Once Upon His Time... [On Hold]

Chapter Four

Chapter Four  

Earth Rampage

I awaken with an aching back and a tense neck. Without opening my eyes, I ease the crick in my neck and roll my head around to loosen it up.  

I then open my eyes, intending to stand and stretch out the ache in my back but stop short when I realize something as soon as my eyelids flutter open.  

I'm not in the hole anymore. My body is resting straight instead of in the ball I had curled up in before I fell asleep. My body is stretched out as my back rests against the base of a rather large tree, my entire right side leaning against a thick tree root.  

I quickly stand and stretch before taking in the overwhelming sight before me.  

It is breathtaking; the scence around me. No natural beauty could top this.  

A mixture of every natural place on Earth; forests, lakes, marshes, waterfalls. Long blades of dark green grass cover rich, black soil. Trees stretch up to the sky, some leaves like needles, others like soft padding, or just dripping off water from large, overhanging branches. Willows and cottonwood are amongst thousands of other plants. Roses, lilies and tulips adorn the areas near tree roots. Moss hanging from sagging tree branches hand low, almost touching the lilypad-covered lake. The lake stretches a mile away from me. The current from a nearby waterfall creates ripples in the water. Sunflowers frow around shrubs and bushes that are thick with leaves and unknown berries.  

I walk around the entire place, in awe of its beauty. To think; before people ruined everything with industries and chemicals -- Earth might have looked like this. Beautiful and untainted.  

How did I get here? I wonder.  

"Morning, Emerae..." The voice says.  

I look around, still convinced he is nearby.  

I hear him sigh, "I am truly just a voice to you. You cannot see me because I am in a different realm than you. You must believe me, or else you'll never get out of here alive..." He tells me.  

I feel my eyebrows pull together. "What do you mean by 'realm'?" I ask, confused.  

"Welcome to the Earth Realm, Emerae..." He says no more.  

I let out a sigh of frustration. "What the hell is the Earth Realm? What's going on?!" I shout into the warm air.  

My only response is a faint chuckle and I give up on making him speak.  

I walk over to the roses and tulips. I scan the red roses, but stop short as soon as I see one specific rose that stands out from the rest.  

A purple rose.  

"You love purple roses..." The voice speaks, but his words are not heard as I am too busy staring at the rose. I love purple roses, but I always wanted a natural one, instead of a spray painted one. The rose in front of me was all natural; its petals fading from a deeper purple at the edges, to a light violet in the middle.  

I reach out to pluck it from its stem.  

"I wouldn't do that..." The voice says, but I ignore him and break off the stem.  

Bad idea.

The sound is deafening, the shrill sound of birds fleeing in surprise and alarm. The wind picking up speed and blowing the leaves of the trees as well as my hair. The feeling of the ground shaking in anger, as well as the sight of trees growing larger, taller and thicker. Their roots beginning to twist in fury, braiding across the opening ground. With each crack in the grassy ground, tall plants sprout from the opening, reaching higher and higher until it towers over me with its thorny stems and razor leaves. The roses blow in the wind, echoing laughter as if taunting me of the earth's outrage.