Story

His eyes fluttered open to the blazing sun in the afternoon sky. Tears falling

down his cheeks, he propped himself up on a beach of sparkling white sand, looking for any sort of clue as to where he might be. He gazed out into a beautiful, crystal-clear ocean, the most beautiful he had ever seen. Small waves rippled and happily splashed to the beachʼs shore, while a pleasant breeze soothed his sore, sand-filled skin. The wind made him realize he was wearing nothing, and, alarmed, he looked for something to cover himself with. Behind him, past the beach was a small, winding path carving through an incredible forest of the likes he had never seen. Oak trees ascended to as far as his eyes could see, peculiar plants of all shapes, colors, and sizes dotted the landscape before him.

He continued to trudge along the path, all the while looking for something to wear. As he begin to grow tired of the seemingly endless, mysterious forest, he spotted a shallow creek. Eagerly he trotted to its location and drank thirstily while resting on a large rock.

Several questions were flowing through the boyʼs mind. How did he get here? Where were his clothes? Where was this beautiful place? Surely it was of another world, for it seemed so perfect, so still, yet it still maintained a natural quality that suggested he awoke on some exotic island. With his curiosity not yet satiated, he arose after one last handful to continue down the meandering path. Just as he stood, a small rustling could be heard from a nearby tree. Alarmed, the boy gazed up towards the trees highest point. It began to shake vigorously, and out came two gorgeous birds carrying what looked like pajamas. The birds were immense, flapping powerful, multicolored wings in rhythm as they drew closer to the boy. The rest of their bodies were quite small, and of a green and yellow coloring. Two beady blue eyes the size of pins were separated by a vast, curved beak that had a reddish tinge.

As the birds landed...