In the heart of June, Iris and her family took a plane to their vacation destination. Iris had just woken up from her sleep on the plane when she reached into her bag and pulled out a fantasy storybook. It was a gift from her late grandmother.
The cover page features a stunning Desert Queen with curly wavy brown hair, hazel eyes, in graceful attire, and wearing a golden crown adorned with blue gems in her honour.
While she was only able to read the cover page and glance at the map, tragedy struck. A gigantic tornado hit the plane, sending passengers flying.
Iris lost her grip on her mom's hand and was blown away from her parents.
Hours later, Iris woke up to find herself in the middle of a desert.
Stranded and alone, harsh reality hit her in the face. She realized she didn't have any emergency essentials, such as her phone or water. She decided to take a walk, hoping to discover if her phone had landed deep in the sand.
As Iris walked, a sand cat ran past her with a big snake chasing it. Without hesitation, Iris moved forward to grab the snake by its tail and released it far away. She then proceeded to check on the cat's well-being.
The sand cat stared at the beautiful lady with pearl-blue eyes and silky platinum-blonde hair in awe. The cat cuddled her left leg as a gesture of thanks. Iris knelt down and gave the sand cat a head rub.
To her surprise, the sand cat began to talk like a human.
"Thank you for helping me just now." The sand cat said.
"Whoa, did you just talk?" Iris jumped and replied.
"Yes, I am James, the Prince of the Atacama Desert. My once-best friend, Lord Winston, killed my father and stole my throne to become the next king. He placed a witch's curse on me, transforming me into a sand cat during the daytime and restoring my human form at night." James replied with a mixture of sadness.
"Oh, I see. That is so cruel, how could he do that!" Iris replied.
"Would you like to help me? It is very inconvenient with these short legs, I can't walk for very long. Nobody bothered to listen or help me out since my transformation, except for you." James said.
"Sure, why not, I have no one to be with in this Desert as well." Iris agreed.
"That's great! We need to travel to the inner mountainous area. A special cave known as the 'Secret Sanctum' lies a 'Luminescent Fern,' a flower with the power to cure this witch's curse once and for all. Therefore, I would require your assistance, given my current inconvenience with these short legs. Traveling during the night is impossible, as it is completely dark and dangerous. I wish to avoid unnecessary conflicts." James replied.
Iris nodded in agreement, picked the talking sand cat up, and he led the way.
They sat on a tree log and had a great talk.
"I miss my mom and dad, we got separated during the plane tragedy. A big tornado struck from the side. I saw my mom and dad's panicked expression when I almost grabbed onto their hand. My left hand, I don't think I'll ever wash my left hand again. I don't think I'll see them anymore. I am always a rebellious and lazy child. I'm not a good daughter in their eyes. Why do they have to grab my hand so firmly in hopes to rescue me." Iris sobbed, her face facing the ground, tears falling onto the ground.
"Don't think negatively. You are their daughter, and they love you very much! It's okay to have flaws; no one is perfect," James replied.
Iris was so upset; she could not stop crying.
Just then, James opened his arms and gave Iris a big, friendly hug.
"Sorry, I don't know if this will help to comfort you. But I want you to know that it's okay to make mistakes. We can learn from them and improve," James said.
Iris turned her head over to see a charming young man with golden-blonde hair and blue eye hues. This is the first encounter of James's actual form.
He was charming and a warm person, Iris thought to herself.
"Thank you for your kind words. I am feeling better now." Iris replied with a smile while looking into James's eyes with awe.
"The sun rose, and they continued their journey to the secret mountain. When night fell, they set up a campfire in the woods.
In the quiet midnight, a large group of scorpions appeared from the sand and charge towards James and Iris.
James grabbed Iris by her left hand and ran far away until they lost the scorpions. "Are you okay? Do you feel pain anywhere?" James asked.
"Yes, I'm alright," Iris lied with a smile.
Seeing through her lie, James tore a small portion of his clothing fabric and covered the scratch made by a cactus tree as they passed by a bunch of it.
"Go to sleep early, have a good night," James replied. Both of them slept on the same row but not together.
They looked up into the starry sky, both James and Iris felt homesick.
--End of Chapter 1--