by S. E. Akers
I ran as fast as my frozen, bare feet would allow. They radiated a constant throbbing pain up my legs as I weaved through the rugged landscape, but at least it reminded me that I was still alive. And I felt every sharp branch scraping my legs as well, even though they were bordering on numb. My dress ripped several times when it got caught up on some of the jagged limbs. As cold as I was already, I couldn’t afford to lose much more of it.
I ran for what seemed like an eternity before I stopped to get my bearings. I thought I’d come to a somewhat familiar small clearing when I heard a voice cackling in the distance. The sound was chilling. I didn’t know who I was hoping it was more — Mike or the monster.
I didn’t think the base of the ridge was too much further, but I needed a diversion to buy some time. Swiftly, I removed Ty’s tuxedo jacket and threw it on some bushes, in the opposite direction I would be running. I made sure it was visible, but not too noticeable that would raise any flags of a possible ruse. I carried on for several more minutes through the shadowy forest. The fiendish laughter seemed to be growing louder and closing in on me fast. The light from the half moon served as my only guide amid the surrounding darkness. It had been so long since I’d ventured through here, and I was unsure of my exact location with every step I took.
Any doubts regarding my location passed after I tunneled through some bushes. I spotted one of the ridge’s high cliffs and rallied a second-wind as I scrambled toward its base. I tried to jump up and grab several of the rocks embedded in the side of the rugged cliff, but I couldn’t reach them. Even scaling its side was out of the question, what with all the snow that had saturated it. I scanned down along the base of the cliff in both directions. It was even higher no matter which way I would attempt a go at it. This spot was my best chance. It was the lowest, but unfortunately it wasn’t low enough. There weren’t even any trees around that I could use as a ladder to climb it. Shiloh Ridge was right there, but it may as well have been a million miles away.
A heinous cry called out, “SHILOH…SHILOH…” If my bones weren’t already chilled, they were then. The voice was Mike’s, and he was close — too close.
I scanned around for something to camouflage myself with. There were some thick bushes that ran along the base of the cliff. I dove into them and tried to remain as still as possible. I focused hard and tried to keep my shivering to a minimum. One thing was certain: If Mike or the fog monster didn’t kill me, Mother Nature would surely finish the job!
I was alerted by the sounds of twigs snapping and leaves shuffling. He was almost here. I peered out through the small breaks in the bush I was hiding behind. Suddenly, Mike emerged from the darkness. His gait had slowed to a more scrutinizing stagger, and he was scanning all around for any traces of me. As he moved closer, I was able to get a better look at him.
OH SHIT! My eyes swelled as fast as my hands flew up to my mouth to silence my gasp. I didn’t have to worry about Mike or the black cloud of death. From my vantage point, Mike was engulfed in the mysterious black fog. It followed his every movement and trailed away from him like a cat’s tail. Apparently, somehow Mike was the black fog.
WHAT THE HELL?
I pressed myself back against the side of the cliff. I was still hidden, and he hadn’t discovered me, but I wanted to brace myself, just the same.
I spotted my footprints embedded in the snow. Damn. They were like a roadmap that would lead him straight to me. A small tear ran down my face as I thought of my father. I was trapped and couldn’t help him. I didn’t even know if he was dead or still barely alive. I held my breath. With my eyes fearfully locked on the trail of billowy black fog, I began to pray to myself, Don’t let him see me…Don’t let him see me. The thoughts ran through my head, over and over again.
Suddenly, I noticed the makings of a tiny spark flaring from out of the corner of my eye. I looked down at my left hand. My little round golden topaz was flickering. I’d never seen a ring shine like this before. It wasn’t a blinding light, more like the soft glow from a candle. Nevertheless, it was bad enough the moonlight was working to my disadvantage. I didn’t need another light source hailing any attention my way. I tried to cover the ring with my right hand, but it seemed to glow even brighter and started to shine straight through it. How the heck is this possible? And of all times, WHY freaking NOW?
I looked over at Mike. He was still searching for me in all directions. He stopped instantly when his eyes fell to the ground. He’d spotted my footsteps in the snow. Mike looked at the bush and then up to the ridge. He scowled and ran straight for the bush I was hiding behind. There was nothing I could do. Mike, or rather, “IT”, would surely overpower me. I pressed myself back against the side of the cliff, closed my eyes, and prepared for his final attack. The agony I felt because I couldn’t help my father had consumed me, and I couldn’t muster the will to fight what I knew would be a losing battle.
My eyes were closed, but I could hear the bushes being pushed back and felt their leaves scraping against my skin. The foul stench of sulfur made my nostrils flare. My ears were alerted to the sounds of his heavy breaths, and the warm shots of air smacked my face like a whip.
Why hasn’t he grabbed me or hit me? Choked me…or something?
Slowly, I started to unclench my eyes. Once they had opened, I found I was face-to-face with “Mike”. His eyes appeared eerily hollow and were as black as coal. They weren’t the eyes of Mike Riverside. They were someone’s or something else’s. “Mike” was staring dead at me, but he did nothing. A confused look shadowed his scowling face. I watched quietly as he turned his head to the right and looked, and then to the left to do the same.
What’s he waiting for? I’m right HERE?
Mike swiftly rose to his feet, looked up at the ridge, and then stepped back. He was all in a rage and started screaming.
I was dumbfounded. What is he doing? Why isn’t he attacking?
Something caught my eye — my own hand — and it was glowing! Freakishly mesmerized, I quietly moved around to check out the rest of my body. Every inch of me was now glowing a shimmery golden hue! I was engulfed in a beautiful golden light that was coming from my ring — Ms. Sutherland’s ring. My skin seemed to have a transparent look to it. I could even see the ground below me through my fingers. A tingling energy pulsated throughout my entire body as well. Courageously, I rose up from the bushes, plainly within “Mike’s” sight. He heard something and turned, but he never focused on me. He couldn’t see me. It was like I wasn’t there.
Impossible…
Then from out of the sky, my feathery little friend swooped down and attacked “Mike” with a vengeance, pummeling him with ferocious pecks every chance it got. The feisty falcon spiraled around him in a mystical cloud of golden haze. I watched stupefied as the battle between bird and beast unfolded before my eyes.
“Mike” finally grabbed the fowl and hurled it towards a tree. It fell to the ground, injured and squawking. “Mike” picked up a large rock and walked towards the falcon lying on the ground, flailing and trying to flap its wings. He raised the crude weapon over his head to crush his opponent with one calculated strike.
I couldn’t let that happen. This was the second time it had helped me fend off this creature. I sprang out of the bush and started to run over to save the bird when all of a sudden, a streak of purple mist shoved me against the mountainside. I felt the earth crumble underneath my back from the powerful force of the blow. Then it hurled itself right into “Mike”, knocking the large rock out of his hands. The purple mist had “Mike” firmly in its grasp as they propelled off down the mountain like a rocket. It happened so fast, they were already out of my sight. The falcon quickly stretched its wings and then soared straight up into the night sky. I looked back towards the direction where the purple mist had bolted in such a hurry. There were no signs of “it” or “Mike”.
How did the strange purple mist know I was there, if “Mike” didn’t? I still had the mysterious golden aura flowing aroun
d my entire body. Somehow that, I presumed, was preventing me from being visible. I looked around and found myself all alone in the stillness of the night.
I took a moment to thank whatever the cosmos had summoned to save me. Now, all I had to do was run home and get help for Daddy.
If he still needs it, I shuddered fearfully.
The coast was clear, so I attempted to jump up and scale the side of the cliff again. I managed to grab a tree root that was growing out of its side and held on with a tight grasp. I seem to be having a lot better luck this time around, I noted with a hopeful wave of gratitude while I inched up the side of the cliff. Just a little more and I’ll reach the top. With my feet planted firmly against the cliff’s hard surface, I continued up its side.
My confidence soon waned when a rumbling sound roared from out of nowhere. The side of the cliff started to shake violently. It was like an earthquake was occurring underneath Shiloh Ridge. Massive hunks of snow-covered rocks and earth began to crack and crumble away from the side of the cliff, right underneath me. A large hole soon appeared, almost swallowing me whole. I scrambled to hold on to the tree root. Well over half of my body was already dangling inside the gaping crevice. I kicked my legs, hoping to feel some sort of safe ground. Sadly, there was nothing but air. Not good. Another powerful tremor shook the ridge and inevitably rattled my hands right off the root. I scrambled to grab on to something, but I couldn’t because of the slippery snow. I slid down what remained of the cliff and fearfully counted the seconds until I wouldn’t be able to feel any more earth at all. No doubt about it. I was headed for a nasty fall.
OH NO…
I let out a shrill scream as I dropped into the darkness. Painfully, my falling frame crashed against the sides of the fissure’s chamber. Every rock I hit delivered an agonizing blow. The jagged stones carved into my skin like a knife, and every slice felt nothing less than excruciating.
The golden light the stone was casting acted like flashlight around my body. Not only could I feel everything as I fell, but I could vividly see every sharp and savage obstacle in my path. My descent seemed like an eternity. Just when I thought I couldn’t bear the torture any longer, my hip crashed down hard onto a large boulder, and then my limp frame rolled the rest of the way to the bottom.
My whole body was throbbing when I came to a stop, and the pain was steadily intensifying. The numbness from the cold temperatures was wearing off. I was pretty sure my right arm was broken because I couldn’t move it without tearing up. My left arm felt wet and when I looked down, I noticed blood pouring out of a large gash, about the length of my hand. My hip ached from the impact of the collision. I just knew it was shattered. I raised my head up to examine the rest of my anguished frame. The jagged rocks had ripped my beautiful dress to shreds, and what was left was covered in dirt and blood. My harrowing inspection concluded with my legs. They looked like someone had taken a spiked baseball bat to them and shown no mercy with their strikes…None whatsoever.
My eyes followed the walls of the dark chamber all the way up to its opening. I could only see a hint of the night sky. I judged the distance from the bottom to be about a couple hundred yards. I used the light my ring was granting to survey my surroundings. I’d fallen into some sort of cavern. As I lowered my head back down against its hard craggy floor, I started to cry, but I couldn’t get a sound to come out, no matter how hard I tried. The pain had left me breathless.
I can’t climb out and no one knows I’m down here…
The light coming from the golden topaz was starting to fade. My surroundings grew darker with every second that passed, until there was nothing left but a small, candle-like flicker from the center of the ring’s gemstone. Perfect, I thought angrily, Now I’m going to die in the freakin’ dark!
I took several deep breaths. Even though I knew I was just a mere knock away from death’s door, I couldn’t help but think of my father. There was nothing I could do for him now, and I was of little help to him when I was up there. No matter what injuries had ravaged my body, the ache my heart was suffering was more than I could bear. A horrible wave of sadness rose from the pit of my stomach as one small tear finally fell from my eye.
No one will come. There would be no rescue, and certainly no knight-in-shining-armor to save me tonight…
As I felt the tear roll down my cheek, my eyes focused on the opening of the cavern. A faint beam of light suddenly appeared and it seemed to be building. I quickly propped myself up on my elbows, grimacing and trying to ignore the pain from my broken limb.
Maybe there’s someone up there with a flashlight?
“He—Help,” I called out in a weak, raspy voice. I could barely hear myself. There was no way anyone a couple hundred yards away could. The sound wasn’t even loud enough to echo. I stared at the opening and tried to listen for any sounds coming from above. Soon, the dark cloud cover rolled back and revealed its source. It was the half moon, shining in the night sky. My elbows collapsed, and I fell back against the cold hard ground.
No one’s there. As disappointed as what I was, I took some comfort in the modest bit of illumination that the moonbeams were emitting into the cave. I closed my eyes for a moment and thought to myself, Maybe a snakebite wouldn’t have been so bad?
Suddenly, my eyelids began to twitch. They were being stimulated by something. It felt bright and was escalating by the second. I opened my eyes to see the beam of moonlight streaming into the cavern. But that wasn’t it. The vibrant light I was sensing wasn’t coming from above. I turned my head and followed the direction of the moonbeam. My eyes traveled along its path as it crossed the cave like a well-guided arrow. The mystical beam of light grew brighter the further I looked and eventually revealed a large rock formation where the source of illumination appeared to be hovering. I couldn’t tell if it was reflecting off the rocks, or if there was actually something lying on its surface that was stirring the infectious glow. The longer I stared at the dazzling light, the more I became memorized by it. Totally and inescapably spellbound. The harder I focused, the more enthralled I became by its brilliance. It was absolutely scintillating. I grimaced as I attempted to roll my body over and onto my stomach. Once my weight had shifted, I placed more pressure on my fractured hip and howled in agony.
I had to get a closer look at whatever was there. I couldn’t walk, so I was forced to crawl along the rugged bottom of the cavern. Every inch I traveled was more painstaking than the last, but for some reason, I didn’t care. I was in a trance and clearly under the mysterious light’s spell. It felt like I was being “pulled” toward the light, like it was calling to me, tempting me to come. Whatever it was, it blazed like the sun the closer I crept.
I struggled through the crippling pain, wailing the entire way, until I’d finally reached the bottom of the rock formation where the light was emanating. I looked up. There above me, embedded in what looked to be dark raw coal, lay a long, glowing rod of some sort. My eyes widened in their trance. The energy and fervor of the anomaly had overpowered all of my senses…and I was willingly its prisoner.
Suddenly, I remembered the hallucination I’d had earlier when I was dancing with Ty. This was the same object from my vision. I remembered all the same desires I felt when I’d seen it before. I had to get closer to it — I needed to touch it. I would have to pull myself up to it, but that meant getting to more of a standing position. The pain from that endeavor was sure to kill me, but at that moment, I didn’t care.
I braced my hands against one of the rocks and then pushed my frame up with the last few ounces of strength I had left. I swung my hips upwards and staggered as my feet shuffled to grip the side of the rock formation. My body trembled, and I gasped breathlessly from the sheer agony of the painful maneuver. All of my vigor had faded from my muscles, but my mind forced me to carry on.
Determined, I threw myself at the object that had revealed itself. Before my eyes lay a magnificent, six-sided faceted crystal. It was a little longer than my arm, and it
s radiance was almost blinding. I gazed deeply into the bewitching crystal. It appeared to have some kind of fiery light moving within it, like a free-flowing energy of sorts.
I rested my left hand firmly underneath the base of the rocks and swung my broken right limb over to grasp it. As I clutched the awesome crystal, it began to sporadically shoot out rays of intense light in all directions. I was so fixated on its beauty that I didn’t want to let go. A spark shot through my right arm and blazed a trail throughout my entire body. Its dynamic energy began to flow through me with breakneck speed. It felt like I was being struck by a billion bolts of lightning, but its force was more thrilling than fierce. Then all of a sudden, I felt every broken and cut body part, starting to reel with an agonizing pain, one that couldn’t be fathomed no matter how hard you imagined. I couldn’t take its toll any longer, so I tried to release my hand — but the crystal wouldn’t allow me to loosen my grasp. Somehow I was now adhered to it. I jerked my hand violently, trying even harder to pull it free.
When the light finally climaxed, an overwhelming burst of torturous pain consumed my body. I screamed! It was as if an explosion had set my insides on fire, like my blood was burning with hot, molten lava that coursed through every one of its veins.
The blazing light from the crystal rod disappeared in an instant. There wasn’t any light, of any kind that remained in the cavern. I was now standing in pitch-black darkness. My grip loosened from the crystal and straightaway, I began to slip into an unconscious state. I wobbled and then collapsed onto the rocks below. When my head hit the ground, a random memory of my father drifted through my mind, and a sense of blissful peace fell over me. My misty eyes fluttered to a close, catching only a glimpse of a shimmery purple light. I was certain when they finally opened back up, I’d be greeted by Daddy, who would be waiting for me — standing beside “my maker”.