The Escape from Eraway

Entry Two

Classes ere over and Nayala could see nothing but her destination. The only thing that kept her tethered was the knowledge she had yet to send off her friend Liemi.

"See you tomorrow" Nayala called to Liemi. She was walking out of their last class and beyond excited to get to the falls. Her heart beat a little faster knowing that she would soon hear the pounding of water against stone and feel the cool mist blanket her. Not much gave Nayala happiness anymore except for that feeling. As time passed she became more and more addicted to that rush from Yera Falls.

                Her feet padded against the cave floor, echoing, the sound of her own breath reverberated around her. There was no time or place like this, she was alone. When she approached the falls she whispered greeting under her breath. She was home, she was where she belonged. Nayala approached the small pool at the bottom of the falling waters and without wasting a minute she had her slippers removed and her clothing off. She wore naught but her bathing suit, she was not unaccustomed to wearing it under her clothes to class every day.

                Nayala slowly slipped her foot in the water to test the temperature. It was warmer today, did that mean that somewhere above the sun was out? She had no way of knowing for sure but she enjoyed the warmth. She slowly sunk more of herself into the water until she was waist deep. Nayala took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp air that can only be found around these falls and then she took the plunge. Under the water she heard the pulsing of the water, it sounded as if it were alive. She knew, however, that sound was just the waters landing after their long fall. Her lungs did not ache yet so she remained under water. The water seemed to caress her and play with her hair as it swirled about her.

                At last Nayala had to come up for air, the act of which burned her lungs and interrupted her bliss like meditation under the water. Blinking the moisture out of her eyes she looked around. The water reflected off of the cave walls and danced about her, the light it reflected came from an unknown source but she did not care, she merely accepted its invitation and drew closer to where the water was actually falling.

                Once under the falls, Nayala could see and hear nothing but rushing water, fresh running water that enveloped her and allowed her true peace. She could not tell how long she stood under those falls, only that slowly her hands began to prune and she began to quake from chills. The water had cooled, it was no longer warm like when she first arrived, now it had a small bite to it each time it pelted her skin. Whatever had warmed the water previously was gone now and Nayala knew that this meant it was time to retire. Her time at the falls was overstayed as other cave dwellers such as Parmal came out to sip from the waters.

                Parmels were harmless creatures, mainly feeding off of glow worms they simply were part of the cave. They had skin silky and tan, no hair and no light in their eyes. They came from the darkness like Nayala. Both Nayala and Parmel  had eyes of the richest gold that could pick up on the smallest light source was it necessary. The occurrence was something that could not be helped amongst all of the new generation's children. Being born of the dark meant gold eyes, not bad, not good, just accepted.

                Nayala ran back to her home, eager to find out how long she had visited the falls. Blood rushed through her veins as she passed dwelling after dwelling in her home's tunnel.  She hoped she had stayed out long enough to be able to go straight to sleep. The earlier she slept, the sooner she would get to return to Yera falls. Yanking open the door of her home, she was a flurry of activity amongst the calm her parents exuded sitting on the couch in their sitting room.

                Not all families had a separation of rooms in their home but Nayala's father was one of the original diggers, he could create elaborate dwellings that almost seemed as if they were built out of wood and stone. Some parts were, of course, but her father could take cave wall and meld it into the home, reducing cost of supply and also enlarging the house into something so cozy and home-like, that Nayala was never want for more in her entire life.

                Taking a deep breath to calm her anxiety, Nayala slowly stepped into the room her parents were in. They looked serious, more serious than they had in ages.

"Nayala...," Her father, Benjamin, started, "Please sit...your mother and I have news." She did as she was told and sat in the large green chair that was across from her parents couch. Her mother now spoke,

"We have been asking you for a while now to get married, as you are aware, but unfortunately we noticed your...um...lack of enthusiasm."

"You know that it will take time...you know I am still young?" Nayala could not quite find the tone to express her discomfort. Her parents spoke in a detached manner, as if they were strangers living in the same home.

"Calm down Nayala, do not speak. We are trying to tell you something, try not to interrupt." Her mother, Caraly, snapped. Her mother always did know how to command attention, being the stricter of the two parents. "We were trying to say, before you interrupted, that we have found you a husband. You have no say in this matter as we have already made promises with his parents we cannot break. We will lose our home and our jobs if you do not comply because to break a promise..."

" 'to break a promise is to lose a soul', I know this, but this is too much! I am not going to marry a stranger just because you and father think it's what the council thinks is normal. If that is what is normal I don't want to live!"

"Nayala!, you do not speak to your mother that way young woman, you know better." Her father interrupted her monologue.

                Nayala's eyes began to sting, she felt the tears threatening to spill out. These people were not her parents anymore, they were just like every other survivor. They were only trying to get everyone to bend to their will. Nayala could not bear the disapproval in her parents eyes as they glared down their noses at her. They were not her parents anymore and if she did not marry this stranger this would not be her home either.

                The only option Nayala had left was to run. She ran out of the room and breezed out of the door, her feet pounding the solid rock beneath, her skin raised from chill as it was clearly night in this society underground. The thrum and bustling of the day had disappeared and it seemed as if she was the only one in the caves. Was she leaving home for good? Nayala did not know if she could abandon her parents to punishment like that, but she could not marry. Men were controlling, conniving creatures. She would not get to live the life she wanted if she married. Nayala ran to the falls, she knew that was the only place no one could find her while she sorted through the nights news. She needed to think, and she needed to decide if this was the end of the relationship with her parents.