(I) Which is more dangerous? A Scorpion or a Red Monster!

He was the one who said "we should walk a greater distance and we can find more places like this," so I don't understand how he can be so carefree. After eating lunch, this moron Lahsiv is now dozing off carelessly.

We had a break for about two hours, so I need to wake him up. We must move quickly if we are to get to the tree house before dusk.

I shouted, "Lahsiv wake up," and after a little reprimand, he began to move, whining about why we had to get up so quickly after a wonderful nap. I muttered to myself, "This idiot, never change".

Lahsiv appears to be contemplating something, whenever he is thinking deeply, he makes a serious face. Lahsiv is a practical person despite how he appears, thus I can assume he is considering something regarding this tree house picnic.

"We will be having our dinner in the tree house, hooray…", I shouted to Browny as I was strolling through this forest with the fresh air and the sound of birds chirping. I am so happy right now. I'm not sure why I said this to Browny, maybe I was so excited that the words just slipped out.

" Once again, I screamed something without comprehending what I was saying after taking a few steps, but this time it was not something amusing. I screamed, "Something bit me," to Lahsiv. He rushed over and asked what had happened and where it was hurting. I pointed to my left hand, and we both noticed a red dot there.

Lahsiv was worried, and I can tell by looking at his face that he seemed to be searching for the source of the bite. After thinking about it for a while, he concluded that it must be a scorpion bite. When Lahsiv told me this, Browny started to bark over something, so Lahsiv yelled at him to be quiet.

We were surprised to find a scorpion as I turned around to check what Browny was barking at. When I informed Lahsiv that there was a scorpion close to Browny, he instantly grabbed a stick, hurled a scorpion a short distance, and said it had to be the same one that bit me.

Lahsiv started looking through his pack right away, taking out some green leaves and various items for bandaging wounds. He said, "The scorpion that bit you was not poisonous, so don't worry," while he carried out these actions. I can tell he's trying to make me feel better.

I'm not saying he's lying; he knows more about the forest, he often runs errands for the people, and frequently goes into the forest to gather fruits and herbs; it only makes sense that he would be more knowledgeable about insects and herbs than I am. In order to moisten the bandage fabric, he began crushing the plant leaves he had taken from the bag. He wrapped the wound in those bandages and assured me it will recover.

He then gathered a few of my belongings and began to move quickly in the direction of the tree house. Lahsiv was genuinely worried, so I responded by saying, "I'm feeling better after taking care of my wounds." He grinned and went on with the journey. We finally came across a large tree bearing a gorgeous wooden house on its limbs after traveling a fair distance.

Both Browny and Lahsiv, especially Lahsiv, must be exhausted. He carried most of the luggage and exerted a great deal of effort while treating my wounds by crushing herbs. I'm glad we made it to the tree house before it became dark since we can now rest our legs and eat a hearty dinner to restore our energy.

It had been over 4 years, yet the tree house was still standing strong when we both entered. As we entered the tree house, I had expected Lahsiv would take a rest, but instead, he began treating my wound and replacing the old dressings with fresh ones. Lahsiv often puts others before himself; I wish he would be a little more self-centered.

While Browny began to doze off in the room's corner, Lahsiv told me that he planned to gather some dry woods for a bonfire. I saw some uneasiness on his face, so I convinced him that Browny would take care of me. He gave his usual smile before leaving the tree house. I lay down, looking up at the roof of the tree house, and fell asleep before I realized it.

After a while, I began to feel something crawling over my body; it had to be my imagination. I had a creaking sensation all of a sudden. It was as though someone was scraping a metal surface with a sharp object. Browny was standing with all of his hair standing straight, making a growling sound, as if he was terrified.

Strange things began to happen before we could comprehend what was going on around us. It feels like I'm in a cold room; my body feels like it's about to freeze, my mouth begins to chatter, and my jaw starts to shake.

Browny is probably feeling the same way, as he is acting strangely. The last two minutes felt like two hours, and I'm not sure why Lahsiv hasn't been returned yet.

I thought of him taking some dry branches for a campfire near the tree house, but he is taking longer than I expected. I want to shout and call Lahsiv, but my mouth won't stop chattering. As each second passed, the volume of the creaking sound increased.

I don't know how to express how I felt; it was like I was a young helpless girl hiding from a murderer. The girl will have no idea what is going on around her or what might happen next; she desires to shout and call for help but is unable to do so. I'm in a similar situation. I can feel the air around me becoming heavier than usual, and I can clearly see that I am losing my senses.

I want Lahsiv to come soon; I hope he is safe and avoids getting into any trouble; I am worried about him. While thinking about Lahsiv, I noticed someone entering the tree house; my vision is fuzzy, so I can't identify who it is.

It seemed like that person standing at the door, pondering about something, looking startled. Suddenly, he approached me, took my hand in his, and started speaking to me; after a few seconds, I recognized it was none other than Lahsiv; knowing he was beside me gave me some courage; he asked me, "What happened, why am I afraid?" and I told everything to him.

He immediately turned back to see how Browny was doing, but to our shock, Browny was gone.

Lahsiv decided to go looking for Browny, but he was worried about leaving me alone. So, we agreed to look for Browny together.

Lahsiv urged me to bring firewood with me because it lights the path and keeps animals at bay. We suddenly heard a barking sound, and as soon as I heard it, I started running in that direction.

We finally found Browny, although he appears to be digging something. I ordered Browny to stop digging and come towards me, but he didn't reply. Browny is an obedient and smart dog who dislikes getting dirty and thus does not enjoy digging or playing in the sand. I and Lahsiv strolled up to Browny to see what he was digging.

When I saw what Browny was digging, I stepped back in terror, my legs immobilized, and I fell to the ground. It was a "Monster...a true Monster with a gigantic red body, big nails, and a tail," and I'm certain it's not human...

I looked at Lahsiv and it seems that he is trying to say something, but I can't hear his voice; it appears that he is merely moving his mouth, I don't hear any sound; this might be due to the dread I am experiencing; I am unable to hear voices...

My body continued advancing toward Browny without my knowledge, and when I got close to the shiny rock, Lahsiv suddenly stopped me from behind. I turned back to Browny and noticed the glossy rock splitting very quickly.

I pointed out the rock cracking to Lahsiv, and after a huge sound, the rock split into two. The beast imprisoned in the rock has broken free and begun to move.

Browny collapsed unconscious, and I took him in my hands. He lost so much blood that I need to act quickly or Browny's life will be in danger. I almost forgot about the real danger we are in while worrying about Browny.

The beast approached me slowly and suddenly, made a huge noise. I like to say I am not scared, but I am also not brave either. What's the sense of being scared now? I can feel death glaring at me now, and all I can think about is being glad for all the beautiful things that have happened. My biggest regret is dragging Lahsiv into this mess, not being able to say a proper goodbye, and leaving this world before him.

The crimson monster got so close to me that I could feel its body heat, it gazed at me and Browny, then it snatched Browny from my hand and grabbed its neck, I resisted, and then it roared again, but this time it was deadly.

I was helpless, I couldn't fight this big monster and win, and I couldn't let Browny die just because I was weak, so I gathered my courage and stood against it, screaming at it to give us our Browny back, then the beast began saying some words in a foreign language, it sounded like some mantra or magic we used to hear in fairy tales, and then everything went black.