The Author's Stories

Captured

I'm laying here, in the snow. The night sky twinkles above me as my breath slowly becomes more raspy. I hear footsteps approaching. I haven't even bothered to run anymore. They will always come... I see it in the distance. A true nightmare... it's stalking towards me and I just lay there, waiting. " Hello. " I greet, bothering to acknowledge it's existence. It purrs in response. " Here to take me away? " I ask. It purrs again. I laugh. " Alright then... let us not dally. " I slowly stand to the best of my abilities and let it throw me in the air and catch me with its mouth. I just dangle there... watching as it drags me back to its cave. We were inside now when it dropped me. " So, what now? What will it be this time? " I ask, dusting myself off. It cocks its head and purrs. " Right.. I suppose it's my turn to start? " I ask. It nods. " Okay. Let's go.... " I grab the torch I've left on the wall and light it. With the flame I watch as a thousand different tunnels appear. " Which one to choose... " I tiredly ponder. " we haven't gone down this one yet I believe. " I point to one and begin to walk, the beast behind me occasionally pushing me along. We walk for hours, and all I see is cave... until eventually we reach a deep pit. I exhaustively peer down at a thousand dead corpses, all with the same lonely expression on their faces. I lazily look back at the creature behind me. It's perked ears and tilted head say enough... I take one step forward into the air and hop off the edge, falling into the heap... It doesn't matter.... all the tunnels lead this way... all the bodies are my own... every night I will awake to see the sky, to hear the footsteps, to walk through these tunnels, to fall into this pit, to help this creature... The bridge is almost complete, but I am gone....

( thanks Cathy for the
word Captured. )