Drowsie. Head spinning. I realize I’m standing, but I have no idea where I am. As my eyes begin to focus, I realize there are bright lights shining directly at my face.

_What the heck _I mumble.

There’s also a horn blaring. I’m standing in the middle of the road. No, I’m standing on a bridge, with a car right in front of me headlights on, laying on the horn.

_WHAT DO YOU WANT? _I scream in my mind. As I realize I can’t speak. I know that I know how, but my mouth doesn’t seem to be working.

Glaring at the car…jeep…truck. Whatever it is. It’s not stopping with the horn. I step off to my left and cross over a low wall dividing the bridge.

Wait, am I on the wrong side of the road or is he? She?

__ _Where AM I? Why am I here? _And a million other questions sprint through my mind. As the jeep-truck thing speeds past me. Still laying on the horn as it races by me.

“Why are they in such a hurry” I ask of no one in particular, “There is no one else out here.” _Whereever here is, _I mutter to myself.

Now that the jeep truck thing is gone. I start to analyze where I am. A persistent mist hangs all around the bridge. It’s cold. Not cold enough that I probably should be wearing a coat and gloves. But chilly, I guess. I seem to be standing on a suspension bridge that looks a lot like the Golden Gate Bridge but tiny. Really only enough room to have one car driving each way on either side of this low wall I am now standing on.

Trying to peer through the mist, I can make out the vague outlines of distant mountains off to my right. The light seems to be rising or setting over behind the mountains. I’ll have to wait to see which.

Looking down I realize I am wearing a suit. It’s not a fancy suit but also not the kind you’d find on the rack at some big department store. It’s got the feel that it was tailored to me. There’s not a speck of dirt on my shoes. Which is weird because the bridge has pot holes with standing water in them, and seems to be really muddy.

I need to start figuring out who I am I think sullenly. Go the same way as the jeep-truck, or the other way?

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Resolved that its a gamble either way. I choose to go the opposite way that the jeep-truck went. I don’t care to run into them anytime soon, seeing as they were just honking at a man standing in the road clearly not willing to help. Carefully I pick my way around the pot holes.

There are so many things about myself that I need to figure out, like my name, where I am, what I’m doing here. These questions are swirling around in my head as I finally make it across the bridge.

_Golly that thing was long, a lot longer than I was expecting it to be. _

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__ My chosen path leads me further into the mountains it seems. The road, if you want to call it that, starts to rise up and curves off to the left. I keep walking down the mist shrouded path. I’m not sure but It seems to be getting thicker. And there are no other noises, other than my shoes scuffling on the dirt road. It’s really eerie, I feel like I should hear a distant river at the bottom of the valley, or birds, or monkeys, or something.

After walking what feels like forever. The “road” is now paved. So it seems like I am walking in the direction of civilization. It’s made the walk easier, that and as it now is going down the other side of the mountain from the bridge. I feel like I should be tired from all the walking I have been doing but I am not out of breath, and my feet miraculously don’t hurt, even though I’m wearing dress shoes.

The mist is still clinging onto everything I can see. The mountains are now receding behind me and as the ground levels off I can’t quite tell if I am exiting the mountains, or if this is just a large valley.

The sun continues to illuminate the landscape through the mist so maybe its still morning time, whereever I am. There are still no sounds around me. No wildlife, no rivers, streams anything. I still don’t feel tired in the sleepy sense but the monotony of walking along this road with nothing and no one is starting to grate on my nerves.

_I’m going to die here. _

As the thought crosses my mind, I hear a blood curdling shriek come from somewhere in the mist. I run.

Heart thudding in my ears, I still don’t hear anything else. I try to yell out but my mouth, no my vocal chords aren’t working. No time to wonder if I am mute or something else as I thunder down the road, which has become straight as an arrow.

After a couple of minutes of running. I still can’t hear anything in the mists. So I slow to a jog. Still not tired or out of breath, which seems weird since I feel like I should be. I resolve to take a break and try to think logically about my next move. I know I don’t really have anything to go on but I lay it all out.

I was on a bridge, where a jerk sped past me and did not help. I seem to be mute, temporarily I hope. I came out of the mountains into a valley or plain of some kind. I am on a paved road, so civilization exists. I heard the shriek of an animal or something and I ran. Here I am listing out all the things that happened to me over the past couple of hours and I still am no closer to knowing, well knowing anything.

Just about the time I give up to start walking again, the same shriek comes out of the mist but closer now. The hair on the back of my neck is standing on end as I hear a thud just enough in the mist all I can see is an outline of something that is tall. Like seven feet tall, with wings?

Petrified I stand still not even breathing. The fear has crawled right out of my stomach and lodged itself firmly at the base of my throat I couldn’t yell even if I could. It has also rooted my feet to the ground.

The hulking shadow takes a small hop towards me. And then another. As its huge chitinous body is covered in litltle spiny protrusions all over its cobalt body. Two huge cerulean wings are folded over its back. It’s standing on four massive legs, ending in huge claws and sharp talons that could end me quite quickly. Just as my eyes begin to settle on it’s avian face, in a rasping voice it says, “There you are. I have been trying to find you.”

_Um ok _I think weakly

“I don’t think you realize how difficult you are to find in all this mist”

Cocking it head to the side it stares at me like it wants me to respond.

My fear still has not let my feet move an millimeter. I want to say something back to the creature but I can’t.

I stammer the first thought that comes to me, I…I’m sss…sorry

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“Well I should hope so. We have a tight schedule and we are well behind thanks to your wandering.”

__ _I… I don’t know what to say, I dont know what you are, or who. Or who I am for that matter. _The thought just start tumbling out of my mind. Fear temporarily forgotten.

“Oh, the transfer must not have been complete.” It says in that raspy voice. Like it’s smoked too much in the past.

So you know who I am?

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“Not per se but I know someone who will. You’ll need to come with me.”

I’m not sure that is a good idea. I don’t even know where I am.

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__ “Well seeing as you are much smaller than me, I don’t think you have much say in the matter.”

With that it takes a small leap into the air and with a beat of its enormous wings hovers over me and grasps onto me with its talons.

_I guess not. _I think forlornly.

“Nope” It mocks. “Besides you definitely do not want to go the way you were walking. That way is certain death.”

_Oh good. _I think. _I left certain death for uncertain death. _

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That’s the last thought I have before the creature beats its wings a few more times and we climb over the mists and the landscape is breathtaking. Headed to… headed to…

_Hey! Where are we going anyway? _I think up at the creature.

“Oh, you’lll see soon enough.” It says in that same mocking tone.

I can’t seem to decide if it’s saving me or taking me to my doom. Either way, I am along for the ride for now.

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