It should have been a normal evening.

Should, being the keyword. 

It was a hot night, and I had run out of ice cream and patience. I left my house- leaving behind an empty apartment and my house plants that desperately looked like they wanted to die. It wasn’t my fault I had been working nonstop for two weeks straight. I always planned to water them, but well, life happens. I can’t be blamed for my inability to function on three hours of sleep a night. 

It happened when I was about to step into the store. A tingling sensation that began in my toes and spread through my feet and legs. I looked down, instantly regretting all the life choices I had made so far. I should have kept walking. I really should have. A bright light burst outward, enveloping my body. A heartbeat later the world around me dissolved completely and I found myself lying face down on a cold stone floor. 

“She has arrived!” A masculine voice boomed, echoing painfully in my ears. 

“But…is…that really her?” Another male voice asked. 

I groaned, and peered up slowly. The room was dim, illuminated by bright white stones that hung from the ceiling. People surrounded me, all dressed in either dresses or armor. Their clothes though, wasn’t what made my soul shrivel up instantly. They were all huge. Gigantic. Oversized. What the hell is going on? 

“Sweet goddess, Sara of the tuber-divine.” Someone whispered-shouted. 

“Saintess, thank you for heeding our call.” A man, dressed in bright red and gold robes said, stepping forward. A gold crown wrapped around his head, blending in with his bright yellow hair. “Please rise, and come forward.”

“Uh, how about no.” I pushed off the ground and scrambled away. The stone felt…oddly soft under my feet. “I ain’t your saintess, you damn giant.” 

“Giant?” Blondie chuckled. “Savior, we are not large in stature.” 

“What?” I asked, confused. “What do you mean?” 

“Please look at thine image, o saintess.” A woman scrambled forward, holding up a mirror. 

I froze, the room froze, my brain froze. In the mirror a small bear, no larger than 3 feet tall looked back at me. It was a soft brown, fuzzy color with one black eye that had a white x for a pupil. In the center of its chest, lay nestled a bright blue glowing orb. The worst part wasn’t the mismatched arms and legs being different sizes- it was the single human eye and mouth that rested on its face. 

I opened my mouth to scream- stopping when the reflection moved as I did. “What is this?” I demanded, taking a step back. “What did you do to me?”

“Nothing!” The blondie chuckled, waving off the mirror girl. “Saintess of Blooming Eyes, welcome to the Kingdom of Sunglass Rustbloom. We’ve been waiting so very long for your visage to grace us.”

“No. Nope.” I took a step forward stomping my foot. “Absolutely not.”

“But, Saintess-”

“No. I just wanted ice cream. Not,” I waved my fuzzy arms around “whatever this is.” 

“You can go home.” He paused, rubbing his chin. “But only after you save us from the Kingdom of Flowsnut.” 

“What? No. No.” I shook my head, feeling the fiberfilling rattle around. “I refuse.”

The man chuckled and motioned to another man in armor. “Please take the saintess to her room. I think she needs time to adjust.”

“No, don’t you touch me!” I screamed, turning to run. 

The guard didn’t answer, instead he picked me up in one fell swoop. I thrashed around weakly, pounding his skin with my bear arms. Unfazed, he marched out of the room, carrying me away.