A pan. Half-man, half-goat. Dream wandered through the thicket, often playing his pan flute while nymphs sang along. One day he wandered too far. He found himself at the edge of a farm. He could see rows of wheat waving in the wind. Trees with vibrant round and healthy red apples. A pond with a small dock. He felt drool run out the corners of his mouth thinking about taking a bite into one of the apples. He hopped over the fence and ran as fast as his goat legs could take him to the tree. He picked an apple, twisted the stem, and cleaned it against the cloth of his shirt. He took the first bite, juice rolling down his chin. A second. A third. He wiped his hand against his chin to remove the apple juice. He took a fourth. A fifth. A sixth. And he threw the core on the other side of the fence. He explored the farm, staring at the flour mill, the chicken coup, the farmhouse, and lastly the pond. He stared at his reflection and wiped some dirt off his face.
"Hey!"
He heard someone shout. He looked around and saw the small brunette boy who shouted.
"You need to run. You can't be here."
Dream chuckled.
"Why not? What are you going to do about it, squat?"
Dream teased, pushing the boy back by his shoulders. The brunette looked up at him sourly.
"My father will shoot you."
The boy warned, trying to stand up.
"Yeah? I don't see him."
Dream cackled. He crossed his arm and let out a little huff of victory. Then he heard a gunshot. He saw a glint in the dirt near his feet. A little piece of brass was stuck in the ground. His smile dropped.
"RUN!"
The boy shouted, grabbing Dream's hand and racing towards the fence. They both leaped over and kept running into the thicket.
"YOU'RE SO STUPID. I WARNED YOU AND YOU LAUGHED ALL HIGH AND MIGHTY AN-"
"SHUT UP I DIDN'T THINK YOU WERE SERIOUS."
Dream shouted back. They both stopped.
"Why were you even there?!"
The boy asked.
"I was hungry."
Dream responded.
"Don't you have a home?"
The other continued.
"I'm a pan. I'm nomadic."
"Oh."
The brunette sat on a stump and paused.
"What's your name?"
He pondered.
"Dream."
"I'm George."
"George?"
Dream asked.
"Mhm."
They sat in silence. The forest became darker very quickly.
"I need to go back home. I have some explaining to do."
George said as he stood up. Dream waved goodbye.
Dream sat under the apple tree waiting for George to find him. It was stupid he couldn't even wait a day. He was back the next morning. Why did this stupid human pull him towards the farm? He had nymphs he could frolic with but no, this human was special to him.
"Dream?"
George asked. The sun only lit half of the field up. Birds were still slowly singing as a warm-up. Dream opened his eyes and stared at the boy. He held a wicker basket full of apples.
"What are you doing?"
Dream shot back while standing up.
"What are you doing? You remember what happened last time?"
George spat hotly. Dream chuckled and flicked the boy's forehead.
"Yes, I do. I remember a gun being fired and me leaving with no wounds."
"It was a warning shot. It wasn't meant to hit anyone."
"Mhm. Why do you want me to leave Georgie?"
Dream teased. George froze.
"I-I don't want you to leave. I just don't want you...to get hurt."
