The Escape from Eraway

Entry Three

She slowly approached the falls, wanting to take in its natural beauty slowly. No one ever came here or really knew where to find it. This place was a magnet to her soul and at the same time it quieted her inner voice. She was able to just look into the slowly moving dark pools and see herself and her life as it was. She slowly slipped off her slippers and slid her feet into the cool water while she sat on a rock. Nayala lolled her head back and closed her eyes letting the sounds that surrounded her seep into every pore.

                Her  family would always be that, her family. Though customs deemed it necessary to never break a promise, she realized that that a risk her family decided to take, not her. She could not sign away her entire life to a man that would stifle her urges. If she did then would not her family be more upset knowing she was suffering due to their own foolishness? Nayala sifted through how it would feel being free and being able to live as she wished. She had no clue where she would go and she knew she would not be able to bear the knowledge that her mother or father faced extreme punishment for betrothing and not fulfilling the promise.

                She was not sure if she even owed them anything because they did seem so distant, so very different from the parents she knew and loved. When she was a child her mother always would keep her company while her father contributed to building their civilization.

"Your daddy, he is a hero Nayala. He has protected me and brought me here, now we get the best gift of all because of him."

"What is the gift momma?" Nayala would ask so gently, afraid to break the delicate mood her mother was always in.

"You Naya, you are the best gift the world could bring." Her mother would say this with a peaceful smile. The memory flicked behind her eyes as more tears threatened to cross the threshold. This delicate mother she once knew warped one day. Something changed in both of her parents. The world around them was changing and what society wanted of Nayala became the driving force behind her parents actions.

                Nayala did not know why the new society wished people to marry young and required them to marry. She did not know why it was so wrong to just live your own life. Her parents always seemed to have answers though. They would tell her it was for the greater good. The new society only wished to keep peace. Nayala did not see how her few actions that involved freedom became enough for the council to want her controlled.

                In this moment Nayala heard a faint whistle, it was not the kind of whistle any human was capable of making. This type of whistle seemed low and hollow, she had never heard anything like it. This was the first time she had ever come to the falls this late at night, Nayala froze in fear. Anything could be approaching her and she would not see it for there was no light. When this thought crossed through her head she realized that was the wrong assumption to make. Upon opening her eyes, Nayala realized that a pale light did indeed reflect off of every surface even though there was no lantern or torch to be found.

                The whistle slowly droned up and down in frequency. Nayala's bones reacted to the noise and urged her to walk further into the water. Curiosity consumed Nayala, it melted her fears and instead lead her to sink further into the water. Nayala could only think about the whistle and the light. She wanted to discover something she never had before. Her gold eyes allowed her to see which parts of this dim light were brighter, they were trained to find light sources. She waded deeper into the water and eventually ended up directly behind the falls. A dim glow emanated from a crevice that she had never noticed before.

                This crevice was just barely large enough for her slim frame and as she put her hand near the opening that was about hip high, she felt something blowing against her hand. A cool breeze was caressing her skin, she wondered if this could be the "wind" that so many books had talked about. As it increased in force the whistle would shift in pitch. The dull humming consumed her and made her feel safe.

                Nayala could not deny that this crevice lead somewhere, she could not say where but it was impossible to deny this opportunity. She slowly lifted herself through the hole in the wall. The algae on the rocks made it difficult for her hands to find a good hold. Her knees scraped the wall trying to lift from the water. She clung to any niche and crevice she could find. Nayala wormed through the hole and was able to finally feel solid earth beneath her feet again, although she was hunched slightly forward in an attempt to protect her head from the rocks directly above.

                The hole seemed to widen up a bit and take a shallow incline upwards. Nayala knew that people would not know where she had went. She would be untraceable. If she went forward she was doing so alone, danger or pitfall she would have to save herself. Nayala continued to use her gift to follow the light through the tunnel. It was about twenty five minutes into her walk that she was able to stand upright and see better what surrounded her. The solid rock that once was her ground and sky became a softer more pliable material. She was able to feel more chill emanating from the walls that surrounded her. The tunnel branched in places and Nayala had to carefully choose which one held the light.

                An hour into her ascension she came across a wooden ladder against a solid wall, she could continue nowhere else except for up the ladder or back into the darkness. Slowly Nayala pushed herself to grab onto the first rung of the ladder. She knew now she was approaching the end of the tunnel and wherever it spilled her our was more than likely where she would remain. She could never go back to that dark after seeing this beautiful pale light.