It looked like a simple game of capture the flag between grade-school children, two teams running through the forest behind a house, shouting and laughing and having the time of their lives. They had their bases, treehouses which had been built years prior by parents on the block, and they had their flags and water balloons. They played all through the day, until the sun began to set.

The chicken didn’t know what would happen. There was no way it could have. All it saw was a mushroom, sprouting from the grass, looking as delicious as anything else around. In its natural drive to find sustenance, it instinctively found the mushroom.

She could feel her strength fading, thin rivulets of crimson seeping free of the wound in her abdomen. Her clothes grew sticky and sodden with the essence that had once brought her life.

It had been decades since he’d last heard such a terrifying noise, yet he recognized it as clearly as if it were yesterday. He bolted upright in bed, hand instinctively reaching for a sword which no longer hung at his waist, and instead rested upon the wall.

She went by many names, that goddess of humanity. Some called her Mother Earth, while others recognized her as the Great Creator. She was kind, benevolent, and perfect in every way. All who knew her saw no wrong, and all who followed took no lives. So long as she remained healthy and happy, the world had no evil.

We sent messages to the stars, in hopes of meeting others like us. Pictures which showed our world, sounds of children playing and animals calling to one another, videos of people celebrating and talking and having fun. We included maps that we figured any intelligent species would understand, and which they could use to find us.

The reaper stood before the person within the void, staring at him with a mixture of bewilderment and mirth. He was a young man, with much to live for still, and many people who loved him. His life as well was good, and there were no particular negative thoughts within his mind. That was why the reaper had been confused by the request.

The cave had its reputation for a reason. Knights and travelers alike were wary of the beast that lay within. None dared trespass upon the dragon’s lair lest they become a sumptuous snack.

No one knew where it had come from. It had stood at the edge of the city for ages, to the point some sources even believed it had existed before the city. Though, of course, there was no way to be certain.