//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1: I Should Have Stayed 
// Story: My Journey 
// by HopeForTheFew 
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When I awoke I felt different, I felt close once again to my life, I was no longer distant. "Maybe that doctor was on to something." I said to myself. So I got up and got a shower and some breakfast, dressed up for work and headed out the door. Only, once I opened the door what greeted me was a tree that I knocked my head against. "What the hell?" I asked myself. "How-wait-what?" I said stunned of what was in front of me. I than began to furiously pinch myself trying to wake myself up do to the fact that my brain wanted me to think that this was all a dream. When I found I was in no dream I then began to walk around trying to figure out where and how I got there. I searched for quite sometime but found nothing, but I did notice that what I used to live in was once an apartment was now a small home. After awhile of admiring the new house I then decided to take a walk and try to clear my head of all that had happened.


I walked for a good 2 hours or more, I figured out nothing however. until I saw it, it was on the side of a mountain, it was a castle of some kind with what appeared to be a small city beneath it. I stood there for a while gazing at the sight before me.  then, with a shake of my head I made it up in my mind to go check it out the next day. "Maybe I will get my answers from there." I said to myself secretly hoping it wasn't abandon, but from what it looked like, I doubted it incredibly. 




When I got back to apartment I proceeded to get inside and make myself something to eat. This new house that appeared out of nowhere to somewhere that was nowhere had apparently running hot water and electricity. I brought some bacon out of the fridge put it on the frying pan, started the stove, and began cooking my meal. 


Once my dinner was complete I started to chow down. The bacon itself was quickly gone, however it did leave me with a satisfied stomach. When I finished I then went to my computer started it up, but I only found that it had no signal to the internet. I then went to the TV and again no signal. "Damn" I said quite annoyed. 


After a while of occupying myself by playing my guitar  I started to get tired, it was then that I decided to go to bed and get some well deserved sleep.



After waking up I slowly got up and went to the bathroom, "A good shower will wake me right up." I said while taking a long yawn. After my shower I then got breakfast and prepared myself for the long walk to the castle. I brought with me some food, a couple canteens of water, a pocket knife, and a jacket, for it was getting in the middle of fall now. And with that I said farewell to the homestead for now and walked off down the trail I made the day before.


After another long walk through the woods I found the castle I was looking for. "Well here we are." I said to myself. And with that I was off towards the castle that was ahead of me.


The hike to the castle took longer then I had expected, but not to long to where it was a bore. I was approaching the castle when I noticed it was very well kept and seemed to indeed have a small city of some sort at the mountains base. It was a truly majestic sight, I had never before laid my eyes on something this fantastic. "Where the hell am I?" I asked myself once again. Though not knowing the answer I stopped standing around and headed for the city gates. Though, I stopped when I noticed guards placed on the front gate, the guards looked strange from a distance almost like, they were on all fours. "What the hell?" I said to myself. But I put it off and started walking closer only this time a little more cautious and I kept to the tree line as much as I could.


Upon approaching the gate closer and even more cautious I noticed the guards on the front of the gate were not human at all. They were some kind of small colorful horse almost like ponies but a little larger depending on what type of pony. I stopped my movements and hid further in the bush that I was in at the moment. I watched the gates and the creatures guarding them for a long time. They appeared to have long spears as their weapons, and gold armor. "Must way a ton" I said to myself.


Then when I stayed there for quite a long time I noticed a carriage of some kind travel towards the gates. It peeked my curiosity to much however as I stepped out of my bush to get a better look at the carriage. That was my mistake and believe me when I tell you that it was indeed a bad one. The guards saw me and then went yelling and began charging at me. I ran off course but it was no use, they were much faster than I was even with that armor on, so I turned around quickly to brace myself for a fight. I drew my knife, however when I turned around I found myself greeted by six more half horse creatures. However it was then I noticed that one had a horn on its head and two others had wings and were flying a bit of the ground. But none of this wavered me, I stood tall ready for a fight that I would most likely lose.


We stood there, staring down at each other for a long period of time. There had been several more of the creatures join the foes party, but what was the most scariest part of it all was the large white creature with a horn and wings and hair that seemed to be flowing with a non existent breeze. She was almost or as tall as I was, but I still did not waver.


I was getting tired of standing there so I simply spoke with a sly smile on my face. "No fair, you got four legs." And with that I started backing off slowly, though the smile never left my face. Soon though after taking a few steps back a large blue creature flew down next to the white one. The creature was not as tall but still taller than the others that were around her. By now there must have been a hundred of the creatures and they started to walk in different directions trying to create a circle around me. But I wouldn't let them. Within a few second I hopped back quite far, far enough the get out of the range of the circle. "I don't think so." I said, the sly smile returning to my face. Why I was smiling I did not know nor did I care, I simply enjoyed the time. "Well I suppose I shall be taking my leave now." I said walking back in quite a quick pace. But as soon as I said that the white and blue beings horn glowed, there was then a sudden burst of light that knocked me off my feet. I quickly got back up though and prepared myself for whatever may happen.


We stayed there for quite a time longer, that sly smile was no longer on my face just a look of weariness. I didn't know how long I kept that stance but I knew I couldn't last much longer. So I simply gave up, I sheathed my knife and raised my hands in the air. And with that done the creatures moved forward. But I wouldn't let them take me like that, how could I?. I made a mad dash to the woods that was only a few yards away from me, however right before I reached the edge of the woods a barrier of yellow covered my path. I banged on it as hard as I could but it was no use. I then turned back to the group of creatures that was now a number of at least three hundred. I stared at the white and blue being and said simply "I am finished aren't I?"

"Indeed you are, creature." The Blue being said with pride in its voice.

I nodded my head and said. "So be it then." And with that a took a seat on the grass and let the creatures take me. Fear rose up in me quickly but I did not panic I simply went along with it secretly hoping I did not make the wrong decision. It was then that I realized that I should have stayed at the homestead.


Life in a cage is just a test. Believe me, I have been there before.

-Jesse Howitser