Xander came to on a red beach. While this was unusual, it wasn’t the strangest thing that he had seen. The red sand made the water near the shore look bloody, as the crashing waves churned the sand. The cliffs nearby were also red.
Slowly standing up and dusting himself off, he began to wander up the path, away from the beach. Xander was mildly curious about where he was and how he got there. The last thing he could remember was…
Wait. He didn’t really remember the last thing. He could remember his life. He knew who he was. But he couldn’t think of a single reason why he would have woken up on a red beach.
At the top of the cliff there was a small herd of red cattle listlessly grazing on red grass. There was a slight breeze stirring, providing some relief from the redly gazing sun. In the distance Xander could see a small house. With nothing better to do, he set off in that direction.
As he neared the house he could hear the barking of a dog. The dog quickly appeared and began to jump around Xander as he entered the yard. The dog was, unsurprisingly, red.
“Hey, boy, you’re a really friendly dog. Which, considering that you’re red, I would expect you to be mean and evil. Is your master around?” Xander enquired. While he normally wouldn’t expect a dog to answer him, he also wouldn’t normally expect to be in a red landscape, so who knew? Maybe dogs could talk here. The dog, however, only jumped up and licked him sloppily on the face.
Xander walked up the porch of the house and knocked at the front door. He heard the distant movements of someone in the house, then footsteps quickly approaching the door.
The door opened to reveal a red-winged monster (who was also red). Xander, who’s first response to seeing a red-winged monster would be to slay it, was captivated by the resigned look on the monster’s face.
“Are you Herakles? I’ve been waiting,” it spoke. Its voice was deep and menacing. But the tone was weary.
“Um, no, I’m not Herakles. Isn’t that the same as Hercules? If so, I’m definitely not him. I’m Xander and I just woke up on the beach,” Xander smiled, big and friendly.
“Oh. Been waiting for Herakles for some time. My name is Geryon, would you like to come in for some lemonade?” Geryon looked hopeful as he asked his question, but the sense of resignation remained. As if he expected Xander to refuse and run screaming.
“Lemonade sounds great! Thanks a lot. You probably shouldn’t invite people into your house, I could have been a vampire. Although, it is daytime so you’re probably safe. But still.”
“Vampires? I’m not worried. It will be Herakles that kills me, my dog too. He splits my head with an arrow and clubs the dog,” this was stated in a calm, manner-of-fact voice.
“Really? Are you sure? How do you know?” Xander was curious, because he was used to people fighting for their lives and had never heard someone so resigned to their death.
“Yes, I’m sure. It is one of the facts known about me. That Herakles will come to kill me and my dog. After, he’ll steal my cattle. It is one of his labours, you know?”
Xander nodded sagely, even though he couldn’t really recall that much about Greek mythology.
“Not really sure why he kills my dog, though. Just that he does.”
Xander simply looked at Geryon. He took in the monster’s resignation. There was also a sadness about Geryon that called to Xander. More than anything, though, Xander could feel loneliness surrounding the creature like a cloud. With a suddenness that surprised Xander, but Geryon even more, Xander embraced the red-winged monster.
Moments passed and all that could be heard was the beautiful red breezes rustling the red leaves of the trees in the yard.