The village greeted Ando with oppressive tranquility. Deserted streets, crushing silence, occasional passersby. Here it was, yet another new home.
His aunt worked as a teacher at the local school, and her husband held some position in the district administration. They had known the boy since his early childhood, though he had no memory of them whatsoever.
Ando got out of the car while his father was talking with his aunt, and slowly looked around.
What a dump, he thought, taking in the crooked fence and a few chickens.
When he turned around, his father, without saying goodbye, was already getting into the car. The engine purred, and soon the vehicle disappeared around the bend.
"Come on," his aunt called him, "I'll show you your new room."
The room was in an extension with a separate entrance, around the corner from the main building. The space looked dusty and uninhabited.
"Make yourself at home," said his aunt and left.
Beyond the single small window, darkness was already falling. Throwing his backpack on the floor without even unpacking his things, the boy collapsed onto the old creaky bed and instantly fell asleep.
When he woke up in the morning, sunlight was already streaming through the thin curtains. The house was completely silent. Looking around, he found a note on the kitchen table: "We've gone to work, breakfast is on the table, we'll be back in the evening."
Ando read the note. His gaze slid across the table—a lonely boiled egg and a couple of slices of bread.
"Well, thanks," he muttered and demonstratively flicked the note back onto the table with his wrist. "Not hungry," and he went outside.
It was quiet outdoors. Ando examined the yard, walked around, found nothing interesting, kicked a bucket, and went out into the street. There wasn't a soul there; he wandered down the road, not thinking about where it would lead him, just moving forward, lost in his thoughts, processing everything that had happened to him.
Suddenly, from behind the gates of a house he was passing, came loud growling and barking. Jumping over the fence, a huge yard German shepherd appeared before Ando—an angry face, bared teeth, dirty disheveled fur, and a torn ear.
"Awesome..." Ando managed to say before his heels flashed, and he ran down the road, not caring where, just trying to avoid the teeth of this village dog.
He had never run so fast or so long before: jumping over bumps, turning off the road, he fled somewhere into the forest on the outskirts of the village.
When Ando's strength was nearly gone, he looked back. Not seeing the dog, he calmed down a bit, but from the sudden stop and fatigue, his legs got tangled, and he flopped face-first into the grass.
"Well, what's next?" he snorted angrily, spitting out bits of soil and grass.
Supporting himself on his hands, Ando rose. While dusting off his clothes, he looked around, trying to understand where he had ended up. Unfamiliar forest, no paths, nothing recognizable.
I wonder when that mutt gave up chasing me, Ando thought, slapping his pants, where have I ended up.
He wandered among the trees, examining everything around him, when suddenly his gaze caught a strange glow between the trunks nearby.
What kind of weirdness is this? thought Ando and began carefully approaching the glow.
He walked, looking around. He probably wanted to see someone who could explain what was happening. The radiance seemed to lure him and frighten him at the same time.
Coming closer, he realized that the light was coming from the hollow of a thick old oak, whose branches, like the crooked fingers of an old woman, protruded in different directions. He couldn't take his eyes off it, step by step approaching closer.
At a distance of a couple of steps, he stopped. Looking closer, Ando discerned an object in the hollow that resembled a tall crystal with straight facets. Looking at it, many thoughts raced through his head, but one sounded clearer than others: What kind of nonsense is going on here?
Tilting his head slightly, not taking his eyes off it, Ando reached out and touched the crystal. In an instant, everything changed. The scene changed in the blink of an eye. Inside, he felt as if he was about to vomit, the feeling rising to his throat. There was no oak, no other trees, the location had completely changed.
"What the..." Ando forced out, looking at the new world surrounding him.