generated with meta.ai
“Rio, let’s head back to the village, it’s getting late, and creepy out here.” Sule was starting to get agitated. He looked up at the grey empty sky and held his breath as if to quieten the hissing, swaying, and movements coming from everywhere and nowhere in particular.
“Don't be such a chicken now Sule. Don't you want to know if the legends are true? Don't you want to know if there are really small people dwelling in the heart of Kamut?” Rio briefly glanced back at his friend as he shoved some branches out of the way. He began venturing deeper into the forest.
”Even the legends still say that no one has ever come back alive to tell the story. So how are we sure these tiny people exist?” Sule whispered looking over his shoulders. “I’m sorry Rio, I can’t do this.” He finally let out before bolting out of the thick forest.
“Oh c’mon Sule, it is only……” Rio was suddenly stunned that he halted. He began shielding his eyes from a blinding light. He had come to a clearing where a bright stone lay shrouded in dry grass like a small nest. The stone emanated a soft white glow that illuminated the space around it.
“Oh wow.” Rio just stood there in awe. He began marveling while moving around the stone in circles. Rio had always been peculiar to other kids his age. While his friends wanted to play ball or fight with sticks and crafts, Rio was often moved by the world beyond. He was fascinated by whimsical tales and legends. He would play in the woods trailing strange whispers and shadows in search of long-forgotten secrets. As Rio felt drawn to the stone, he knew that he had finally found something extraordinary.
He moved closer. He was now tempted to touch the stone and he did. Immediately, Rio felt a surge through his fingertips to his entire body. His head began to spin and his vision blurred. A few seconds later, Rio steadied his balance and gaze. His eyes darted from place to place as he tried to familiarize himself with his environment. Rio was shocked to find himself in the most enormous forest he had ever seen.
The trees looked impossibly tall. The grasses were like green walls and the forest floor stretched without end beneath him. He tried to yell but his voice came out like hollow echoes. He tried to navigate the tremendous wilderness he found himself in but he ended up going in circles. Anxiety washed over him. Rio had never felt so lost and helpless in his entire life.
The sun came down and Rio felt even more terrified. He looked at the sky and saw a giant bird soaring. Its wings spanned an immeasurable width. When he looked back down, a beetle the size of an elephant was approaching him. Rio’s heart beeped and he ran for his life. He caught his breath beneath a fern. “Where am I ?” Rio asked himself in a tiny sad voice as tears flowed freely down his cheeks. He enveloped himself in the petals of a purple hibiscus and soon, he drifted off.
“Hey! Are you okay? What are you doing alone out here? Aren't you scared of the beetles?” A small playful voice roused him.
Daylight had seeped through the canopies of the trees and Rio set his eyes on a girl just about his age. She had round eyes and brown curly hair.
“Where am I?” Rio blurted without moving an inch.
“I knew it. You are new here. Well, welcome to Little People Village. I am Jena.” The girl said.
Rio’s eyes widened. All that time he was searching for the legend of the little people, he had not realized that he was already there. His village, Kamut, had an ancient myth about the little people. It was said that in the heart of the forest dwelled a group of enchanting people as tiny as fireflies. Many believed it to only be a myth but Rio was always fascinated so he convinced his friend and together they went searching.
Now it made sense to him why everything in the forest looked gigantic. Something happened when he touched the stone. He had become a tiny person.
“Come with me. There are more of us.” Jena yelled as she leaped from rock to flower.
Rio went after her until they reached a place that mesmerized him. It looked like an anthill with hundreds of little tents around it. Lightning bugs floated around it like scattered light globes gently illuminating the space.
“Our village!” Jenna announced. “Like you, curiosity brought us all here from far and beyond. When we couldn't find a way out, we made a home here. Come and meet the village. It's been a while since a newbie showed up.”
Over the next couple of months, Rio eased himself into the village and the way of the forest. He learned to feed on nectar and honey from flowers and bees. He learned that the drops of transpiration from leaves were a great source of water. They'd cross rivers on floating leaves. He slept on branches and made shades out of mushroom plants. Rio was living a life he never guessed existed.
One day, Rio and Jena roamed far from the small village until they reached a place vastly different from the heart of the forest. The air there smelled thicker and traces of human activities occupied the territory. They could even hear the soft voices of people conversing nearby.
“No Rio. We don't know what is out there. What if it is another world entirely different? What if we get lost again and we can't get back.” Jena pulled Rio’s arm back.
“What if it isn't? What if it is home?” Rio was starting to remember his village and the people he had left behind. “If it is indeed home, I will come back for you. I promise.” Rio looked into Jena’s round eyes and for the first time, he could see that she deeply cared for him.
“This will lead the way.” Jena loosened a red band from her hair and tied it on a mushroom. She started to walk back but she paused. Jena ran to Rio and hugged him tightly.
“See you soon,” Rio whispered.
As he ventured out of the forest, the foliage began to decrease in size until he was now at eye level with the trunk of a growing Pawpaw tree.
Rio smiled. He was now out of the forest. He came to where a group of boys were gathered kicking a ball.
“Rio!” Sule called out. He ran as fast as he could and grabbed his friend. “Where have you been? We looked everywhere for you and your parents are worried sick.”
“Exploring. You would not believe me if I told you.” Rio smiled.
