SHORT STORY: DUST

This is the first little story I’m sharing here! It’s terrible, but I’ll get better. Hopefully.

She sneezes. Again. Cursing her allergies Mel fights on, duster at the ready.
–       “I thought we had a maid for this sort of shit,” she thinks, remembering her parents lecture earlier about her being more responsible – whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean. She pulls out the bookcase from the wall, working her way down the old surface until some of the duster’s feathers get caught in a strange groove in the wood. Now intrigued, she wraps her hand around what appears to be a drawer engraved into the back of the bookcase.
–       “Weird,” Mel grunts, pulling it out to see a large, leather-bound book. It’s pages are tinted yellow, and its spine is broken. She opens the book to find a faint, glowing light radiating from it. Mel dips her hand into the light and withdraws it only to notice it turning into a sparkling dust. “Almost like in a fantasy book,” she mutters before her eyes shut, the dust making her sneeze again.
However, once Mel’s eyes open the first thing she notices is the lush forestry. Giant trees loom above her and she hears a rustle from behind. She turns around only to be greeted to strange pointed ears attached to a face. It stares up at her, because for some reason it’s kneeling in the filthy dirt.
–      “It’s an honour to meet you, Chosen One,” the creature says.
–       “Um… Okay?” Mel replies. “I might just go over there,” Mel points towards somewhere, not particularly caring where. She figures though that it’d be safer to figure out where she is and what the fuck is going on by herself than engage in conversation with this clearly crazy creature.
–       “No. You must come with me. The tribe has long awaited your arrival. For until you slay the best that prowls outside this forest we will provide you with everything you need to free us from this fearful time.”
Not entirely sure what else to do in a situation like this, Mel starts to sprint away. But that goddamn creature is fast. It easily catches her and heaves her up over its shoulder. Though it’s not long before her thrashing around causes the creature to speak again.
–       “Behave. I have to take you to meet the council.”
–       “Like hell I am!” Mel yells back.
Eventually though, Mel is placed back down onto her feet – the creature seemingly unaffected by carrying her weight around. She assumes that this place is their destination, judging by the way that those giant trees have now formed some sort of canopy over rows of tents. Mel watches as children with those pointy ears run around next to their mothers hanging out washing, and elders pass by wearing flowing robes, conversing in hushed whispers about something as they stroke their floor-length beards.
–       “Fuck. Of course I have to get stuck in some stereotypical magic shit,” Mel says.
–       “Chosen One,” that bastard kidnapper begins, “You need to meet with the council.”
–       Mel scoffs, “I don’t want to meet with your stupid council. Some book or some shit took me here. So unless you can get me back home, I’m leaving right now!”
–       “What?!” The creature squawks, showing its first real signs of emotion. “But you’re the Chosen One! The prophets told us of the day that a round-eared creature would appear and that-”
–       “Sure. Of course I am,” she replies dryly, cutting the creature off. Mel covers her face and groans in exasperation, “If I go along with your little plan will you take me back home then?”
–       “After you defeat the beast? Of course. If that is what you desire. You may have whatever you want.”
–      “Good. Then let’s get this shit over with.”