Parallel worlds

The path that I'm walking on is nothing more than dirt and a pattern of zig-zagged misplaced pebbles. I'm alone.If anyone would be here I'll hear them,perks of the park's absolute stillness.The old swings are stationary and there's barely a soft whisper from whatever leaves are left in the late autumn trees. Weird enough as this place is I notice,to my left, a single eyed old plastic doll perched on a moss-covered decaying wooden chair. It gave off this weird feeling as if it was watching me.I hurried my pace and chose to ignore it.

The only illumination,the moon,splashing down its watery white-silver glow,painting the shadowy world in grey-scale.The night was bitterly cold and humid-such an enchanting combination.The rain melted the fallen leaves to a dark slush beneath my feet.For if this wasn't the case I wouldn't have dared venture in here in fear of giving away my position.The abandoned place wasn't really the safest at this hour,nor was it at any other hour truth be told.

On the downward slope of the park the ground is waterlogged this time of year and using an old fork to stir up a fresh face-pack is simple enough.It's icy and coarse with grit. I crouch and squint at the fresh patch of dirt and right there, stood a small disintegrated box.

A crack,the sound of a twig snapped in two and a sudden frigid gust of air made my skin prickle.Though I warmed again quickly in the comfort of my coat,goosebumps stayed on my skin.I looked around searching for the source of the sound but couldn't see anything. I took the box and shoved it in my inside pocket.

I hear approaching footsteps and look for the nearest hiding spot at the same time that I reach for the knife in my boot.I guess the night was going too smoothly before. Nimble as a cat and smooth as a snake, I climb the nearest tree,which unfortunately has thinly dispersed branches. I was well acquainted with heights, and had no problems with balance,but sitting on the edge of a scanty thing never really felt natural.

I could hear the footsteps getting nearer and suddenly they stopped.I could make out the shape of a massive head,the hood of the cloak he was wearing,up.His hands were exposed and I could scarcely make out thin black lines tattooed on his fingers and this peculiar feeling settled in my gut. All of a sudden, the branch that I was balancing myself on making sure I was as silent as possible,cracked and the sudden noise made him look directly at me.A string of curses came to mind as I suppressed a gasp.His eyes! They were a rich shade of crimson,cutting through the darkness. I knew immediately he didn't belong to this world.

My mind began racing between thoughts of how to get out of this rather difficult situation. I didn't think I'll encounter such a creature tonight so the knife in my hand felt useless. He might've gotten stuck in this realm when the portals to Ether closed,or rather, they were destroyed in the War waging between the fae and the deamons for decades. I think that;s the case because that's what happened to me. When I was just fourteen years old I got stuck in this world, and haven't been able to see my family back in Ether since then.I've been trying to find a way to reopen the gates for years now but I came up short until recently, when I found an old letter with just a set of coordinates inscripted on the paper. Which brings me to today,to finding that little wooden box.

I did the only thing a rational person would do in a situation like this.I pushed off the branch and landed right in front of the otherworldly creature. His face was of utter nonchalance.He was almost smiling-smiling as if something good was about to happen.That meant something really bad was about to happen to me. Or so he thought...

The blade flashed in my hand as I made to plunge it in his arm.It slashed through thin air.He was gone.I blinked a few times,surprised and whirled around as his brutal growl sliced through the night's silence.He disappeared again and in his place now stood a horrendous creature. Its huge,compound eyes that looked like enormous crystals of cut glass were staring right at me. It emanated this unnatural foul energy that was overwhelming.This kind of dark magic seemed to be darkening the already jet black sky.Its growl made my body tremble with the force of it and the mouth which was opened downward was armed with terrific mandibles,while a prolongation of the head between the eyes formed a sort of beak.In addition to these were the three pairs of legs,the front pair as long as a man's, the hind pair almost as long as a horses;s. The sensible part of my mind screamed at me to make a run for it but I knew I wouldn't get too far.

The monster charged for me and I stumbled out of its way,gripping the blade in my hand until I could feel my knuckles turn white.It lunged again,jabbing out its clawed hand in attempt to slash me but reflex kicked in and I ducked forward trying to cleave its legs.It reacted fast and only got away with a little slice.It came at me again,roaring with anger and I noticed the cut I made was already healed. Great. I jumped back,panting. I knew I couldn't win this fight but I could at least weaken him,stalling for time to reach for the box in my coat in hope it contains what I think it does .

I dashed forward grabbing the creature's arm, surprising him and giving me an opening to immediately thrust my knife with enough force to go through its side. A yellowish nauseating liquid splattered everywhere and the monster stumbled backwards,and abhorrent noise leaving his throat. I jumped far away and reached for the box. I could already see its wound starting to heal, so I hurriedly opened it and looked inside. I could make out the shape of a large coin.I smiled inwardly for it was exactly what I hoped.A Cupio. It was a rare coin which could grant you any wish, a wish as big as reopening a portal. It came to me just now that my dad left that note for a reason and that he probably anticipated the connection between the worlds would shatter because of the war.He wanted me to find the coin and return home if it ever came to that.And it did.

I glanced from the wishcoin now in my palm to the monster racing my way.Its hand smashed against my shoulder with brute force as I tried to dodge the attack,numbing my arm.I jumped away but to no avail.It grasped my ankle and threw me across making me smash my back into a trunk and fall to the mushy ground. Sharp pain lanced through my head and colorful spots flashed in front of my eyes as I tried to get up.My numb legs gave away and I collapsed back down on the freezing ground.I tried to get up again and I braced my palms on the ground to slide my feet beneath me but something slammed on my head and pressed down painfully.The beast was towering over me,its rows of sandy sharp teeth on display. I tightened my grip on the coin mostly to check if it was still there as the adrenaline was coursing through me and I wished. The Cupio went up in smoke and a blazing light ignited the world anew with such brilliance that it blinded me. Every nerve in my body and brain were electrified,my focus scattered and filled with nervous anticipation. Did it really work?

I opened my eyes and all I could see was a vast undulating sea,a waste of desert.A cruel sun beat down and the sky was its co-conspirator with not even a wisp of cloud to soften the harsh rays.My heart sank and my legs gave out.

This was not my world...