Encountering Darkness: The Great Pursuit (Book One)

Chapter Eighteen

He awakes to the sound of laughing.

"You can't catch me. I'm way too fast for ya! Haha!" says what sounds like a girl.

Pete panics and jumps to his feet.

"No way! You're too slow!"

Pete looks around for where the voices continue coming from. He gathers they came from behind, and he turns around. He sees no one and fills with disappointment and worry.

Standing in silence, he is about ready to sit back down when he hears whispering.

"What should we do?" says the girl.

"Shush!" says the boy in a harsh tone. "He can probably hear us."

A rustle. Pete realizes it is them running away.

"Wait!" Pete yells as loud as he could, but the steps only proceed faster.

Pete waits for a second and soon begins to follow the steps. He wasn't sure what he is experiencing, but thought there is a possibility he is crazy. He walks through the thick woods and reaches a stream. Pete bends down and cups water in his hands.

Continuing on his way, he crosses the stream and moves through the forest. He walks for what seems like hours and still has no sight of anything. After moving through the thick forest, he catches sight of a clearing up ahead. He steps through the last bit of trees and notices a pasture. For as far as the eye could see, there is a clear field of grass. After moving a few steps in the plain, he looks back and sights the large forest behind him. He begins to walk some more, but grows too tired to continue and lays down in the pasture.

At this point, Pete feels helpless. He doesn't understand what to do and once again he is lost and uncertain. He begins to think about everything that is going on with him. What was this world trying to tell him? What was happening to him? Who was that person who led him through the corridor? Who was the man who led him out of the darkness? What, where, and who were those laughing children?

Pete begins to feel hopeless. What is he missing?

"Can't I just have a clear answer? Can't it be known to me what is going on?"

Pete closes his eyes and sulks.

"I'm just pathetic!" yells Pete. "I can't do anything right. I'm hopeless; just leave me al..."

Pete stops because he isn't sure who he is speaking to, or even what he is talking about. All he knew is that he is alone, and he needs help.

Pete turns over on his side and is about ready to close his eyes and fall asleep, when he notices the depression in the grass. Not thinking too much about it, he reaches out his hand to touch the grass. The depression moves back, and he can hear the slow sound of grass brushing up against something.

"Is that you? I don't suppose you would speak?"

Not expecting to hear back, he turns over to his other side.

"You know, if it helps, there are many hopeless people that come through here. They are just like you." It is the same girl he heard before. He is sure of it.

"What are you saying? Why can't I see you?"

"I'm not sure, but it happens to everyone. It even happened to me; although, I can't remember it, but I'm told it did."

"You don't talk like you are only a girl."

"How do you know I'm a girl? You have never seen me, have you?"

"No, I assumed that you are. Plus, you were playing tag with that boy."

"How do you know that was a boy?"

Pete stops for a second. This girl or lady, or whatever you call it, is right. He isn't sure of anything anymore.

"Will I ever be able to see you?"

"In time you will."

"Will you help me find my way?"

"I can't do that. Find your own way, but I warn you, if you do, you will only get lost."

"That makes little sense. How do I find out what or even where I am going?"

"You can't, you just...well Pete, you have to do what you did at the tree, the candle stand, or in the underground passageway."

"How do you know my name?"

The girl laughs, "Oh Pete, I know more than your name."

"Are you a god or something? Are you a higher being?"

The girl laughs again, "I am not, and I guess you could call me a guide; although, I can't help you."

"You are useless."

"Pete, one day you will understand, but today is not the day."

"So what now?"

He waits for a while to hear a response, but the girl seems to have left him. He is once again alone. Pete continues to lay on the ground. He isn't sure what he is missing. All this sitting around and waiting is getting him nowhere, so he stands up and looks around. He could go through this plain and see where that leads or he could go back through the forest and follow the stream he found earlier.

Pete did not want to go over the open plain, with the hot and bright sun high overhead, so he proceeds back to follow the stream. As he enters the forest, the shade from the trees feels great.

Definitely a good idea, thinks Pete.

He makes his way to the stream and follows it downstream. He notices the stream is crystal clear. As he walks along the ground, he recognizes a sound of an animal in front of him: a frog. Hearing the frog, he is so ecstatic, he drops to his knees to look for the animal.

Now this is a sight to observe because Pete, a grown man, although very young in age, is in nice well kept clothes, crawling on his knees looking for a frog. For even a brief moment, Pete smiles and seems to be happy. He follows the noise of the frog, but he cannot see it. He is sure the frog is right in front of him.

"It must be invisible like the boy and girl. This really is a strange world."

He continues down the stream and realizes that the trees are becoming sparse. Also, the ground becomes less grassy, and there are patches of dirt intermingle. He then looks at the water and notices it isn't crystal clear anymore. Pete stops. He isn't sure if he is progressing into the other part of the world that he began in.

This must be another side of the world, thinks Pete.

He continues on, but stumbling ensues. He looks up towards the sky and there is no sun or moon.

The sun must have gone down and there must be cloud cover, Pete determines.

At this point he has no way to continue on, so he sits down by the stream and falls asleep.