Welcome to the writing relay "It is as you make it" written by the members of the Power House Creatives, a story that will take you to places you have seen only in your dreams and a story you too will wish you were a part of. Sit back and relax, our magical journey is about to start...

The stream was gurgling happily and there was not a cloud in sight, only a clear blue sky. Bright flowers from the trees gave out a sweet, almost intoxicating, smell. Two squirrels were jumping from one branch to another and seemed like there was not a single worry on their minds. How lovely it would be if everything everywhere was so blissful, lovely beyond words. He opened his eyes and felt pain shooting through his entire body. The will to move was strong but his body did not listen and all he could do is continue lying down on his back with curled legs and stretched arms as if someone dropped him from the sky. His senses gave him nothing but pain. No smell, no sound, nothing. The abundant beauty that was surrounding him might have been the bottom of a pit for all he knew because he saw none of it. There was only darkness in front of his eyes, only quiet in his ears and only pain in every cell of his body.

A curious creature was watching him and wondering about that strange new animal. With a sparkle in those big blue innocent eyes and pearls in her fair hair, it was unfortunate he could not admire the gorgeous site that was just a couple of feet away from him. She inhaled a big breath through her nose and concluded he was a mammal, like her. Maybe he was some kind of monkey she hadn't come across yet. After carefully walking around him and observing all she could see without disturbing him, she found herself giggling at his funny round ears. She had never seen ears like his before, so round and so small. Even monkeys have pointed ears so if he was a monkey, he was a monkey from a faraway land. His entire body was small, much smaller than hers and his hair was black which was very confusing. She picked up a stick from the ground and gently pocked him in the arm. The animal did not make a sound but continued to stare into the distance. How strange and how peculiar. She sensed his life force and knew he was alive but what puzzled her is why he was so unresponsive. Even sick animals make some kind of sounds. Her nurturing nature was kicking in and she forgot all about those old stories about strangers that her father used to tell her. She was sure how this was not the natural way this animal should be behaving and she needed to help that poor creature.

She took off her blue cloak and put it over him but as soon as she did that, the creature started screaming and so she took her coat back. It seemed to be in too much pain for her to handle alone. She needed help from the others. A gentle breeze, with sparkles in the air, appeared around her head. Her eyes closed down slowly and the breeze disappeared with her message in its scent. When she opened her eyes, her family was already there beside her. They gathered in a circle around the creature and her father put his cloak over it. The creature started screaming again but when they all joined hands, the noise stopped. His pain was lifted away.

Something happened and he was no longer staring into the dark. He could feel a heavy piece of cloth on his body and it was a pleasure to sense such a subtle touch. He blinked and could feel his blinking, inhaled and could feel the air filling his lungs. His senses were back and he was grateful beyond words, grateful but cautious. He felt like something was off but could not put his finger on it. There was no smell of dead bodies so he could not have been in a battlefield and everything was too quiet to his liking, almost disturbingly peaceful. Birds were singing and it startled him. It was a long time ago when he last heard the birds. Curiosity prevailed so he decided he needs to get up and figure out where he is but not before he reached for his sword. He could not be too careful. The sword was not on his hip and that could mean only one thing, he was captured by the enemy forces. "It is as you make it" he thought to himself and figured how he still has his fists and there is no way he will go down without a fight. With one fast move, he threw away the cloth and quickly jumped to his feet taking a fighting stance. His fists were clenched, his knees slightly bent and there was no fear in his eyes, only determination. He was going to kill his enemies or die trying. A defeat was not an option.

To his surprise, there were no warriors around him, no swords and no axes, only funny looking people. They were all watching him and holding hands and he could sense that they were judging him and waiting for his next move. All of them were fair skinned and had blond hair. All of them had blue eyes and all of them were wearing blue cloaks. He felt like a mouse surrounded by cats but there was still hope that he will keep his head. They did not have any weapons on them and maybe there was a chance they did not want him dead. There was also a chance they were hiding weapons in their robes but he would not give into despair. There was no point in procrastinating so he lowered his arms and relaxed his body a little so they would not see him as a threat. While he turned around to take a good look at them, he counted 7 males and 7 females in that circle and all of them had the same height, even the females. All of them were a couple of feet taller than him. Maybe diplomacy will have better results than fighting so he remembered how his mother used to tell him to always greet a stranger kindly because every stranger is a potential friend.

"Greetings friends! I mean you no harm. My name is..." he did not know how to finish that sentence and the fear got mixed with shock. He could not remember his name.