Astaea

Life goes on as usual. The usual routine, stereotypical problems, household chores. Standard twenty-first century, in short. You are returning home after practical classes at the university. At the crossing of the park, oddly enough, a small bridge over the pond treacherously cracks and saggs, plunging you headfirst into the water.

Cloudiness, cold, moisture. Everything mixes before your eyes. It's getting hard to breathe. The legs are in spasm. You are drowning. From the weight of the clothes, the bottom of the pond pulls down more and more. In an attempt to emerge, you are desperately moving in an attempt to overcome the elements, but you only dive deeper, wasting grains of time. In the last cry, you open your mouth, choking, and try to call for help, only to lose your mind and consciousness...

A sunbeam hits right in the eye. From the unpleasant sensation, your face slightly twists in a grimace. Then again, and again. Under the sunshine, you come to your senses. Feelings again take over the body in a stormy stream, forcing it to function. The eyelids lift, the pupils narrow. "What the...", involuntarily escapes from your lips. Sitting up on your half-bent elbows, you look around. A forest. This is clearly not the same park where you were just. But how? Have you been moved somewhere? You try to look around in search of answers to these questions, but your attention is drawn to the figure of a living being who is now watching you. From amazement, your jaw almost literally falls off. A half-woman, half-horse is peeking on you. She smiles in a way that would make a cute puppy jealous.