***Fourteen Years Ago***

The icy water surrendered me.

“Steady now!” A rough voice was the first thing I heard.

I shivered as scaly hands laid me down on the deck.

Gentle hands that felt like sandpaper touched the wound on my stomach. “Barren mines! They’re shooting kids now!” The rough voice was also soothing for some reason. “Get something hot for him to drink!” The Dwarf scowled at someone. “We’re not giving him that. He’s a human child! That stuff is why you’re balder than a naked mole. What do you think it’ll do to him?”

A hot cup was placed in my hands by a green Ogre. The giant, pig-faced man smiled at me, but that didn’t make him any less scary.

“Just sip on it.” The Dwarf helped me sit up. “Can you tell me what happened?”

My mind started to wander back. “Mommy came and got me, there was a big boom, and…” I couldn’t remember anything else. “Where’s mommy? Where’s Sa-sa?”

“You think he’s the only survivor?” A Minotaur walked in front of me to talk to the dwarf.

I’d never seen so many monsters. I’d only seen them in the picture book my mommy read to me. I looked around. I was on a ship and it was dark out.

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A blue and green scaled snake-man slithered over with a large fur blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders. I’d never seen a snake that was as tall as the ogre. And his mouth was so wide, it looked like he could swallow me in one bite.

I did what any five-year-old would do in that situation.

I started crying.

“It’s okay. It’s okay.” The Dwarf moved so he could sit next to me and tucked the blanket around me better.

“Are you going to take me home?” I looked over at the kind man.

The Dwarf looked at the Minotaur, then at the ogre.

“Your mommy asked me to keep you here for a little bit.” He ran his rough fingers through my wet hair and threw something off the side of the ship. “We’re going to go on an adventure! You’re going to learn how to be a sailor and see all kinds of fun things.”

“And then you’re bringing me back to see mommy?”

There was silence as the men all stared at each other. No one answered my question.

“You’re not bringing me back???” New tears started running down my face.

“Shhh…” The Dwarf pulled me closer. “I hope so, kid. I hope so.” He looked at someone. “We need to make a bed for the boy. And drop anchor. We’ll take the longboat in.”

The Minotaur picked me up. “How about we go see your new bed?”

I was too scared to speak. I didn’t want to go into the ship. I wanted my mommy. I didn’t understand what was happening.

The Minotaur put me down in a hammock and took the mostly empty cup away from me, then tucked me in. The tears hadn’t stopped and I couldn’t speak. For some reason I was so tired. Maybe it was because I’d been playing. It was so dark outside. Maybe it was time to sleep. The hammock was rocking slowly and the Minotaur was humming.

It didn’t take long for sleep to claim me.

***