The moment I saw the light I immediately started running towards it. I got more and more excited as the light got brighter as I got closer to it. I slowed down a little when I was close enough to it. This was it. I would finally get out of this weird tunnel. I slowly reached my hand out and put my hand into the light. It felt warm and welcoming. Without hesitation I walked through the light.
When I walked through the light I was greeted with the warm feeling of sunlight. I slowly open my eyes. To my surprise I was in a forest. A really green forest. No, seriously It was all green. It was like I was in a painting. The texture of everything was as if it was painted with acrylic. I looked around at my surroundings making sure I didn't miss any small details. Honestly, how could i? Everything was painted the same color but in different shades. Dark green, light green, neon green? I didn’t know that was even allowed to be a color anymore. I started walking through the forest, putting my hand on some of the trees. I was right. The texture for everything was of acrylic so everything felt rough but somewhat smooth at the same time.
I continued walking for a bit. I was getting a little bored at seeing the same color and plant life so I started looking for animals. I won’t be surprised if they are also green but it would be a little weird to see a green rabbit. At least their camouflage will be impressively good. I decided to look up towards the dark green trees. I could hear birds and other animals up there but it was hard to see them. I decided to rest after a bit and sat down on a rock. Well it looked more like a blob than an actual rock but it was close enough. I let out a sigh of boredom as I looked around. I wanted to go somewhere else but I don't know how to get out of this place.
I thought about some possibilities about getting out of here. Or trying to. Maybe I can find a cave that will lead me to a place that isn’t this? Or I could climb one of the trees and look for a different path to walk. Yeah, that seemed like a good idea. I’ll climb one of the trees and look for a different place to go. I got up and started looking for a good tree to climb. I eventually found one. It was a pretty big and tall pine tree. I reached for the closest branch and took hold of it, then started climbing. I eventually got to the top of the tree and looked around. Wow, the view from here is beautiful. The tops of the trees from here made a beautiful sea of green as far as I could see. And wherever that light was coming from it was making everything have a certain shine in its warm rays. It made me not want to leave this natural beauty behind. But I have to.
I climbed down from the tree and just stood by the trunk. What now? Where should I go? There wasn’t anything I could see from up there because all the trees were blocking the ground below. Maybe I could find another tunnel to get me out of here? Like the one that got me here in the first place. That sounded like a pretty good idea.
I started walking a bit up north. It started to get a bit cold the farther I went. Then the next thing I knew it started raining cats and dogs. Great, now I'm soaked and freezing and I have shelter to cower in. What should I do?
I decided to keep walking. The rain has been going on for a few hours now and there is still no sign of shelter. God please help me.
After a few hours the rain stops. But I'm still freezing even though the sun is peering through the dark clouds and letting its liquid gold rays shine down on the mildew-covered forest. I kept being persistent and continued walking. I eventually made it to a cave. Wow, where was this when I needed it? But that doesn;t matter right now. I entered the cave and looked around. It was dark and gloomy like the tunnel that brought me here. I started to slowly walk through it and feel the walls. They were the same texture as the previous tunnel, rough and bumpy to the touch. I kept my hand on the wall like last time and kept walking.
It started to feel like time was slowing down. Everything felt restricted and dry even though the wall and the floor was wet and free. I looked around again. The lanterns up on the wall were glowing dimly.
Giving the tunnel an eerie feeling to it. This feeling was making me uncomfortable so I walked a little faster. That’s when I started to hear it. Footsteps were hitting the wet cobblestone floor at the same speed as me. That’s when my fight, flight, or freeze response kicked in and I started running through the slick tunnel. I kept running as fast as I could but the footsteps stayed close behind me. I tried to take a sharp turn but I ended up slipping on the slick, wet cobblestone floor. I hit the ground hard and looked up at the dark ceiling. I groaned and sat up. It’s now quiet. A bit too quiet.
I got up and looked around for the thing that was chasing me. I couldn’t see anything that could have been. I’m probably going crazy. I’ve been in this weird place for too long. I have to get out of here. I turned away and started walking again. And once again the footsteps started to follow me. I didn’t feel as scared this time and immediately turned around to see who or what was following me. To my surprise it was Cernunnos. I don’t know why he couldn’t just say he was there instead of running after me like a hunter chasing its prey. I sighed and looked at him. “Hey Cernunnos.” Cernunnos bowed his head a little. “Greetings Elizabeth.”
I leaned against the cold stonewall of the tunnel. “So, what are you doing here?” I said as I tried to get comfortable. Cernunnos stood in front of me. “I sensed that you were in some form of distress”
I gave a slight glare at him. “ i really needed that like 2 hours ago”
Cernunnos gave a quiet chuckle. “Yes, I know. I wanted you to figure out how to get out of that forest by yourself before I came to you.”
I got up from the wall and started walking. Cernunnos started to follow. “Where are you going now?” I kept walking. “I’m going to get out of here”
After that everything was quiet. The only thing you could hear was our footsteps hitting the various puddles on the damp cobblestone floor. And distant echoing of dripping water coming from who knows where. If you listened hard enough you could hear the soft crackling of the candle-lit lanterns that hung on the wall. If you wanted to be more visual you could look around, even though there wasn’t much to look at in this melancholy tunnel. There are the damp cobblestone walls with their depressing gray color. Then the dim-lit lanterns that hung on them.
The glass barrier that protected the flame was dusty and only let a certain amount of the flames regal light to shine through. Giving that area, in which the lantern hung over, a dim and almost invisible golden glow. If you think about it, the dim light is like some people's lives. Most of their lives are surrounded by a hopeless and almost inescapable darkness. But somewhere in that vast darkness is a candle-lit lantern that shines a light of hope in their darkened life.
After a few hours I eventually stopped to rest and sat down on the rough floor. Cernunnos sat down next to me and looked out to the dark tunnel. It was quiet. But in a comfortable way. So comfortable that it was terribly eerie. Eventually Cernunnos looked at me. “When will you be able to leave this tunnel?”
I looked to the floor and tapped my fingers on the cold floor. “I don’t know”
Cernunnos nodded and looked into the dark distance of the tunnel again. The only time he would move is when a drop of water would hit his head. Causing his ear to flicker in annoyance.
I eventually stood up and stretched. Cernunnos did the same and looked towards me once more. “Are you ready to proceed?”
I looked at him and nodded. Then started walking through the tunnel again in complete silence. The sound of our footsteps hitting the wet cobblestone floor resumed as we both walked at a moderate pace.
Soon enough, just like last time a light came through towards the end of the tunnel. Me and Cernunnos looked at each other for a moment, before walking into the light.
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