I noticed a tingle on my skin, a strange tingle. It was like a thousand tiny ants were marching up my legs. I shined the light at my legs, but there was nothing on my skin. The tingling sensation moved to my arms—then I felt it on my neck.
Something was happening. I stood up to back away from the water, but was instantly pushed down to my knees. It felt like a wave of air pushing me, but I knew that it couldn’t be. The flashlight was shaking in my hand again. Another force came from behind, pushing my head closer to the water. I wanted to cry out, but I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. The tingle in my neck became painful as I was forced to stare down into the ocean.
My reflection was there, in the water. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was there. Suddenly, I fell through my reflection; I was in the water. The salt water stung my eyes—I couldn’t tell if I was swimming up or down, left or right. At first I was drowning, and then in seconds, I resurfaced inside the mouth of a cave.
-12-
THE CAVE
I spat the remains of the ocean from my mouth as I lay on the cool black stones that carpeted the entrance of the cave. It felt therapeutic to suck in the night air. The next thing I was conscious of was the water rising through the opening. I planned to give myself a few moments to catch a good breath, and then I would swim back through the entrance. I didn’t want to stay in the clammy cavern any longer than I had to.
Just as I lifted my head from the stones, there was a shuffling of rocks coming from the depths of the darkness. I jumped to my feet, foolishly jittery, holding my flashlight close to my chest. There was something in the cave. This would probably be a good time to exit. I steadily pushed my way into the cold water until the swells met my waist. I took a few deep breaths and readied myself for the dive.
As I took my last profound breath, I heard a soft giggle resonate in the darkness. The hair stood up on my arms, while I held my breath. It’s not real…There is no rational explanation for this. I pushed the air from my lungs so that I could speedily take another. I was more than ready to leave this place.
Then, right before I dove into the water, I heard something that sent a shiver over my skin—one simple word.
“Stop.” The voice was from a young girl. Her soft cry echoed through the night air.
I was not alone. I stood there with my back to the darkness and questioned what I should do. Is this the girl I saw fall from the cliff? If she was down here, I sure couldn’t leave her to drown.
“Wait.” The voice pleaded again.
This time I turned to direct a beam of light toward the voice. The light bounced off a red cloak darting further into the cave. I attempted to move toward her quickly, but the water made my feet heavy and slow to move. After a good minute of struggling, I made it to the water’s edge, exactly where the moonlight ended. My flashlight was now my only source of light. The cool, stale air filled my lungs as I took off running into the belly of the cave.
When I came to the place where the girl had been standing, I noticed the walls of the cave took a sharp left and tunneled to a lower elevation. I paused to shine the light down the tunnel and saw nothing but the fancy rock sculptures created by the timeless power of the sea.
I turned back to examine the rise of the water coming from the entrance. The tide was rising very quickly; it wouldn’t be long before the entire entrance would be underwater. I had to find this girl soon so we could swim out before the waves filled the tunnels. I looked back to the belly of the cave and then dashed into the unknown.
The cave took one dramatic turn after the next and narrowed each time. I had no time to hesitate—I simply ran down each slippery, dark tunnel. In my mind I made a mental layout of what I had passed to prevent later confusion.
I finally came to a seemingly dead end. There was a tunnel, but this tunnel was not like the others. At a glance, it looked like a dark shadow in the far corner of the wall, but as I stepped closer with the flashlight, I could see that it was more than a shadow.
I dropped to my knees and shined the light down into the small opening, hoping that it didn’t lead to anything. Hoping that I wouldn’t have to go through it. Just as I extended my arm with the flashlight, I saw the girl with the red cloak. She was in the tunnel. I would have to crawl.
The tunnel was much too small for comfort, but I had to go in. I had to help the girl. I shifted my shoulders and pushed my weight through the narrow lips in the wall.
“Where are you going?” I asked with a stern tone. My voice bounced from the walls.
The girl continued to slide down further into the darkness. She made it quite clear that she had no desire to stop, but I was not leaving without her. I had almost caught up with her, when the girl abruptly dropped out of sight. The tunnel had opened into a large chamber. I fell out of the tunnel, right after her, and took a few seconds to scan the new room with the light.
The chamber was perfectly round and decorated with hundreds of rock formations glistening with beads of water. I shined the light upward to the ceiling, but the light faded into a dark, circular shadow. We were standing in the bottom of a giant tunnel.
Water began to hiss and crash into the room. I directed my attention and flashlight back to the girl, and for the first time, I could see her face clearly.
Her skin was the perfect shade of ivory, and her rosy cheeks and lips gave her the appearance of a china doll. I watched in silence as she looked up into the emptiness of the chamber and closed her eyes. Her red cloak finally relaxed against her white nightgown as she stood completely still in this position.
“We must go,” I said gently this time.
She did not move. I walked toward her while the cold water gushed in through the tunnel to cover the floor. She swiftly dropped her head down and opened her eyes to meet my gaze.
“Stop,” she commanded.
My heart jumped. There was something about her voice that startled me.
“Where are you going?” she questioned.
I took a step back in the rising water. Her small rosy lips had moved, but it was my own voice that escaped her mouth.
With the light still shining on her porcelain face, I watched as her lips moved with mine when I muttered, “I’m going home.”
I frantically took another step back, but stumbled, and dropped the flashlight. Without thought, I snatched the light and pointed it back to the girl. She was gone. My eyes scanned the perimeter of the chamber. There was no sign of her. The water was now knee-deep and surging in faster with each second. My mind swirled, trying to wrap itself around an explanation, but I could think of none. I looked carefully through the chamber, looking for anything to explain what I had just witnessed. The girl was nowhere to be found. She had simply disappeared into the dark. By this time the water had doubled to be waist-level. I had to go. I turned and began to make my way back to the opening.
As I waded in the dark, cold water, I took one last glance back into the chamber. Only darkness stared back. The rage of the water pushed against my legs with great force as I neared the entrance to the narrow tunnel. I aimed the flashlight down the eerie passageway to observe the speed of the incoming water. My heart fluttered with panic as I watched it crash against the sides of the rocky path. It looked like a tunnel from a water park, except less friendly.
There was no doubt in my mind that this chamber would soon be completely filled. And with the increasing force of the water, I couldn’t crawl back through. My only chance of survival was to keep my head above the water and float up the tunnel of the chamber.
I shivered as the water splashed to my chest, and took short and frequent breaths as my nerves began to take over. I knew that I had to act quickly. With the strap of my bag, I looped the slack around the handle of my flashlight until it formed a tight knot. Once the water rose, I would need to use my arms to swim.
Soon after I secured the light, a loud roar escaped the small, narrow tunnel. I shuddered at the thought that I could possibly be meeting my death. Another rattling roar e
scaped. I tried to keep my weight balanced as the bottom of my feet lifted from the slippery surface of the cave floor. It was evident that I was being hurried up the tunnel in a spinning movement. In seconds the water had pushed my body through the dark shadows of the chamber’s ceiling. And from the sound of the water, I was convinced that my ride had only begun.
After I realized that the force of the water would keep me afloat, I tucked my legs under my body and lifted one arm to the surface as a precaution to shield my body from the walls. I ascended into a pitch-black tunnel. The old smell of moistened rock was now overpowered by a much stronger smell of sweetness. The undeniable smell reminded me of the honeysuckles and gardenias that used to take over our backyard every summer. I wished I were home now.
My thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted with an odd bubbling sound from below. The bubbles tickled as they floated under my feet, through my legs, and around my arms to burst at the rough surface. The flashlight that had been hanging from the strap of my satchel illuminated the growing number of bubbles.
Vivid lights began to penetrate the water as I was hurled upward.
-13-
PINE LIGHT
My eyes flickered opened to a cloudy night. The moon looked huge in the sky, resting close to the water—it felt almost too close. I rolled to my feet and then shuffled up a sandy hill until it met with grass. I expected to see light pouring from the rose-colored panes of Scarlet Heights, but what I saw was something different entirely. What I saw was pine light.
It was strange at first—almost frightening. But then it was magically beautiful. A thick forest covered the land for as far as I could see. The trees of the forest flickered and swayed as if they were dancing with sparklers to the wind’s melody. Pine light. I walked softly in the velvety grass in the direction of the sparkling forest. I stepped among the trees and stood frozen in awe as the cool, sweet air blew through my hair and around my face. As the wind quickened, the brown pine needles from the elder trees came alive with a sudden, colorful glow. The wind caught the flickering needles and gracefully carried them to the ground as they faded back to their original color. I was left breathless from the light display.
Is this a dream? Am I dead? I wasn’t sure. As my eyes wandered to the belly of the woods, I noticed that pine needles twinkled from every tree. The random bursts of illumination added to the list of questions that had been running through my restless mind. I needed answers. I decided to push forward into the unknown.
I walked for hours, carefully observing my surroundings. The trees still were swaying, but the wind had turned their soft dance into a vigorous shake. Nevertheless, the bright pine needles continued their float down to the floor of the forest.
As I weaved through the tall shadows and tree trunks, I found a small clearing with a single tree. In this area there were no shrubs, just a bent-over tree with green grass and fading pine needles beneath it. It seemed as if the tree, which shadowed this small place, was inviting me in to rest. I graciously accepted the invitation by dropping my bag on the ground and positioning my head on its roots while extending my legs over the soft grass.
While resting, I studied the woods that had captivated me hours before. Faded pine needles lay all around, carpeting the floor of the entire forest. I automatically reached for the nearest cluster. My fingers slid over the pine needles, igniting the cluster with a brilliant ray of sparkling light. Stunned, I dropped the inexplicable needles. At this point, I was confused beyond reason. With my body still resting against the bark, I reached to my right side and grabbed a whole handful of pine clusters. Just like the first cluster, they all began to glow. I slid my thumb and index finger along the edge of the needles. They felt warm, as if they had been bathing in the sun all day.
I grabbed for my bag, carefully placing the pine needles between my dead flashlight and the book of poems. My attention fell to the gift that Fergus had given me. It was still wrapped in a dusty cloth—still a mystery.
While my eyes gazed up at the tree, I could only think of what Fergus had told me. I rolled to my side and placed the fabric on the ground in front of me. And as my hand traced the edges of the wool, my mind began to replay bits and pieces of the stories that Fergus once told.
His stories had constantly intrigued me. I would spend hours in the library, listening to his every word. They would always begin blissfully and somehow lead to a dark and twisted tale with characters fighting for their lives and their beliefs. He would tell them with such great detail that they had a sense of realness. There had been times when I had felt like I could see everything he described as if I were there. A mild wind swept through the trees and blew my hair into my eyes. With one finger I slid the hair back into place and then reached for the brown fabric. I wanted to know everything there was to know. I gently unfolded the fabric.
Underneath the flap of wool lay a beautiful cross.
I ran my fingers over the aged necklace, carefully inspecting the front and the back. The metal cross in my hand was the same as the one I had seen in the book from the dream. Pine needles wound around the center of the cross, forming the Trinity. The needles lit up as I ran my fingers around the endless knot. The cross was breathtaking in person. As I sat the cross down on the wool, the pine needles returned to their dull state of rest. A thin ribbon wound through the top of the cross, forming a necklace. The fiber, which was similar to twine, had been torn at the ends. An easy fix, but noteworthy nonetheless. I carefully placed the cross on my neck and reached behind to knot the fiber necklace. I could feel warmth radiating from the cross as it fell to my chest.
I lay there in the woods, gazing down at the cross, until I noticed a drastic change in the weather. The nice cool breeze that had once swept through my hair was now a strong gust blowing dramatically through the trees from all directions. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. The wind felt much like a warning, almost as if it were trying to tell me a storm was on its way and to seek shelter. I could smell a hint of rain and ash blowing through the trees, eliminating the sweet perfume of the pines. The soft light in the woods grew dimmer by the minute. I needed to find a safe place soon.
I heard the faint sound of branches snapping behind me as I lifted myself from the trunk of the tree. I turned to investigate, but could see nothing in the poor lighting. I grabbed my bag and took to walking. My attention quickly darted above when I heard a loud rumble coming from the sky. Just as I looked up, the sun was blocked by dark blue clouds, which now covered the entire sky. The once bright and cloudless sky looked like a wild sea of deep blue and black, angry clouds. I felt a prickly slap on the back of my shoulder and turned in time to see the branches of the trees slapping vigorously at me. It felt as if the forest was alive and trying to get me to move forward. I heard another snap. This time the noise was much closer in the woods behind me.
An unnerving feeling began to pulse through my veins. I wasn’t the only one out here. Something or someone was watching me. I shifted my body to the right and pressed my back to a tree trunk that was twice my size in width. I heard a sound again. This time it sounded much like rustling in the brush, followed by a low-pitched mumble. I felt my heart pound, almost as if it were trying to escape my body. The pounding made each breath painful.
A single drop of rain hit like a glass bead on the top of my head. I did not move as it rolled down over my forehead and into my eye. I could feel the bark of the tree leaving its impression on the skin of my back as I tried to disappear into its wide trunk. I listened with all of my strength, waiting to hear another noise coming from behind. All I could hear now was the sound of the wind raging to the frantic beat of my own heart. I knew that I could not stay behind the tree all night, so I reluctantly decided to peek around the trunk. If I did not spot anything, then I would make a run for it.
I gradually turned my body to the right so that my side and cheek rested on the warm bark. Before I could tilt my head forward, I felt a sharp pinch on the exposed side of my neck. The spot
tingled. As I reached for my neck, my hand landed on something else.
Protruding from my skin was a short, pencil-like object. Without hesitation, I applied pressure to my neck with one hand and pulled the hard tube out with the other. I could feel my skin tear as my whole neck began throb with a sharp pain. I held the object tight as my body began to slide down the side of the tree. Once I was flat against the ground and tree, I opened my hand to observe what had caused my injury. In my hand lay a clear dart, no longer than three inches. One end of this device was a tiny white fluff of feathers, while the other end came to a sharp needle point. In frustration, I jabbed the lightweight dart into the ground. Someone was out there, and they were after me.
I tried to pull my weight back up, but my legs were weak. I noticed that I could not hear the wind anymore, just a soft ringing in both of my ears. Then complete silence. My mouth felt dry, and everything looked blurry and spotted.
In my peripheral vision, I made out shadows to my left and right. Though afraid beyond explanation, my heart was no longer racing, but gradually pounding slower and slower. I allowed my body to fall forward into the soft ground and attempted to pull my weight with my hands and elbows. My knees shook while I pushed them into the earth. I had only crawled a few feet when my entire body turned cold. Then everything faded to black.
-14-
PIRATES
It was dark when I gained consciousness, and I was soaked to the bone. My pounding head rested facedown on what I imagined to be damp rope. I squirmed. My hands were bound behind my back, and my feet were tied and jammed between two heavy, round objects. I was helpless, again. Warm blood pumped through my cold veins to the tear in my pulsing neck. My feet and hands were still frozen and tingling. I was afraid. I never feared death, only the thought that it would be introduced with hellish pain. So in these moments of waking up, I only feared that I would soon experience unbearable pain.
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