Away from home

PART ONE

1
My footsteps echoed in the big hall. I looked at the elves around me. They were all wearing the same dark green shirt and light green trousers. They all had the same serious look in their eyes. And they all stared at me. No-one talked. I just kept walking with two elves behind me. What were they up to? One elf was waiting for me in the middle of the hall. He was wearing a yellow shirt, yellow trousers and yellow shoes.
"We found this stranger in the wood." an elf who was walking behind me said.
"Are you a human?" the elf with the yellow clothes asked me.
"Yes."
"We haven't seen any humans here for decades." the elf with the yellow clothes said.
"It was an accident." I said. "Meredith must have done something wrong. Is... Is she still in my world?"
"Yes." the elf with the yellow clothes confirmed.
Another elf opened a wide door behind him. She was wearing a long, wide yellow shirt.
"Come with me." she told me.
I followed her through several halls. She brought me to the terrace, where we could see the wood.
"Something went wrong." she said.
"I know. Can you bring me back?" I asked.
"Not yet. We don't know whàt went wrong."
Then, she looked at the wide landscape. Suddenly, I heard footsteps. Another elf came to see us.
"It might take a while till we can bring you back." she said to me. "Let me show you your room."
I followed her inside. We climbed some stairs. Upstairs, there was only one, big room.
"I hope you like it?" the elf asked.
"Of course I do!" I said.
My room had a big window and a wide bed. There was also a big mirror. I walked to the mirror and viewed my image. My brown dress didn't match here. It didn't go well in this room. It was hard to believe that I was actually here. One moment, I had been playing a game with Meredith and the next moment, I was here. It was all so simple. Meredith had said just one spell and hup, here I was.
"We'll try to find out how you can go home as soon as possible." the elf behind me promised.
Two days later, I was still in the castle of the elves. Most elves were very quiet. Meredith was a very good friend of mine, but these elves were not like her. I began to feel lonely. The food was very nice, the landscape was very beautiful, my new dress was very beautiful, but I missed my friends and family. I missed Meredith. I was walking in the garden when I saw a goodlooking elf. He was playing flute. He stopped playing when he saw me.
"You play very beautiful." I said.
"Thanks." he smiled. "You're human, aren't you?"
"Yes."
For a few moments, we looked eachother in the eye.
"Can... Can you play some more?" I asked.
"Sure."
I sat down and listened. He just kept playing and playing and I really enjoyed myself. During all that time, I just sat there without moving. Suddenly, he stopped playing.
"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.
"A little..."
He got up.
"Come on. Let's go to the dining-room."
I got up and followed him through the garden. I didn't pay any attention to the beautiful flowers and plants, I only looked at him. He walked very fast and I was following him. After a while, he looked behind him. I looked back without saying a word. I was speechless. I couldn't think straight. Was it the music or was it really him who did this to me? He was an elf... Suddenly, he smiled.
"I hope you like our food." he said.
"I sure do." I assured him.
"Good."
We entered the dining-room together. All the other elves were already eating. We easily found two empty chairs. The elf sat next to me.
"So... Do you play any instrument?" he asked.
"No..."
"But you do listen to music a lot?"
"No. I live in a small village and my family has to work hard."
He nodded.
The food tasted very good, as always. I would really miss it when I returned home. It wouldn't be easy to adapt. I looked at the elf. He could stay here and just spend his days playing music. It was such an easy life! I tried to enjoy the food, but the thought of going back home...
"What's wrong?" the elf asked.
"Nothing. I will miss all this when I get back home. You are too good for me."
"Don't say that."
"Us humans are not that lucky."
The elf seemed to be surprised for a while, but he didn't say anything.

2
A week had gone by. The elves assured me that they were still looking for the gate that would bring me back to the humanworld. The fluteplayer knew many songs. He kept playing new melodies, so it was never boring. I tried to enjoy it as much as possible and spent most time of the day listening to his music. On that day, a week after my arrival, I was sitting in the garden and enjoying the music when I suddenly heard something behind me. The elf stopped playing. A strange creature had appeard behind me. I wondered what it was. It looked purple and had round shapes. It didn't have a face. For a few moments, it didn't move or make any noise, but suddenly, it flew in my direction. I saw a strange light and suddenly, all turned black before my eyes. I woke up in my new bed. An elf was standing next to the bed.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
"Yes. What happened?"
"That demon attacked you."
"Demon?!"
"Yes. Didn't Meredith tell you? Demons feel attracted to humans."
"Are they... Are they dangerous?" I asked.
The elf smiled.
"Don't worry. We have strong magical powers and they are usually afraid to come here. This one was just reckless."
"Oh."
"You don't have to stay in bed. It's a nice day, you can go to the garden." the elf said.
I got up and headed downstairs, followed by the elf.
"Are you hungry?" she asked.
"No."
In the garden, I met another elf. She smiled at me.
"Hello. Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes. Thank you."
"It's been years since we've seen them." the elf said.
Suddenly, my body began to hurt. I felt pain everywhere. It was a strange pain. I didn't know what was wrong. I was afraid that it would get worse and it did get worse.
"Help me! Do something!" I screamed.
The elves tried to help, but the pain didn't go away. It was terrible. I got desperate. One elf gave me something to drink, but that didn't help. It took ages until the pain was over. I was lying in my bed and looked at the elf who was standing next to the bed.
"What's wrong with me?" I asked.
"We didn't know what it was, but we finally found out. The demon was much stronger than we thought. It was a serious attack."
"You mean it was caused by that demon?"
"Yes." the elf answered.
I didn't understand.
"But..."
"We underestimated him. We're sorry about that, but we couldn't know. This is the first time that a demon does such a thing. They got stronger."
I didn't know what to say.
"We don't know how this could happen. Maybe they have an ally." the elf said.
"Is he going to come back?" I asked.
"We're not sure..."
That didn't sound good. I wanted to be safe!

3
The next few dayes, the demon didn't come back. From now on, I avoided the outdoors and spent most time in my room. I didn't listen to the fluteplayer anymore.
"We might need months to find the gate." one of the elves told me.
"What if that demon finds it?"
"Then we won't be able to stop him. You might be safer here than in your own world."
That was not what I wanted to hear.
"We don't know how strong the demons are. Things seem to have changed for them. They were never this strong before." the elf told me.
I just had to be patient. Soon, they would know more. The strong attack seemed to be a real mystery. The elves didn't understand it, so staying in my room suddenly seemed silly. I went back to the garden. I had spent too much time in my room. The demon didn't show up this time. I did expect him, but nothing happened. The garden was very lovely. Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. It was the fluteplayer.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
I smiled at him and nodded.
"Yeah..."
"We don't know how this demon could do this to you." he said.
I had a look around. Luckily, I saw no demon.
"I missed you." the fluteplayer said.
Then, he looked me in the eye.
"Don't worry. We will protect you." he said.
"That demon must be defeated." I said.
"I know. We will take care of that." he promised.
"He didn't attack you."
He smiled and suddenly, I was distracted from that demon. This elf was still wonderful. His eyes, his smile...
"Shall we take a walk?" he asked me.
I nodded. We headed for the wood.
"The other elves are at work. We will be alone." he said.
I was surprised.
"What kind of work?"
"They're looking for information about demons. It is their dream to defeat us."
"Why?"
"Who knows... It's just the way they are, I guess. Until now, we have always been able to defend ourselves. Elves are gifted with strong magical powers. That's how we survived for centuries."
"And now?"
Again, he smiled at me.
"Don't worry. You'll probably be fine. Demons can be very stupid at times."
He meant that we weren't safe here. I had enough of being afraid. This place was paradise, why did those demons have to ruin everything? I used to be so happy after I got here. The elf stopped talking and I didn't know what to say either. We just kept walking through the wood.
"What's your name?" I asked him.
"Keras."
"I am Kate."
After a while, we reached a lake. Keras drank of the water. I was thirsty, so I drank too.
"I love to come here." he said. "Can you swim?"
I shook my head.
"Would you like to learn?" he asked.
I looked at the water and slowly nodded.
"Good. We can swim together then." he said.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
"Sure. Why not?"
"But... The demons..."
He laughed.
"I told you. Don't worry about that. We'll be fine."
"I don't understand."
"Demons are very stupid. They make mistakes. They... Ah, it's hard to explain."
His mood had changed. I was amazed. Suddenly, he stopped smiling.
"They really scared you, didn't they?"
"Yes..."
"Don't mind me. I got used to them and I'm sure we will discover their secret. We got to know them very well."

4
It was very late when we returned to the castle. The other elves were waiting for us. Keras saw one of his friends and began to talk to him.
"You must be tired." one of the other elves said. I nodded and went to my room. The next morning, I woke up by the sound of singing birds. I quickly got ready for breakfast. Keras was not in the garden and he wasn't in the dining-room either. The elves began to eat and Keras arrived a few moments later. He smiled when he noticed me. After breakfast, me and Keras returned to the wood. That morning, he showed me the river and he also showed me a few other places. The demon became a vague memory. My fear faded away. I began to feel as if the danger was gone. And suddenly, it happened. The demon appeared again and attacked me. I felt that same pain again. This time, I was alone with Keras. The pain got worse and all I could do was scream. Then, the pain faded away, but not for long. It got worse than ever. Suddenly, I was in my room. The demon was gone. I looked in Keras' eyes and he looked back at me. The pain slowly faded away now. I got up to see if the demon was in my room. Keras grabbed my shoulders and forced me to lay down again.
"He's gone now." he said.
A few moments later, I fell asleep. When I woke up, Keras was standing near the window. I was feeling better now and got out of bed. I looked at Keras and saw that something was wrong. I was shocked.
"They are getting stronger." he said.
He looked very different now that his smile was gone. I had never seen him like this before.
"We're all in danger." he continued.
I couldn't believe it! He had magical powers. Why didn't he use them? This had to be a nightmare. He had to be joking... But I saw the fear and sadness in his eyes. This was serious. He just kept looking at me with his sad eyes.
"This has never happened before. It's like they're not the same anymore... as if we are fighting someone else."
He shook his head as if he couldn't believe it either. I was speechless. Suddenly, he smiled faintly.
"We will do whatever we can to protect you." he promised. "Are you alright?"
"What's going to happen?" I asked.
"We don't know, but it doesn't look good..."
I had the look through the window. The wood looked lovely. The sky was blue. This world was so peaceful...
"Would you like to go back to the wood?" Keras asked.
I shook my head. For a few moments, I just looked through the window without saying a word and Keras didn't say anything either.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"They're downstairs. Would you like to see them?"
I nodded. The elves in the hall were upset too, just like Keras. There was a strange mood around here.

5
Later that day, I went to the garden. I was all alone there. The elves weren't around to protect me, they were still in the hall. I had a look around and kind of expected that demon to show up again. But it wasn't a demon who showed up. It was a strange lady. She was wearing a white dress and she had very long hair.
"You are in trouble." she said.
She had a very soft voice and she really sounded very kind. I was amazed.
"The elves are defendless. They can't protect you." she continued.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"I'm sorry. I should have introduced myself. I'm a fairy. I have come to save you."
Her words really amazed me. This was exactly what I wanted to hear! I was lucky after all!
"Don't cheer too soon. I still have to find out how they could do this."
"Oh."
"I'm not sure if you will ever return to your own world."
Did I want to go home? I realised I wanted to stay with Keras! I liked this place!
"You shouldn't be afraid, dear. I'm here now."
Suddenly, she was holding a golden coat in her hands.
"Here. Wear this. It will protect you." she said.
I accepted the coat.
"I can't do anymore for now, but once I discover their secret, you won't have to worry about them anymore."
I was confused. The fairy smiled at me.
"Don't worry, this coat has very strong magical powers. Put it on."
I put on the coat and the fairy smiled at me. Then, she vanished. I was alone again. I could feel that this was not a normal coat. There was clearly something special about it. I heard footsteps behind me. It was Keras.
"What are you wearing?"
"The fairy gave this to me. It will protect me." I said.
Keras had a close look at the coat.
"Very powerful..." he said.
He was amazed.
"You just missed her." I said.
Keras smiled at me and I was glad to see he looked much happier.
"What did she say to you?" he asked.
I told him the whole story. After that, he went to get the other elves. They all wanted to see the coat. I had to show it to everyone.
"It looks like we're going to be alright." Keras smiled.
"I hope you're right..." I said.
Keras went to get his flute and I kept listening to his wonderful music until it was very late. I was really tired when I headed for my room. I could hardly keep my eyes open. The demon stayed away now and the fairy didn't come back either. Sometimes, I wondered if she would send me back to the village. I was worried about that because I wanted to stay here, with Keras. I had never felt this way before. It was amazing. If only I had met him sooner. In the wood, the leaves turned yellow and brown and the days got shorter and shorter. The elves gave me a warm dress and put on warm clothes themselves. I also got new boots. Keras kept going to the wood as the cold didn't bother him. We took long walks on the carpet of autumn leaves. The domon became a vague memory as I didn't like to think about him.

6
It was a nice, sunny fall day, the perfect day for going to the wood.
"Where is Keras?" I asked.
"He is away for the moment, but he will be back later today."
"Where did he go?" I asked.
"He's visiting a friend."
"A friend? Who is it? He didn't tell me anything."
"You can ask him when he gets back."
I headed for the wood alone. The colours of the leaves were very beautiful, but I missed Keras. I headed for the lake. For a few moments, I kept standing on the bank and looked at the water. Suddenly, I heard someone behind me. For a moment, I thought it was Keras, but it was a strange man.
"Would you like to swim?" he asked me.
"Who are you?"
"I'm a friend of the Elves'. You're human, aren't you?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"Would you like to swim?" he asked me again.
And then, I slowly nodded.
"Take off your clothes then." he ordered me.
It was too cold for this, but I slowly took off my coat and my uppergarment. I kept my undergarment on and had one last look at the stranger. Then, I jumped into the water and swam away from the bank. Keras had taught me to swim last summer. I payed no attention to the stranger. When I came back, I learned that my coat was gone. It was stolen! What was I going to do?! I had a look around but there was no demon. I took my uppergarment and ran to the Elfcastle, hoping I would reach it in time. I ran as fast as I could. After a while, I got too tired to walk, but I had to hang on. I couldn't give up. My fear for the demon made me keep running. I missed Keras more than ever. My legs began to hurt. That castle seemed miles away. Suddenly, I stumbled and fell. I grabbed my dress and got up. My knees hurt, but I payed no attention to that. I had to keep running! Those demons were horrible! Why was that castle so far away from the lake? I noticed that I began to run slower. I was just getting tired. My legs simply refused to run faster. A terrible thought crossed my mind. I wasn't running in the wrong direction, wasn't I?!
"Keras! Where are you?!" I screamed.
I was desperate and started to cry.
"I can't give up." I said to myself.
Suddenly, I heard something behind me. It was the demon. It was too late. I stared the demon in the eye without moving. There was no point in running away from him. He was very tall, he would run much faster than me. He attacked me and everything turned black before my eyes. When I woke up, I was still at that same place in the wood. The demon seemed to be gone, but Keras was there. I looked into his eyes and I could see he was very worried.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"Yes... I think so."
I got up and noticed that I was still wearing my undergarment.
"I just got here. What happened?"
"I... That stranger asked me if I wanted to swim in the lake. I said yes."
"Is that why you took off your coat?"
"Yes." I nodded. "I just wanted to swim!"
I couldn't believe that I had been so stupid.
"He stole the coat." I said.
Keras just looked at me and said nothing. He didn't seem angry, the look in his eyes was calm now.
"What am I going to do?!" I asked him.
"Calm down. We're already trying to find the coat."
"I hope you'll find it."
He didn't say anything, but just put his arms around me. I got the feeling that he was protecting me.
"Let's go." he said.
I stood up and he took my hand. Together, we walked to the castle. We were all alone there.
"Where is everyone?" I asked.
"They're looking for the coat."
In the hall, there was a comfortable seat.
"Here. Sit down."
I was glad to be in the castle again. Finally! But the problems were still there. The coat was still missing. I was not protected against the demons anymore.