Cold

Chapter Seven

I soon found myself in a dark cave, with only myself to keep me company. I couldn't even here the sound of my thoughts. Everywhere I looked, more darkness. I lost my way. I don't know where I am. This doesn't feel right. How did I even get here?!?

Summer.

I can see a light in the distance. Was it always there?!? Am I just hallucinating?

Summer. What you are seeing is me when I was still human. Go to it.

Out of curiosity, I started walking towards it. It looks like a person. It wants to hold my hand. Should I grab it's hand?

Grab the hand. You must know the truth.

I reach out towards the hand like I am not even controlling my own body. I stop half-way and take my hand back.

"Who are you?" I asked, not really hoping for an answer. It vanished, and I was left in the dark once more.

How could you?!? How are you supposed to know the truth?!? You messed up. You should've just touched the hand.

I can hear a voice. Not like an actual voice, but not in my head either. Almost like a faint, soft voice. It sounds like someone is trying to communicate with me.

That is me. Listen.....and except.

Should I listen to the voice?!? I closed my eyes and tried listening.

Can you finally hear me? This is unfortunately as far as we will get with communicating to each other. I vowed to never try to make you my own, like I did with Her. Summer, you must find the truth. But we can't do it by our selves. I know where your friends are, Von and your brother. I can help you find them.

"Why should I trust you?!?" I asked into the open air. Hopefully the voice could hear it.

I am the only one who knows how to stop her.

"What do you mean by that?!?" I shouted.

I must leave now. Your mind is open which means if she catches you, she will know of our conversation. Go now. Back to the village.

"No wait!!!" I said as I opened my eyes. I was in a meadow, surrounded by lots of purple flowers. My leg was all healed. It was beautiful. There was one tree in the distance. A weeping willow. My favourite tree. As I started walking towards it, I noticed a singular orange flower. It's roots were intertwined with those of the tree. It's beautiful orange petals complimented the green moss on the tree trunk. The purple flowers surrounding it made it pop out so beautifully. Nature truely is a work of art.

I circled the tree, and noticed a rock sitting on it's roots. Leading off of the rock, was a path of dead flowers, with pink flowers on each side. I followed the path, until I was brought to a forest, with trees so tall and giant they blocked out the sun. I noticed a few feat ahead there was a fire, tamed and lit in front of a cabin. I walked up to the cabin, with only the faint firelight to guide me. When I got to the cabin, I noticed a horse outside, tied to a wooden pillar. I noticed a light on inside the cabin through the window. I decided to knock.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I wasn't really sure what to expect, since there probably wasn't anyone inside anyways. But I heard someone running inside. Weird.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I heard knocking, but it wasn't me.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

There it is again, only with one more knock. I put my ear against the door. Silence. Nothing. I heard running again and knocking coming from farther in the cabin. I knocked four times. The door swung open to reveal a dark read table with three books and two pencils on it. A child ran up to me and brought me to the table.

"You have two pencils, and three books. You have enough to write in two books, but how do you write in the third one?" he asked.

"Trick question. You only need one pencil to write in all three books" I answered. The kid smiled and pointed to another door. This time, it was silver, and very large.

"Open" was all he said before he disappeared. What is this?!? I walked up to the door. I knocked.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

I waited about five minutes only to be greated with heavy breathing. The breathing sounded like whoever is on the other side is struggling to catch their breath. I kicked the door. The breathing stopped. The door opened to reveal a little girl sitting tied up on a chair, with a cloth in her mouth. She looked like someone was choking her. A man walked up to me and showed me a gun with no bullets, a knife with no blade, and a baseball bat.

"How would you kill her, using these weapons?" he asked. I stood there in silence as I watched as the little girl started to cry.

I looked at the man and said "What did she do to deserve this?"

He answered, "She stole my food, and slept in my bed. She deserves to be punished."

"She is just a kid. Call the police if you must, or her parents. But she doesn't deserve to die" I said.

"What if it was an adult? Would you give the same choice?" he asked. No. I would turn them in and watch the police deal with them in hopes that they die.

"She's a kid with no family, isn't she?" I asked. The kid nodded. "If she has no family, she deserves this food as much as you do" I said to the man.

"Why is that?" he asked.

"She stole to live. You would kill her so you can get more food and not worry if it is stolen again because the robber would be dead. You both are doing what you have to in order to survive. You both deserve food" I said. The man smiled and pointed to a red door with nails in it.

"Answer the riddle and it shall open" said the man. I walked up to the door and knocked.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

A voice said through the door, "You are given a boat, and three bags of food. You have to get the bags over to the other side of the river, but only one bag can be on the boat with you, and no bags may be left alone on the other side, because the wolves will eat it. You must be on the boat at all times. How do you get everything across?"

"How much wolves are there?" I asked. I heard three knocks.

"How many bags of food can a wolf eat?" I asked. I heard one knock.

"How many wolves can eat a singular bag of food?" One knock.

"Will the wolves fight over a bag?" No knocks. The door opened. It was pitch black inside the room. I started walking in, and the door closed behind me. I was alone.

***

One pencil, no deaths, and an impossible riddle. She answered them all with honest answers. She out-smarted the last riddle. She proved that fear and bravery can work together to be one. She proved just how big her heart is, and how smart her brain is. She proved that she is worth saving. She proved that she has the ability to help me. She proved that she can do whatever she pleases, and can still find a way to make everyone happy. She is the one we need. She can help us, my child. She must win the Cold. She must survive and be greeted by her ancestors. Her name is the opposite of this world we live in. The hero in our prophecy is everything she is. I know that this time we found our way out. We found our salvation. We found our hero.