Underground

     I fell countless times, sliding on shale and tripping on larger rocks.  Once I landed on some loose gravel and slid fifteen feet down the mountain before I could stop myself.  I stared mutely at the tiny stones shoved into the skin of my palm and, ignoring the pain, pushed myself up and continued my madcap journey down the mountain.
     I could still find Ren.  The connection was not lost, but I could not tell if he was hurt or afraid.  I could console myself with the thought that he was not dead, but there was no other comfort to be had.  The sun rose as I ran down the mountain.  The air was fresh and clean from the morning dew and the sun rose in a a glorious sky full of reds, oranges and pinks.  The birds awoke and began to sing for joy and I could sense them and draw strength from their gladness.
     In that moment, on that beautiful mountainside, though with every breath I feared for Ren, I found something I had not felt in a very long time, hope.  It filled me like the rushing of the waterfall and I knew that all was not lost.  By the time I reached the place Ren had been camped, I was ready to face anything, even the Khresh.
     It was a sordid sight that met my eyes when I reached the place he had been held.  The clearing had been torn apart.  Trees were uprooted, all the grass had been burned  and the rotting stench of the Khresh hung in the air.  Yet I could still find that kernel of hope residing in my heart.  There were minimal bloodstains and many of them were the bluish blood of the Khresh and not that of my beloved.  Yet there was no sign of Ren anywhere, only a rotting black coat that lay on the ground by the fire.  If Ren had been taken, he had not gone without a fight.
     I sat on the ground and once again tried to find Ren but I just ended up being really confused.  My mind told me he had not left this place, yet my eyes could not see him.  In fact, it seemed as if he was below me.  I could finally get past the barriers in his mind but I could not find any fear or pain or indeed any emotion.  He was simply there.  I put every bit of my strength into contacting him and pushed myself into his mind.  I felt him respond groggily, his mind slowly waking up.
     “Elyssa, no!  Leave. . .”
     I was about to refuse vehemently when I smelled something strange.  With my last conscious thought, I wondered why my mother had followed me with her Spinach Casserole and if I really had to eat that mess again.
     There was a space where I was simply aware of the passage of time.  I was not sure how much, only that it was moving and I was not moving with it.  I could not remember who I was or where I was going.  I simply existed and relaxed into the cold embrace of the underground.
     Finally, I grew aware enough to open my eyes and turn my head and when I did, there was a man looking back at me with the same calm emptiness in his eyes that I could feel clouding my mind.
     “I remember you,” he said.  “I am not sure how, but our paths have crossed before.”
     I knew he spoke the truth, not because I knew his face, but because of what my heart did when I looked into his eyes.  I concentrated hard, trying to remember the words to reply.  The language of the waking world suddenly seemed very confusing and hard to grasp.  “I know.”  I finally spoke.  We turned our heads simultaneously to stare at the ceiling once more and lay there in silence as the memories began to return.
     Slowly, the events of the last several days began to return and I could see them passing in my head as vividly as when they had first happened, yet I could not shake the apathy that weighted my bones.  I knew what had happened.  I knew that I should care, but I could not regain the urgency that had driven me.
     “Elyssa,” Ren said.  “I remember you now.  I love you, more than life itself.”  Yesterday, I would have wept at the lack of emotion in his voice, but today I felt the same way, like my love had been turned to stone.
     “Do you know when I first began to love you?”  Ren spoke again from beside me.  I shook my head mutely.  “I was nearly ten and you were eight.  It was springtime and the flocks were giving birth.  It had been a mild spring but one night there was a freak snow storm.  The sheep were all out in the pasture and our parents had to walk through the storm to bring the flocks home.  My parents sent to your home to watch over you and Ezra and you, in your excitement over being the woman of the house, declared you would bake a cake.
     “Fifteen minutes after you left the main room, we heard a huge crash from the kitchen and I ran in to find you and the entire kitchen covered in flour.  Tears streaked through the flour on your face, leaving funny doughy trails on your cheeks.  You were afraid of what your parents would think and the crash had terrified you, but you went ahead and cleaned up the flour and still made me a cake.  It was lopsided and not quite cooked in the middle and to this day, I don’t know what type of cake it was meant to be, but I ate it anyway.  I had been watching the determination on your face and for the first time I thought of you as more than the annoying little girl with the lambs that I had to keep out of trouble.  You were a person and one that I really cared about.”
     I looked at him and knew that any other day, this would have brought me to tears, but the emptiness was still there.
     Suddenly, a spark of life showed in his eyes and a small smile began.  “You did look ridiculous.”
     The corner of my mouth twitched and I found I could smile.  Then, like a small stream of water falling over the rocks, a feeling began to build up inside me, growing until it gushed through me in a mighty river of gladness and I began to laugh.  Ren laughed with me and our joy echoed off the walls of the dank cave we were lying in.  I reached out and grabbed his hand as I became alive once more.
     As we lay there laughing, I felt another presence in my mind.  It was faint and clouded by fear and pain, but it grew stronger and as it did, I recognized Ezra.  He latched onto my seeking mind like a drowning man grasps his lifeline and immediately I threw a large measure of my joy to him through our connection and felt him drink it in.  I could feel hope and love radiate from him and I knew we could not lay here any longer.
     There was a large crack from the wall of the cave and part of it split apart to reveal a hidden door and through it came four shadowy figures, almost human, but a little bit skewed or twisted.  A gravelly voice came from the largest shape.  “Welcome to our land.  We hope you love it here.  It will be your final resting place.”
 

Reviews

[Aldora Sparrow]

Ooh. I love the chilling ending. Leaves lots of room for imagination which is always appreciated on the reader's end. :D Also, very nice despritions- I could almost feel the stones against my skin. I also really liked the insight into the charcater's emotions. I look forward to reading your other works. Keep keeping me on on my toes (If that makes sense. Haha)!

[Martina]

Powerful words and strong emotions. Beautifully written words that from equally beautiful sentences. A book worth my time to read. You explained the characters emotions (or no emotions) extremely well, alive and vivid. I really enjoy spending my time waiting and reading your books.

[Tate Morgan]

It was a good story I think you should change the line the sun rose .It is used two times together at the top of the story .Other than that i loved iit

[An owl on the moon]

Vivid and moving story that speaks of survival and the awakenings of love. Everything painted so profoundly. You bring in detail that makes the characters come alive. Loved parts like the Spinach Casserole, a memory awakened as Elyssa passes out. Such a good read!