An Island Retreat

Barefoot Pajamas

You woke up that morning feeling wet and uncomfortable. How did your bed get so wet and itchy? Why is your room so bright? It felt like bugs were crawling on your arms. You sat up and, realizing there actually were bugs, quickly brushed them off your arms and looked around. This wasn't your bed, your room, your house, or even your neighborhood.

You were in a forest.

But it was a beautiful forest, you thought, staring up at the trees above you. Tall, tall trees, with bright green and light pink leaves, sunlight streaming through them, a chorus of birds singing, and grass so green it didn't seem real.
You weren't in your own home, but this was better than home.
Home was cramped and gray and crowded and noisy - especially compared to the peace and bright colors that were here. The forest was beautiful and bright and everything shone and sparkled with morning dew...

Although you wish you had gotten the chance to change out of your pajamas.

Still, being barefoot in your wet pajamas wouldn't stop you from exploring the forest around you. You thought this determinedly as you stood up and took a step forward. The grass tickled your feet. You kept walking, admiring the beautiful plants around you, plants you'd never seen before. It made you feel kinda cool, so you started running. A few seconds later you stopped suddenly and it occurred to you... what if this is a dream?

Apparently not, or you would have woken up.
So you kept running, through the trees, through the grass, through the flowers and sunshine and dew. You ran even though bugs kept flying past your face. You ran even though your clothes were wet and you were alone and lost and barefoot. You ran until you came to a beach and realized just how long you had run. So you sat and stared at a big white object on the horizon.

And you thought.

(("But Rainbow! Don't reader insert stories normally actually show characters from that fictional universe in the first chapter???" Patience, child. Patience.))