Fever Dream

The starry night sky was clear and filled with stars twinkling brightly. A full moon was out as well, illuminating the whole field of land around it. A young boy walked alone on the ground, his hands shoved in the pockets of his black leather jacket as he gazed up at the stars. He stopped for a second and stood there in silence, just watching the stars. His breath escaped him quietly, making little clouds in front of him as he inhaled sharply. It felt like something was telling him to go back home... but then again, it probably wasn't. He turned back to walk in the opposite direction. The grass swayed from side to side as if a gentle breeze were blowing through it. He didn't know why, but he thought of how that could've been the case. If only he could find someone who could tell him where to go. But no matter what direction he went, he was met by nothing more than trees and bushes. He would turn around and go the other way only to find himself surrounded by darkness. As if someone was holding him back. After walking for what seemed like hours, the boy stopped again. This time, he looked over his shoulder and scanned the area, trying to figure out which way he should go next. He took another deep breath and began to search. Maybe he was wrong this time. Maybe he was going in the wrong direction. He decided to take his chances and turned around to head back. However, as soon as he did so, he found himself staring directly into the eyes of a small brown haired girl wearing an orange shirt. She was looking down at him and smiling warmly. Her blue eyes sparkled like a pair of Christmas lights. She looked happy, her face lit up by the bright light coming from the moon. She had dark hair tied in two low ponytails. Her cheeks were pink from the cold air, yet she didn't wear anything else besides her white socks and jeans. In her hands, she held a cupcake. She was cute. Just... really, really cute. The boy smiled at the sight of her before turning around. He started running towards the forest. When he reached the end, he turned around again. And just like earlier, she was still there. She was now standing behind him. Looking right at him, giggling lightly. He stopped running and turned around, watching as her smile grew larger than ever. He couldn't help but notice the faint blush dusting her cheeks. He didn't know why, but he wanted to keep looking at her. He wanted to make sure that she was real. So he kept watching. The girl laughed again, louder this time. Then suddenly, she threw her arms around him and spun him around. He stumbled slightly, catching his balance. She giggled softly once again as they both came to a stop. "You're not supposed to run away." She said, a hint of sadness in her voice. His heart sank when he heard that. He knew he was in trouble. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get lost. I was trying to find my way back home... but I ended up here instead..." "Oh! You're from a village called Saimen?" She asked, smiling widely now. He nodded slowly. "My name's Rokha. Do you live nearby?" "Yeah!" She replied. "And your village is called Kiyo, right? I'm from Kiyo." "That's right," He replied. "Do you live near here too?" "No, I live in the city. I'm actually visiting my parents today." "Really? That's cool. What are you doing here?" "I'm visiting my grandparents. They live in the city." "Wow, that's pretty far away." "Well, they have a lot of friends who live there. We go visit them every year, so sometimes we come here too." "Cool," He said. Suddenly, her gaze drifted past him. Her expression became somber, and she stared off into space. He followed her line of vision, only to see nothing but darkness. He turned around to look, expecting to see a shadow or something similar. But no matter how hard he looked, he saw nothing. He turned back around and gave her a confused look. Her eyebrows furrowed as she looked back at him. "Are you okay?" "Yea, why wouldn't I be?" "I dunno. You kinda seemed upset about something earlier." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously as a slight flush crept onto his cheeks. "It's nothing." She tilted her head, examining him closely. Finally, she let out a sigh, putting her hands in her jean pockets as she shrugged. "Okay. Well, I better get going. Have fun with your grandparents, Rokha." With that, she waved goodbye and walked away. Before he knew it, he was gone as well. Once she was out of his sight, he sighed heavily. What happened? Did he do something wrong? Was he just hallucinating? Or maybe... he wasn't seeing things because of the fact that he hadn't eaten in days. He shook his head, brushing those thoughts aside. No, I'll eat later. Right now, I need to figure out where exactly I am. He tried walking in the same direction as before, but no matter what direction he went in, there was always the same darkness ahead. The further he went, the darker it got until he completely lost any sense of direction. Eventually, he decided that the best course of action was to go back to the spot where he'd first arrived. That was the last place he remembered being, though. He hoped that maybe he'd somehow stumble upon some sort of landmark so he could find his way back. He made his way back to the place he'd initially landed, but as he walked, the same thing happened as he'd done before. There was no sign of anything unusual. Not a single tree branch moved, nor any leaves rustled. Even the grass was flat, lifeless, and silent. It was unnerving. As he made his way back to the spot, he noticed a strange sight. It wasn't much of a change, but it was definitely different than before. The entire field around him was covered in snow. It almost looked like someone had dumped a bucket of it on the ground. It looked even worse than his backyard. At least it doesn't seem like anyone is here, he thought as he approached the edge of the field. The snow was starting to melt a bit, and the dirt underneath him was beginning to show signs of life. This can't be good, he thought as he took another step forward. All of the sudden, the ice beneath his feet crunched loudly, causing him to jump. He quickly regained his composure as he watched, fascinated, as the snow melted all over again. There was something moving in the grass. He watched as it shifted, revealing its form. At first, he thought it was just part of the grass growing, but it kept changing colors. Red, yellow, green, and purple. And as he continued to watch, it grew bigger, bigger, and bigger until it stood tall above him. "Oh, hello." The boy gasped. He had never seen such a gigantic creature before, although he had read books about dragons and giant mythical creatures. For whatever reason, this one seemed quite friendly. "Hello!" The dragon said, smiling warmly as it stared down at him. "Is everything alright?" He stared back, unable to say a word. How could he explain that he'd seen a huge creature sitting right in front of him? He swallowed and gulped quietly before saying. "I... I don't know. I'm fine. Are you okay?" "Me? Oh yes, I'm fine. I'm great. Great. Thanks." The beast spoke, taking another step closer towards the boy. "Um, I think I should get going now." He said, looking down at his surroundings. "If you need me, then you know where to find me." "Oh yes!" It exclaimed happily. "Have a nice day!" It said before jumping off the edge of the mountain. "Wait, wait!" He shouted after it, rushing over to the edge of the mountain. "Where do you want to meet tomorrow?!" "In front of our meeting spot," The creature replied with a cheerful tone. "By the river." "Alright. I'll be there." He said, turning around and hurrying back to his house.