1: Hanako gets a new body.

Opening her eyes, Hanako was surprised to see herself flying at great speed through clouds blushed with moonlight.

Still wrapped in bandages, she felt the rush of cold air press against her body. It was overwhelming at first, but soon became something more electric, more fierce, and beyond anything she had known been before.

It was a new life.

Or was it?

Dead?  Hanako wondered.

It was the only option. How would she feel becoming a ghost? Would she ever get used to it? Could she go back?

She didn’t care.

Right then, Hanako felt like crying for joy, because this was all she dreamt after weeks trapped in a hospital bed.

Maybe life had finally let go? Let her drift into a boundless abyss of eternity, to soar among the golden spires of lands unseen and imagination undreamt.

She would have loved to have experienced it longer, but any sense of jubilation was cut short the closer she got to the ground, with no way of slowing down.

All of sudden, everything hurt.

Hanako smashed down against an old Stagecoach, leaving her winded with severe pain.

Urgghh!

Lying there for a moment, she winced as heavy clouds thickened into churning ropes, bringing a southern chill.

Hanako sat up and found herself perilously close to the edge of a broken bridge, surrounded by an endless sea of lush green trees.

Where am I? 

Still woozy, she climbed down and around the Stagecoach. 

A breath caught in her throat, shocked at the sight of an armoured colossus lifting a heavy sword at the ruins of a half-remembered Castle. She was tempted to ask for help when it slowly turned around.

Hanako stiffened, as a numbing dread ghosted over her. The creature had a Ram's head, but its body belonged to that of a tall, muscular giant in bronze armour.

Before either of them could react, the creature was shot with a large iron spear and sent reeling backwards.

The girl stood still. What were her choices? Escape? No. It was closing in too fast. Jump off? There was nothing around but the forest. Drawing a blank, she could only freeze while the Stagecoach went flying off the bridge, taking her with it.

***

Slumped against a castle wall, the Sundered Knight lowered his telescope.

"You know, I could have sworn there was someone else." He said.

The other guard turned around.

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"Don't have a go at me, Squire. It came out of nowhere, alright?"

The Old Knight picked up a weapon.

"I guess there's only one way to find out."

Looking down at the sword in his chest, the young man’s smile grew bleak.

"Yeah, don't mind me. I'll catch up."

Approaching the end of the bridge, the Old Knight caught sight of a figure wrapped in bandages, clinging onto a nearby branch.

"Stranger!" He called out. "Remain calm, I will come for you!"

Hanako was surprised to see another human; especially one dressed in the medieval armour of Europe. Puzzled by this sudden appearance, she was moved to respond, when her grip slipped, dropping her into a silky pool of mist below.

After being hit in the face with every branch, Hanako landed with a sickening crunch at the base of a tree. Dizzy with pain, she arched her back.

Would really like to wake up now. 

Slowly rising to her feet, she noticed a shadow moving with intent.

Hanako's mind raced with a thousand answers, none of them good. Scrambling toward the broken Stagecoach, she hid underneath

Desperate to help, the Old Knight peered over the edge, but there was nothing to see. All of a sudden, his view was obscured by a large arm grabbing him from below.

Pulling itself up, the Ram-Giant loomed over the Knight from the edge.

Angered, the Knight swung back with an iron club. The impact connected hard and with a wet crunch, the Giant plummeted at speed, crashing heavily on the Stagecoach, with the spear missing Hanako by inches.

The girl crawled out and leant against a bridge support.

Still buzzing with confusion, she frantically tried to wipe a red patch off her legs, but it had already stained through the bandages.

Defeated, Hanako looked up and saw three moons bearing down from a hazy copper sky.

Questions fell, with no clear answers. All she knew was that staying in one place was not a good idea.

Backing away, she turned to look at a mound of bones scattered underneath the bridge. Each skeleton appeared to be that of a horse, with a single horn protruding from its forehead.

Wasting no more time, she pulled away a mound of skulls and hid inside a ribcage, finding it to be unusually snug for a shelter made of bone.

Terror racked her body with a shot of adrenaline.

Must wake up! Must wake up!

Somewhere in the velvety darkness, a ghostly mist pressed on through like a tide, carrying the scent of burnt toast.

Hanako hugged her legs. The last thing she wanted was to fall asleep in a place where monsters could exist. Sneaking a peek, she saw something emerge from the shadow.

Obscured by fog, Hanako watched the Giant’s body being dragged across the clearing.

On the edge of the green, it was quickly held upright, while black rope was pulled away from its mid-section, before being dropped back down.

Hanako curled up against the grass.

There was no way to escape now, not while powerful creatures were prowling around, dismantling others.

Hanako was hoping to be back in her hospital bed. Unpleasant as it was to be trapped in her own body, she would at least be safe. Here, she was stuck in some cursed lands, filled with unknown horrors.

The girl shivered, trying to think of a way to stay calm. Staring up at the three moons, she remembered one time she spent in Los Angeles with her cousins.

It was a cold night on a parking lot, with a sparse light coming from the glow of a nearby Bodega.

High above, a billboard screen showed a pop singer, surrounded by slumber party friends. All of them were rolling around in a luxury apartment.

In that moment, Hanako knew what it felt like to be poor and catch a glimpse of the elite.

***

The girl lay for what felt like an hour, hopelessly lost in a strange, Alien-like world, empty of life, except for the noisy insects and the scent of freshly baked cookies.

Wait. What? 

This had to be a dream.

Can you smell anything in a dream? She never thought about it.

She knew straight away it was a trick. No one was baking delicious cookies in the middle of a forest. Even so, there was definitely a scent, with its pleasing notes of oats and raisins.

Not cookies. She thought.  Flapjacks! 

Her favourite! How did they know? Hanako was tempted to investigate, figuring there was no point hiding forever; she needed to find somewhere safe.

It was obviously a trap, but one worth taking, if it meant getting some answers.

Upon exiting, Hanako dusted herself off and looked around. Wherever it was, appeared to be coming from the East, so that is where she headed.

***

Somewhere high above, an old man in armour kept watch, hoping to catch any signs of the newcomer.

"Any luck?" The Sundered Knight asked.

"No. It was either chased off, or they are very good at hiding."

"I guess you'll never know."

"I'm sure we will in time." The Old Knight said. Suddenly, a figure in dirty bandages raced toward the moonlit forest. "There! Whoever it is must have good survival skills."

"For now. Where is it going?"

"East toward the hills."

"Old Maid's Town." The young Knight said, slumping back. "You might want to bring a sponge."

***

The hike up the moonlit path proved to be more taxing than anticipated, with its uneven surface and loose terrain. All around, unknown things chirped and grunted and croaked in the shadowy void of a darkened forest. 

Hanako shook her head,

What am I doing?  She thought. This is how Fairy tale characters end up in trouble.

She soon came to another clearing in a small valley, one filled with abandoned houses left to crumble on a hillside. By now, any trace of Flapjacks was becoming fainter with every passing step.

Access to the first house was through a single sliding door, with every inch of flooring buried under a sea of broken furniture and packed earth. Wooden beams creaked like an old ship.

Hanako saw how an entire wall had been replaced by a minor landslide, leaving one question: Where did everybody go?

To the left was a small kitchen minus a couple of walls.

Cupboards were torn away, and whatever passed for utensils lay scattered on the dirty tiles. In the corner, a drawer rattled on its own.

 Nope. Nope. 

Now on edge, the girl nearly slipped on a piece of paper. Upon examination, she found the writing to be in the form of Domino dots and squiggly lines. Flipping it over, she could make out some kid's drawing of a large figure with no head.

Hanako let the paper fall from her hands.

I have to get out of here. 

Through a gap in the wall, she caught sight of someone hurrying out from a nearby house. A faint tingle crawled up her spine.

Maybe it was a coincidence? No one knew she was here. Even so, she couldn't shake the feeling of being hunted.

Looking around, Hanako used a collapsed staircase, half-filled with mud and climbed up to the second floor. Not good. All but one entrance had caved in, leaving an empty room with a double bed on its side, in front of a six-door wardrobe.

With no other choice available, Hanako opened the wardrobe door on the right and hoped nothing was alive inside. Making herself comfortable, she began to think whatever spooked her was just an overreaction.

Stupid!  Stupid!

Hanako peered through the gap in the door and saw a shadow pass. It appeared to be tall, human-like, with broad shoulders. The girl shrank back, making herself as small as possible.

Don't come in, don't come in. 

Suddenly, the thing presented itself in the doorway. Searching around, it tossed a heavy wooden dresser with one muscular arm.

Hanako remained still, hoping it would give up, but luck was not on her side.

Hugging herself, she trembled as its silhouette drew near, before stopping just short. For a moment, she swore it was looking straight at her.

The creature slowly advanced, pushing the double bed to one side, like it was nothing.

Lit by pale moonlight, Hanako could see parts of its body fused with tree vines. She smelt the wet, coppery tang of fresh meat wrapped around like a sash.

Dear God, it knows where I am. 

The door of the wardrobe was suddenly wrenched open.

Nothing. Empty.

Enraged, a fist smashed against the back wall, barely missing Hanako who was curled up behind doors three and four. In that moment, a blinding flash blossomed over the village, filling the area in a harsh light.

Fiizzzzz! Crack!

A firework exploded with an ear-splitting riot of sound.

Enraged, the monster leapt out of a window before racing off toward chaos.

After counting to a hundred, Hanako felt brave enough to sneak out from her hiding place. She made her way back down, landing in front of a tall, dark figure who filled the doorway.