“Where the hell are we?”
“For the last time. I don’t know. If it were helpful to repeatedly ask me the same question then I would encourage you to do it more.” 

Argo ran a hand through his blond hair, trying to bite back the rest of his retort. Madison narrowed her eyes, arms crossed, lips tightening together in indignation. His girlfriend had asked the question about where they were exactly five times in the past three minutes. Repeating the same thing like a canary at a carnival didn’t bring them any closer to an answer. He suspected that it was a mechanism for dealing with the stress of the unknown. It was understandable. A minute ago they, along with their friends Xu and Brandy, had been sitting around their campsite in a State Forest in southern Virginia. And in the blink of an eye that had all changed. 

They were still camping. Or at least, they were still in a forest. The fire was crackling cheerfully, just as before. The pair of two person tents they had pitched were both there, the exact same distance from the fire as they had been. Their portable camping chairs were beneath them. But that was where the similarities ended.

A moment ago the ground had been covered in a thick matt of pine needles and dead leaves brought down by the autumn chill. Now the detritus coated ground had been replaced by mostly rich bare earth, furnished here and there by heavy vines as thick as cables. Tufts of grass cluttered the forest floor at irregular intervals, their long blades standing easily as tall as a man. 

The section of the forest they had been in was primarily populated with coniferous trees. Now the conifers had become… well, something else. Trees that would dwarf the tallest skyscrapers towered to mind boggling heights, their trunks thicker than the widest of city blocks. Far above in the heavens, long branches stretched outwards like the flying buttresses of a cathedral, draping a vast marquee of green across the sky. 

The temperature had altered as well. Instead of a frosty autumn afternoon, the day was markedly warmer and far more humid. The four friends had shed winter jackets and hats down to t-shirts and pants. Though ideal for defense against autumn chills, in this new, humid environment the garments were uncomfortably warm and stuck to the skin as everyone began to perspire. 

Argo mopped his brow. He was already sweating. The fire, such a comfort a moment ago on a chilly afternoon, was now unpleasantly warm. He stepped away from the fire and the smoke, trying to give himself space to think.

“What happened? Did anyone notice how we came here?” asked Brandy unhelpfully. She looked about, still trying to process the change. “It was as if I blinked, and then everything shifted from the time I closed my eyes to opening them. The whole forest is different.” 
Madison wandered by, nose before her phone. “There’s like no signal out here. I can’t send messages. Like, I can’t even.”

Argo turned away in disgust, trying to remember what it was about Madison that had seemed so irresistibly attractive when he’d first asked her on a date. He wondered away from her, trying to forget his troubles. Xu wandered after him. 

“You’re the experienced camper, man. Do you have any clue about this? Has this ever happened to you before?”
Argo met the question with a flat stare. “Do I have any experience with camping in the state forest then suddenly being in a completely different forest of gigantic proportions? Is that what you’re asking me, Xu?” Taking a breath to gain a grip on his emotions. In a calmer voice he continued. “No. It’s not something that’s happened to me before.”

“Do you think this has ever happened to anyone before? It’s supernatural. It’s like, I dunno, the Lost Colony of Roanoke. Oh wait!” Xu paused in midstride as if struck by the idea. He put a hand to his friend’s shoulder. “Do you think this is what happened to the Lost Colony? Maybe they disappeared and were brought here.” He took his hand from Argo’s shoulder and waved his arm about before them, indicating the forest around them. “Wherever here is. The last anyone ever heard from them was that they were headed to Croatoan. Do you think this is Croatoan?”

Argo grunted, noncommittal. He didn’t know much about the Lost Colony but he knew even less about what had just happened to them so what good was speculation? Facts were what mattered. And they were precious short on facts at the moment.  Facts such as where they were and how to find home.

The two men wandered beyond the tents, passing the moments in a tense silence. 
“So what do we do?” Xu urged, looking to Argo for an answer. 
Disappointingly, he only mumbled a weak response. “I’m at a loss.”
“Maybe the girls have an idea?” The two men turned back to their girlfriends. Both women were frowning at their phones and tapping the screens. 

When it became clear than no one had a plan, Xu doggedly continued talking, as if hoping that by sheer luck he might hit upon a worthwhile course of action. “We have to do something. What if we pick a direction and walk for ten minutes? We might come across a trail or a sign. Maybe if we’re luck we can find a person who can tell us where we are.” He paused, as if scrutinizing the merit of his own plan. “Then again, if we wander away and whatever happened before that brought us here happens again, then we won’t be taken back. Argo, why don’t we get the girls to-”
“Hush!” Argo held a hand to his lips.

“What is it?” Xu whispered. 

The answer quickly became apparent when a woman rounded a corner in the forest. She had light brown hair and a thin body toned with wiry muscle. Her only clothing was a pouch slung from one hip. Her body was otherwise bare, save for several designs painted in red ink onto her skin in the form of dots and dashes and a circle on her left leg. Other such markings adorned the left side of her face. They looked like tribal designs that Xu had seen in documentaries of indigenous people in remote amazon jungles. 

She was also easily a hundred feet tall. 

“Whoa!” Argo gasped, at an understandable loss for words. 

The woman changed course and walked several giant sized paces in a direction that was more or less away from them, before stopping and scanning the surrounding area with her back to the two men. One hand went to the bag on her hip, searching about for some object within. Her brown hair hung halfway down her back, though the two men could see that she’d tied a leather strap about her hair to keep it from getting in her way. Her buttocks, naked as the rest of her, was impressively well developed, both powerful and uncommonly attractive. It had moved alluringly as she’d walked. Now it was emphasized by her stance, hip cocked to one side, weight leaned against a long spear that she’d planted on the ground. 

Both men stood transfixed by the nicest ass that either of them had ever seen, belonging to a genuine giant woman.

Suddenly the woman bent over, in apparent scrutiny of one of the enormous florae before her, clearly intent upon some aspect of the plant. This action had the unintended consequence of giving her voyeur audience a view of her attractive bottom all the up way to her anus. Argo and Xu’s jaws hung agape, mesmerized by the stimulating sight.

A scream from behind them shook both men from their reverie. Brandy had looked up from her phone and seen the enormous and alluring bare bottom. Startled, Madison screamed as well, looked up to perceive the giantess, and screamed again.

At the sound, the titanic woman whirled about, spinning her spear and bringing it to the ready in a fashion that illustrated deft ability built from long years of practice. Her eyes were wide in alarm, clearly expecting some form of danger. Upon seeing the four humans her expression softened, a closed-mouth smile gracing her face. Argo saw that she had moderately attractive features. Her smile made her appear not only cute, but also compassionate. The kindly expression made Argo relax. She was friendly. 

He breathed a sigh of relief, only just realizing he’d been holding his breath ever since she’d walked into sight. 

As if to signal her good intentions, the giantess laid down her spear then stood to her full height, regarding them with eyes of a brown so gentle as to almost appear gold. Argo found his own eyes begin to wander, taking in her full form. She had only modest breasts. They were left bare, though she was clearly unembarrassed by her nakedness. Below that was a trim, taut, (and if Argo was being honest with himself) sexy stomach. Several more red markings were painted on the side of her abdomen. They stood out conspicuously against the canvas of pale skin. Impressively powerful leg muscles flexed as she shifted her weight on feet, bare save for a leather strap tied around one ankle, more for decoration as far as Argo could determine. 

Xu raised a hand in greeting. The giantess raised one in return, her lips now parting to reveal brilliantly white teeth.

Then, before anyone could react, the giantess rushed forward. An enormous hand grabbed Argo and Xu, another easily capturing Madison and Brandy. 

***

The cacophony of the littles began almost at once. It always annoyed Nevenez when they cried for help. If people let food go because it complained then no one would ever get a decent meal. She walked over to a nearby fallen tree trunk, settling herself down to relax while she had dinner. 

It wasn’t until she inspected the tiny people that she realized how oddly they were dressed. They didn’t appear to be the typical fare she’d found in the forest. Their clothing was too eccentric and had been manufactured rather than made. While Nevenez rarely talked or listened to her food, she realized that they weren’t asking to be released or for her to spare them. Instead they were asking an incredibly peculiar litany of questions focused primarily upon her. Some caught her so off guard that she couldn’t stop herself from answering.

“What do you mean, ‘Am I a giantess?’” Nevenez replied to the most ridiculous of the queries. This question had come from a dark skinned tomthumb woman. “Of course not. Giantesses are far bigger. I’m a human.”
“You’re human?” asked the light skinned woman in clear disbelief. “But you’re so tall. You must be, like, I dunno. A hundred feet tall.”
“Did we shrink?” asked one of the men. “Everything in this forest is so enormous. Even the blades of grass.”
“Everything’s regular sized.” Nevenez shrugged her shoulders. She looked around, reassuring herself that it truly was. Finding all as it should be, she returned her attention to her captive audience. “From how you talk you would think that you little tomthumbs had never met a human before.”
“What do you mean we have never met a human before?” asked the other tiny man. “We arehuman.”
Nevenez frowned at him. “Humans? As small as you? Sorry, but no. Humans are my sized. You’re tomthumbs. And from your funny clothes clearly you’re from another place. People sometimes travel from other places and end up here. That must be what happened to you.”

The back haired man spoke up, waving the one free hand that wasn’t pinned to his side by Nevenez’s grip, like a child soliciting the attention of a parent. “We call ourselves humans where we come from. You see we are the same size there as you are here. Maybe the world’s proportions are different here. Or we shrank somehow. How could we shrink?”
“Magic could do it,” Nevenez replied evenly. “I’ve heard of that happening to people, but only when caused by fairies. If you’re sure that you really are humans then...” She trailed off, uncertainty creasing her features. “But how can you be? You all look like tomthumbs. You’re the right size.”
“So there are other people our size here?” asked the first man, the one with blond hair.
“Oh yes,” Nevenez nodded. She felt her mouth beginning to salivate. 

Are these really humans? Nevenez wondered. Or is a clever trick? If they were truly humans then she certainly shouldn’t eat them. Size changes did occur periodically, mostly due to magic. So maybe they really were humans. That would be disappointing. She was hungry, but eating shrunken humans certainly wouldn’t be right.

…Or could they really be tomthumbs? Were they simply calling themselves humans as a clever ploy to remain uneaten? The young woman studied her catch with mounting suspicion. 

“You guys came here accidently then? Is that your campsite?” Her eyes flicked from them to their tents and back again. Her expression betrayed her weariness to accept their story.

“Yes it’s ours, but we just seemed to have appeared here a moment before you arrived. We came from a place called Virginia. I was wondering about the lost colony. Have you heard of them? Is this Croatoan?” asked the black haired tomthumb male.

“I haven’t heard about a lost colony before, but plenty of people seem to become lost here. This place is called Felarya. That much I know.” Nevenez replied pleasantly. She could confidently tell them that at least.
“Felarya,” Several of them tried the word out uncertainly. They began asking each other if they’d ever heard of it before.

“It’s a good thing we met such a friendly woman right off the bat. A local to help us find our way around. Maybe find our way home,” the blonde man observed. 
“You like her because she’s pretty,” injected the light skinned woman.
“Oh,” Nevenez smiled at her. “You really think I’m pretty? Thank you.” 

“Can you send us back to where we came from?” the dark skinned female interrupted. The other three looked up with anticipation. It felt like it was up to her to determine their fate.

“Send you back?” Nevenez parroted uncertainly. She was beginning to feel like not sending them anywhere but to her belly. She paused before she gave them that answer, making sure her logic was sound.

While extremely polite and complementary, their conversation was becoming tedious. Besides, their story was too unlikely to be believed anyway. Wherever these people were from, they were clearly tomthumbs rather than humans. Was a neko a naga just by claiming to be one? Of course not. Tomthumbs calling themselves humans didn’t change anything either. Besides, it would be wasting food to not eat them.  Such gifts, Nevenez knew, came from the gods. That must mean that wherever they were from, they had been brought here because they were meant to be her dinner. 

Nevenez reviewed her logic. If what they said was true, they’d arrived here right before she had. It was far more plausible that the unseen hands of the gods had brought them here for her, rather than some simple fluke in probability. Wasn’t it? Of course it was. 

She beamed at the conclusion. They were meant as her food. That decision felt right.  

“You can help us find our way back?” the blonde man asked hopefully, clearly misunderstanding her smile. 
“And deprive myself of my dinner?” Nevenez laughed genuinely amused. “Now why would I do a silly thing like that?”
“You plan to… eat us?” asked one of the girls, disbelief in her voice. Perhaps mixed with a dash of hope that she had misjudged Nevenez’s meaning.
“Of course. It’s why I caught you.”

Gift from the gods or no, the strange looking tomthumbs were no different than normal ones when about to be eaten. In fact, Nevenez thought as she popped the first one in her mouth, these ones are perhaps even worse when it comes to screaming than the ones that are found locally. She sloshed the brown skinned woman around in her mouth, savoring her subtle flavor. Then the pleas from her companions started. Nevenez ignored them; focusing on the one she was rolling about in her mouth. The poor thing was yelling, fighting against her tongue. It felt delightful. 

Nevenez swallowed her whole, savoring her struggles on the way down before eating the shrieking light skinned woman next. The two males went after that, saving big blonde one for last. Taller and broader than the other three, his body was more of a struggle to swallow. It took a real effort to get the belligerent tomthumb down. The first gulp only got him half in, half out of her throat, causing her to start choking on the still thrashing form. Nevenez was forced to tilt her head backwards and swallow several more times, finally sending the tomthumb down her esophagus. She distinctly felt his whole trip down to her belly, the powerful tomthumb’s struggles delightful now that he’d been swallowed. Once all four were in her stomach she drank water from a bladder that she’d made from animal skins. 

The frantic rubbing inside her stomach was immensely satisfying. She leaned back, eyes closed. It was as if the little tomthumbs knew just how to squirm to make her feel pleasantly full. More proof that they were indeed brought here by the gods. Whispering a brief prayer in thanks, the young woman pressed a hand to her content belly. 

Upon opening her eyes, they alighted upon the funny tents the tomthumbs had used. Such things were of course, far too small for human use. But curiosity got the better of her and she felt compelled to investigate the belongings of her recent meal. 

She stood, stretching her arms high above her head, getting the kinks out. A contended sigh escaped her lips. Then she walked several steps over to where the tomthumbs had made their camp. It was an odd sort of campground. They’d had a fire going and had pitched tents made of some unfamiliar material. Nevenez regarded the entire campsite with scorn. Everything was right out in the open where any passing predator could have found them. Even the youngest of Felaryan natives would have known a campsite so out in the open would quickly attract attention. And they had even been burning a fire, which would have drawn predators from miles around. These tomthumbs must have been remarkably stupid. 

No. Nevenez chided herself as clarity sudden dawned. The gods brought them here. Even though neither they nor I realized it until now, those four confused tomthumbs were conveyed here specifically to give their lives in preservation of my own. They deserve my respect and love, not my scorn. 

Realizing that she had sinned, Nevenez bowed her head. She could redress her immorality with a prayer to the gods for the souls of the tomthumbs, still actively moving about. 

“Dearest gods and goddesses of land and heaven,” she raised her hands to her heart in an indication that her words came from her spirit, she spoke aloud to ensure the gods would hear. Though she didn’t realize it, this also made her words audible to the four people being digested alive in her stomach. “Forgive my disrespectful and judgmental thoughts about the foolishness of my recent meal. It was through your merciful kindness that this food was placed before me. When the souls of these four well-mannered and delicious tomthumbs reach the afterlife, I ask that they be given the knowledge and understanding of my enjoyment of how delicious they were. I acknowledge, thank, and love them for their sacrifice by becoming my dinner today. As always, I honor and thank gods for the meal that you in your kindness, have bestowed upon me.” 

Suddenly there was a more pronounced squirming in her belly, causing Nevenez to jump in surprise. Perhaps it was an indication that her prayer was well received? Surely that was the case. The thought made her feel good. Letting out a loud belly laugh of happiness only incited her food to further struggles. Oh this was a good sign indeed. Perhaps her tomthumbs already understood her convivial regard for them. She hoped so. Having atoned for her improper thoughts, she turned her attention back to the tomthumb campsite. 

Poking experimentally at one of the tents revealed no serious safety concerns. Tearing the tents apart to expose the inside resulted in finding nothing more than miniscule bedrolls. Sighing in disappointment, Nevenez kicked dirt upon their tiny fire to suffocate the flames. Turning away from the empty camp, the young woman strode into the forest.

The sunlight slanting through the trees at a more pronounced angle combined with a marked cooling in the afternoon foretold evening’s hasty approach. Having wandered somewhat further from her usual range today meant that none of her typical hides could be reached before darkness fell.  That meant that she would need to find a place to sleep, and soon. Only a fool traveled the forests at night. It was too easy to make camp below a giant predator, blindly stumble across a dozing naga, or worst of all, become entangled dridder’s web rendered invisible in the gloom. 

The last time she’d traveled by night her foot had caught a root. She’d crashed loudly in the underbrush, attracting the attention of something in the darkness.

At first Nevenez had thought it was another human, or maybe a neko. There had been cautious, tentative calls from the shadows, coming from someone not far away. The voice had been that of a female. She’d sounded worried, almost afraid. It was only because some typically dormant instinct had suddenly begun screaming of danger that Nevenez had held her tongue. 

The voice had called again. “Hello? Who’s there? Is there anyone else out there? I’m so afraid.”

After that there had been nothing. Nevenez had lain in the brush, unmoving for what seemed like an eternity. She’d badly wanted to hail the woman, to see if there was another human with whom she could share a camp, to keep the loneliness and apprehension of the night at bay.  But instead she stayed hidden, heeding the advice of the voice of panic that had a vice-like grip on her chest.

It was well that she had. The quiet clicking of something inhuman slowly creeping past not twenty feet away had reached her ears. Lying on her belly as she was, it was possible to turn her head towards the origin of the sound. The thick leaves of the forest above let in little starlight, but there was enough of a moon for Nevenez to make out the silhouette of a large dridder slinking by. That had been what had called to her; not another human seeking companionship in the night. It had been a dridder hoping to lure out foolish prey. The creature was clearly searching for her, though apparently it had been unable to pinpoint her exact location when she had fallen. 

Nevenez had spent that terror-filled night lying on the forest floor. She’d waited until long after the sun came up before she dared move a muscle. It had been morning when the young woman had crept away, slowly picking her path around massive dridder webs. Thank goodness she hadn’t tried to leave on the night! The hair on her arms had still been standing on end for fear that the predator was somewhere nearby. 

The entire experience was one she did not care to repeat. No. Traveling by night wouldn’t do. A safe campsite could surely be found close by. But where?

Putting the sun to her back, she followed an animal run through the forest, constantly scanning the world for potential food, a possible campsite, and of course for threats. 

It was by accident that she came across a human campsite. She’d seen their tents first. They were made from similar materials as the ones she’d found in the tomthumbs’ campsite. Of course these looked a bit sturdier, and actually big enough for a human. Indeed, they were big enough to comfortably sleep three or four humans.  

After listening intently for a pair of minutes and not hearing a sound, Nevenez crept into the campsite. It was immediately obvious that giant predators had destroyed the camp. One of the tents had been torn in half. Another appeared to have been pulled off the ground and then cast aside. A third had clearly been tampered with.

There was a fire pit with a few still smoldering embers. Beside the fire was stocked a good supply of wood. Unsurprisingly, making camp in such an obvious location had attracted the attention of a giant predator. 

Nevenez ruled out the possibility of fairies immediately. Fairies would have no need to rip apart tents. They would rely upon their magic. What then? 

Studying the marks in the soil it was clear that the humans who had camped here had been caught unawares and left scrambling for their lives. Making sure to move quietly, always on the lookout for threats, Nevenez circled the camp. 

It didn’t take long to learn what had caught the humans. An enormous naga’s tracks lay in the dirt. There were several giant nagas in this area of the forest, all of them extremely dangerous. Then, surprisingly, she discovered the tracks of two giants, one a fully-grown adult, the other belonging to a child. A blonde giantess woman and her daughter, Nevenez knew. They were not the most adept hunters but no less dangerous for all that. It only took one time for them to be lucky. Or for her to be unlucky she supposed. Several friends had been caught off guard by that giantess and subsequently been a meal for her or her daughter. 

Nevenez gazed at the tracks for a long moment. How peculiar to think that the giantesses appeared to be hunting with a giant naga.  Whatever their motivations for working together, they appeared to have taken all the humans from the camp and moved on. 

Making a split decision, Nevenez stole into the camp as quietly as she could, ducking her head into the nearest tent. Within were several bedrolls that aside from size, were similar to those belonging to the tomthumbs still squirming lightly in her belly. There were also a few backpacks. It took several moments of playing about with one before Nevenez succeeded in opening the bag, zippers being completely foreign to her. Once she discovered how they worked, they were like a magic all their own. She zipped the backpack open and closes several times, marveling as the teeth clicked together or released with the pull of a tab. Finally, she opened bag completely and began rummaging through the contents inside. Several sets of odd-looking clothes were stored within. Neatly folded cloths in flamboyant reds and pinks spilled from the bag. They were so brightly colored that Nevenez wondered how anyone would expect to wear them and not be instantly spotted by some predator. 

She discarded the fabric, hoping the next bag would be more interesting. This one was similarly outfitted with colorful clothes. In a store in New York or Tokyo, they would have costs an inordinate sum. To a Felaryan native human, they appeared completely worthless. 

As she pawed through name brand clothes with an indifference that would have shocked its previous owner, her hand brushed against something firm and unyielding. Fishing it out from between two shirts, she discovered a funny blue-green case with a seam running down its center. She pried it apart to find that it snapped open easily. Inside were two flat clear disks held together by wire that extended into hooks. It was the sort of thing that human offworlders sometimes wore before their eyes. In the past, Nevenez had only been able to speculate about the purpose of such peculiar headgear. Magic was the obvious answer but there was no way of knowing exactly what it did without trying it herself. 

Slowly and with great caution, she brought the two clear disks to her eyes.  The world went fuzzy. It was so uncomfortable that almost made her head hurt. Odd. Why would anyone purposely impair their own vision? She wondered about the human who had used these funny discs. What was he or she like? It was a strange person indeed to purposely walk around half-blind all the time. After blinking several times, she decided that these discs were useless to her. 

Throwing them aside, the glasses impacted a funny looking box with odd shapes painted on it. They appeared as, “INVISIBILITY SUIT” on the side in large block letters. To the Felaryan native, the symbols were meaningless. Someone had clearly been in the process of opening the box before being interrupted, most likely by one of giant predators that had torn up the camp. A glance inside the box revealed funny looking gray clothes. More useless junk. 

Exiting the tent, she observed the torn canvass and wreckage of the tent that had been ripped in half. Amidst the wreckage was another large box with a symbol that had more strange symbols. She turned away from the box that said “JET PACK.” There was nothing of value here either.

Nevenez cast a troubled look upwards. As the sun began to set, the sky was transitioning from light blue to pinks and subtle reds. The question of a safe place to bed down for the evening still needed an answer. She certainly wasn’t going to spend the night in one of these flimsy cloth shelters. Like the tomthumbs from earlier, only someone who was practically asking to be eaten would spend the night in such an obvious place like these. A sensible woman like Nevenez certainly wasn’t going to camp here. 

The real issue was this was a largely unfamiliar section of the forest. She didn’t know the area as well as she would have liked, and therefore would have to search for a suitable place to sleep. Was there enough time to look through the final tent? And if she did spend that time in searching, there might be nothing worthwhile to find. Then again, it was rare to have to chance to explore a campsite of human offworlders. While often so inept at jungle survival skills as to practically walk into the open maws of predators, they frequently carried the most fascinating contraptions. Sometimes they were just as impressive as magic. 

Ultimately, she decided to risk a quick peek into the final tent. Crossing the campsite, she carefully stepped around a broken tangle of twisted metals that had clearly been crushed by one of the giant creatures. Nevenez didn’t know that this was the sad remains of a portable shield designed to protect the inhabitants of the campsite. Initially, the shield had done its job. Humans in the campsite had mocked and jeered the three enormous women attempting to get at them, pushed back by the shield generator. Then one of the giant women, a certain naga, had overstressed the shield’s capacity and the entire defense had collapsed, rendering the humans suddenly defenseless and completely accessible to the giant predators. The three women had shown them no mercy. The man who had made the decision to purchase the cheaper, but ultimately weaker shield had not lived to regret his decision. At the moment that Nevenez passed by the wreckage, he was over a dozen miles away, in the initial phases of digesting in the stomach of a naga. 

While not completely torn in half, the third tent was in bad condition. It had clearly been shaken up by one of the giantesses to see if any humans were hiding within. Nevenez had her doubts that anything worthwhile could be salvaged from the tent. But it was here that Nevenez found the light stick. 

The soft red glow from within the tent been unnerving at first. Guarding against trouble, the young woman had advanced through the opening in the tent with her spear held at the ready. Who knew just what sort of magic or traps those humans had set against thieves?

The light didn’t flicker or jump, like firelight. This was a steady red burn. But what could cause such a light? Taking cautious, tentative steps, Nevenez slowly moved towards red glow, so as not to startle whatever was causing it.

It turned out that the origin of the light was a stick of no more than four or five inches in length. Nevenez poked it with the spear in case it was a clever ploy conceived by one of those tricky fairies. She tensed, expecting it to trigger some sort of trap. 

Nothing happened. 

Pressing the wooden spear against the glowing stick also produced no reaction. The wood didn’t catch fire, or even smolder, yet the light continued to glow. With great trepidation, she reached out a cautious hand, wondering if the simple act of touching it was enough to extinguish the spell, or to burn her skin from her hand. Fingers tentatively made contact with the stick.

No heat. No pain. 

Against all logic it felt cool to the touch. Grasping the wonder in one hand raised even more questions. What was it made of? The unfamiliar material was both flexible and hard. Her brown eyes went wide as she tipped it side to side.  It had somehow been filled with a red liquid that sloshed about inside. It was the liquid within that was glowing. Nevenez knew at once what she had found. 

This was a magic wand.

Childhood tales of great wizards and witches sprang unbidden to mind. They were stories of great heroes who could accomplish great miracles, often by using wands to channel their magical energy. Amazing to think this little glowing stick held such power. It certainly fit the description of such powerful objects. To Nevenez’s knowledge, she didn’t possess any magical ability. That left a lot of doubt about the possibility of effectively wielding such a great tool. Regardless, she was reluctant to leave the magic wand in the cracked shell of a campsite. Perhaps someday someone could show her how to use it. 

Nevenez stuffed the marvel into her hip bag to puzzle at later, and then looked about for more treasures. Several other mystifying contraptions were lying about but their purposes were not immediately obvious. With night approaching, the young woman decided she had no further time to tinker with the strange devices. Leaving them in the strange camp, her steps took her back into the safety of the forest and hopefully towards a safe place to spend the night.

The evening was warm, as was typical in this part of Felarya. Nevenez’s nakedness presented no discomfort to her as she walked through the forest in the dying light. For the most part, staying warm was not a problem. And modesty about one’s own body was a concept that was foreign to many of the indigenous people of Felarya. 

As to the essentials for survival, water was usually easy to find, as were some foods. She wasn’t exactly hungry, but neither was she so full as to pass by several vegetable plants when she spotted them. Digging up two of the eatable roots, the young lady munched on one as she walked, storing the other in her hip bag for later. 

After another twenty minutes the sun had nearly set. She was just beginning to think that she would spend the evening sleeping in a tree. Such nights were neither comfortable nor restorative. Trees were a last option only slightly preferable to sleeping on the ground. 

It was then that she found the cliff face.

Tangled with vines hanging off the peak, its craggy face peppered with an occasional shrub, was a cliff of about seventy-five feet in height. Nearly halfway up gaped the mouth of a cave. From what the lithe and attractive woman standing on the forest floor could see of it, the cave was roomy enough for a person and remote enough not to worry about most predators. It was too small for giant harpies to enter, and too high for most land predators, including nagas.

While it was far from perfect, there was no time left to find anything else.

The climb up the cliff was challenging, but thankfully not beyond her skill. Her arms and legs were burning with fatigue by the time she reached the mouth of the cave. For a moment she simply sat and rested, catching her breath and drinking from the bladder of water. 

The cave mouth was half hidden by a brush that grew out of the rocks just to one side. Though its leaves were not particularly large, its wide branches spread out from its base and helped to hide the cave from prying eyes. In fact, had Nevenez not been at just the right position when she’d looked up at the cliff, she likely would have missed the cave altogether. More proof that the gods were watching over her.

But now she sat before the entrance to an unknown cave. Just because it was difficult to see from the ground, didn’t mean it was impossible. It might be someone’s home. Nevenez eyed it warily. In the half-light, the rocky opening into the cliff, covered here and there with moss, gaped like open mouth waiting to swallow her. She shuddered at the thought, trying to put it from her mind. There were enough terrors in Felarya without her imagining more. This was only a cave after all. And a cave by itself couldn’t hurt her.

But what hid inside? Did something lurk in the darkness, waiting for the moment that she would let her guard down to rush out and grab her? Was she making camp on the entrance to the home of some human-eating monster? Despite her fatigue, there could be no sleep until she had assured herself that she was safe. That meant exploring within. 

The unbroken shadows of the cave were ominous and foreboding. It was far too dark a space to search with bare eyes. A torch was the obvious solution, but all the proper materials needed to make one were down on the forest floor. It would be a dangerous climb back down now that sunlight was retreating from the world. Perhaps she had something in her hip bag that would help. Her hands felt about within. She smiled as they brushed against unfamiliar material, suddenly remembering the magic wand. 

Several moments later the young woman advanced into the cave, her spear held out before her. The magic wand had been strapped on to the point of the spear by several strips of twine that she’d had in her hip pouch.  

It was a risk to explore the cave of course. She might well be walking into a predator’s lair. But it would be far riskier to spend the night without knowing if anyone lived inside. Better to face any danger awake and ready with a spear in her hands. The last thing Nevenez wanted was be discovered by a dridder while she slept. 

The thought made her shiver. She crouched lower in the cave entryway, tiptoeing further forward as the cave narrowed, the ceiling creeping ever closer. Already fatigued from a long day of travel and the taxing climb up the cliff face, her muscles complained, legs and buttocks aching in the deep, prolonged crouch. Yet she continued forward, using the magic wand’s red light at the end of her spear to search the narrow cave.  Perhaps if anything were in here, they would see her glowing magic wand and believe her to be a powerful mage. Perhaps then they would leave her alone.

As it turned out, the cave terminated in a rock wall no more than a dozen yards from the cliff face. There was no sign that anything dangerous had ever lived inside.

A far calmer Nevenez made her way back towards the cave entrance. Her tense muscles had relaxed, thudding heartbeat pattering back to normal, breathing easy. The world outside was dark purple now that the sun had set. A number of stars were already visible, twinkling merrily in the early night sky as if there wasn’t a care in the world.

Sitting on the mossy cave floor was soft enough, or at least as soft as Nevenez could have expected. She leaned against the cave wall, dangling one foot off the ledge of the cliff. Taking the vegetable root from her bag, she began to eat. It crunched satisfyingly between her teeth. 

The young woman took a long look a the night sky, counting shooting stars while humming one of her mother’s lullabies to the accompaniment of the serenade from the forest below; the chores of the trees in the wind, the hoot of the occasional bird, on the hunt for rodents. Picking a star in the sky, she thought of a wish. Her grandmother had once told her that if a wish was made on a star, then the angels were sure to hear it. Perhaps it was simply a story to tell children, but it was fun to believe anyway. Closing both eyes, Nevenez thought hard, and made a wish.

It was a selfish wish. Nevenez knew that wishes should never be selfish, but she made it anyway. A simple hope that tomorrow there would be a chance to return to that offworlder camp and find more treasures like the magic glowing stick. Her eyes flicked down to the tip of her spear where the little magic wand still gave off its cheerful cherry glow. Perhaps there were other useful things still waiting to be discovered.  

Finishing the last of her vegetable, she washed it down with several gulps of water from the water bladder. A satisfying burp brought up the taste of the vegetable root and a hint of the tomthumbs. She swallowed another gulp of water to settle her stomach.

Kneeling before the cave entrance, Nevenez and closer her eyes. After a moment of quiet reflection on the occurrences of the day, she began to pray to the gods and goddesses of the land and sky. First she thanked them for the day and for seeing both its beginning and end. Then she told them of her gratitude for her food, the fruit and fish she’d had in the morning, the berries and bird eggs she’d found in the afternoon, and the tomthumbs and vegetable roots she’d eaten that evening. She thanked them for directing her travels towards to the empty campsite with its magic wand, and for guiding her to the cave. With a final offering of gratitude for her continued safely through the day, she humbly beseeched to be granted the same gifts tomorrow. 

Of course, in Felarya eventually everyone became food for someone. A year ago her own parents had been food for a black haired, copper skinned giantess. Nevenez knew that someday someone too would eat her. But with the help of the gods and maybe a little luck, that day wouldn’t be tomorrow. After all, the gods had blessed her so much today. 

She lay down on the rocks, pleasantly warm from the day’s heat. A sweet aroma of vegetation drifted up from the jungle below, stars above looked down on her with soft silver light. They were the loving eyes of those who came before, watching over their children. Nevenez wondered if someday when she died, she would get to be a star looking down on Felarya. 

The young woman drifted off into a deep sleep. Below her, the forest of Felarya passed another night. 

The End.