A Trip to the Other Side

I turned abruptly at a strange sound, the first like it that I had heard in my life. I looked over the edge of the cliff on which I was standing and saw it. A phoenix was flying just below my ledge. I jumped, startled, and caught my foot in a hole in the rock. I pulled, but my foot wouldn't budge. The phoenix lifted its gaze onto me, seemingly aware of my fear of being trapped here on the edge of the mountain.
"Do you need help?" the phoenix asked me.
"No. I'm okay." I did need help, but it seemed too dangerous to trust a creature such as a phoenix to help me. Not that I’d have asked for help anyway. But a phoenix can never be trusted to be loyal to anyone, everyone knew that. And definitely not to someone they don't know.
"All right," the phoenix answered. And with that, it was gone, far over the trees of the forest to the east.
I pulled at the rocks with my hand, hoping to get my foot out, but it was no use. I was trapped. There would be no escaping this time.
I suddenly heard another noise. It was above me on the mountain. I couldn't see anything, so I kept trying to dig my foot out of its captivity. But it was useless. I knew I’d never get out without help.
I heard the same noise from above me, but this time closer. I saw flames shatter the peace of the sky. It was a dragon, about the size of an entire house. I crouched down low, hoping it wouldn’t see me. But this was fruitless. He looked directly at me and aimed his fiery breath towards me, missing me by inches.
“What are you doing on my mountain?” The dragon roared, still coming as close as possible with the fiery stream without roasting me. “Answer me, mortal!”
“I… I was trying to get to the… the village beyond the mountains! But my foot…”
“What about your foot?” The dragon roared, still trying to terrify me with the streams of flame.
“I’m stuck here.”
The flame died down immediately. “Let me take you to the village, mortal. I can get you there much faster, and then you must promise to leave me in peace.”
“Of course!”
The dragon knocked into the mountain, sending shards of rock flying, releasing its hold on me. I climbed onto his back, and he flew me straight to the village. I left him and never looked back.