text: Walter swallowed hard and lifted his flashlight, as though the light would reveal some trick his mind played on him or some other visual illusion. The flashlight only amplified his confusion a thousand-fold. The light shimmered off ruby colored scales. A set of large, amber eyes glowed observing him keenly. Wings, a tail, it most definitely was a dragon staring at him. Walter reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. No signal. “Your communications relic will not work here.” The creature’s voice was deep, powerful. The cavern shook slightly at the sound. The creature moved its tail, the sound of scales scraping against stone echoed off the walls. Walter’s mouth was dry, his heart gripped by the vice of terror, and his armpits suddenly quite damp. The creature lowered its head. “You may call me Benvolio.” “W-w-wa-walter.” He could barely say his own name. “A pleasure to meet you, W-w-wa-walter, what a rather unique name.” “Just Walter.” Walter clarified, gathering what courage he could stitch together. Benvolio moved his snout up and down, as if nodding. Walter craned his head to try to see the space around Benvolio. “I seem to have stumbled on your, um, dwelling in error, Benvolio. Forgive my intrusion, I would like to get out of your hair now.” At the comment regarding hair, Benvolio lifted a few claws to his head, scratching his scales in slight confusion. “Oh, it’s an expression. It means, um, I don’t want to bother you.” “Ah, you are no bother. I see you are unarmed, always a nice change of pace. But, yes, carry on about your day.” Benvolio lifted his frame out of the way. Walter gave a polite nod of gratitude and then walked by. As he kept his head turned to keep an eye on Benvolio as he walked past, though there wasn’t much he could do if the dragon decided to attack him. As he walked through the entrance to the cave to the open air, his heart sank. First, it was the wrong time of day based on the position of the sun. Second, and more importantly, this was not where he had been before. Walter had been hiking through the Missouri woods on a fall day. The view outside the cave he had walked into was that of rolling hills covered in trees. The sky back in Missouri had been gray that day, a contrast to the vibrant tapestry of crimson and ochre leaves in the trees. Now, there were snowcapped mountains in the distance, the sky blue with large fluffy white clouds, and the trees were covered with the white and pink blossoms of spring. Most importantly, he could not see a highway in the distance, instead he saw the distinct outline of a castle. “It is not your realm, is it, Walter?” Benvolio’s voice sounded behind him. “H-how did this happen?” Walter asked in confusion. “Legends have said that some portals to other worlds lurk in the nooks and crannies of these mountains, likely tied to similar gateways found in other worlds.” “So, I can just go back through the gateway, wherever it was in the cave?” Walter asked. “Well, in theory but...” Before Benvolio could finish his sentence, Walter turned back around and ran back into the cave. Walter sprinted through the cavern, looking for the gateway. He spent about two or three hours running through every turn he could find, checking the cavern walls. He walked through a room filled with what appeared to be gold and jewels. He ignored these items, along with large shelves filled with books. As tempting as the riches might be, he needed to find a way back. After hours of searching, he walked back outside to the entrance of the cave where Benvolio was waiting, and sat down on the ground, exhausted and defeated. Walter felt a surge of emotions run through him. Wonderment, fear, and then, grief. What if he couldn’t go home? Would he have to live in this strange place? On one hand, he probably wouldn’t have a mortgage anymore. He wouldn’t have his tiresome accounting job. No more morning commutes and traffic jams. Dragons (or at least one dragon), castles, that sort of thing, it was the sort of fantasy people in the modern world craved. Perhaps there would be adventure, excitement, wonderment, instead of suburbs and stale coffee. He pulled out his wallet and looked at the pictures within. While, yes, a part of him was relieved to no longer be in his own world and a perilous new world could be appealing, there was something precious to him back home. He looked at the picture of his daughter holding his three-year-old grandson. He needed to get home, he needed to be able to see them again. Hot tears rolled down his cheeks. “How do I go back?” He asked Benvolio, his voice barely above a whisper.