The Curse Of The Forest

Chapter 4: Our first meeting..

[Jacki's P.O.V]

THUD! My knees slammed onto the ground. My head feeling dizzy and heavy as I tried to open my eyes. I looked around me but all I could see was darkness, so I tried to stand up, my back aching. All I could make out was a tunnel, I was in a dark, gloomy, cave-like tunnel. It was strange though, that the cobbled walls were painted orange. I wondered what could be down here, but the hairs on the back of my neck started to stand. Nothing scary I hoped, I didn't want to think about it too much.

The dry orange paint crumbled through my fingers as I touched the wall through the tunnel. The walls were covered in drawings and engraved words. I didn't understand what they were though, and I assumed the symbols were letters or words. But the drawings were.. very childlike, I could make out trees and animals but the rest I couldn't make out at all. The tunnel seemed a bit more brighter now and I realised it came from the huge fire torch in the wall. It gave the tunnel an eerie orange glow.

I came to a halt near the torch, beside it was a wooden sort of door. It said 'Vinulea' on the front, so I pushed open the door as quietly as I could. As I walked into the room I could hear a song, it sounded like a soft hum to make babies fall asleep and I was right, the only thing in this warm room apart from the coal-lit fire was a wooden baby cot. The burnt wood scraped off the edges but nevertheless, a cot indeed. I tiptoed towards it trying not to make a sound and peered over the edge my eyes scanning the creature inside, but I jerked back instantly. It definitely wasn't human, it's grey eyelids flickered. Just at that moment I heard muffled voices coming closer from the distance, I quickly hid behind the door.