Sometimes we have nightmares that could be so intimidating and daunting and in the midst of it we realize we're dreaming. But in this nightmare, no matter how many times I tell myself that this was just a bad dream, I couldn't make an escape. The Boogeyman got a wicked upgrade.
The bird's chirping wasn't calming. It didn't signal an innocuous morning.
'I'm still alive,' was the first thing I thought when I opened my eyes, but it was more of bringing myself the bad news than being grateful.
"I'm still alive..." I murmured. My face scrunched up and I was on the verge of crying. "I'm still alive, why? Why?!"
Aki was on top of my chest and kept hitting my face like I was a buzzer button. The cat must be thinking that I was the root of all evil and thought: 'If I kill this motherfucker and cut him up, I'd get a one year supply of fancy tuna.'
Crisp cool air mixed with the scent of the forest should have eased my nerves, but it only served a breakfast full of vicious reality.
What kind of disastrous dish would I be served today?
My limbs wouldn't move. I welcomed the beating that Aki was giving me. His meows got louder and more dragged before a small voice hauled us up. It was one of the most harmless voices I heard aside from my feline friend's meow that was honestly beginning to torture me.
"Smoy..." it greeted us timidly. It waved at us and kept a safe distance.
It was a tiny little strange thing. Its fur was paperwhite; it was a toddler in height, and it had two leaf sprouts serving as horns on its spherical head. It only had one finger and that was a thumb, and the rest was a triangular flap. It possessed no toes and was merely standing on its pointed feet. A pink nose and puffy lips similar to a cat's was adorably placed on its features.
"What are you?"
"Smoyashi!" it replied to me. Was it its name?
Aki was equally curious about the humanoid bean sprout that managed to communicate. He started smelling it and then went for the bindle placed behind it. The green blanket pouch looked like it had so many things that I was skeptical that this little thing managed to carry it out here.
Something smelled delicious inside the bag. My stomach growled to remind me that it had been poorly fed.
I swallowed the pooling saliva in my mouth while Aki made it apparent that he was utterly starving. His meows were hauled long and high and the bean sprout toddler was enthralled.
"Do you happen to have food?"
I was blushing. I didn't want to demand it but I was so hungry.
"Smoy smoy?" it asked back.
Providing an answer proved to be difficult because I couldn't understand it.
"Food...um, we're hungry."
Its round eyes sparkled in enlightenment. It leaped excitedly to unpack its bag.
I gathered the thrilled Aki to stop him from stealing from the generous traveler. Once I saw the contents of the bag my jaw dropped, and my tongue almost rolled out like a red carpet.
There was a beeless beehive inside its bag. There were fruits, varieties of bread, canned goods, and preserved meat rolls.
The quirky thing lifted the beehive and placed it at the corner of the hole. It crossed its arms and waved its head, signing that the beehive wasn't to be touched.
"We won't, I promise," I assured it.
Once we gained its trust, it pointed at the food as an invitation.
I let go of Aki and forgot every ounce of decency I showed earlier. I grabbed the bread and took a big chunk off with my teeth. Aki was pawing on the rolled meat and while I was busy satiating myself, the bean sprout removed the plastic and watched Aki eat like it was a festival. The canned tuna had been prepared for him.
Tears got into my eyes as I stuffed my cheeks with food. I didn't think I'd get to eat anything today. Who would have thought?
I grabbed a can of soup and was about to open it but noticed different names written in blank ink on top of the cans. Two had 'Yros' on it, the other one had 'mom', and then 'dad'. Most of the labels already faded but if there were canned goods like these then there must be civilization nearby.
"Is there a city that we can go to? Somewhere safe?" I asked. My hope was refilled. I could find out about who I was. Maybe I had a family waiting for me.
Smoyashi gave me a dispirited look that quickly snapped my pipe dream.
"And you can't tell me what happened here...right?"
I wasn't looking down on it. I didn't mean to sound harsh, but it was the bitter reality. I was stuck with two animals that wouldn't be able to tell me if I had a booger on my face.
After the meal, Aki was a satisfied kitty. It laid on Smoyahi's little legs as it purred in gratification. The back of his ears had been rubbed by the equally furry hand while I let my thoughts run wild.
What now?
Smoyahi's chest brightened. Rays of white light broke out.
"Smoy!" it announced with firmness and urgency. It rose, causing Aki to rouse, and the beehive floated back to the blanket before the bindle packed and secured itself on the stick.
The floor vibrated from the footsteps of a giant. Smoy jumped out of the hole and Aki meowed in protest before following suit.
"Wait, don't leave me!"
I climbed out of the chasm and searched for them. My eyes widened like saucers at the giant bear with antler horns not far from here. Why couldn't the tree collapse on me and bury me early? I didn't have to be dead to get buried. Death would eventually come to all of us anyway.
The bear's fur was grey. It rivaled the height of the trees. The sprout and the cat charged ahead like they didn't stand at less than 3 feet tall.
"Aki, Smoyashi, come back here!"
What were they attempting to do with that thing, tame it with salami?
The bear heard my scream, yet the two were undeterred. Flies followed behind the bear like royal followers of its decaying body. The smell of rot permeated.
It was a gorgeous morning to die.
I ran after them, not sure if I developed preparedness to get snapped like a barbecue stick. The bear bared its razor-sharp teeth, bent on all fours, and unsealed its mouth. Its tongue was severed. A thunderous growl erupted followed by winds that hurled to our direction. Smoyashi and Aki got blown away. My hair and clothes ruffled. I caught the two species and sprinted in a futile attempt to preserve our lives.
The bear pursued us. Smoy and Aki were peeking over my shoulders, speaking in a language that only they could understand. But they weren't panicking, in fact, they were taunting the giant. I could only imagine them saying:
'Come on you smelly bastard, come at us!'
I unhitched a petrified scream when the bear got deadly close in seconds. I tripped; my drumming heart fell to my stomach. Fate has cast judgment over our lives.
Instead of falling into the boiling acid in the bear's stomach, we gravitated somewhere to the opposite direction of where we got chased.
I was momentarily stupefied.
"I'm still alive..." I murmured. "How come?"
Disappointed?
Absolutely.
Smoyashi was unconscious. Whatever happened was its doing and it stole its energy.
"Smoy, where are we?" I kept shaking it by its shoulders, but it was knocked out like a boxer.
The place we teleported to reeked of more ghastly omens. The plants were curled up and dried. There was more mist that probably came from a witch's cauldron.
"Are you scared?"
"Meow..." Aki answered.
"Me too, high-five on that."
This was a mess. None of us spoke the same language and every direction screamed of the unknown possibilities of contracting jeopardy.
I managed to take a few steps, but I became sick to my stomach. I placed the two of them down and leaned against a tree.
Here it comes...
"Blaargh!"
My breakfast was still undigested. My stomach was only starting to brew it with acid, however, intense cardio came in. I dry heaved for a few more times after emptying my stomach of the full breakfast I had. My cheeks were wet with tears.
"Smoy?"
I turned around, Smoyashi was carrying Aki. I wiped my mouth with my sleeve and straightened myself up.
"Are you okay now?"
"Smoy," it said with a nod, still looking weakened.
It brought out canned grape juice from behind it. I'll just believe it had a hidden pocket instead of imagining that it took that out from its butthole. The can was sweating as if it was just pulled out from the fridge.
Winnie the Poop growled thunderously, turning our heads in a second. It was still visible from where we stood. Luckily, it wasn't looking in our direction.
Still, I wanted to draw more distance.
"Let's go."
Let that thing be the worst that I have to deal with in this place.