Break Between Time

Chapter 3

Another day and another long conversation about how hard it is to stay a vegetarian, Bea told her friends she'd be going to the woods and finding that perfect spot for the perfect photo. It was the weekend (thank goodness) and she was just glad to be out of school for a short while. Thanksgiving Break was getting closer every day, the next thing she'd know, it'd be Christmas.

She parked beside Eden's house, not in sight (otherwise, it'd be strange), and took her time getting back to the well. She was in no rush now, because she didn't have a planned meeting with Candice. Though, she wouldn't be surprised if that was how her night ended.

Once she found it yet again, that familiar wave of good-feelings ran over her.

This time she'd be able to capture it in its complete glory. Beautiful colors of fall, individual leaves, everything.

She knew the angle, at least she thought she did. It looked right through the lens, and after she added a few filters, it'd be perfect. She'd have to take a few, of course, and she even experimented on picking up a handful of leaves and dropping them above her camera. The wind seemed calmer today, so she could only give the allusion of a gentle breeze.

She got a few shots and sat down at end of the well to see whether or not they turned out. Man, she was good at this. In her opinion, they looked great. Top three level great. The type of thing you'd find on the internet if you searched 'autumn.'

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and she rests her camera on the ledge. It was her dad. She stared at the screen for a second but ended up returning the phone back in her pocket without responding. Then she heard the snap of a twig behind her, making her jump. Who could that be? Other people rarely came into these woods. She wanted to scream her head off when she turned to see what made the noise and ended up backhanding her camera down the well.

You've got to be kidding me. Peering over the edge, she knew the only thing she could do was go down it. The vines coated the well, so she'd be able to get back up. But man did she hate climbing. Her upper body strength was lacking, but she couldn't leave it down there. It was new and durable, so it most likely survived the fall.

Then she found herself descending down the well.

One foot after the other, she climbed down and down. The vines were thick as rope, so it wouldn't be too hard to climb back up. She didn't have a ton of upper body strength, but she had enough to pull herself back up the deep well.

When she was close to the ground, she let go and fluidly landed damp dirt. That was weird to her because it hadn't rained in a while.

As she went to pick up her camera, which thankfully wasn't broken, she noticed the piece of glass she had seen yesterday. Except now with a closer look, it didn't resemble glass anymore, not even in color. It was more like a purple crystal and was enduring enough for her to take a closer look at it.

Upon inspection, she picked it up.

The edges were crisp and sharp; she thought if she pressed too hard, she'd bleed. The iridescent color of the gem and the strange feeling she had when she touched it made her decide to pocket it. Who knows? It might be worth something.

Draping the camera around her neck, she grabbed the first vine her hand could find. She was about four feet off the ground before the branch she had her hand on broke and peeled off the wall as she fell. The snaps of it falling with her didn't last long because she was back on the ground within a second.

Once her butt came in contact with the ground, her eyes flashed white. It was like a blinding light was shone into her eyes, making her lose her vision for a second. It couldn't have been pain that caused this, it didn't hurt much at all. When the color cleared like a camera flash and she could see again, her muscle that had become tense calmed.