Mystery of the Boundaries

Chapter Six

At first, I felt nothing. It was like I was spiralling through a deep black hole and into oblivion. I knew of nothing, not of who I was or what I was doing here. I didn't even know where I was or where I was going.

Then suddenly among all the darkness, I began to see a sparkle of light, just a bit. Curious to find out more about it, I try to use every single strength in my petite body to reach that light. But something was pulling me back. It was as if the darkness was clinging on to me, not letting go, striving to pull me back into its darkest depths.

But I was strong; I could fight.

The world was turning faster and faster. The light glowing larger by the second, until it burst into a brilliant supernova explosion, casting the blinding white light everywhere.

And suddenly, I understood.

This was part of the test, the first step. To see if I was strong enough to fight the darkness; if I was strong enough to fight the pull of evil so that I wouldn't have to spend my eternity in hell.

And I passed. I passed.

But my happy celebration was short lived, because the dangers that were awaiting me were far worse than that. Taking a look at my surroundings, I was in another forest. This one wasn't as dark as the pitch black forest that we came through first. But it was much more eerie, and the cold and absolute silence set my teeth chattering.

Abruptly, I heard a plunk, as something fell onto the soft velvety grass at my feet. I almost let out a small cry of surprise as I jumped back. It was my beloved dagger.

A tiny ghost of a smile reached my lips as I stroked the beautiful emerald gemstone on the hilt. Maybe I wasn't alone after all.

And so I grab it firmly in my hand, clutching on to it for dear life. Somehow, gripping my dagger made me feel better, stronger.

Taking a deep breath, I start to drag my feet onward into the forest.

The first thing I see beyond the trees is a giant lake. Not of water, but of fire. There was a giant pit full of hot red flames, which were cackling loudly, dancing around the pit. I just stood there, gaping at the flickering flames, wishing that I were immune to the burn of fire.

Jogging forward, I reach into the pit and stick my dagger an inch into the flames. It hisses on contact, and I yank my dagger back. The edge of the blade was smoking and sizzling, almost melting.

This wasn't regular flames though. This was hellfire. The most dangerous type of fire in the mythical world.

How in the world am I supposed to cross that?

I try not to panic.

Think Alaska, think.

What if I try using my newfound powers? I close my eyes, trying to imagine the same blue ball of light in my mind. No matter how hard I try, nothing comes up. After many tries, no succession, I give up.

"God dang it!" I yell, frustrated. I clap my hand over my mouth, eyes darting around to see if there was anyone around to hear me. Hopefully not. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

But . . . what if I walked on the side? I mean, it can't be endless, right? It has to end somewhere. I try to convince myself that I could walk on the sides.

So I take a deep breath and start to run.

* * * * * * * *

After hours of running, taking a few seconds of break in between, and then running again, I tire out. I gulp in huge breaths as I finally accept the fact that no matter how much I run, nothing's going to change. Using all my might, I stop myself from collapsing onto the soft and grassy ground, even though my terribly aching feet are begging, pleading for me to take a rest.