"Happiness Always Wins"

Chapter 4.

After a few more hours of running, John came across a beautiful area of land. Flowers were blooming, animals were roaming around, and streams of water were flowing. The field of grass shimmered under the sun, from leaf to leaf, bus to bush, and tree and tree. John was in awe of the stunning beauty of the grassland. There were butterflies, elephants, giraffes, coyotes, and deer. The weather was beautiful, as the sun shined bright and it was nicely warm outside. Glad he escaped the Cruel Nation invaders, John looked to the blue sky and admired the beauty of Spring.

Assumingly, peacefully at rest, thirty minutes past. John sprung up very rapidly. He ran to the stream, dipped his hands in the water, and sipped five more gulping, handfuls of water until his throat was no longer dry. Later, he went back to his resting spot, and continued to nap.

In shock, only fifteen minutes had passed until he woke up again. He swiftly ran to the stream and drank ten more ginormous handfuls of water. However, John’s throat was not satisfied. His parched throat was not better than before. His throat became sore. He could barely speak. He panicked. Assuming that he was overreacting, he laid back down again, tried calm his nerves, and attempted to rest once again.

After a goodnight’s sleep, the sun arose with a smile on its face. The animals continued roaming around, as they chattered with each other. The flowers continued blooming, as they danced in the wind. The stream kept flowing, peacefully. Eight hours had passed, a tree branch fell on top of John’s head, he woke up drowsy, and his throat was in an immense amount of pain. This time, the pain was unbearable. He felt extremely uncomfortable. He touched his face, and noticed that something was wrong. His face felt bumpy, and lips were dry. He rapidly ran to the stream and drank more water. He continued to drink, and drink, and drink. He felt as though he would not be able to stop drinking the water, because his throat needed to be soothed. He panicked. He did not know what to do, as the animals crowed around him with puzzled looks on their faces. He glanced at the butterflies, elephants, giraffes, coyotes, and deer. They glanced back at him in shock, as they continued to gather around him. They appeared confused when they looked at him.

He spoke to himself, “I just want this to be over with.”

“You are not going crazy,” the butterfly assured him. “We will help you. My friends and I can make you a cup of tea that may help.”

The coyote, the giraffe, and the butterfly gathered together, in union. They collected an assortment of leaves from the trees, grass from the ground, berries from bushes, and water from the stream. They cleaned out a melon, and mixed all of the ingredients inside of it to create a tea. They warmed it over a fire. Once the tea was warm, they handed the cup to John. John sipped in delight.

The animals told him that he was welcome.

After a few minutes, John’s throat was no longer sore. His lips were moist and his face was soft again.

“I feel so much better,” John announced to the animals.

John crawled to the stream, as the animals followed him. He looked down, and he saw his reflection. His face had turned into a purple face with sore bumps that sparkled into the stream. It sparkled like a glistening night. 

Confused, shocked, and afraid, John fainted, unrecognizable.