I didn’t dream, or at least I don’t remember what I dreamt if I did. Yet I remember awakening. I stirred from my idleness at the sound of a tumbling stone. The clicking rolls of a rock against the stone tile felt like the banging of a drum after my long embrace of silence. My perception returned to me almost instantly, my vision awakening and darting towards the sound of the small rock tumbling towards where I lay. Behind it, a bright light shone through the frame in the structure, sunlight blocking my vision of the outside. Yet as I watched, scanning the path of the rock’s tumble while still unmoving, a figure passed over the bright light to cast its shadow towards me.
When my vision slowly adjusted, apparently not used to the brightness that streamed through the entrance of the ruin, I saw something that was almost familiar. A person, a small and meek thing with long pointed ears, pale as snow skin, and large glimmering purple eyes. This person stared at me, standing cautiously in the entrance to where I rested, but didn’t move to fully enter. Curious, I tried to get up and move, but I found myself pinned to the ground by something. I craned my neck, and as I forced myself to look down I heard a ripping sound like slowly tearing fabric. When I was able to look halfway down, my head popped free of some kind of restraint. When I saw my body, I was half consumed by moss and a small pile of dirt.
After my head popped free, and I looked around in confusion, the person in the entryway scuttled away, scared and racing out into the sunlight. I ignored the person who graciously awoke me with the tossing of a stone, and focused on my predicament. I couldn’t force my arms or legs to move, my head could barely turn. The moss and dirt had built up around me to such a degree that I was effectively restrained. I didn’t know what to do. Then they returned.
Peeking their head back into view, cautiously trying to steal a glance at me, the small person returned to watch my struggle. I gave up trying to break free briefly, looking towards the pointy-eared person. Though as I looked, I thought that maybe they weren’t just small but rather a child. Their face was round and eyes filled with curiosity and innocence, but across their left cheek then streaking over and past their mouth was a grizzly scar. I could see other scars around their collar, wide and cruel cuts or gashes, that had long since healed. They wore a simple brown tunic that flowed past their waist like it was made for someone much bigger than they were, it was almost like a dress.
The curious child looked at me, and I returned the look as I studied them further. They cocked their head like it would give them some new perspective and I mimicked them thinking that they might be onto something. When I followed their movement they seemed to almost jump in surprise, then they stared at me harder. Leaning in, they moved slightly past the entrance’s threshold. I watched from my mossy prison as they approached a few steps closer, then they turned their head to look towards the wall to my left. They must’ve seen something over there, so I strained my head to look in that direction. Yet it was just another mossy and dusty wall. I turned my head back just to see them staring at me, then they suddenly turned to look at the wall to my right. There had to have been something I wasn’t noticing, so I looked in that direction too. When I was met again with a plain wall, I looked at them to see them smiling. Had something happened? I wasn’t sure if they were amused by my inability to see what was apparently darting around the room or if they just had a pleasant thought.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
Just then a shout in a strange language echoed far away. The child’s ears perked up and their head turned as they looked backwards with worry. They turned back to me and said, “Im’ll n’Rinn.” Whatever that meant, maybe it was their name? Before I could attempt to ask, they turned and left quickly. I could hear another yell echo, and a small-sounding voice returned the call. The child had left, and I was alone to be imprisoned in moss and dirt.
I don’t know how much time passed. I spent every moment trying to tear free of the tightly packed dirt and persistent moss. My body was too weak to rip its way out, I felt exhausted despite my long sleep. Maybe something was wrong with me, I could vaguely recall my struggle in the small campsite-town and how quickly I ran and with the strength that I could strike. If I could only channel that energy again, maybe I could escape my confinement. Yet no number of days would return my strength, and eventually I began drifting in and out of focus again. I can’t remember how long it took for me to succumb to darkness again, but I think it was raining.
It felt like a long time had passed before I began to stir once more, once again being awoken by the tumbling of a rock. This time it made clunking clacks against the tile, not a small chunk but a fist-sized stone tumbled towards me as my alarm. My vision slowly returned to me again, searching the room for the source of the noise I spotted another figure in the door. This time the light was lower, like noon had already passed, and the figure was a little taller. Their features were eerily similar, pointed ears, purple gem-like eyes, pale skin, and a scar across their cheek and mouth. The figure wore a light green dress with thick trimmings and rough fabric.
I could barely shift my head, it had been restrained again and my body was even more thoroughly covered in mossy bindings. The figure stood in the entryway, not cautious like the previous, but stared at me with curiosity all the same. I remembered how the last one left so quickly, consigning me to my mossy fate, so I tried to get their attention by moving my head left and right. When I shook my head this seemed to startle the figure, but they stayed in the entryway. That didn’t seem to persuade them, so I tried to think of what I could do to make them understand I needed help, then I remembered. I could try to talk to them, I hadn’t talked to anyone except Nefelair, and even then it was only a few words, but speaking might be a way to make them understand. As I readjusted my head, I tried to move my jaw, but it was covered in such thick dirt and moss it could only adjust a few inches. All I croaked out was, “-ait, p…eas… -elp.”
The figure seemed genuinely surprised by my attempt, but didn’t respond right away. They moved closer, looking at me with a rekindled curiosity. After walking several feet into my small prison, they said more strange words, “Cin ped’Helnuan?” I had no idea what that meant, or maybe moss had crept into my skull to disorder my thoughts, so I tried to reaffirm, “Hel…p… me…”
The figure stared at me for a few more moments, clearly in thought. I didn’t have any choice at this point than to hope they knew what I said and would help dig me out. Yet instead of assisting me they said what the child from before had once said, “Im’ll n’Rinn!” Yet they said it with more confidence and conviction. I wondered what those words meant, if it was a name two people apparently shared the same one and I could only imagine the confusion that caused. Before any answer came the figure turned and went out of the ruin into the evening light.
I didn’t even attempt to break free of the dirt and moss this time, my mind was so unfocused and confused that I could barely move my head back and forth. I supposed my fate would be to sleep in this mossy ruin for the rest of time. Yet I was proven wrong. The next time I awoke, it wasn’t from the sound of a thrown rock, but to the sound of digging.