The Pond Of Flowers

Two, The Creatures

Elliana was dreaming. She tossed and turned, but of course, she didn't notice in her unconscious state. This was a nightmare she had more and more recently. She was a snob. She lost herself and became the shopaholic people thought she was. She had a mountain of bags filled with designer clothing she didn't need. As she walked by a puddle, she grimaced and lifted her shoe over it so it didn't get dirty. She lost her balance and slipped into the puddle. But the puddle was a bottomless pit, and she was drowning, and she had forgotten how to swim, and her bags were dragging her down, down, down. Slowly, she lost feeling in her body. She went unconscious. And then she woke up to an unfamiliar sound.

She was sweating, as she always was. But there was one thing that she had always enjoyed about this dream; it was a reminder to never become that girl. The crazy rich girl.

But then she remembered. Usually, the dream went on. Continued. And then it hit her. The sound had woken her up. She decided it was her dog. Wait... she didn't have a dog! She climbed out of bed where she had become a tangle with Emily and Stacy. In fact, Emily was half on the floor and Stacy had her thigh on the pillow. But they just slept without a care in the world.

Elliana wondered where the noise had come from, until she heard it again.

It was coming from the balcony. She walked outside. It was a little chilly, but she was fine. She looked to her left. Star projecting floor lamps. Not suspicious. To her right, couches and an unlit fireplace. Not suspicious. Around her, the railing. Not suspicious.

Her eyes suddenly caught on a small metal thing on the rail. She couldn't see what it was, so she grabbed one of the cute star projecting lamps. She pulled a small lever and the light turned on. She angled the lamp so that one of the stars shined directly on the item. Was that a grappling hook?

She turned around in alarm and almost fell over. She tried to scream, but nothing came out.

There were people on her outdoor couch. Although, they didn't look that much like people. One of them was small, plump, and had green skin. His eyes bulged out of his head and his throat created a bubble when he breathed. The other one had dark green scales and sharp teeth. He was tall and he looked like a moss-covered stick.

Elliana tried to scream again. When only a strained squeal escaped, she got up and pointed her lamp at them like it was some kind of weapon. Maybe she could shine it in their eyes and temporarily blind them so she could run inside and lock the door? That was her best hope, since the lamp was no sword.

"Who are you and why are you here?" She choked out. Maybe she could attack them with her bare hands...

"We don't mean any harm." The tall one said.

"Pfft. Other than break into her house and drag her to our place." The short one said.

"Shut up, toad." The tall one said.

"You shut up, caiman." The short one said.

"So you came to kidnap me!" Ellaina shouted. She tried to sound strong, but her voice was cracking.

Wait, caiman? She had heard that word before. Toad was a frog, obviously, but also a common insult. But caiman? That wasn't common, though she was sure she had heard it before.

She thought of getting Stacy and Emily. And then it hit her. Elliana's mind loved to go in circles. Stacy's hair was red. Red makes pink. Axolotls were pink. She had read about axolotls in her animal guide. And she had also read about caiman! They were a type of crocodile! And the tall one sort of looked like a crocodile, and the short one sort of looked like a frog...