A more light-hearted flash fiction piece I wrote a while back when I joined a D&D campaign.
The night was dark, the stars were out, with no wind and no foes in sight. Lit only by the flickering embers of their campfire. Pandora the Tiefling was laughing with her newfound friends. Her purple skin and red eyes glowed in the firelight, and she was smiling the biggest smile of her life. They had just fought off a Beholder, and the adrenaline was still rushing through the group even though they were all dead tired.
“Did you see the look on its face when I flipped through the air and shot it with my arrow?” Eärendil, the elven rogue, smirked.
“Tch, right before it tried to rip up that stupid pretty face of yours!” grinned Eomer, the human fighter, his sword resting beside him still covered in slime. “Good thing Pandora was here to save your skin.”
Pandora shrugged and giggled, trying to hide her pleasure at the praise. “Eh, we’re a team. Plus, it’s a bit cold out; it probably saw how good-looking Eärendil was and wanted to get warm with him.”
The group burst into laughter. They had just met a fortnight ago, each of them outsiders and had quickly bonded over their fair share of bad luck. For Pandora, it was the first time in her life she felt truly accepted.
Growing up, she had been shunned for her infernal heritage and appearance. She was constantly being called a demon and threatened to be killed. But being here, with these fools, she finally felt like she belonged.
They spent most of the night telling stories, cracking jokes, and planning their next moves, with Pandora and Eärendil exchanging glances at each other. Their plan was to travel to the ancient city of Lothlora. It was rumoured to be filled with treasures and dangers.
As the fire died down, her friends left for their tents. Pandora headed back to her tent to lie down, staring at the lantern that was hanging above her. She felt a warmth spread inside of her that had nothing to do with the fire. She felt like she was at home. And with that, she fell asleep.
When she opened her eyes, it wasn’t to the sounds of birds or the clinking of armour, but to the sound of laughter. Not the same laughs belonging to Eärendil or Eomer. She blinked, confused. Gone were the forest and the smell of campfire. Instead, she found herself sitting at a table, surrounded by her friends, but something was different.
Pandora was now a slender woman with long black hair. Instead of having purple skin, she had a fair complexion. She looked down at her hands, and they were normal human hands.
“Paaaandoraaaa!!! Oy, Selenaaaaa!! You still with us? Roll for initiative. It’s your turn.” Tim, the dungeon master, nudged her.
“Huh? What’s happening?” Selena said while looking around, still confused.
“You’re daydreaming again!” Tim grinned.
“Yah, dude, we’re playing Dungeons and Dragons, remember?” Lionel said teasingly, while waving his hands in her face.
“Guys. Shut it. You okay, right?” Ivy asked with concern as she lightly touched her arm.
“Oh shit, yah, I’m okay, sorry!!” Selena said, her heart racing. It felt so surreal. Here she was, with her friends, dice and character sheets. It all felt like home.
“Alright, here goes! Anything but a nat one!” She said as she picked up her dice. She tossed them and watched as they clattered across the table. She looked around at all their faces, filled with excitement and joy. The realization hit her; whether in a fantasy world or reality, she had found her people.
“I rolled an 18!” exclaimed Selena.
“Alright, you go first!” Tim said.
“K, let’s gooooooo!!! Let’s see if Pandora can take these monsters on!” She grinned.
The game continued throughout the day, filled with laughter, jokes and clinking of pints. The sense of belonging she felt as Pandora, she felt in reality. They would battle imaginary beasts, explore ancient ruins and craft their own stories.
When the session came to a close, everyone wrapped up and packed their stuff away; Ivy leaned over and asked her again, “You sure you’re okay? You seemed out of it for a bit back there.”
Selena smiled, “Yeah, I’m cool. Just… really happy to be here with all of ya.”
Lionel overheard and clapped her on the shoulder. “We’re happy you’re here too! Can’t imagine doing this without ya!” He winked.
As they left Tim’s house and stepped out into the night, Selena felt a sense of contentment she had never known before. Whether it be battling monsters as Pandora or rolling dice with her friends, she knew she belonged. And that, she realized, was the greatest adventure of all.
Lothlora, Almost reminds me of H.P.Lovecraft but more fun. Like the realty- fantasy crossing. The images are fantastic! So who is Selena?
This made me smile 😊