Land of Dreams

Chapter 1

The humans never did understand us. They hated that we could go wherever we wanted, that we could see the world from a different perspective. I guess that's why they left, they simply wanted to get away from us so much they found it necessary to find a different planet to live on. Now we live here, on Earth, completely isolated and we live out our days without trouble ruled by a single Queen. I think that another thing they were jealous of , the humans, the fact that we lived peacefully and without war. And we really lived we didn't go around conquering like they did. I mean really they fought in so many wars it's hard to keep them all straight, some of them fought with weapons that ended things swiftly others destroyed you from the inside out. No one on Earth really understands why they did what they did, none of us knew why they caused so much conflict and why they felt the need to destroy this place with what they called "progress".

They also hated not being able to fly.

At least that's what I think but how reliable can I be? I spend my days doing things that will likely get me killed, for crying out loud! Most people told me that I needed to stop if I wanted to live past tomorrow. I don't think they understand what they were saying.I thought as I plummeted down off of the pillar made of stone, down so far and so fast I would surely crash into the water below me. I waited for as long as possible before coming up heading straight for the clouds above. 

It took me a minute or two before I could see the world from above them. Right here, this is really the best place in the world, looking out over the horizon while being bathed in the sunlight. I stayed for a good minute, then I leaned back once again falling toward the waters below. I was spiraling toward the Earth before coming up just enough for me to fly over the water, so close I could see the mermaids swimming along a few other creatures just a few meters down.

This was how I spent most of my time, trying everything at least once. And now was about the time I usually head home. 

Home. That's an interesting word, sometimes a feeling sometimes a place. But for me home was just a cottage suspended in the air with the help of a few trees. And would you look at that, it's just a few miles west of here.

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I landed quickly on branch before climbing towards the front door of my small home, ducking under other branches as I went. It took a minute for me to get to the door, but as soon as I was enveloped in the slight coffee and cinnamon smell of my home I knew it was worth it.

My house was pretty small by most standards but that's exactly why I liked it. It was a small cottage with only three rooms, but that was all I needed, one bathroom, one bedroom, and one living room with a kitchenette in the corner. 

I stumbled through the living room, almost tripping over pile of books I had by the couch, and went straight to the kitchen determined to make a small cup of coffee. I always thought it was funny, that we still use a few of the things humans left behind. But most of their stuff was just scattered all over the place after they left. I remember my parents telling me about the humans. That they were simple creatures on the outside but on the inside they were so complex that they sometimes had trouble understanding one another. I'm not even sure if they know why they left, but when they did we all came out of the wood work and finally got to live out in the open. It was a glorious time.

But then everything changed. When I was thirteen the humans sent one ship down. The ship itself reminded me of an ancient arcade game called Galaga but this time we were the aliens.

Apparently the ship had been full of convicts meant to determine if the human race could come back to their home planet. The convicts were armed with what I think were rifles of some sort and they decided the planet wasn't habitable. So they did what they saw fit.

They shot and killed as many as they could, including my parents. After that I flew around for months looking for something I could call home. Then I found this place and have lived here ever since.

I was broken out of my reverie by my pot screeching at me. So I took it off the small burner on my stove and sat it on a rag on the counter. Since I had to wait for that to cool down a little bit I ran to the bathroom to see how terrible I looked after today.

 My hair was in knots and looked like a complete rats nest but other than that it wasn't too bad. I could still see the freckles under my eyes through the thin layer of dirt that covered my face and the dirt almost made my brown eyes blend in with the rest of my face. I turned on the faucet and splashed my face with water efficiently removing the dirt and then started working on my hair.

Five painful minutes later my hair was falling over my shoulders in nice waves and I was sitting on my front porch with a cup of coffee in my hands. Everything was perfect. Then I felt the vibrations. I looked towards the sky and my world fell apart.

There was another ship.