As charming and delightful as it is to float on the surface of the water, I really need to get back to solid ground. Just ahead, about 20 feet is the bank. That surge of adrenaline from earlier probably saved my life but damn do I feel spent right now. Come on legs, work your magic.
Like some sort of pathetic unsightly duck, I slowly wade my way towards my salvation. When I feel my feet scrape against the myriad of tiny pebbles, I resign to let the gentle waves take me the rest of the way.
Surely it will be alright to close my eyes for just a bit…
A tiny urgent voice tries getting my attention. ---- ---- dange--- ---- ---eeding ---.
Calm down, everything is alright. Just going to take a nice little nap. Don't worry… about… zzz
…
I awaken to a lush-green meadow, underneath a baby-blue sky populated with impossibly fluffy clouds. High above is a lemon-yellow sun, as brilliant and golden as the sunflowers all around that frolic whimsically with every soft breeze. Everything is so breathtakingly vibrant and full of life! Helpless to the innocence of it all, I stand up and run, arms outstretched towards the flowers. Between my fingers the soft petals fly away into the blue yonder. With every step, the long blades of grass gently tickle at my feet.
Tweet, tweet!
A duo of beautiful cherry-red songbirds fly just above, performing their graceful aerial dance. Beyond the sunflower grove, the delightful smell of baked goods entrances me, and I gladly heed its call. A cascade of sunflowers brush past me as I rush towards that inviting aroma. The golden fields give way, and on top of a round hill sits a simple home with leaf-green bricks and a tiled roof as red as the birds that sing overhead.
Excitement builds in my chest as I bound my way happily towards the welcoming home. Arriving at the doorstep, I reach my hands for the handle, only for them to pass through it. Taken aback I try again, but just like before they phase uselessly through the door.
"I don't understand," I mutter as I hold my hands out to investigate them.
Where my fingers should be are instead clouds of formless grey mist. I look down upon my toes that raced through the grassy meadow just mere moments ago and discover that they too, were a billowing swathe of smoke. Then I fell.
The world rises up without warning, cruelly leaving me behind. Beneath the earth, everything was black. The lone exception was a crimson glow that grew as the world swallowed me. Deeper and deeper I fell, wordlessly screaming and crying out for help. Serpent-like flames rise around me, their jaws stretched menacing and wide. Without further warning, they lunge, and my world becomes one with the inferno.
CAAAW!! Caaw!! Caaw! Ca--
The echoes of my own startled cry jolt me awake. AH!!
Instinctively I move my right wing over my injury that flared up with intense pain as I began to stir. My wing is pressed hard over the wound, as if pressure will magically make the pain go away. Ignoring common sense, I let my primal desires have their way and I ride out the worst of the torturous waves. When my suffering subsides enough for me think clearly, I lift my wing and mentally prepare for what I'm about to see.
Once a pristine white wing tipped with black feathers, it is now a scarlet mess. Exposed flesh dangles gruesomely from where that eel ripped and tore at the thickest portion of my wing. From the small cavities the needle-like teeth left behind, a hint of bone was visible.
At this I was forced to look away. Bile burned the back of my throat, and the wretched sound of me losing last night's dinner soon followed.
From there it took me several minutes to get my composure. The aftermath of my first life-and-death battle took a deep mental toll on me. Undoubtedly not the last time my life would be put on the line.
That last sobering revelation is the final bit of medicine I need to get my act together. My reserves are as replenished as they're going to get. So, I stand up and take a look around. Similar to the last cavern I was in, stone walls rise up on all sides of the lake. There is also a very noticeable draft that causes me to look back up to the jagged ceiling. From my vantage point on the beach, my vision of it is blocked by progressively larger stalactites, but I know it's there.
The gateway to the outside world.
Taking a quick glance down towards my mangled wing leaves me with a lingering feeling of disappointment. Which brings my attention back towards the end of the cavern. Upon the crest of the sloped path are two possible routes that wind off into the darkness. At least I'm getting closer to my goal.
Before I get going, I should get myself cleaned up and get some food. As I turn my attention back towards the lake, I finally notice them.
Tiny little mushrooms with thick stalks and wide round heads, clustered in the shade of a nearby boulder. Aside from those creepy tree roots when I first woke up, I don't think I have seen any sort of plant life. As I get closer to investigate, they wobble around, as if they are trying to unearth themselves in a feeble effort to escape.
I immediately freeze when I see them move.
Am I losing my mind? Rhetorical question, but why is every plant moving around as if they were sentient?
Very, very cautiously I reach out with an extended claw to poke one of the tiny toadstools. Nothing exciting happens, but rather I notice they wriggle towards the shade my wing casts. With this realization, I simply turn my necklace around so it's backwards and like magic, the mushrooms all stop their tiny little movements.
It's almost cute. They are simply afraid of the light. Well unfortunately I can think of one thing that they should be more concerned about. With my talons I easily grab a handful of the strange lively mushrooms, to which I bundle them in the crook of my wing. After my diabolical deed I stare at their patch, expecting some sort of alien reaction. Launch retaliatory spores, rise out of the ground to reveal their secret form, you know, something. But nothing happens, they just stay still as statues in the shade.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
I don't understand this place sometimes.
Whatever, easy breakfast for me. I spin my necklace back around and realize that it is far brighter than what I remember. The splendid little prism is blinding to look at and when I think about it, I don't really need it to be any brighter than necessary. Don't need to attract the local wildlife afterall.
Daylight from the exposed ceiling gives just enough light to walk around near the shoreline, so I make the decision to bury my necklace for the time being. There are many secrets surrounding this opal-like gemstone of mine, but I am sure of one thing. It just gets brighter seemingly without limit the longer I'm next to it. Will it dim down while I'm away? Who knows! So off into the sand you go. On the other end of the shoreline I bury it in a thin layer of sand and pebbles. Despite the debris covering it, the damn thing still glows like some buried pirate treasure. So naturally I draw an "X" on the ground before I leave it be.
Back to my main order of business, food! With my new assortment of earthly goods, it's about time I pair it with some seafood. Get me some real surf n' turf! Or rather mostly surf, but who's going to correct me down here? Now where is a good fishing spot…
About 10 feet out is solid flat-topped boulder that sits large and proud amidst the lake. A quick stroll and one awkward climb later and I'm just about ready to go. Without my light I figured I would need another way to get some bait fish, so I brought with me a few of those mushrooms in my beak. It's a simple matter of shredding them with my talons and I get to chumming the water with the creamy colored bits.
A couple hours later and I finally manage to catch a worthwhile fish. Sure I was able to get some of the bait fish with the mushroom chum, but I couldn’t for the life of me get a decent sized fish to show up! Hell, it took almost an hour just to get a flat diamond-shaped fish only three inches in length. The thing was far to small to justify the effort it would take to pluck what little meat there was on its bones. So I quickly end that critter's career with my beak and used that one as my new bait.
The first runner up made their appearance a few hours after I made the switch, but it ended up swiping half my bait before escaping. Luckily I was able to swipe up the second contender. A nice foot and a half long fish with a bizarrely translucent body and quite the substantial sail-esque dorsal fin.
My stomach reminds me that it has been several hours since I've last had some proper food. Don't you worry oh greedy belly of mine, we shall have some food soon. I swivel my legs and plop down into the water, my latest catch hanging heavily from my beak. Oh yeah, plenty of food.
Before I can enjoy this fresh catch, I want to check on my necklace. While I don't think any creature would dig it up, I can't be 100% confident that they wouldn't.
With the spot I buried it only a few feet away, I can't help but drop my fish in shock. In a perfect ring where I buried my necklace are a collection of wriggling mushrooms that pulsate with the faintest of blue light. Not only that, but they literally hum in an almost inaudible harmony. Nearby, more of these creeping toadstools make their long journey from wherever they were hiding, clearly intent on joining the others.
What. The. Hell.
Get away from my necklace you freaks!
I start yanking the fungal invaders with my talons, uprooting them one by one. Thin white spindles grow out from their girthy stalk, all of their root systems extending towards the same direction. Ignoring the mushrooms for now, I unearth my hidden treasure and sure enough, pale strands connect seamlessly with the glossy surface of my opal.
Come on! Again with this?
With a rather annoying sense of déjà vu, I get to peeling the roots one by one until the gemstone is free of the invaders.
On one set of talons, my plan worked. The opalescent gemstone now shone about as bright as a candle. On the other set of talons, this whole fiasco happened.
As useful as this stone has been, part of me wonders if it's going to be worth the unwanted attention it seems to bring. When I finally get outside this blasted cave I really need to consider if I should get rid of it or not. It would be regretful if I did, as it a physical symbol of one of my first triumphs. Bah
I'll figure it out when the time comes. For now it's time for food.
The ghost-like fish, while interesting to look at, tastes about as transparent as its flesh. In that I mean has absolutely no flavor, not even any odor. At least the mushrooms are rich and earthy. While the meal was definitely filling, part of me feels like I was being robbed. Every bite felt like I was eating air if it had sustenance.
One of these days I'll have a proper tasty meal. After using my wing to wipe away the oils built up on my beak, I turn towards the two pathways. It's going to be time to make a decision.
On the left is more of the same, a bleak rocky tunnel devoid of anything more interesting than varying shades of black sediment.
The right path slopes downwards with a draft clearly coming from that direction. However traces of something pungent and earthly is carried on that same breeze. Getting a whiff of that odor causes my feathers to puff out on their own and I can't help but feel uncomfortable despite not knowing what the source is.
I take another look at the left tunnel before checking the option on the right one more time.
Going with the right path would probably be the smart choice, but the impression that twin-headed eel left on me lingers heavily. My left wing tucked tightly against my chest is a grim reminder in that regard.
For now, the fear of the unknown drives me to towards the path of least resistance, so I begin down the leftward trail.
Several hours goes by as the trail winds in damn-near every direction, some turns bending at sharp angles. At times it would feel as I was doubling back towards the lake. If I really was, I would never have known for sure.
Eventually the path came to a dead-end of sorts. At the end of the tunnel is a coarse, yet at the same time, smooth wall with a large fracture that runs across its length. Except I notice something about the cracks. As I get closer, my light reveals a chamber that is barely visible on the other side.
With one part determination, the other refusing to backtrack several hours, I lift one of my legs higher to get a good grip on an eroded section of the wall. If I can just clear away some these rocks, I might be able to squeeze through. Here's to hoping!
I pull hard on the compromised section of the wall, but I only manage to carve a few small channels where my talons scraped against the stone. Thinking back on my previous exploits, I begin looking around for a suitable sized rock. For being something so mundane, they have remained surprisingly useful…
Of course it doesn't take long to find a large rock that fits nicely in the palm of my talons. So with the hopes that lightning strikes twice, I blast the cracked wall with a well-aimed kick.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
I hammer away at the wall, every strike bringing me closer to my goal. The primitive tool works wonders, dust and debris mixing with the stale air as the wall slowly gave way.
One final blow and the wall crumples with a deluge of stones and dust following in its wake. The sudden dust cloud causes my lungs to seize and I have to spend several moments coughing in vain attempt to clear my airways. Using my one good wing, I fan towards the irritating cloud of debris to stop myself from breathing in any more.
It takes several minutes for the cloud to settle, but the way was now clear.
Taking a step inside puts me into another world. Vastly different from the cave beforehand, every surface in this new chamber is almost completely flat and smooth. The floors, ceilings, and walls, all made of the same monotone material. But those were the least of my concerns.
Scattered throughout the time-lost chamber are dozens of human remains.