I found myself traveling with my friends Youna, Tara, and Rachael. The atmosphere was filled with excitement as we gathered for a project presentation in our terminale class, the final grade of high school. Each student took turns showcasing their works, but one installation, in particular, captured everyone’s attention. It featured enormous speakers surrounding a large pool filled with stones and live crocodiles.

As the introduction unfolded, I soon discovered that this bizarre creation belonged to Rachael. I felt a sense of pride swell within me, recognizing how much I had grown over the years. Our teacher encouraged us to guess who the project belonged to, and I couldn’t help but wonder about the odd stone among the others—only to realize it was a crocodile, and worse yet, it was alive!

Suddenly, Daniel, in a fit of bravado, reached out to touch the crocodile. With a startling splash, the creature lunged, sending my classmates scrambling in a panic. In the chaos, one crocodile approached me, clamping its jaws around my foot, while another one bit down on something nearby. Pain shot through my body, and I screamed for help, but amidst the chaos, it seemed no one was coming to my rescue. I felt as if my mom, dad, and Jenna were nearby, but they didn’t come to help me. With sheer determination, I pried my foot from the crocodile’s grip.

With sheer determination, I pried my foot from the crocodile’s grip. My heart raced as I noticed blood streaming down my leg. From that moment on, I developed a profound fear of crocodiles.

The following day, Tara excitedly told us she had brought something special. Curiosity piqued, I stepped outside to find her surrounded by massive, venomous lizards, accompanied by baby lizards. While the sight was startling, it didn’t faze me—at least not yet.

Days passed uneventfully until one morning when the crocodile mysteriously disappeared, and the baby lizards somehow managed to climb over a small fence that was far too low for their size. Panic gripped us as we realized we needed to escape quickly. We bolted from the house, racing down the hillside.

In a desperate bid to escape, I hopped onto my four-wheeled inline skates, zooming down the hill when I bumped into Theo and Anna. We all skated down together, with Theo and Anna on their skateboards, gliding smoothly through the descent. Upon reaching the bottom, I found myself at a bar-like setting, where a video was playing in reference to video game projects. Tetris-style blocks filled the screen, and unease settled in my stomach as I looked around at my friends Hyesu, Chaeyoung, and a few unfamiliar faces.

“Hey, Hyesu!” I called out, hoping to catch her attention, but she seemed distracted, barely acknowledging my presence. I noticed various messages on her KakaoTalk that resembled Instagram updates, which perplexed me further. Just then, I overheard Chaeyoung whispering about boyfriends, and my heart raced as I interjected, “Wait, do you have a boyfriend?”

Their conversation hinted at a recent meeting through an app, and I noted a cryptic number—27—left on Chaeyoung’s laptop, indicating something significant about the date. Feeling overwhelmed, I excused myself to find the restroom, and suddenly, the scene shifted.

The trio of friends was desperately trying to protect a baby lizard when the mother lizard appeared in the distance. The group realized that if they returned the baby, they might be spared from the mother’s wrath. After a tense negotiation, they managed to return the hatchling, and just like a scene from Pokémon, they basked in relief as they witnessed the mother’s gentle embrace.

They fashioned a hammock from the autumn leaves, cradling the baby lizard as it nestled comfortably in its new home. One boy lay beneath the tree branch, while the others stood protectively nearby, creating a serene tableau amidst the wild.

Yet the question lingered in my mind: What had happened to the crocodile? As I pondered this, the remnants of fear still clung to me, leaving me haunted by the wild encounter that changed everything.

In a world where nature and chaos intertwine, I wondered if we would ever be free from the shadows of our terrifying experiences.