KINGDOM OF MINATORIE
Ray Watson never saw what hit him. He was on his way to the university, where he is a professor in ancient religions when a car ran a red light and hit him broadside. It took the paramedics thirty minutes to get him out of his car, and he nearly died enroute to the hospital.
Once there, the doctors performed surgery for three hours to save his life. He was very weak, and they induced a coma to let the swelling in his brain go down and to allow the multiple injuries to his body heal.
I woke up in a lush, green field. The wind was blowing softly, and I didn't feel anything. I was on my way to work and the next thing I know, I'm lying in a field of grass. Maybe this is heaven. It could be heaven; the grass was soft, and the wind was gentle. I tried to sit up but had to wait to regain my balance. So, I just looked around at my surroundings. That is when I noticed a couple of strange things in my area. First, the leaves on the trees were blue, yeah blue. Not just one tree, but all of them. That's not all, the sky was grey, not stormy grey, just dull grey.
Maybe hell? Could be, I haven't been the best little boy at the university. Too many hormone-infused co-eds that needed a good grade and was willing to "pay" for it.
When I looked down at my feet, my current location became an afterthought. I had soft hair on my legs, which were huge by the way. It was the hooves at the end of my legs that jarred me awake. Not feet but horse-like hooves. I tried to get up, but I fell right back down.
What the HELL? I hadn't taken acid for years, and I know there isn't a reminiscent high from that far back.
As I was laying on the ground, trying to wake up for real, I heard the sound of a babbling creek. I decided to go there and crawled the fifty yards or so until I could look into the stream.
The face staring back at me was me, but nothing else looked like me. I had the same soft hair over my entire body and a golden mane of hair. Protruding out of the hair were two large horns.
Shit, too much Greek mythology. I looked like a Minotaur; except I had my face under the horns and golden mane of hair. I was letting that sink in when I heard a voice above.
"You okay. You look a little shook up?"
"Who are you, and where are you?"
The blue leaves above my head started shaking and the next thing I saw was a large, black bird coming to rest on a branch above me. He looked like a crow, but his eyes were nothing like any bird I had ever seen. They were cold, sharp and piercing. I felt like he was looking through me.
"I'm a Raven. I haven't seen one of you in many a season."
"Wait, what? One of me? What do you think I am?"
"You're a male Minotaur. We haven't had one that was free for a long time. Not after Minatorie took the throne."
So now I know I'm dreaming. Too much Greek mythology. A minotaur? Really? Hold on, dummy. Who cares what is what in a dream. I'll just wake up and get out of here. At least I hope so.
I was finally able to sit up and collect my thoughts. "You can talk to me?"
"Sure, all the creatures here can talk. It's the peasants we don't understand. Only the wizard can talk to them." He flew down to the ground and stood looking at me. Two creatures, each that thinks the other shouldn't exist, staring at each other.
The bird finally spoke. "My name is Bwa. I'm sort of an observer of this kingdom. Where did you come from?"
"I haven't any idea. I woke up in that field over there." I pointed toward the spot I woke up.
Bwa took off and flew over the path I had taken to the creek. He stopped in the field for a few minutes. I watched him walk around in the field. He finally flew back and landed beside me. "By the gods, it is impossible, but you're here."
I shook my head and felt the mane on my ears. It was heavy. "Finally, something we can agree on. This must be a dream. None of this can be real."
"Whatever is real or not, we need to get you out of here before the patrols find you. It wouldn't be pleasant if they found you. Follow me."
He took flight and circled above me while I tried to learn how to walk on hooves. It doesn't look easy, and it isn't. Gradually, after stumbling several times, I got better. By the time he took me into a deep cave I was almost walking normally again.
"You need to stay here. Stay in the back. Don't come out, no matter what you hear or see, understand?"
"Yes, I'm not an idiot."
"You may not be an idiot, but you have no idea what is about to happen in this little kingdom. Stay hidden. I must leave for a day or so. The water will sustain you, and the grass is nutritious."
With that, he was gone. For the rest of this day and all the next, he didn't return. I watched the forest while waiting. I saw a few other birds, none that looked like him, and a large cat-type animal. It reminded me of a prehistoric saber-tooth tiger, almost. Since the creek wound its way into the forest, the animals could get their drink in safety and didn't have to expose themselves in the clearing. It seemed the cat wasn't too concerned about that.
Early the next morning, I was awakened by the sound of someone walking towards me. It took the person ten more minutes to get there. These ears are sensitive. An old man came into the cave. He was hunched over. He had a walking stick in his hand and stood, looking at me for several minutes.
"Minotaur, what's your name?"
I stepped toward the light. "My name is Raymond."
"Raymond. I would like to ask you a few questions. Would that be alright with you?"
"Shoot."
He looked confused. "What, shoot?"
I smiled. Idioms. "I'm sorry. Ask your questions."
"What is the first thing you remember?"
"I woke up and saw blue trees. I'm used to green."
"Green? Okay. What'd you do next?"
"I saw my legs had hooves."
"You don't remember anything before that? How you got here? Nothing?"
"Nothing."
The old man walked around the cave for a few minutes, thinking.
"It's just as the old gods' predicted?"
Here we go again. No matter what society I study, or where they are, they always need a deity to soothe their minds. Even in my dreams.
Let's get this over with. "What predictions."
The old man smiled. "He shall come in the darkest times and restore the natural order. The evildoers will be swept away."
"And you think I'm "he"?"
"You must be. The prediction says in the darkest times, he would arrive in that field to restore justice. It must be you."
I have enough problems with where I am and how I got here. The last thing I need is to have these people thinking I'm some sort of a Messiah.
"I doubt it. Anyway, who are you, again?"
Bwa spoke up. "He's the wizard. He can do things."
Great, where's your white beard and pointy hat, Merlin?
I was trying to back out of whatever this was when the wizard handed me a small fruit from his bag. "Eat this."
"What is it?"
"Why do you care? This will go much smoother if you just do as I ask. This is going to get dangerous enough without you questioning everything going forward."
It was a small, dark fruit. Like a small plum. Whatever, I ate the plum in a couple of bites. When I finished, I looked at the wizard. He pointed to Bwa, and Bwa took off flying.