Sasha's Dream

Sasha was lying down on the bed. But, she wasn't sleeping. She was thinking about all the things that had happened at the village. Everything looked out of order.

"Am I really where I wanted to be?" She thought,"I think I should go back. Nothing turned out the way I imagined."

Suddenly, she heard a 'knock' from the door. Getting up quickly, she sat properly and said to come in. The door was opened and Doko came in. He had a troubled look in his eyes.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you so late at night."

"No, it's okay. I wasn't sleeping anyway."

"Me too."

Then Doko looked into her eyes and said in a rather serious tone," Sasha, I would like show you something. Would you please come with me?"

There was no way that she could turn down the offer. Though she was a

Qlittle worried, she hesitantly said,"Sure..."



So, they went out. As they walked under the dark starry sky, Sasha could barely see anything. But Doko could see clearly given that he was actually a 'catlike beast'. So, Sasha just followed him. After walking for quite a long time, she finally asked,

"Where are you taking me, Doko?"

"You'll see soon enough." Doko replied in a calm tone.

After a moment, the twists and turns that they were taking started to seem a little familiar to Sasha though she could not see much. At a distance, she could finally see a faint source of light. She quickly went to it and when she saw what she saw, she knew the reason why the 'twists and turns' seemed familiar. The source of light was the 'White Forest'.

Sasha was stunned. She never thought that any forest could glow at night. Well, forests don't naturally glow. But that was the 'White Forest'. The leaves of the trees were glowing and sparkling like crystals and it lit up the ground as well. When she observed more, she noticed some black round balls flying upwards very slowly. The combination of the brilliant trees and some added balls of darkness under the dark starry sky was breathtaking.

"The 'White Forest' !!!" Sasha said in amazement.

Doko agreed. He said, "Yes, it is."

Sasha looked back at Doko as he continued.

"It's called 'White Forest' not just because it's filled with white trees. It's also because it can lift anyone's heart no matter how heavy it is."

"Well, I think this forest is more beautiful at night. I like how the trees glow." Sasha admitted.

Doko looked at her with unsettling eyes. He then looked down and apologized.

"I'm really sorry, Sasha. I wanted you to have a pleasant day today. But, in the end it turned out to be a disaster."

"No, that's not it. Everything was beautiful," Sasha said trying to cheer him up. But, when she thought about it, she could not but say what made her sad.

"When I entered the village, it looked deserted. Moreover, the Mister was looking very angry when he saw me. I guess nobody liked me."

Doko instantly denied,"That's not true at all!"

He then took a deep breath and looked down. He started to explain.

"I know the villagers did wrong not showing up today. But they weren't always like this."

He then looked up the starry sky and continued, "Long ago, they were always cheerful. They used to come out to play very often regardless their age. They always led a joyful life and they also welcomed newcomers very warmly."

"What happened?" Sasha asked out of curiosity.

"Everything started to change one day when the 'Rain Bugs' started to fall from the sky. They destroyed all the houses and all the harvests. Somehow the villagers survived. They tried hard to recover and convinced themselves that it wouldn't happen again. But it did. It has been continuing ever since. It has already been years."

Sasha was horrified to learn such a dark past. She lost words to say anything to it.

Doko continued, "At first, they didn't give up hope. But as time passed on, they started to become suspicious of each other and finally, lost hope."

He then looked at her in the eye and tried to convince her,"Believe me, Sasha, they are not bad people. It was rude of them for what they did today. But, it wasn't their fault!"

He again said,"They just need a chance to believe that they are safe."

Sasha's eyes widened as she heard what he just had said. She became completely convinced. She finally said,"Thank you, Doko."

Doko was surprised to hear her say that. She continued,

"I was worried that I would have to leave this world. But, now I know that I have to bring back what once belonged here. I want to help you all."

He was too stunned to spell any word.

"But, I can't do it alone. I'll need your help," said Sasha.

Doko couldn't check how brightly he smiled. "Of course!!!" He said,"Let's work together."