Lauren--Part Thirty-Nine

Splog # 136

Thirty-Nine

   Lauren looked at the next step up and found that it was embossed with the same design. Except that the C on this step was a flat black color, whereas the other was a bright green. As she mounted, she found that each step had the design on it, with the C in the center alternating colors step by step, now shiny green and now dull black. She started to count the steps she was taking and then decided it wouldn't make a difference if she didn't know how many she'd already climbed. She took a look behind her and counted seven steps up to the one she was on, which was step eight. She found that the black letters corresponded with her even steps so she considered counting by twos. Then she decided to count each step as she placed a foot on it because there was no telling whether the color scheme would continue as it was all the way to the top. Distracting herself from her emotional state by playing such games as these, Lauren found herself up on the next level of her journey as she reached step number thirty-nine, which had a green C in the middle of it. The landscape of this shelf was quite different from any she'd travelled through up to this point. There was no greenery and no growing things that she could see at all. The whole plateau seemed composed of black rock and dirt and halfway across there was a large stone or possibly a pillar of some kind. It seemed the only landmark in the whole dark space. Lauren took a look back down the stairs and to the place she had just left. It seemed strange to see, such a short distance away, the carpet of green bordered by the white flowers on one side, with the brownish coloration of the other side where the grass had evaporated. She could see King plodding along in the distance and wished again that he could have come with her. But forward! No time for regret. There wasn't a path across this area so she thought it would be best to head for the large rock. That would get her halfway there and maybe at that point she would be able to see some landmark towards which she could aim at the far end. From here it looked like nothing more than a black wall with no particular way to scale it. Best not worry about that until she reached it. She took a last look at the design on step thirty-nine and, while doing so, she noticed a slight glow in the black dirt a few inches from the step. She looked closer and saw a circle, like the round stone she was standing on. But there was nothing inside the circle. It was just black dirt and stone the same as stretched all around her. She bent over to try to see it more clearly, but there was really nothing to see. Just a glowing circle about the same size as the step she was standing on. It occurred to her that maybe that was a step, too. After what had happened on the lower level, she wondered if possibly there was a path here that she was supposed to follow and not stray from. Of course, the landscape on this level didn't look as though she'd be able to do it any harm at all. But still...She put one foot gingerly in the middle of the glowing circle. Before she'd even rested her entire weight upon it, she saw another one light up just a few inches beyond the first. She began to feel as though she was becoming conversant with the strange new landscape she was traversing. She stepped into the second circle and a third lit up a few inches away. She began slowly to travel across the plateau, going from one glowing ring to the next. She stepped carefully and kept her eyes on each ring until the next appeared. She was feeling capable and confident as she strode along. At one point, she stopped to see if the rings were leading her straight across to the other side. She was slightly surprised to find that she wasn't heading to the large rock as she had thought she would be, but veering off to the left and somewhat away from it. She took a glance behind her and saw that there was no trace of the circular path that she had been following. "No going back," she thought. But then the idea of going back had never entered her mind. She considered that. Ever since she had headed out from the Fe-San, she had never thought of returning until she had done whatever she was supposed to do. Well, she had wanted to go back with King when she found out he was leaving. But only because she didn't want to be alone in a strange place. But now here she was, alone and in a strange place, and she was carrying on just like a grown-up. Or an adventurer. Well, of course, an adventurer was a grown-up. And then she stopped. She was standing on a ring but there wasn't one lighted up ahead of her. She arrested her foot just as it was about to swing to the next ring. She stood still. She didn't want to step off the path of rings. Not after what had happened to the grass below. Her confidence forsook her and she was near panic when she saw the next ring. It just wasn't in front of her, that's all. To her right, there it was, right there. She'd been so absorbed in her thoughts she'd almost missed it.