Another Time

CHAPTER 1

Opening her eyes, Frisk woke up in a small patch of golden flowers. Her head pounded, and her vision was fuzzy.

What... happened?  She thought.

As she tried to shift her aching body, her left palm came to her head, and she winced in pain.

Where... am I?

Her thoughts echoed loudly in her mind as she attempted to gather herself. After a few slow, deep breaths, her eyes adjusted to the room's darkness.

Lifting her right hand, her eyes met the small patch of crushed buttercups beneath her and then up to the cavern's ceiling. Where a small amount of line shined through, a gaping hole of eroded rock loomed above her.

An echoing water droplet rang in her ears as it splashed onto a nearby damp rock. The resonance boomed inside the vast darkness that surrounded her. She let out a quiet, shuttered breath; the cavern whispered back.

Compared to the cave's reflecting noise, her thoughts seemed quieter than before.

How did I... Get here?

The small light shining from above allowed her to see the patch of flowers that had broken her fall.

The sun must still be up. She thought.

She could not remember the events that led up to this moment. Her head hurt, and her thoughts were jumbled.

Another sigh escaped her now chapped lips as she rose into a sitting position. Her joints throbbed, and she couldn't help but wonder how long she had been down here. "Hello!" she called out to the darkness.

The cave answered with nothing but useless echoes.

Once her head stopped spinning, she took another look around the cavern. She noticed the tall, ancient-looking columns that held the rock above her. Covered in ivy, the vines stretched outwards and onto the floor's surface.

"Man-made structures," She thought. "At least I know people have been here before."

Although she waited for the relief in her chest, it never came. Her thoughts jumped from one anxious conclusion to the next.

"What if no one is here anymore?"

"What if I'm alone?"

A low hum emanated from the surrounding darkness. A crisp wave of cavern air sent chills down Frisk's spine. Suddenly a new fear took over. What if she wasn't alone?

Frisk spotted a fallen stick about the size of her forearm in the corner of her eye. Reaching for it, she clung to it tightly and nervously swallowed. Her eyes tried to pierce into the cavern's darkness, but she could see nothing that lay ahead.

Frisk sighed one last time before attempting to stand on her two feet. "Okay," the thought.

She couldn't let the fear consume her. The unknown journey ahead of her filled her with DETERMINATION.