Aerostat

 Looking around; she noticed a pathway leading away from  rainbow colored trees. It was lined with these tiny glowing crystals. She decided even though it was past sunset ,she would go on and take this trail to see where it would end . She was still worried because she didn't know when or even if she would find a way home, but she was enjoying this new adventure.

 She looked up and down large field of enormous trees and exotic looking plants filling the beautiful landscape. She still wondered if this were some type of dream because the things she saw right in front of her very eyes did not seem at all possible . She then wondered why she had not found anyone else in this strange place wherever it was.

There had to be others here somewhere.  Walking another mile and a half, then she couldn't believe it. A few yards away from where she was walking she saw a small hut. She hoped that someone was there. That someone could explain where she was or what has happened to her. Making her way to the hut but then she wondered if the huts owner was the friendly type of person maybe not? She didn't have to wonder for very long.

                                             The Cherry wood asylum was getting used to Annaleigh not being around . It had been weeks now and no one knew where she was. The police were called in, there was an ongoing investigation and missing persons report. They notified her family, her father was inconsolable. Even though Annaleigh had only worked at the asylum a few months , many of the residents had really missed her.

"She was so nice a sweet girl, where did she go? " They would often ask the rest of the staff. 

 The rest of the staff understood how they felt. A lot of people thought that she would have made a difference here. The whole thing was really very sad. Dorothy thought about the girl quite often. She wondered what had happened to her? Where could she have gone? It had been weeks now since the disappearance of the nurse. Some of the staff wondered if the girl may have been murdered, but Dorothy didn't believe that. She just wished she knew exactly what did happen to her? Dorothy thought to herself but she knew it was useless to dwell on it. She had too much work to do.

"Hello there young one." Spoke a voice from behind her. 

                          She was not just startled but frozen in place with fear and panic. She wondered who the stranger was, was she trespassing on his land? She looked at the stranger. He was an older gentleman with dark hair and thick rimmed glasses. He was using a cane to walk, he probably had a bad leg, she thought to herself. He smiled at her, putting her in mind of an older hippie. She found that to be rather comforting.

"Hi" she managed to reply nervously. She didn't know what else to say to him. There was too much she wanted to know but where to begin?

"I am Aerostat, may I ask why you are standing in front of my home, miss? " He asked with a gentle soothing tone.

"Oh, I am sorry. I have been walking all night and I didn't know if anyone lived here. I am Annaleigh." She told him quickly.

"How did you get here to this place?" he asked glaring at her.

"I don't know if you would believe this , I was at work one minute, then I opened a door. The next thing I know I ended up back that way." She explained what had just happened to her. Aerostat just smiled before he spoke again.

"Yes actually I would believe it. You are not the first one to fall through the portal. "he explained to her.

"Where am i?" she asked him with a worrying look. Aerostat took a deep breath before he explained it to her.

" You are in a different reality, a separate dimension. You aren't insane dead nor are you in a dream state." He saw the look of surprise on her face and chuckled. 

"Yes I have been doing this for quite a few years." He explained.

"I tried to go back the way I came and the door I fell through was gone." She explained, wondering why it had done that.

"It was closed they always are. Portals don't stay open very long." Aerostat explained to her.

"Then how will I get home? Is there another portal I can take?" she asked worried.

"It is getting late why don't you come in? I have a spare blanket and pillow. "Aerostat offered. Annaleigh was not sure if she should but what other options were there at this point?

"Yes thank you." She accepted his kind offer.

She then followed him into his cozy hut. It was a charming little place. It looked bigger from the inside. She really liked the place she didn't know why but it seemed soothing to her. The little hut was decorated with homemade trinkets and very antique looking furniture. This place gave her a rather good feeling.

"Sit shall we?" he offered her the small couch.

"Why can't I go back through the portal that dumped me here?" She asked wanting to know what was going on. She liked it here she admired the beauty of what she had seen here. It was not her home but she felt drawn to it somehow.

"It's a portal not a door way. Your previous existence will be altered sort of a twist of the fates." Aerostat told her. He paused long and often as he explained to her that she would most likely never go home again.

"It will be the world you remember but timeline changes cause a shift in that reality that will have grave consequences, trust me." He warned the young woman. Aerostat could tell she still did not get what he meant. 'You would return backwards from your former personality. "Aerostat explained to her. Annaleigh let it sink in for the longest moment before she replied.

"So you mean to tell me that I can never return home, I am to stay here wherever here is, for the rest of my life? She spat out the words in a doom filled state of panic.

"I shall do what I can to help you." Aerostat offered hoping that might bring the poor girl some comfort.

"Yes, thank you." She replied having no choice but to accept her fate. Aerostat went into the next room to get her a pillow and a blanket for the night, she again thanked him for his hospitality. Aerostat did not mind as he told her before he did this quite often. He even offered to show her around the area in the morning. Aerostat then excused himself to bed to rest for the night.

Aerostat really did not mind helping her. He could sense a good vibe from her, like a bright inner light shining from her. He didn't mind at all she was sweet, just lost and like most of them panic stricken being lost in an alternate reality. Most of them reacted like that when they stepped through the portal. 

 While Aerostat fell into a deep embrace called sleep, She laid there on his small yet comfortable couch thinking. She thought of all the bizzare events of the day as they all came flooding to her at once. She wondered why this had happened to her. She knew it was pointless for her to ponder over her current situation, but it was very difficult for her not to. She hoped everything would turn out alright for her, as she rolled over and fell into a wonderful most peaceful night's sleep she had experienced in a very long time.

The next morning as she woke from restful sleep she saw that her host was indeed already awake and moving.

 "Did you sleep well on my older than dirt couch?" he asked her in a teasing manner.

"Remarkably well yes I did. Annaleigh answered him sweetly. Aerostat then walked over to the couch where she had slept the previous night and took a seat next to her.

"When would you like me to show you around here? "Aerostat asked her.

"When would be good for you? Annaleigh replied.

"We shall go very soon then, but I must tell you our world is very different from the one that you are used to."

"I gathered that much on my own." She replied jokingly.

"You'll see what I mean in time." He spoke with a gentle hint of sarcasm. As the two of them were getting ready for their trip Annaleigh heard this awful ground thumping sound very close to them.

"What the hell is that? "She asked scared half out of her mind.

"That my dear is our ride." Aerostat replied to her, wanting to laugh at her reaction. Annaleigh could not let her brain register what her eyes were staring upon.

"Am I seeing things? "She asked out loud

"It depends what is it that you are seeing?"

"That is not funny at all. "She replied.

Before her there stood a massive black as the dead of night, horned full grown dragon.

"Annaleigh this is Gideon." He introduced her to the dragon by name.

                         Annaleigh stood there with her eyes wide in disbelief. She didn't dare move or even speak for a moment. Gideon was a very proud creature. He loved the look of fascination on a mortal's face when they see a dragon up close for the first time. Gideon found it to be rather flattering.

"Hello." Gideon greeted her. He really loved this part almost all mortals assume no other beings know how to speak. It no longer offended him.

"You can speak?" She asked, dumbfounded by this.

"Now we can see that you can speak as well." Gideon replied to her. He had  always enjoyed watching Gideon play with the new mortals . It was quite amusing to say the least.

"Now that we have all of the pleasantries out of the way are we ready to go?" Aerostat asked.

Just then Gideon stared at her  for just a moment.

 "You had better hold on tight." The large black dragon advised her. 

 She nodded in response to the dragon, as Aerostat helped her climb onto the back of the magnificent creature. She was still in disbelief. She was riding on top of a massive sized real life black talking dragon and she was not dreaming. Riding on top of Gideon was so exhilarating; she felt so free so alive riding on his back. The rush the experience just amazed her. It was not long after that when Gideon landed with perfection, near an old oak tree. Aerostat led her into a nearby village. He wanted to introduce her to others that had come here through the portal and start over here in this strange world.

The village had quite a few people scattering around the huts and small tents as well as creatures that she did not know existed until now. She looked around mesmerized by this world. It had a real effect on her. There were a lot worse places to be stranded she thought to herself as she walked the village with Aerostat. Annaleigh thought about this place and the feeling she got from it. The more she thought about it the more she could see herself making a home here.

Then Aerostat had another person to introduce to her.

"Annaleigh I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, bane." Annaleigh looked at Bane. He was tall and muscular with very dark hair a real attractive fellow. His eyes were as green as the leaves on the dense forest trees.

"Hello Bane it is good to meet a few others here." Annaleigh greeted him and smiled, trying to be friendly.

"Hello miss Annaleigh, it is really good to meet you ", bane replied.

"Oh Annaleigh I must get a few supplies for my hut, why don't you two talk and I'll meet you here shortly." Aerostat told her.

"Alright, that would be okay with me." Annaleigh replied to him.

Bane walked Annaleigh through the main village showing her a few of the trade markets in the area, as well as a few of the other huts in the area. He introduced her to a few of the people in the area he knew and showed her a few of the little clothing shops in the area. By then he assumed that Aerostat would be done getting supplies by now. He walked her back to meet with Aerostat.

"Thank you Bane I had a lot of fun."

"You are very welcome I had a lot of fun as well. I enjoyed the company." Then he flashed a bright smile to her.

At the same moment Aerostat came walking back with two hand-fulls of packages for his hut.

"There you see all done." Aerostat grinned at them. Annaleigh was beginning to get a little more comfortable here. She could really see herself building a life here. She  thanked Bane again for his tour of the village and kind hospitality. Aerostat helped her climb back on top of Gideon's massive sized back to get headed over the mountains and back to Aerostat's hut. The flight back was not long at all. She  enjoyed her little day trip to the village. She enjoyed meeting a lot of different people in the village, and for the situation being what it was, she could settle here. She really didn't have any option but to try to make a life here. She wanted to explore this strange reality, and see what she could find here. If she found a way to be happy here maybe it would not be so bad forgetting her old life?

                               Over the next three months Annaleigh did her best to get used to this strange dimension. The place was remarkable and the people were all nice and friendly. The kind of folks who would help you, even if you were not a friend or kin to them. They were just good people in a good place. Aerostat and Bane did go out of their way to help find her place in this majestic community. They helped her find what best suited her. Over the next few weeks she became adjusted to this new life here. Over time she had found her footing in this truly magical place. She did not know why fate had led her to the portal, but it made her happy.

gDCrZ~