The boy was pressing red earrings into her hands.

“What are these?” asked a young Sofia.

“A gift,” said the boy. Although she could hear him clearly, Sofia still couldn’t see him properly. “Something to remember me by.”

“Remember you by… but, where are you going? Are we not going to see each other anymore?”

“Not for a while, I think,” said the boy sadly.

“B-but I don’t understand…” Tears were welling up in Sofia’s eyes. “I-I wanted to be friends forever.”

The boy reached out for her hand again and gently pried it open so that the receding sunlight caused the gems to sparkle. He lifted her hand between their faces and the earrings began to glow.

“At the gate between earth and sea, you’ll always be able to find me.”

“Gate between earth and sea?” a now adult Sofia repeated.

The boy pointed behind her. Sofia, expecting the dazzling light, turned with squinted eyes. Instead, she felt herself pulled into swirling water. The boy reached out to save her, but she was quickly pulled away. She tried to scream, but the water muffled her sound.

“Sofia!” she heard someone calling her. Something warm and comforting touched her skin.

“Come on, Sofia. Wake up!”

Sofia was confused and disoriented. Her last memory was being sucked into a whirlpool, but now she was seeing blue skies and green leaves. Huh?

A large, wet tongue swiped itself across Sofia’s face.

“Sofia!” Harton whined happily as he realized she was regaining consciousness. Sofia tried to prop herself up on her elbows, her head throbbing. 

“Where… where are we?”

“Sofia, it worked,” the Dlam said excitedly. “We made it through the gate! We’re in Lyfay!”

“Ly…fay?” Sofia looked at the forest surrounding them. The colors seemed… brighter here. The leaves, the flowers, and even the grass shone like gemstones. A gentle breeze seemed to make all the vegetation sparkle with life.

Sofia’s head continued to throb, and the brightness only worsened the pain. She attempted to sit up and realized her feet were still wet. Turning, she was that they were at the edge of an emerald lake. 

She quickly shuffled away from the water and propped herself into a seated position, facing the lake in silence. Harton watched Sofia as she took in her surroundings.

“How did we… get here?” Sofia rubbed her eyes in an attempt to regulate the brightness around her.

“I don’t remember much myself,” replied Harton, “but I think the whirlpool took us through the gate and out here in the lake.”

“My head…,” Sofia moaned. “I think… I think I got thrown up against something.”

She turned suddenly in concern. “Harton, what about your leg?”

“Oh, well…,” he looked down. “Not great.”

The dark substance had nearly overtaken the dog’s leg and was starting to move up his stomach.

“We have to get you to the healer,” Sofia groaned as she forced herself to her feet. “Where do we go? Can you walk?”

“Sofia,” Harton objected, “you promised to help me get through the gate to Lyfay. You’ve done that. Are you sure…?”

Sofia was surprised at herself for her determination in helping the Dlam. What was it about him, this whole situation, that was causing her to be so invested in the well-being of this creature?

“Let’s just… get moving.”

Harton gave her a concerned look, but limped into the nearby brush. “I’m going to see if I can figure out which way to go.”

Looking around, Sofia realized that the contents of her backpack were strewn across the lake shore. Everything was soaked, except her phone which had miraculously survived in a zippered pocket and the plastic bag she had been wise enough to to put it in. She reached into her jeans pocket to find the earrings intact, but they were no longer glowing. The empty bottles, cans, and other bits of trash were also on the ground nearby.

“I’m not going carry these around forever,” Sofia muttered to herself as she gathered the trash into a small pile.

“Sofia,” Harton called from the brush, causing her to jump. “I think I found the water dish you carry on your head.”

“My… oh, my hat?” Remembering the Dlam’s angry expression about the trash earlier, she nervously kicked the pile into some tall grass. She quickly repacked her backpack and stumbled toward Harton.

They limped into the forest, neither of them noticing that a dark, oily substance was appearing on the surface of the lake.

The pair moved slowly and silently, each attempting to manage their own pain.

“How long will it take to find the healer?” Sofia asked, grateful that her hat was now shading her from some of the forest’s brightness.

“Not long,” Harton replied. Wincing as he stepped on his injured leg, he mumbled under his breath, “I hope.”

“What was that?” pushed Sofia.

“Well, this isn’t a part of the forest I’m very familiar with…” Harton admitted. “I have an idea of the direction we need to go, but I’m not sure how far it is. Or how long it would take at this pace.”

A rush of frustration came through Sofia. “Are you serious? You mean we went through all that and we still might not make it to the healer in time?”

“How was I supposed to know where the gate would bring us?” 

“Didn’t you say you were on some kind of scouting party? I thought you would have, I don’t know, scouted the area?”

“Lyfay is quite large, you know. I don’t know it all!” Harton retorted.

“Excellent. So, we’re lost and have no idea how long until we can find help. Or even if we’ll find help.”

“Why are you getting angry?” Harton was becoming frustrated. “I’m the one who's dying!”

A high, long, and blood curdling screech rang through the forest, stopping the duo in their tracks.

“What was tha…?” Sofia began to ask. Looking down at her hand, she realized that the earrings had begun glowing again - a sinister shade of pale yellow.

“Run,” Harton replied. “Run!”

The screech peeled again through the trees, and it seemed to Sofia that the brightness around her was rapidly becoming dull. Through the trees she thought she could make out several strange, dark figures. One suddenly turned towards her, its pale deathly eyes locking with hers.

“Sofia, I said run!”

Harton’s voice broke Sofia out of her trance. Quickly pocketing the earrings, she raced after him. 

Screaming maliciously, the dark creatures quickly pursued. 

Casting quick glances back as she weaved between the trees and through the brush, Sofia realized their pursuers were moving in a straight line. Nothing was stopping or hindering them; they seemed to pass right through any obstacle. It was as if their bodies were composed of a sort of liquid or gas.

The vibrant colors faded instantly from anything the creatures touched, and the oozing black substance they left in their wake seemed to be devouring whatever surface it landed on. 

Sofia was catching up to Harton, and the creatures were gaining on both of them. Harton’s injured leg seized, toppling him to the ground. 

“Harton!” Sofia screamed. She back tracked and tried to drag him, but the Dlam was too heavy for her. 

“Get out of here!”

“I’m not leaving you!” Sofia shouted in return.

The dark creatures were upon them now, surrounding the pair. Harton’s wound was growing exponentially and his bright purple and yellow was beginning to fade. Sofia felt something grab her face, and found herself looking directly into the void, pale eyes of one of the creatures.

The creature seemed to lick its lips with a long, curled, pale yellow tongue. Its grip tightened on Sofia’s face so she couldn’t look away. 

One of the bottles she had left by the lake appeared, apparently held by another of the creature’s ghastly hands. The creature wrapped its tongue around the bottle and swallowed it in one bite as if enjoying an appetizer. Sofia could feel air being pulled directly out of her lungs. 

“Thanks,” Sofia could feel the creature's hot, poisonous breath on her face, “for the invitation.”

It moved as if to bite her, when a shocking blue and yellow light appeared. The creature dropped her, and its companions pulled back from her and the Dlam. 

Something like a light bolt broke through the circle of creatures, and Sofia saw new figures enter the scene. Unable to see clearly or breath well, Sofia clung to Harton as the flashes of light continued to attack and push back the gaseous creatures.

After what seemed like an eternity, the lights subsided. Sofia braved a look and realized the monsters were gone. The forest had lost its vibrancy, and the surrounding flora was dead.

A voice spoke from behind her, causing Sofia to whip around in fear. It was a man in a flowing dark green robe with a long staff in one hand. His bright blonde hair and brilliant blue eyes were in striking contrast to the pale surroundings of the dead forest. 

He spoke again, but she couldn’t quite understand him. He reached out his hand, but Sofia reflexively clung tighter to Harton. Realizing that Harton hadn’t moved since the beginning of the attack, Sofia suddenly became panicked.

“Are you a healer?” Sofia asked. “My friend needs a healer. He was attacked and his condition has been getting worse since yesterday. I couldn’t do anything to help him. Please, can you help him? Can you save him? I think he’s dying!”

Sofia realized that she was sobbing. The man looked from her to the Dlam, eyes open wide in surprise. He turned his head to shout orders to someone behind him and Sofia realized that his ears were long. And pointed.

An… elf?

The elf turned back to Sofia, his piercing blue eyes commanding her attention. He extended his hand to her again and said, “Do not be afraid. You are safe now.”

Unsure of how her body was moving, she felt herself lifted and placed on a pink and white horse-like creature. The elf secured her in the saddle and then mounted behind her. 

Sofia turned to look for Harton and noticed other elves surrounding him and building a travois for one of the other horse-like creatures to pull. He seemed to be breathing, but still looked dangerously pale.

The elf, noticing Sofia’s concern for the Dlam, leaned down to speak gently into her ear. “He will be all right.” 

She looked up to see him softly smiling at her. Struck by the elf’s radiance, Sofia quickly turned her face to hide the flush rising in her cheeks.

The elf chuckled softly before he tutted to his steed. Turning his head, the elf shouted orders as he moved forward. The rest of the group soon fell behind and together they made their way into the forest.