Free First to Dance by Sonya Writes Page A

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    “Where did you come from?”
    “Why are you here?”
    “Can you speak?”
    “Who are you?”
    “Hey now, back off a bit,” a sweet and motherly voice said.  “Leave her alone.  I’m sure she’ll answer your questions when she’s ready.”  The girl turned to her and handed her a blanket to dry off with.  “Back off,” she said again to everyone surrounding them.  “Here, I’ll help you up.”  Ayita stood with her help and the girl led her away from the crowd.  They all started to follow, but after one look from the girl, they stopped.
    Ayita smiled.  “Thanks.”  She took in a long breath and exhaled.
    The girl looked at her oddly, and with a smirk on her face.  “Sure thing,” she said.  “My name’s Panya.”
    “Ayita.”   She thought for a moment, then frowned, looking the girl over.  “You don’t…look that old.  Certainly not that young.”
    Panya laughed.  “What?  Okay.  If you must know, I’m about 22.”
    “Hmm.”   Ayita bit her lip and looked up at the sky.  “Well since you’re further out each revolution takes longer, so I guess that makes sense.”
    “Right,” Panya said.  She had a puzzled look on her face.
    “Well doesn’t it?”
    “Maybe you should sit down and rest awhile.” They stopped in the shade of a tree and Ayita sat down near the trunk. “I’ll come back with some food,” Panya said, “and when you’re up to it, we can walk over to my home.”
    “ Thank you,” Ayita said, blankly staring out at this new world. She was exhausted from staying up all night and making this journey. Her mind wanted to race, but she didn’t have the energy. Her eyes could barely stay open. Ayita curled up in the blanket she had, laid down, and closed her eyes. Sleep came instantly. At last, she could rest.
     
    The sun was setting when Ayita woke, but despite her beautiful surroundings, waking on the ground of this strange planet startled her very much.  She sat up and looked around. There was a meal of raw fruits and vegetables at her side, which Ayita started sampling. She did not recognize any of them, but their taste was delicious and she was glad to eat.
    The tree she sat beneath was of a kind she’d never seen before, neither in books nor at home.  It had a cream-colored bark and went about seven feet above the ground before flaring out in a flat, square shape.  From below, she saw a weave work of small branches, and above that were wide green leaves, completely flat as though pressed with an iron.  It reminded her of a table-top the way it was shaped. Only the edges of each leaf overlapped, and the light shone through them. Looking up there was an intricate design to admire, and looking down there was a perfectly square shadow on the ground.
    Directly surrounding her there was very little grass growing up from the ground . The dirt was hard and had small cracks running through it; it looked deceptively barren if you could ignore all the vegetation nearby, like a miniature desert nestled in a non-desert climate. The ground stretched out like this for several hundred yards in front of her, where it was met by rows and rows of trees like the one she sat under. Beneath them were the tiny figures of people standing, walking and sitting. The dry ground stretched far beyond those trees even, and into the sun. Far off to her left, though, there was a very green looking area, also richly populated with people walking in and out; to her right was the lake she landed in, and beyond that, a very large forest.
    Ayita studied the lake. She’ d never seen one before coming here, except in pictures. She remembered her times spent wishing for a chance to swim, but now the thought terrified her. Being submerged was not at all what she expected. The water was cold, stinging her skin, and in no way welcoming or peaceful. Swimming was much more difficult than she ever imagined it would be. At home water was harmless, but here it was deadly.
    She stared ,