Letter 2: Survival

My Dear Cynthia,

It has been several days since my last letter.  There seems to be plenty of livestock in the area but I have found no signs of other people here.  There is a vast desert-like region to the south, which is very odd considering it is directly adjacent to the rainforest.  I wanted to explore further but first I decided to construct a large tower of sand near my home.  This serves a dual purpose.  Firstly, it serves as a beacon for any passing ships to alert them of my presence.  Secondly, it can serve as a beacon for myself if I should get lost.  I must say I felt rather accomplished once I had completed the tower.  It provided me with a much needed distraction from my plight.  I may have spent more time on it than I originally intended.

But once I had finished, I wasted little time in exploring the region to the west.  There I found a rather large entrance into a cave.  I could still hear the groans of the creatures that had come out from the previous night.  Thankfully, I was safe on higher ground as I looked down at the monstrous beings.  The most common one looked human but had green decaying skin and dilapidated clothing.  As it stepped out into the sunlight it immediately burst into flames.  As it ran in circles around my position, looking up at me and growling madly, I noticed that it would catch fire only when in contact with direct sunlight.  Eventually, the creature burned to death leaving just one other beast in the cavern.

This one was also green but did not look human.  It had no arms and its legs were incredibly small.  It seemed to hop about and had a foul expression on its face.  As I moved to get a closer look from my ledge, something terrible happened.  My foot slipped and I fell into the depths of the cavern and landed next to the creature.  Almost instantly, it exploded but I managed to survive the blast.  Once I had regained my composure I decided to study my surroundings.  While the ground above was dirt and grass, down here I mostly saw stone and gravel.  I gathered as much as I could carry to take back to my home.  The stone may come in handy for crafting weapons to use against these beasts if I am to survive much longer.

The next morning as I awoke, my heart sank as I heard a familiar hopping sound outside my hut.  As I looked outside my makeshift door, I saw it standing there.  The green creature hopped excitedly at my door as it slowly turned white and pulsed with energy.  I took cover as it perished in a fiery explosion, taking half of my hut along with it.  Do not worry my dear, I was luckily not injured by the blast.  Perhaps the gods are watching over me after all, perhaps this is all some sort of test.  I have started rebuilding my home using stone this time for better durability.  I will need to investigate the caves further to see what other resources I may find there...

Eternally yours,
-Steve