Adventures in the misty swamp

The cool morning air smells of damp leaves and earth, while the first rays of sunshine break through the colorful canopy. Cryolphosaurus Glace woke up and greeted the day with a big yawn. He looked around with his ice-blue eyes and enjoyed the sun on his light gray, almost white scales. This gray-white was interspersed with a purple band that split towards the tail. Still a little sleepy, he looked around. It was fall, and it showed. The ground was covered in golden, red and brown leaves that formed a soft carpet.

Glace got up and set off on a new adventure. The carpet of leaves beneath him rustled softly with every step. A light breeze played with the branches, sending individual leaves sailing to the ground like dancing flames. In the distance, you can hear the chirping of birds, mixed with the muffled crackling of dry twigs under Cryo's feet.

Glace hadn't gotten too far when he spotted a styracosaur with dark, almost black feathers and a sand-colored stripe that started under the light blue eye and extended almost to the tail. This styraco seemed friendly, so Glace decided to approach it. After a few steps, he reached the styraco and greeted it with a friendly “Hello”. The person addressed paused briefly, looked at Glace and replied “Hello there. Who are you? I'm Sternentaler” The young Styraco lady seemed pleased to meet him. “I'm Glace,” he replied just as friendly. “What are you doing?” Glace wanted to know. “I'm just looking for my breakfast. After that... oh, let's see. And you?” “Well, do you know the legend of Mary?” asked the Cryo. Sternentaler's eyes widened and she looked at the Cryo curiously. “Yes, I've heard about it. What about it? Do you know more?” she asked excitedly.

Glace put his head on one side. “I don't know exactly either. I heard that she can be found in the Misty Swamp...” “...if you say her name three times,” concluded Sternentaler. Glace nodded. “Some say it's just a scary story, others claim the legend is true” he explained. “And now you want to find out if Mary exists?” Sternentaler wanted to know. Glace nodded. “Yes, I'm on my way to the Misty Swamp.” “Would you mind if I came with you?” the young Styraco lady asked with interest and a little excitement. Glace answered her question. “You're welcome to come with me”

So the duo made their way towards the forest where, according to the stories, the Misty Swamp lay. “What do you know about the legend of Mary?” Sternentaler wanted to know from Glace. Glace thought a little. “Well, it's well known that she's supposed to appear in the Misty Swamp when you say her name. Mary is probably a paralophosaurus. Her appearance is probably not as... solid, physical as you might think. She's probably more like a kind of ghost. It is probably ghostly white and covered in blood. At least that's how it looks according to the stories.” Sternentaler looked at him curiously and with interest. “Yes, I've heard something like that too. I've always been interested in whether these stories are true.” ‘So you're just as curious as I am, aren't you?’ Glace smiled at her. Sternentaler nodded.

They walked all day, and shortly before dusk they reached the forest where the swamp was said to lie. Nervousness slowly made itself felt in both of them as they became more cautious in their steps. The forest became darker and slowly the first wafts of mist crept between the thick trunks of the old trees and the ground became increasingly boggy. They were on the right path.

The fog became thicker and thicker the closer Glace and Sternentaler got to the heart of the swamp. The air was filled with a damp, musty smell and the sounds of the forest seemed muffled, as if the fog had swallowed everything. Sternentaler stayed close to Glace, her dark feathers shimmering damply in the faint light. They walked carefully across the moss-covered ground. The tall grass rustled softly and murky water gurgled under their claws. The fog had become so thick that even the old, large trees around them became ghostly shadows.

“This place is really... creepy,” Sternentaler muttered, looking around as she carefully skirted a puddle. “Perfect for a legend like Mary,” Glace replied, trying to mask his own nervousness. “We're not far now.” They reached a clearing where the trees were gnarlier and the branches more intertwined. The pale light of the evening sky barely reached here, and in the center of the clearing was a calm pond whose surface looked like a dark mirror. “This must be the place,” Sternentaler whispered, her blue eyes full of excitement.

“All right...” said Glace, taking a deep breath. He stood at the edge of the pond and gazed at the smooth, dark surface of the water. “Mary... are you here?” whispered Glace, his voice barely audible above the soft buzzing of the insects. Legend had led the duo here - a creepy paralophosaurus that supposedly lived in this swamp and only appeared when they whispered her name. Three times. He hesitated. But his curiosity was stronger than his fear. “Mary...” His voice trembled slightly. “Mary...” The third time it came almost like a breath over his lips: “Mary.”

Nothing happened at first. But then small ripples appeared on the surface of the water, although no breeze reached the clearing. A soft whisper filled the air, barely more than a whisper, and Sternentaler involuntarily stepped closer to Glace. “Do you see that?” she asked in a trembling voice, pointing to the pond. A shape slowly formed in the dark water. A paralophosaurus with a long, ghostly red shimmering crest pushed its way out of the water without causing a single ripple. Its body was half transparent and its gaze fixed on the two dinosaurs. At first, its shape only shimmered vaguely through the mist, but then it slowly became clearer, as if the mist was revealing its body.

“You called my name...” Mary whispered, her voice sounding near and far at the same time. Glace and Sternentaler held their breath. Sternentaler's usually lively eyes were fixed on Mary, who slowly rose from the water. Drops fell from her crest, but they disappeared into the mist before they reached the ground.

Glace and Sternentaler stared in disbelief at the creature in front of them. “The legend, it...” Glace breathed softly. Fascination and fear could be heard in his slightly trembling voice. What would happen now? “It's true,” breathed Sternentaler just as softly. “And it's really... beautiful,” she added. ‘Beautiful and scary in equal measure,’ Glace replied quietly and full of awe.

“Why... are you here?” asked Mary. Her words seemed to echo in the minds of both of them. “W-we wanted to know if the legend was true,” Glace finally managed to say hesitantly. Mary's head tilted slightly, and a ghostly smile appeared on her face - or at least what was recognizable of a smile. “Truth... is a matter of perspective.” Before either of them could respond, Mary began to back away. Her shimmering body slowly dissolved into the mist until only her crest was visible, disappearing like a ruby glow. “Never... come... back,” her voice breathed before disappearing completely.

Glace and Sternentaler stood there in silence for a long time, unable to comprehend what they had just seen. Their fear gave way to relief at having survived the encounter, but they were also sad that Mary had disappeared so quickly. They had a few questions. What had happened to her? What exactly did she mean by her warning? Why is she here of all places? Questions they would probably never get answers to.

Finally, Sternentaler touched Glace lightly with her beak. “L-let's go...” Glace nodded and followed her as they left the mist behind. The silence of the forest embraced them, but the echo of Mary's ghostly voice still throbbed in their hearts - a memory they would never let go of. They both knew that this experience would stay with them forever - a secret that they would share with each other and that no one else could ever understand.