I left my hometown to chase an android

      -Don't even think about going to the edge of the anomaly!

In the blink of an eye, it disappeared. That thing that had been lurking among the leaves of an untouchable forest was gone.

Some people call this place "a piece of the world", but I have no idea what a "world" is. The place where I live is very big, yet they say this place is tiny compared to the "world".

They say that people who run toward anomalies die horribly. Of course, they're all sayings to keep us away, but it's truly scary.

One evening I saw that light again; it was bright and fascinating. I was scared, alone, and full of questions. Curiosity stirred my body. With an unsteady gait, I walked toward the flashing light.

I found myself in front of a girl. She looked like an ordinary person, but there was something unnatural about her. She had pink hair that reached her shoulders and covered her eyes, her skin was as white as the moon, and on her face all you could see was her serious, silent little mouth. At every joint—elbows, knees, shoulders—she had black spheres, and she wasn't wearing any clothes, but she wasn't naked in the human sense: her body seemed devoid of any private parts.

I tried to get closer, but she ran away.
I checked behind me to see if anyone was watching me. There was no one. I took courage and crossed the edge of the anomaly with ease.

      -These anomalies aren't that special.

I stood there for a long moment, checking around, then set off to find the android. Even though it was wrong, something told me to do it.
As I walked, I felt very light, so I tried to jump and found myself falling upward. In a panic, I grabbed everything around me, managed to grab a vine, and saved myself. I could swing from one place to another effortlessly: I wasn't stronger, but the gravity of that place obeyed its own laws.

Now that I remember, my grandfather told me about the existence of androids, beings who don't need clothes because they're machines; perhaps she was one of those things. Another plus is that she isn't affected by gravity like me; her heavy metal body anchored her to the ground.

Once I spotted her, I used a tree as a support and swooped down toward her.

      -Wait!

The landing wasn't the best, but since I had no experience flying, I couldn't help it.

The pain in my knee from my emergency landing prevented me from finishing my sentence.
The android took a step back, then another, until she hit a tree. Then she realized I was hurt, so she pulled some gauze from its arm and approached me to tie up my knee.

I thanked her, and she got scared, lost her balance, and fell to the ground. I held out my hand to help her; she wasn't entirely sure, but then she decided to offer me her hand. It wasn't easy to get her up, but I did it.

I asked it again who she was and what she was doing here. She looked around, then timidly picked up a stick and began drawing on the ground. She was writing in a language I didn't understand.

      -I'm sorry, I can't understand what you're writing.

The android, although she had a mouth, didn't speak; perhaps she couldn't speak, or she was very shy. Then she began drawing a house and a person next to it.

      -Are you trying to get home?

The android nodded. She drew an arrow pointing to another figure... then erased it with a brusque gesture, as if trying to forget it. I scratched my head in confusion. What did she mean by that last drawing?

      -It's getting late.

Luckily, my parents don't care about me. But I'm really hungry. At that moment, my stomach growled. The android tilted her head and then touched her abdomen. A small opening opened. I took a step back, worried. She pulled out a loaf of bread. She handed it to me, and I took it, thanking her. The bread didn't have much flavor but it filled my tummy.

We walked away, further and further from my village. I stayed behind her and watched her carefully. Her every movement was accompanied by a metallic sound, the light of the setting sun reflected off her, and her walk was very awkward, yet somehow endearing.

Suddenly, a strange feline creature emerged from a bush. It resembled a cat, but was huge and blue. The android pulled a sharp blade from its arm and, without wasting any time, lunged at the creature. With a well-placed punch, she unsteadied the feline, then slit its throat with the knife. The large cat took a few steps back and then fell limp.

As cute and shy as she was, she was certainly not delicate. I was slightly frightened. Her smile, too perfect and immobile, couldn't hide the horror of what she had just done. I decided to return the smile and continue walking as if nothing had happened.

As night fell, I continued to follow the android's flashing light and metallic sounds, but my body was giving out; without realizing it, I had fallen asleep.

When I awoke, I found myself on a tree, and when I tried to climb down, the android was nowhere to be found.