Strings - Camp NaNoWriMo 2017

«What Lurks in Darkness - 5»

I walked the dark trail alone, already missing the comfort of having a companion. Sorrow weighed down my heart once more, and once more, I refused to shed tears. The many-tailed creature appeared beside me again, walking just out of range of my footfalls.

"Why?" I asked it. "Why keep me here, in... whatever this place is, keeping me happy? Why go as far as recreating my friend to keep me company if in the end, all roads just lead... here?"

The creature didn't reply.

I kept walking. Red light pulsed in the darkness, matching the second heartbeat in my hands.

We finally made it to the source. The gem throbbed, sending pulses of light throughout the small cavern. I stared at it for a long while, my hand half-raised. Then, with one last glance at the creature, I placed my hand down, onto the rock.

The world twisted and warped, sending me hurtling into darkness. When I opened my eyes, I was on the ground of the original clearing. The pack of shadow-creatures were still here, lying around the cave, fast asleep. I stood up. My hand was still on the gem.

"I'm back in reality now... right?" I asked of no one in particular. I looked around. It seemed so.

I stared at the gem. The real life version looked smaller, more fragile. I took a step closer. My hands pulsed again.

"I know now," I said shakily, the pieces coming together in my mind. "You're not just an object. You are the forest. The spirit of it." I took a few deep breaths. "And you're dying." The gem thrummed in response. "You need help. And you know I can give it to you. But why try to keep me away?"

I placed a tentative hand on the stone. Its surface seared me, and I flinched back.

"Oh," I said once I had recovered. "Oh. It all comes together now." I stared at the gem, reflecting back on all my experiences. "You're... kind." I thought back to Jasper, to his smiling face when he caught me from tumbling off the cliff. "Too kind." His hands, holding mine, him pleading me not to go. "You know what's going to happen, and you don't want anyone to get hurt."

Without me realizing it, tears started running down my face. "Jasper's death was a mistake," I choked out. "A mistake. Your creatures brought me here to heal you. They never meant to-" I bit my lip before a sob could come lurching out. "And you know, deep inside, that this is the only way. But you wanted me to be happy. And you wanted the forest to be happy."

I closed my eyes, thinking back, trying to find the positive. Sammy. He had gotten away.

"But I know what has to be done."

And with that, I plunged my hand down, onto the gem. I crumpled to the floor, still not releasing my hold on the heart. I cried out, but it felt as if the noise were coming from far, far away. Slowly, gradually, I began to see the gem restore its life-force, soaking in mine. The creatures came awake. The plants unfurled their leaves.

And me?...

I drifted away.

{End of Story Three}