Prologue: Casey's Journal

"Day 4 Observations: The number of dragonflies today has tripled from what I recorded on Saturday. I've been lying in the grass singing for approximately nine minutes, according to my watch. That's ten minutes faster than yesterday. It's like they know I'll be here and they keep bringing more friends. Maybe I'm the dragonfly concert of the year.

I've been trying to identify one or two, but the moment I pinpoint a single one to watch, he (he?) charges at me and flies away. I want to say I've gotten used to it now – that direct approach to my face with fierce buzzing – but my heart still races. I'm such a coward.

I'm resting on my back, the rising sun behind me. The transparent rainbow wings of the insects race overhead, gathering courage to fly lower and lower. I know they're curious about me. I'm just in awe.

Grandpa says dragonflies don't like to be bothered. I asked him how he knew. He just shrugged. I wonder if he knows how many come into his fields."

"Day 6 Observations: I had the worst scare. It's stupid now that I think about it, but I was just in the moment. I was lying on the grass, which seemed strangely sticky from the dew somehow, something I generally haven't noticed.

The first crop of dragonflies came whizzing by. (Are they called a crop? I don't know. Maybe a flight. They were in formation, as usual.) I stayed very still, humming softly. I even sung a quiet 'hello, again.' Then the dive-bombing games began. I almost wanted to laugh this time, but continued to sing my songs. I've been rather proud of how I've gotten used to their tactics to scare me.

Then the next crop came and they began their morning dances in the early sunlight. It was just as mesmerizing as the days before. The glittering opalescent pinions reflected the light into greens, indigos, and golden ripples above me. I didn't notice when the third group joined in. Suddenly, it was like looking through a thin veil of multicolored mist. I was entranced, and keeping time with my song, partook in the display, feeling as though I was a part of a secret ritual, a special moment.

Then it happened. Another army of them came. There were so many, I held my breath and couldn't sing. What had looked like a veil of mist now took on dimension, like a thick glittering blanket. The sun's morning rays were muted. At least it seemed that way. This was a new development.

Within seconds, the dragonflies began to descend, coming closer and closer to my place on the floor of the earth. My heart began to beat faster. Fear rose up in me. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but if you had been beneath that swarm of bugs it would have scared you, too. Still, I remained as unmoving as I could and closed my eyes, delighting in their curiosity, wondering how close to me they would fly. It was then that their hum reached my ears. It was there before, I'm sure; but it was magnified and low. It grew louder than my heartbeat pounding in my ears. I opened my eyes. I don't know if it was a trick of the sunlight or not, but I saw odd rippling streaks of light and tons of dragonflies inches from my face. Layers upon layers.

I started up. It was just a reaction. It was like I couldn't take anymore. I screamed, okay? I admit it. They won. The dragonflies won."

"Day 13: It's been a week since the incident. I've slept in everyday; but this morning I had to come make friends with them again. I don't want to leave Grandpa and Grandma's without saying goodbye. But I didn't hide away in the grass like before. I just stood in my spot to sing a sort-of farewell. Surprisingly, they came and circled around me, like I was forgiven. I didn't keep still this time. A girl has to show she's not going to be bullied. I walked around slowly, singing as loudly as I dared, and they didn't seem to mind.

Tomorrow's my last day. I'm determined to see if they'll congregate around me again. It was surreal, but this time I'll differentiate between what is my imagination and what is a swarm of dragonflies."

Chapter 1: The Dragonfly Express

"They're back again, Thon!" Ivan pushed a sleepy snake from his neck. "What is this? Five in three months? Kapyn's not going to fit in that cave for long if this keeps up." Shafts of light in brilliant hues reflected from the dark walls of the cave only meters away. Ivan made a flying jump into the stagnant mire, making a series of squish-squashing sounds as he rolled himself in the grime of the muddy pool. His begrimed clothes slapped against his dirt-encrusted body as he lifted himself out, his bare feet creating sucking noises as he followed the wet path toward the opening. He didn't hesitate as a cloud of speeding dragonflies zoomed past him in the cave's cool corridor.

"Hello? Who are you? And do you speak English?" he called out softly.

No one answered, but that didn't faze him. "Light!" he said in the same low voice, and a bevy of insects with lambent glow encircled his head in seconds.

There, on the floor, near the aperture was a huddled mass of girl. Not very old. Old enough to be a strange playmate for dragonflies, though. A small wave of relief came over him. She was better able to take care of herself than the last one, if she got over the shock.

"You're alright," he told her and reached out his hand to help her to standing.

She didn't take it. "This isn't real," she explained matter-of-factly.

"No, it's a dream. You can still get up, though.". He was used to this. It was best to respond to what they wanted to believe and let reality catch up later.

"I'm trying to wake myself. I'm in the field on my Grandpa's farm."

He kept his face from registering annoyance. "Of course you are, but if you don't stand up and move, you're going to wish you had."

"Why?"

"Because you're about to dream of a terrible reptile who is just finishing his nap and becomes hungry on smelling fresh human."

"That makes no sense, but I have the vague impression I really will see a reptile. I'm not very fond of them."

"You're a sensible one. Come on." He grabbed her elbow and helped her to her feet.

"Do you live here?" she asked, as she began to rub off the mud he'd left on her arm. It was just the consistency of a thick paste.

"In this cave? No."

"What are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are you an alien?"

He looked down at himself, noting the immense amount of caked mud and dirt, and smirked. "Ah." They were walking out of the cave and into the daylight. The lumins around him flew away.

"Strange," she added aloud. "I thought those bugs around your head were antennas." She crinkled her nose. "You're just dirty."

"I think I preferred the first reaction."

"Sorry. I guess that wasn't very polite. I'll try again: Hi, I'm – oh, wait, I want to have a new name in this dream. I'm Gwynna… no, I'm Athela."

"Okay, Ethel."

"No, let me come up with a better name…"

He just shook his head. "You're being idiotic."

"That's rich, coming from someone who looks like a drowned- Aaaaaaack! It's a snake! Oh, kill it, kill it!"

"Meet Thon. It's short for python." He stopped as the serpent began to wrap itself around his leg and move up his body until its head came to rest atop the filthy locks matted to frame his dirt-streaked face.

"Oh, this dream can't get any worse."

"Think how I feel," the filthy one remarked. "I have to deal with you until…whenever."

"Whenever I wake up, you mean?"

"Do you remember how you got here?" he asked as he walked on.

She viewed her surroundings, wondering why she was still following this snake-draped guy. "Sort of. I was watching dragonflies in the grass behind my Grandparents'-,"

"You made friends with the dragonflies and they brought you here."

"Right, and you make friends with the pythons in hopes that they won't make you lunch."

"He's never made me lunch. Thon's not much of a cook. Likes his meat raw." His guest shivered, hardly able to take her eyes off Thon's coils.

"I suppose I should laugh, but I feel sick."

"Normal reaction. If you feel the need to throw up, that's perfectly normal, as well. But, keep moving. We have to be out of the path of the cave-"

The girl sat down in a heap on the muddy floor of the forest, her head spinning wildly. She closed her eyes as the sounds receded around her. "Goodbye, then," she tried to whisper calmly. "I think I am waking up again."

"Oh, no you don't. Not here." She felt the flaking, dried arm of mud wrap around her middle and opened her eyes again. She would have screamed as the face of the python peered around at her, but all went black. The last thing she recalled was the smoky scent of something burning.

A/N: 'Lumin' isn't actually a word. It's the name of the type of bug in this story.