A Key To Another World

Chapter six

Damn, what a shelter!

Michael's jaw dropped when he looked at Zoe's so-called shelter. It was huge! A large cavernous room on the side of a mountain. The walls of the cave were covered with green crystals that lit up the dark areas. Roots hung from the ceiling, making the cave room look a bit like a natural plant life. In the center of the cave room was a large fireplace with stones surounding it to sit on. Nearby were several large bowls made of wooden sticks. One of them was completely filled with some kind of round, yellow fruit that Michael had never seen before. He also spotted leaves and cloths covering the ground on a small section. Michael guessed that this must be her sleeping place.

Zoe: "Ah, finally! Home sweet home! Welcome to my cozy lair, Michi. You can enter and leave this place anytime you like."

Zoe entered her lair and walked toward the fire pit. She summoned a green flame on her paw and lit the fire pit. She sat down on one of the stones as the small flame in the fire pit began to burn. She looked back at Michael, who was still standing in front of the cave, speechless, motionless, and open-mouthed.

This is her shelter? Look how massive it is! And she called it a shelter, as if it was something simple!? Enough room for both of us, yeah right! It's even bigger than my classroom, probably twice as big! This looks so stunning!

Zoe: "Are you coming or are you planning on sleeping right outside my cave?"

Michael looked back at Zoe, who smiled and gestured with her paw to enter her shelter. Michael walked up to Zoe and sat down next to her.

Zoe: "Nice, isn't it?"

Michael: "Yes... It really is. I've never seen anything like it! I wonder what else this world has to offer!"

Michael and Zoe looked out of the cave. The sun had already set and the sky was pitch black.

Zoe: "Well, if you want, tomorrow we could go to one of the biggest lakes nearby. It wouldn't hurt to clean ourselves up a bit either."

Michael smelled himself under his armpits and an unpleasant smell rose to his nose.

Michael: "Yeah, you're right."

Zoe: "Are you hungry?"

Just as Michael was about to answer, his stomach answered her with a growl.

Zoe: "I'll take that as a yes! Let me show you my great cooking skills!"

She grabbed a nearby stick and a yellow round fruit from the fully loaded wooden bowl. She attached the strange fruit to the stick and roasted it over the fire. After a while, the fruit changed its color from yellow to brown.

Zoe: "Here, try this! This was a local delicacy in my home village!"

She held the stick with the fruit in front of his mouth. Michael looked at the fruit with a disgusted look. Not only was it brown and wrinkled, but it was also moist and sticky. It also kind of reminded him of the food in the school cafeteria, which tasted like crap.

It looks like- Okey, better not think about that, Michael! You don't want to piss her off, do you, mate?

Zoe: "Say ahhhh."

Well, at least it smells good. I hope it tastes like it smells....

Michael opened his mouth and took a bite. Zoe's eyes widened and her smile grew as she waited patiently for her food critique.

Hey, this isn't so bad after all....

No sooner had he thought about it his tongue detected hairs and a moving something in his mouth. It tasted awful and he immediately spit it out into the fire pit in front of him.