First visit

This is what starts it all folks.

Chapter 1: First Visit.

 

 

I remember that night so clearly, what was a ten year old girl doing up in the mountains in an ice covered valley anyway? My mom and her best friend decided to come up here and live far away from society for no apparent reason.

She always warned us not to go down here or the Ice Demon would steal us away. I was rebellious, well more like curious. I slid down the hill in my small boat that was used as a sled, backpack filled with various items that would help me. I had spent days planning this trip and hours waiting for the perfect time to sneak out.

The ice was clear but clouded with air bubbles and light snowfall. I was sliding along using a thick branch as a makeshift paddle. Suddenly my paddle got caught in a hole just big enough for me and my sled to fit through. There was an icy ledge, I slid onto very carefully onto it. I hesitated making sure this is what I wanted to do as butterflies flitted around in my stomach.   I pulled my stick into the boat, the only thing keeping me from slipping into the hole, and for a moment all I saw was a cave of ice, smooth and wavy.

Then I emerged high in the sky, shrubs, grass and small trees below me, Birds flew next to my head giving me curious looks. A lake of cool water was off in the distance. I leaned over to get a better look, it started tipping over so I quickly put myself back to the middle.

They swirled around me or rather I swirled around them, this ledge of ice was spinning me around the entire underground cavern. Around and around and around until I reached the bottom, it took me a moment to gather my thoughts. I took a rope out of my bag and tired it to the boat and started walking.

Dragging it behind me I popped my ears and looked at the world within the world. It was mildly warm but still cold, sun managed to shine through the ice. There were animals everywhere, things that looked like deer but bigger and thicker fur. Chipmunks and squirrels the size of kittens with thick fur jumped from the tops of trees and scurrying in-between bushes.

I stood scared stiff as a large shaggy wolf stared at me with curious honeybee yellow eyes, I gulped down my fear recalling facts about the animal turned my head and kept going.

My alarm went off letting me know I had an hour to get back. I started looking for an exit, I knew that going back up the ice slide was not an option. I had been moving in a straight line for two hours by then I was tired and hungry. I slumped down in my boat and went to sleep. When I woke darkness surrounded me.

Feeling rather smart at the time for bringing my own wood, I lighted a match and set the wood ablaze. Wolves barked and I jumped stumbling to pull things out of my backpack, I managed to pull out a bottled water and a sandwich. I ate nervously and denied myself any another sandwhich and any snacks, I had brought enough food for a week. I pulled my boat closer to the flames took out my blanket and pillow and closed my eyes.

Sounds of the night were all around me, I fell asleep to these sounds every night in my mountain home but these were different. I don’t know how I went to sleep that night but I did and when morning came my fire was smoldering peacefully. Just hot enough to get the chill out of my body.

Eating almonds as I continued my way not really sure of direction, the over fuzzed creatures came extremely close, so close that at times I could almost touch them. Other times they kept a wary distance. It was still cold but warmer than last night.

Many hours had passed and I slumped down crying, I hadn’t found the ice demon, I didn’t know where I was and had no idea how to get out. A fluffy chipmunk came dangerously close to me, I held out an almond and hoped it would take it. It scurried away in fear. I listened to the birds, and laughed a little they sounded like they were gargling water.

That’s when it hit me, every living thing needed water, if I headed to the lake I was bound to find it or at least some trace of it, then I would capture it and force it to take me home.

Rejuvenated, I jumped up and sprinted through the fields until I came to a tree. I shimmed up quick as anything and looked around, the tall, tall grass blocked most of my view and the trees even though small were in the way too, still I managed to see the glimmer of light coming off the water. It was very far away nowhere near the direction I had been headed before but I ran only stopping to straighten my boat and use the bathroom. By the time night fell I was feeling pretty confident, I started my fire ate another sandwich and even allowed myself to snake on the strawberries I had brought.

Laying down in my boat I fell asleep to the night sounds which didn’t bother me anymore. The next morning I watched my smoldering fire and ate joyfully before climbing up a tree to check my direction. The lake was far to my left and smaller than ever. How had that happened, angrily I stormed through the plains, it was just unfair.

I trudged over hill after hill frequently stopping to climb a tree and make sure I was headed the right way. I didn’t run or skip or hop. I walked with a sort of tired stumbling lope to it, a melancholy feeling was around me as I walked. Anytime I stopped I had to check my direction and anytime I moved I was sure it was the wrong way.

I scolded myself for not bringing a compass. I gathered sticks and branches as I moved, because I was running low on wood. As it darkened I climbed one more tree, feeling satisfied, I sat down to eat.

My dinner was more filing that usual, I actually stayed up to listen to the sounds of the strange creatures that lived here. I wanted to remember them when I left the next day, I was lulled to sleep by their nocturnal music.

 In the morning I didn’t eat as I walked like usual but I sat down and ate savoring every last minute I was here. I was sure I was going to be leaving tonight, I checked my direction and continued. I no longer walked awkwardly but ran and skipped and hopped joyfully again only stopping to straighten my boat and use the bathroom and check my direction.

By the time I was having lunch it was by the gentle lapping of the lakes water. It was beautiful, clear water with colorful fish and strange looking plans covering every inch of it. The water was as smooth as glass I could easily see to the ice cavern that the water flowed out of.

I watched in silence as animals came to lap up the water, I didn’t go near it. I knew if I went into the water and came out or even if I stayed in I would freeze. The fuzzy deer drank from the lake the overgrown wolves played in it like I would with Freddy. Then a new strange creature came and rested by the water, mainly dusty brown like the ground with darker spots. Thin fur in comparison to the other animals that lived here,  and thing yet powerful body slightly larger than the wolves, when a deer unknowingly came to the water the creature pounced. I screamed in horror and watched aghast as the cat thing carried the poor dead deer away in its powerful bloody jaws.

For a moment the idea crossed my mind that the creature I just saw might be the Ice Demon, but that was impossible Ice Demons walked on their hind legs were all white and not brown. Tears streamed down my face I was so scared I couldn’t light a fire because my hands trembled to much to hold the match.

That dreadful, awful night. For hours I didn’t sleep, the once comforting sounds of night only brought worry because I wondered which one would next end up in the beasts mouth. I constantly looked over my own shoulder so that I could be sure I wasn’t it’s next meal. My dreams that night were filled with the repeated scene of that poor deer. I woke covered in sweat and breathing heavily and I was happy that I hadn’t started a fire. The moring air felt good on my sweaty skin. I almost jumped into the water but I knew that would have been a problem later so I just sat paralyzed in fear trying to calm down.

It was a while before the other animals woke up and their morning sound comforted me letting me know they had made it through the night. Soon they came down to the water for a drink, a place to play and a play to just rest. They comforted me so much. I ate and slept and ran around exploring but not venturing to far from my things. This place was so big there had to be another place to get water around here. I almost started heading the other way to hopefully find another lake that the Ice Demons were drinking from. But three days after I had seen that awful sight, I saw one.

Out on the lake head bobbing in the water, I didn’t hesitate this time. I pushed my boat onto the water and jumped in using a stick as a paddle I pushed after it as fast as I could go.

I don’t know how long I paddled but what I do know is how bad my arms hurt afterward when I lost sight of the head. Closing my eyes I soon fell asleep.

When I woke up I was sputtering and gasping for air. I was in the water which was surprisingly warm. I looked around to see a white fuzzy creature getting away with my backpack. I was angry. I fixed my boat grabbed the branch that was floating nearby and scrambled to get in. Pissed off like I had never felt before, I paddled after him taking off a layer of clothing so I could get to him much quicker. “Hey, HEY! Get back here with my stuff!” I called after it.

The ice cave looked beautiful from the inside, smooth and clear light glinting off from every angle and sharp shards placed above me just waiting to fall. As I went deeper the air started smeeling a little different and my vision blurred then I blacked out.

I don’t know what happened after that all I know is that I woke up outside the hole next to my boat and my bag was empty of everything except for the layer of clothing I had taken off.

“Stupid Ice Demon, I’m going to catch you.” I grumbled making my way back home thinking of different ways to catch the thief.

I walked into my house and sat down at the kitchen table and folded my hands and started thinking of elaborate plans that would take many weeks of studying the creature where it went how it moved and what it’s weaknesses were. To do that I had to know the world around it. Plans and even more plans formed in my little head, most of them involved different ray guns that had yet to be invented and cartoonish explosions but what can I say I was ten.

While in the midst of my deepest plotting a police officer walked in from outside, “Hello Missy, and who might you be?”

“I’m Skylar Thompson, who are you?” I asked, he looked so official in his uniform and his shiny badge caught my young eye. He was someone to be respected.

He gave me a quick look over, “Ma’am I think I found your daughter!” He yelled.

Suddenly my mom, older sister Eliza, Fredrick (Freddy for short) and Aunt Molly busted into the room full of tears and snot. They hugged my tight, I was so warm in their embrace. “Where have you been?” My mom demanded.

“I found the Ice Demon mom, they’re smaller than you said and meaner too.”

“Oh God sweetie did you go looking for them.” I tried to explain my adventure to them but they didn’t want to hear a lick of it they hushed me and kissed me and held me they did everything but listen to me. The police officer said I had probably hit my head or was having hallucinations from lack of food or water. I protested but they would hear a word of it. And he ordered me to be taken to the hospital this very moment. So we took our very long drive to the city early that week and the Doctor said I was healthy and was actually looking better than my last check when I had the flu.

The car ride back was spent by them explaining to me that the Ice Demons weren’t real, but I knew they were I saw them with my own eyes and they had taken my backpack, and ate my food, and tipped me out of my boat. I was going to catch one and show it to my mother to prove I wasn’t lying weather she liked it or not.

Author's Note

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