"A Simple Fantasy" by Kelsey Lynn Reed

I’ve been born to a world that I do not belong in. There is but one person I truly trust anymore, only one place I know I’m safe at. Everyone but my friend has betrayed or forgotten me. I now live deep in a forest no one bothers to go in. It’s a wonderful place, far away from any other humans. My friend lives with me in a house he built. It’s a tree house made out of beautiful wood and is warm and comfortable, even in the darkest times. But forgive me, I have not said anything about myself that is useful.

            My name is not important now but I will tell you other things. I am a young girl lost in a world I wish I didn’t know. People have lost all virtues: loyalty, trust, respect, love, justice, honor. Men fight with guns. They shoot people before the victim has a chance to defend themselves. Women no longer choose a man to marry for life but skip from partner to partner with no shame at all. People no longer stop to admire the beauty that surrounds them. They don’t bother to gaze at the lush green valleys, the ice-cold mountain streams, or the clouds that roll over the horizon, ready to pour out their souls to give life to the land below. People no longer admire anything but themselves.

            None of this was so in my world. Men fought in duels and wars, shield and sword their only protection. Women married once and only once. We didn’t destroy nature like people do now. Instead everyone respected the land they lived off of and cared for it. When the rain came after a long drought we would all run outside and stand in the downpour, thanking the heavens for taking pity on us.

            I am young and I still remember all of this, although I cannot explain how. I remember looking at the wild beauty of the world without seeing airplanes in the sky, cars speeding on roads, or any other thing that should never have been created.

            But now I am babbling. I write this to preserve a world in writing that has been forgotten everywhere else. It is my world, the world I loved and will never see again. Although I am lost, I am not alone in this strange world. My friend stands beside me, solid like an oak tree. He will never abandon me, he still remembers and longs for the old ways too. He knows what true love is and he knows the meaning of honor and loyalty. He is the one who encouraged me to write about our world. I ask you to join me as I tell you a tale from long ago.     

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            If you stood outside the city walls of Taminee, you could look out over the huge green meadows and see for miles. Past the meadows, ancient forests spread away, stretching their reaches as far as possible, up into the gray and rocky snow-topped mountains that surround the valley Taminee stood tall and proud in. On a rainy day, if you were lucky, the thunder would roll but the clouds would part, letting streams of sunlight fly down to coat everything in a golden light. The sight would bring a sense of power so huge that it was hard to grasp the concept. Everyone who lived in Taminee knew how lucky they were and were thankful for it.

            The city itself was clean and tidy. Hardly any crime was committed and the small government that held the city together was truthful and commanded justice. None of its citizens were amazingly rich but no one could be found begging on the streets. Everyone helped support the city and no one took more than their share. Now that I look back at this wonderful time it amazes me how perfect life was. Festivals were held every season. We gave thanks for what had been given to us by nature and praised what was to come.

            This lasted for more years than I can remember, but it did not last forever.

            During the last winter Taminee would know, a fog took over the mountains around us. It was not true fog. It was living, it was destructive. Humans took shape from the fog as they took over our beautiful forests, leaving only a desolate wasteland behind.

            Our city had no army; there was no need for one. We had no protection from the Army of the Mist. They came, all too-human, and left Taminee and its citizens in ruin. Only two of us got away; my friend and I. We watched our beloved city go up in flames. Anger and hatred shone in the eyes of the soldiers from the Army of Mist. We did not understand. My friend and I could only watch as our lives were ruined by people we never knew existed.

            Centuries have passed now. For some reason we have lived on in immortal silence, remaining in the mountains that are now desolate and lifeless. We watched as the once peaceful valley was modernized, secretly hoping that one day ruin will come upon these new and foreign people, just as it did to us. We wait for Taminee to return but we know it is in vain. But still we wait. Forever we will hope and watch the world change before our eyes.