Nathan Lowell shook his head feeling disoriented, he had just awakened from a dream he couldn't recall, for that matter he didn't remember going to sleep. He looked around, but could see nothing due to how dark it was. He wasn't afraid of the dark, but he wasn’t sure where he was, that was a little unsettling. The bed he was on didn't feel like his, way too comfy, apart from that he couldn't hear anything, dead silent. He put a hand to his to try to ward off the pounding headache and thought back. Nathan had just gotten off from work late due to work overload, missing the last bus he decided to walk home, instead of using what little money he had for a taxi. Turning into the city park for a quick shot straight home and veering off the set path into the trees for his so called short cut, he didn't notice the hole in front of him until it was too late.

"Crap, did they already start the renovations for the park, they should at least put up caution tape, a couple cones would be nice."

Someone must have found him and called an ambulance. That at least explained the silence, since he was in a hospital he could be in a “ICU”, but that didn't account for the darkness. Hospitals are the one thing that should never be pitch black, at least not the ones in the city.

"Hello....uhh, Nurse........Hello?"

Nathan felt around the bed for a call button. He wasn’t getting up, running around in a hospital, in the dark, didn't sound like a good idea. In his haste, his hand swiped against something knocking to the floor with a loud crash.

“Oops…….my bad.”

It sounded like he knocked over some water or something, whatever was would sure to attract some attention. And as if on cue, a door swung open.

"Oh no. Look at this mess, I knew I shouldn't have left that there."

"Sorry about that, can’t really see anything in dark, I can help clean it up, if you won't?"

Nathan tried focusing, but it was just too dark to see who it was. At least from the voice he could tell it was a woman, most likely the nurse.

"No, it's fine. It was just water I going to use to wipe you down. I'll just retrieve some more later."

"You were gonna do what now!?"

"Well I have been neglecting to do so for some time now, so it must be done today."

"Some time, how long have I been here?

"I'm not sure, you were here long before I arrived."

"Then how long were you here?"

"A ….... very long time.”

Nathan laid his head back down in a huff, he was getting nowhere with the nurse and his headache was picking up. That fall must have been worse than he thought. Just how long was he here, and just where exactly is here. He was getting a sneaky feeling that this might not be a hospital.

"Alright, then I'll be back with fresh water and a cloth."

"What, listen lady, you’re not wiping me down, not while aware, and sure as heck not in the dark."

"Nonsense, the dark is of no consequence to me."

"What, you have night vision?

"Yes."

"Yes!?"

"So if that was your only concern, I’ll be right back with the water."

"Wait, I gotta bunch of other concerns."

"If you’re worried about.......that, there is no need for concern, I'm very gentle.”

"Excuse me!?"

" I’ve read up on just how delicate they are to men; I take the utmost care when handling……...sensitive areas."

“I reiterate, EXCUSE ME!?”

“I’m referring to what’s in between your legs, your testi- “

"And, I gonna stop you right there.”

Nathan put a hand to his face, this nurse was something else entirely, he took a deep breath and calmed himself.

"Listen, I get it, you get paid to do this but, I’m can wash myself."

"Don't be ridiculous, how is a sleeping person supposing to clean themselves?"

"….................By being “AWAKE”."

"Awake...........................Your awake!?"

"You really just notice!?"

Nathan could not believe this woman; how could someone be this much of a goof?

"Uhm are you okay."

"Ah yes, it just your finally awake, I’ve waited so long."

"You were waiting for me to wake up, do I know you, no, actually before that, can you turn on the lights, talking in the dark is kind of awkward.

"You can't see?"

"Of course not, I’m not a cat, and why is it so dark anyway, isn’t that bad for a hospital, what are you going to do about surgeries and people on life support?"

"Surgeries, life support?”

"Yeah, won't it be bad for a hospital, if patients start dying?"

"I'm not sure about any of which you speak but, I can assure no one has died, at least not here, seeing as how were the only two in this place, as for the lights, one moment please."

"Only two people here?"

His suspicions were confirmed; this wasn't a hospital. Furthermore, they were the only two people here, why would they be the only two here, and for that matter who has he been talking to. As he contemplated what to do, the entire room was bathe in a blinding light. It took him a minute but his eyes adjusted and he finally got a look around. It definitely was not a hospital, or any other place he recognized. It didn't have any medical equipment, no furnishing besides the desk sitting next to the bed, no clock, no windows, so he could not even tell what time it was. Nathan looked around for the owner of the voice from before, but the woman he had been speaking too, seemingly vanished.

"uhh, where’d you go?

"I'm here."

Nathan looked around again.

"…........are you invisible……….. a voice in my head?"

" Of course not, look above you."

"Above.........huh, Who, what are you?

"What am I, have you never seen a fairy before?"

"Fairy?"

"Yes. I'm am a fairy."

"No............no you’re not."

"I’m sorry?"

"You don't exist."

"Ah, how rude, rather impolite to question another’s existence."

"I'm not questioning your existence, anymore then I'm questioning my sanity."

Nathan gave himself a quick pinch, it hurt, he wasn't dreaming. This was way to vivid, too much detail. He looked up again, just above his bed, fluttering around, was a real fairy.

" Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine …........ well as fine as anyone who just met a fairy, who for their entire life was told they aren’t real, and I threw away all those teeth, somebody owes me five bucks.”

Nathan stared at the fairy, he had to admit, the stories about a fairy’s beauty were no joke. She was a little enchantress. Hair like frost, that shimmered in the light, her eyes were a violet color. Nathan thought she was pretty attractive, if only she was five feet taller. The fairy watched Nathan silently, she did not interrupt, rather she let Nathan decide for himself. She didn’t like the idea of being thought of as only an illusion, but such things did not matter, her job was to watch over him, and so she shall.

“Hey, can I ask you a couple of question?”

"Yes. I’ll answer everything to the best of my ability. As is my duty, as guardian."

“Guardian?”

"Yes. My duty was to watch over the Hero until he has awakened."

"Hero, I thought you said, we were the only two here?"

“*Giggle* I was not informed that the Hero told jokes."

"Wait, you think I'm this Hero guy?"

"Of course, you are the one and only Hero I have been task with guarding."

“And when you say Hero, you mean like saving people, fighting evil, rescuing princesses, stuff like that.”

“It is as you say.”

Nathan nearly bust out laughing, but he held his breath and shook his hand back in forth.

"No, no, no, your mistaken."

"I’m am not mistaken, I assure you, you are the Hero of Legend.”

“Legend, that’s for people who did something worth recording.”

“Yes, and by defeating the Demon Lord, you have become such an existence.”

“Say what now?”

The fairy fluttered down to eye level with Nathan.

“You are the “Hero of Legend” that defeated the “Demon Lord”.”

“……………….Huh?”