A fish that had luckily escaped from the thick ice on the surface of the lake was desperately trying to evade the pursuit of an Arctic wolf. The Arctic wolf didn't seem to be in a hurry to catch the fugitive, but rather locked its mocking gaze on the fish that was searching for its way home.
"Dog," a soft call mixed with a hint of annoyance. The Arctic wolf put away its playful attitude and ended the fish's journey through hell.
The thick ice made it difficult to see the shape of the lake, and the fire burning on top of it coexisted peacefully with the ice. The flames dancing in this icy world merged with the stars on the mirror-like surface of the ice.
"Dog," the boy, who looked about ten years old, divided the roasted fish in half and gave it to the Arctic wolf.
"Woof!" The Arctic wolf barked, and it was easy to understand why the boy called it "dog." The Arctic wolf put down the bone and stared at the surface of the lake. "Woof!" A faint purple light slowly extended from the bottom of the lake to the overlapping three moons in the starry sky.
The boy silently walked into the tent and carved a horizontal line on a wooden pillar. Looking at the densely carved woodwork in front of him, the boy was stunned for a moment and then gently stroked the Arctic wolf that followed him.
"It's been fifty years..."
"Today is my tenth birthday, and my parents gave me the magic sword from 'The Magic Swordsman' that I've always wanted as a birthday present. I'm so happy!" After writing in my diary, I played with the "magic sword" for a while, ready to embark on a heroic dream of chivalry.
"Woof!" I heard the dog barking in a daze. This bark, is it afraid? With my eyes half-closed, I seemed to see a faint purple light enveloping me and the dog, but my consciousness was still hazy and I couldn't move. The dog's barking became more and more urgent. Ha, it's really hard for it, even though it's so timid. My thoughts were as sluggish as water mixed with flour, so I didn't have time to fear this unknown mysterious light.
"Woof!" It was a chill and the dog's bark that woke me up. Three... moons? The first thing I saw was the three overlapping moons in the night sky. They were almost overlapping, more like they had just separated. The bright moonlight made everything clear even in the surrounding darkness. The surface of the lake... After getting up, I immediately noticed that I was standing on a frozen lake.
"Plunk!" I accidentally slipped. Oh no, the unexpected texture shattered my imagination of death. This ice seemed much thicker than I had imagined.
I curled up into a ball, and tears finally couldn't be stopped.
"Woof!" I looked at the dog in the tent, which was anxious to see me crying, wiped away a few tears, and gently rubbed its head.
"It's been fifty years since then, dog..."
"Woof!"
"You haven't grown much either, after all, there seems to be only fish here. But after being observed for a few minutes, we have to eat that fish to satisfy our hunger. It's hard for us to have enough time to be observed..."
"Woof!"
Then came the usual silence, just like the forty-nine times before when the purple light rushed towards the overlapping moons.
"Woof! Woof!" The dog suddenly barked wildly at the overlapping moons, accompanied by... fear.
What is that? A... carriage? What kind of creature is that? Antlers... jellyfish?
The carriage burst out of the moon and rushed towards the ice. It's... huge! It got closer and closer, almost covering the entire sky.
"Hmm?" A puzzled voice came from the carriage, as if it had been discovered. The jellyfish with antlers extended two tentacles and quickly entangled us. There was no escape, forget it.
The unexpected touch of the tentacles was gentle, without any sense of coercion. It felt more like being carried. A hole opened on the top of the carriage, and the tentacles gently carried us inside.