The Immortal Gardens - Emergent (book 1) (Wattys 2013)

Chapter 3: Rescued

I don't understand. I should swim down until i see a light, but there is none? I thought.

I looked across and there was a passageway with some words written on the side of the Alge filled wall. I touched it as i swam by it down the passage way. My clothes trailed behind me as I moved thriugh the water. They were heavy and they weighed me down like great stones.

The water turned glittery purple and the tunnel got smaller and smaller until there was absolutly no air space left and hardly and room to swim.

Am I really going to die down here?

My lungs screamed for air, and I could feel my throat trying force me to open my mouth and breathe. I put my hands to my neck and narrowed my eyes.

There has to be a way out.

I looked up and saw a small door. In one last desperate attempt I grabbed at the handle and tugged. It wouldnt budge. I glanced at the edges and realided plant matter had grown there sealing it shut. I banged at the door and bubbles circled around me. I felt my vision blurring and my strength deminishing. Despetate, i clutched unto the door with both hands then jerked it twice until it flew open.

A sence of relief rushed over me, but it was short lived because of an impending notion that i might be close to death. I gripped the door posts and mustered the little strength I had and tugged both myself, and my dress out of the water, squeasing throught it until I was out.

There was a big gap full of air and a slab roof ontop. I'd never seen anything like this in all my life. I clawed at the edges of the door and lifted myself up until collapsed on the floor trying to regain my breath. I coughed and spat up the purple water, then rested my hands on my screaming chest. I looked at the package in my arm which was now soaked and dripping the purple water. It was all over my hair, my clothes and my skin like enchanted fairy dust.

I felt trapped as I looked up at the ceiling, with no obvious signs of an exit.

"Keep calm rosabella this is what you wanted." I thought to myself, then directed my attention to a corner.

The remains of a person lay staring at me in the shadows, its jaws smiling and its eye sockets hollow.. It looked as if it were laughing gingerly at me, telling me my fate.

"No its not..." I mumbled, on the verge of tears.

I wanted to scream, to cry and cry and scream again until someone found me. I slumped over on the floor, curled up and sang the lullaby trying to figure out my next move. The sound echoed all around and still nothing came to me. There was no real way out.

When i sang the last part of the song the ground shook and Elise Chlisté echoed throughout the chamber. The ground flipped, throwing me and the skeleton against its side. I landed with a thump on my back then slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the pain that now encased my shoulders.

The narrow doorway was now on the roof. Stumbling, I got up then swallowed hard then nervously opened the door expecting the water to rush at me. But, instead the water stayed inplace and hovered above me. I touched it and my fingers went straight through it. I was startled. With shaking fingers I reached for the package that fell beside the skeleton, no longer able to smile with its detached jaw.

Good.

I put the package in my dress, took a deep breath and nervously held unto the frame of the door and pulled myself up into the water. I swam up until I saw moonlight peeking through the ripples of water above me. my head touched the surface and as I came out my clothes fell like cloths beneath me. Immeadiatly the parsel fell into my hands and my hair covered my now naked breasts.