Gertrude took another long look at the barren house, emptied of its final box of momentos. It had been her home for decades, where she had lived with her beloved husband who had recently passed. It was time to let go. After all, reality was cruel. It wasn’t all bad, though. She had found a nice new place to live. 

A retirement home a few of her friends had moved to. They told her stories of all the new friends they made and the parties, and most of all, the food. The chef there was excellent. He had to be to have such raving reviews of a whole set of grandmothers. It was nearby, too, so she wouldn’t have to go far. Gertrude found comfort in the familiar, and thought that much should at least be her right after living this long.

One last look out the window at the tree and the birdfeeder that still hung from it. They had always loved watching the birds there, but ever since he had passed, she hadn’t seen a single one. Gertrude closed her eyes, took a deep breath and clutched her purse close. This was goodbye. She shook off the remainder of melancholy and threw open the door. 

For a moment she was blinded from the light from the sun. No, the sun wasn’t usually this bright. Her glasses started shading automatically to accommodate for the light change and she did not like what she saw. Rather than her lovely patio, garden, and lawn she saw a vast expanse of black and white. The white was glaring, and the black an endless void beneath her feet. 

“I’m not dead,” Gertrude decided, looking herself over. The doctors had always told her that her heart was healthy for her age. Even if the improbable had happened, she was not naive enough to believe in a completely painless passing. 

“You are not,” a youthful man responded as he descended into view from the white expanse above, “Congratulations! You have been rescued from your fate worse than death and chosen to transmigrate into a new world!”

Gertrude winced at the overly loud and haughty tone of the newcomer. His tone and body language were enough to make her dislike him, but his words dug him even deeper into the ditch. 

“And who are you to decide this?” she asked, throwing as much of her own haughtiness as she could muster right back at him. 

“I am so glad you asked,” he puffed proudly. He either missed or ignored her tone as he jumped straight into self introduction. “I am the Spirit of Isekai, but you can just call me Isekai.”

Isekai? That sounded familiar… Wasn’t that something from one of those cartoons her grandson watched. What was it called again? Anime! She couldn’t remember what it meant, but he seemed to expect her to. What she did know was that within this ridiculous situation he had declared that he would send her to another world. According to her grandson, when people were sent to another world it was always to a world of swords and magic.

That wouldn’t do. “Look here, young man,” Gertrude began, “I have not consented to any of this nonsense. I have to check in by two, so if you would kindly send me back, I will be on my way.”

The young man’s face contorted with confusion. “Why would you want to go back?” he demanded, “I am sending you to the wonderful land of Zenyx, full of magic and things you could never experience on Earth.”

“I am not interested,” she insisted, “For starters, I am far too old and frail to survive on my own in any land, especially not one with magic. From what my grandson tells me, magic means wars and monsters.”

“That is an easy fix,” Isekai assured her, seeming to somewhat understand her hesitation now. “I can give you powers and gifts to make your life easier. Maybe some kind of self-regeneration to extend your life?”

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

“I have no interest in extending my life,” Gertrude refused again. This young man certainly did not know how to take a hint, “Especially in a world that is bound to be full of unpleasant things.”

“I can make it so you only see pleasant things,” Isekai pressed, “Besides, it is too late. I can’t send you back. Just go along with this willingly.”

Gertrude scowled. “I may be an old woman, but that doesn’t mean I will just go along with whatever my kidnapper says.”

Isekai flinched. “Right, so you wanted health, stamina, and a pleasant environment. Off you go!” As nothing was going his way, he was now in a hurry to get rid of her so he could be done with it.

“One more thing,” Gertrude intruded before he could send her off to who knows where. “I had better be able to understand things when I get there. I am far too old to learn new things.”

“And understanding,” Isekai agreed, glad she was playing along even a little bit at this point, “Close your eyes.”

Gertrude willingly did so. She did not want a repeat of the blinding effect that happened when she was brought here. After a few moments she felt a light breeze and heard the singing of birds. Perhaps as a perk of the health Isekai had mentioned, all of her senses had improved. This, of course, meant that she had to remove her glasses the moment she opened her eyes. Her face felt empty without them. 

With her newly restored vision, Gertrude took in her surroundings. A large clearing in a forest, with a fallen log sprouting all sorts of fungi and luminous flowers. As Isekai had promised, everything surrounding her was beautiful and pleasant on the eyes. As she watched, a brightly colored butterfly rested on one of the luminescent flowers, adding to the peaceful scenery. 

As beautiful as it was, Gertrude couldn’t help but feel at a loss. Even with her improved health, her body was still that of an old woman. Hiking and surviving in the wild was beyond her. Isekai could have at least had the decency to place her near a settlement of some kind. Or perhaps he did, and she just couldn’t tell? She tried to remind herself of what kinds of creatures lived in forests, but the fantasy she knew and the fantasy that had recently become popular were very different.

“Is anyone there?” she called out, just in case.

She heard a shuffling of leaves in the shadows of the forest outside of the clearing. Was someone actually there? She waited, and watched the direction where the sound had come from. Slowly, a small child, perhaps eight or nine, stepped into the clearing. Their skin was a pale green that reminded her of avocados, and their hair matched the dark green of the leaves of the trees above. Even their eyes, a softly glowing gold, were of an impossible, fantastical color. 

“Hello,” Gertrude greeted gently. She had always had a soft spot for children, and this little one was undeniably cute. “Do you live nearby?”

The child nodded, watching her with a careful intensity. 

It felt a little shameful to ask this of a child, but she couldn’t help it. She needed to find a place to stay for the time being. “Can you show me where you live?” Gertrude asked.

“Are you the one sent to us from beyond?” the child asked.

Beyond? Was this why Isekai had claimed it was too late to turn back. There had best not be any heroic missions she was expected to fulfill. “I might be,” she replied, “What kind of someone were you expecting?”

“A Great One,” the child answered, slowly approaching, “Are you a great one?”

“I am a grandmother,” she replied. It was the only great or grand thing about herself she could think of. “You can just call me grandma.”

“Grandma? Great Mother?” the child asked and turned to the forest to exclaim their findings. “Great Mother!”

Many children flowed from the trees, all bearing a very similar appearance to the first with slightly differing shades of green hair and skin. 

“Come to our home,” the first child invited, “We have prepared for you, Great Mother.”

“Just call me grandma,” she corrected again. 

Letting them call her Great Mother seemed wrong, but at least they seemed happy to see her. Something about their appearance reminded her of a story she had read a while back. What were they called again? Yes, children of the forest. In the story they were sort of guardian spirits of the trees. 

The children brought her to their dwelling. It was yet another clearing with a carefully maintained campfire and a series of caves carved into the side of a cliff. The way the moss hung on every entrance made each opening picturesque in its own way. Gertrude was guided to the centermost cave, which was better set up than she could have expected. 

It was split into two caves, a doorway sized opening leading into the second. The first cave had a large stone table with matching chairs, a mat of woven grasses, and walls filled with shelves of sorts carved into the stone. The shelves held various containers, dishes, and tools with one shelf holding a single item. 

One of the children trotted over and retrieved it, presenting it to her with pride. “Take it, grandma,” they prompted.

The item was a scepter, made of a twisted reddish wood that ended in a swirl around what Gertrude believed to be a very large polished jade sphere. The staff was both elegant and intimating, but again, not unpleasant. 

As soon as she took the scepter, she felt a rush of something go through her. It felt freeing and exhilarating, and she could only assume that it was magic. As the feeling faded, the jade at the top of the staff began to glow. The children watched the glow with elation. Had this been some kind of test?