Life Goes On

Chapter 19: The Darkness in Our Hearts

Note from the writer: Thank you everyone for reading along and taking this trip with me. I appreciate your support and I hope you continue to enjoy reading this as much as enjoy writing it.

***

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were -- I have not seen
As others saw -- I could not bring
My passions from a common spring --
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow -- I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone --
And all I lov'd -- I lov'd alone --
Then -- in my childhood -- in the dawn
Of a most stormy life -- was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still --
From the torrent, or the fountain --
From the red cliff of the mountain --
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold --
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by --
From the thunder, and the storm --
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view --

"Alone" Edgar Alan Poe 1875

***

"Ominis, mate, do you hear her?" Sebastian's voice was dry, painful. They had walked in the darkness for so long. Sebastian clung on to Ominis's arm. It had been long since the red pulse of his wand had shown, but Sebastian could not remember how much time had passed since. The only questions in his mind were about Ophelia's location in this pitch black.

"Hmm, yes this way." Ominis tugged Sebastian's arm. He guided the two of them around the labyrinth of tunnels. He could hear Ophelia somewhere in the distance, her heart beat was just slightly agitated, her steps not hurried. Her steps paused at times, but just when they got close enough that they felt they could reach out for her, she was gone, again.

"I don't understand, why does she keep running away? Do you think, do you think she doesn't want us Sebastian? Sebastian, I don't know what I'll do if she does not want to come back to us." Ominis had tears running down his face. He couldn't remember how long they had been searching, chasing Ophelia through the darkness. 

"Ominis, please don't crumble up mate, we need to find her, I'm useless here. Please you need to stay strong for us." Sebastian was tired, his eyes pained from trying to adjust to the dark, searching frantically for Ophelia and trying to keep Ominis from falling apart. "Maybe I should try casting incendio, or bombarda, maybe we can break our way out of here."

"No! Sebastian, are you so thick headed? We're deep in a mine, if we set off sparks we can blow everything up, there can be gas deposits down were, we could all die, or be trapped under the rubble. No fire!" Ominis was reaching a limit. He felt that his senses where failing him, his strength slowly fading. The uncertainty of Ophelia's true feelings toward him made a whole in his chest. 

"Ominis, we need to figure something out. Otherwise we might die down here anyway."

***

She stopped singing to me, is she hurt? Where has she gone? Why did she leave me?

"Mama?! Papa!? Please keep singing, please, where are you?"

My legs can't continue, I don't know how long I have been here searching. My whole body hurts and I feel like the image of my parents is fading away from my memory. I need to find them. 

***

Somewhere in the darkness there is a loud crash, a rumble begins to shake the tunnels. 

"Ominis, Ominis stop, did you hear that?" Sebastian grabbed Ominis's arm, the two stood still in silent. 

Ominis placed his hand on the wall of the tunnel. "I can feel it, is it an earthquake? We have to find Ophelia and get out of here before we're crushed or trapped."