Kansnubra Island: (HARRY POTTER) Inspired

CHAPTER 3

The next morning when Garley woke up, he couldn't move any part of his body.

He felt a weight on his chest as if someone or something heavy was pressing against it. At the same time, his ears were hurting as if someone was putting something inside of them. He was suffocating and felt close to imminent death. He tried to scream but he could not. He wanted to open his eyes, but they didn't respond.

He knew he was experiencing some sort of hallucination; he had felt this before. With mental effort, he focused on moving his eyes. As he slowly regained movement, all the horrible sensations went away and his body returned to normal. He looked around, confused, and tried to identify his room, but realized he was in a completely different place. Now he was awake, and everything was real.

A strong smell of food reached his nostrils. He got up, put on his sneakers, and walked down the stairs. In the kitchen, there was a large table made of glass, with some silver platters filled with food that Garley had never seen in his life. Aldrich was sitting at one of the corners and he was eating something green and spongy from a bowl.

"What is that?" Garley asked, as he sat at the other corner of the table.

"Ah, good morning, Garley! Help yourself," Aldrich said with his mouth full. "It's called novera, a typical dish from our island. It's made from aquatic plants."

"I'm sorry, but isn't there anything else to eat?" Garley had no desire whatsoever to try that food. Could it be that all the food here was so different from what he was used to? Aldrich seemed a little offended.

"Oh, of course. I had almost forgotten that you are not from around here," he said, smacking himself on the forehead. "We brought some dishes from the outside world, but I would never have thought that a boy from the outside world would need my help and would be a guest at my house, so I haven't got any other food at home. You might end up liking this. Try it!"

The smell was quite good. Garley assumed it wouldn't taste so bad. He put a little novera on his plate and, hesitating, took a spoonful to his mouth. It was a delicious and strange taste. It wasn't foreign like one of those pizzas that grandpa Gobe sometimes bought, but it was a type of food he knew he would like to eat many times again.

"It's delicious!" he complimented, taking another spoonful of it.

"Thank you!" Aldrich said. "I can't wait to give you some dragon tail."

"Did you just say dragon?" asked Garley. "You can't be serious!"

Aldrich fixed himself on his seat and gave a sullen look.

"Yes, they exist on the island. There used to be many races of dragons... However, the most threatening are the Dragons of the Deep."

Garley excitedly shifted on his chair, leaving his plate half-eaten. "Have you ever seen one of these... dangerous ones?"

"Those dragons live in the forest. We try to respect their natural habitat and it is very rare that the creatures who live there invade the city. However, a few years ago, for unknown reasons, one of these dragons invaded Carolinda, right beside the square. I was shopping with my wife when the creature suddenly appeared. It arrived and destroyed everything in its path, burning the shops," he said with sad eyes.

Garley could see the pain that he carried inside.

"There were many casualties," Aldrich said. "When we were attacked, I was unable to protect my wife. Since that day, I live in this house, alone."

Garley gasped. "I'm sorry," he managed to say.

"On that same day, I got this horrible scar," explained Aldrich, lifting his shirt and showing a gigantic scar on his chest that looked like animal claws.