Chapter Six

Without waiting for her response, he began to walk away, deeper into the woods. Biting her lip nervously, she followed him. The deeper they went into the woods, the faster he walked. She could barely keep up with him. This made no sense. Why was she following this nameless stranger? It was sheer madness! Her breathing became heavier; more laboured. Was the air diminishing or were the trees threatening to suffocate her? Low branches whipped at her arms and cheeks. She could no longer avoid stepping into the weeds. It became harder to keep track of him. She wondered who he was; why she was following him without question. He seemed so… surreal. Almost as if he were�"abruptly, he stopped and turned to face her.

“Are you ready to believe?”

“Believe what?!” she snapped, growing weary of his prodding.

He came around behind her and whispered in her ear. “The escape is real.” So saying, he pushed her forward, and watched the ground give way to nothing. With a silent scream, she fell. Reconnecting with the ground knocked the air almost entirely out of her lungs. For a few moments, she struggled to breathe in the dark hole, surrounded by dirt and protruding roots. While gasping for breath, she became vaguely aware that he suddenly stood before her and kneeled down. His hand touched her cheek and she felt enveloped by a warm and calming blanket. For a few moments, all she could do was stare at him in wonder, uncapable of moving or thinking. When his hand left her it was as if a jolt had gone through her. There was pain in the withdrawal and she felt herself wanting the security and warmth his touch brought.

She awoke from her thoughts to find his eyes reading her. His face offered no expression as he offered her his hand to help her up. “Come see your escape,” he said, turning to walk down the dirt tunnel. Her eyes had slowly readjusted to the darkness… or was it the light that shone dimly from the tunnel’s edge? Her heart pounding, she followed close behind him, suddenly terrified of what might lie ahead. He turned to look at her; read the panic off her face. He gently reached for her hand and led her forward, further and deeper into the earth.

A million thoughts raced through her mind. Why wasn’t the air getting thinner the further they went down? What was that light coming from? Why was the dirt ceiling not crumbling around them and burying them alive? Why, once again, was she following him? What did she hope to find anyhow? What escape? How was this going to make her believe anything other than that she was an utter naive idiot?

The light became brighter, and the tunnel widened, eventually giving way to a broad path and a sight that made her gasp.

Reviews

[Jamie Lee]

In the first paragraph, at the end there, you have a misplaced quotation mark in the last sentence. Also, it seems like you cut out part of a sentence or something by accident.

At this point I'd really like to have a firmer grip on what's going on. I feel a little lost. Is this her remembering? Is she still with Reidar? Maybe I missed something and need to go back.

This is ethereal, whimsical, beautiful. It's truly captivating, Kett, and I wish you well in getting this published. I would pick it up, no doubt.