The wind whipped through my hair as I swung from branch to branch, the sun filtering through the shade of the trees and intermittently kissing me with its warmth. I snatched a colorful fruit from a nearby tree as I sailed past it and landed at the edge of the tree line. I looked out over the sparking blue ocean and breathed deeply of the salty maritime air before taking a big juicy bite of the fruit and sitting down on the tree branch.

There were no ships to obstruct my view of the sea here. No, I was far away from Cyrene now, far from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. My family was a big name in the spice trade, but it was such hard work, and I hated ships. Hated them. They were big ugly scars on the beauty of nature, and it was only in the theater of my own mind that I could escape it all. I learned it from a traveling monk, and with a little meditation, picked it up almost immediately. The ability to go somewhere inside my mind that was so vivid that I could literally smell the sea air? Hear the seagulls? Taste the mysterious fruit that grew here? It was surreal.

And it was all mine.

I could be anywhere I wanted to be; be anything I wanted to be, and sometimes not even on purpose! I was pretty sure that if I looked down at myself, I'd discover that I was a monkey. My mind, my soul, and my heart were connected in this space, and it was where I escaped when life became too much to handle. Things would be different today, however. I tossed the pit of the fruit over my shoulder and leaped from the branch in a diving formation, spreading my wings moments before hitting the ground. I soared just a few feet over the land, passed the point where the grass turned to sand, and then all was blue as I ran my fingers along the waves that reached back at me.

I dove headfirst into the cool blue waters and propelled myself quickly through the shallows with my many fins and tentacles. Colorful fish passed me in the clear blue waters and I marveled at the beautiful corral and the green seaweed that danced in the swells. I powered myself through the currents upward and exploded out of the surface of the water upon new wings which carried me ever higher. I did a loop in the sky and as the wind turned around me, I smiled widely.

It was pure freedom.

I carried myself back to land on warm winds, eager to find another one of those fruits to munch on. However as I soared across the beach, I noticed something curious. I turned around in a wide arc and began my descent as I scrutinized the sands below. After landing softly on the powdery beach I squatted down for a closer look. There was no mistaking it.

There were footprints in the sand.

I stared at them for several seconds before looking up at the horizon line where the tracks led. Greeted only by the blue sky on the horizon, I looked back down at the footprints. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was my mind palace. There shouldn't be anyone else here unless I imagined them here. I tilted my head as I raced through the possibilities. A monkey? No, that wasn't possible, there would be tracks where the knuckles dug into the sand. Could it have been me? Not at all, I hadn't touched the ground since I'd arrived this time. I stood up and began following the tracks along the coast. I had never felt anxious within my own mind palace before. Was there more to this than the monk explained? Could others somehow come here if they were meditating at the same time? I wouldn't have to wonder for long; in the far distance, I spotted a figure standing with her feet in the waves.

I froze. She was staring out at the ocean; if she turned her head even just a little, she'd find me in her peripheral vision. I scurried sideways as quickly as I was able, scuttling up to the treeline as I kept my eyes trained on her. I quietly slithered through the trunks of the trees, making my way closer to her. When I was situated in her blind spot, I hunkered down between the foliage and watched the back of her head. Her hair was black and wavy and it carried hints of auburn when the sun shined on it just right. She was wearing a red flowing dress which, when blown by the coastal winds, revealed her feet and calves, which were wrapped in leather sandals.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" came a voice from directly behind me. I screamed and stumbled out of the trees, falling face-first into the wild grass. I turned around on my hands and scrambled backward as a baby-blue-skinned human floated just above me, laughing at my gracelessness. He had eyes bluer than his skin, and his head was wrapped in a red cloth, on top of which sat a wide-brimmed hat that turned up on the sides. He had an indigo mustache and beard that were well-groomed, and he wore strikingly opulent clothing unlike any I had seen in my life. I came to the conclusion immediately that he wasn't human, but something else from somewhere far away.

"A person?" came a female voice from behind me. I tore my eyes away from the floating blue man to find that the woman on the beach was now marching toward me. I scrambled to my feet and struck a defensive pose. She paused where she stood and smiled.

"No need to worry." She lifted her hands. "I intend no harm."

She truly was beautiful. Like a bronze statue with defined cheekbones; a work of art carved by a master. I swallowed and took a step back as the blue man floated away from me toward her, in a position as though he were lounging on the floor.

"W-who are you?" I asked. "How did you get in here?"

"In here?" she asked, tilting her head. "We are... outside, yes?"

"N-no. I mean, yes, but..." I stammered. "This is... this is my mind palace, ma'am."

"Your mind palace?" the man asked, stroking his chin. "Interesting..."

"My name is Lysandra," the woman spoke, taking a few cautious steps forward. "May I ask your name, young man?"

"... I'm Simon," I answered.

"Simon," she smiled. "A pleasure to meet you. Is there... anyone else here?"

"No," I shook my head. "I mean- I don't think so. There shouldn't be."

Her brown eyes shined in the sun as she looked left and right down the beach. "Interesting indeed."

"Tell me this," spoke the man as he floated into an upright position. "You referred to this place as your mind palace. Yes?"

"Uh... Yeah."

"And you believe you've created this place... yes?" he pressed.

"Yeah!" I said with more conviction than before. "This entire place exists inside my head! A-and I can do anything here! I didn't imagine you, so..."

The two of them exchanged glances.

"How intriguing," she said before locking eyes with me. "And you accomplished this how exactly?"

"Uhh," I paused, realizing how absurd this was about to sound. "Meditation?"

"Ha!" the man guffawed. "Meditation!"

Lysandra lifted her hand to her mouth to cover her smile.

"No, my boy," the man grinned. "Meditation did not accomplish this."

I narrowed my eyes, "Oh yeah? And how would you know? uhh... sir?"

His irises were alight as they lingered on mine, and I felt a pressure generating around the beach. It was as though my body was being drawn into his as he neared me. Dark clouds began to gather independent of my will.

"Because, dear boy..." he spoke quietly but his voice echoed all around. "I am Asacath. I am a god."

My eyes widened.

"And," he added. "So are you."

r/A15MinuteMythos