisonous succulent to the ground and then she threw herself at it! She could be trying to kill herself!’

’Depends on what kind of poison it carries. It can be not life threatening.’

‘Do we save her? She is reasonably distanced from the hungry kettle’s center but we don’t know the land here.’

Three distinct voices held a heated debate on what I would assume as myself.

’She was trying to end it all! Why should we meddle in her choices? Maybe she doesn’t love her… husband! See she’s got a serpent looking promise bond.’

‘That’s only a brotherhood bond. It’s not vivid enough to be a spousal mark.’

Who’s got what now?

‘They aren’t good pairs for transaction or romance. According to, well everyone. So maybe this lady was forced into a partnership of sorts.’

‘Well her clothing is fluffy so she must have another husband who loves her. Just search her for another mark so we can identity.’

*smack*

‘Don’t touch her.’

‘Why is she here alone then? In the second most unstable part of the world! She’d have better chance surviving with the violent scorpion tribe.’

‘Who cares. We found her so it wasn’t time for her yet.’

’So you get to decide her life? If she lives or not?’

’And you get to decide that we must leave her to die?’

’SHUT UP THE BOTH OF YOU!’

The strong remark stopped the bickering and made me shot up from my fainted state. There was no more talking, only the sound of the water moving underneath the ground from a distance.

What are those small blurred figures hovering a few meters away from me? Am I seeing a few Tinkerbells?

‘Aargh.’ I grumbled as I grasped my head.

I haven’t had one of these literally life changing headaches since falling off the orphanage balcony.

‘Are you fairies?’ I asked after I’ve taken a few seconds to orient myself to what I was seeing. 

One small humanoid creature, three inches in length estimated, with beautiful different shades of ruby red butterfly wings cheered upon seeing my face.

‘Yey! You are alive after all!’ She exclaimed with a sweet voice.

A second shy fairy-looking creature with dirty white, brownish fluffy wings, roughly the same size, maintained his distance from me. 

The biggest of the three, the third one with golden hair covering its body, has wings I can’t see. He was making the most noise. Well more like buzzing, and was glaring at me.

’Y-Yes?’ I looked at the third fairy.

‘What’s your deal?’ He asked, or buzzed.

‘Oh. I got caught up in the waves and when I managed to land on secure soil, I made a run for it until I was just about to faint.’ I said.

‘Then why did you throw yourself at the poison succulent?’ Finally figured out that this creature resembled a bumblebee.

‘What? Where?’ I looked around in panic.

‘That thing you’re hugging.’ The cute and sweet butterfly fairy pointed at my cushion.

I looked down at my innocent looking giant red blood cell cushion. It can’t be. I was saved by this, well accidentally, a few times over now.

’Maybe this one isn’t harmful? I had it on me for a while now.’ Though in saying that, I gently pushed it to the side.

Wait how long is a while? How long was I surfing to my final destination? How long was I passed out?

’It is a rare endangered succulent. It poisons creatures and sucks them dry.’ Finally the shy fairy had spoken as he landed a meter from me. His wings looked heavy and warm. He must be a moth of sorts.

‘I found it cushioning my every fall, and didn't realize it was an actual living creature. I hope I did not hurt it very much.’ I admired the mushroom from a bit of distance.

’Any bleeding?’ The bee fairy asked.

‘I don't think so.’ I inspected what I could see of my body.

‘I do have a swollen ankle from jumping over the roots. Though looking back, it was probably when the forest started to move up and down with the waves.’ I assessed how I could’ve been so careless. I can’t be injured in a foreign world.

Well I am the foreign one. Anyhow…

The bee fairy grabbed the other two and started a mini meeting a few meters away from me. The moth one was hovering to slap the bees small hands off the butterfly one but bee let go before he got hit.

Are all creatures here this small? I thought only magical creatures could have human-like shapes? Does this make these tiny beings magical insects? I wish there were some books I can read off from. Manual about this world of some sorts.

I looked around and studied the area as they huddled. The forest floor in the distance was slowly levelling and the waves appeared to be lessening in magnitude. Still on secure ground, my cushion close.

My face was on it multiple times and I did not feel any harmful effects either.

I wore the mushroom, or succulent on my head as a cap and still no changes. I looked over to the fairies and saw that they were all whispering and having a meeting while each looking at me.

’What type of animal exactly are you?’ Asked bee fairy with a demanding voice. He flew closer to me as he interrogated. His tiny arched eyebrows made me want to grab and pet him. Behind him followed butterfly fairy, giggling at my new cap. Moth fairy seemed to have left.

Am I in another trouble again?