The Fourfold Key

Chapter Sixteen: The Whirlpool

"We're almost there," Tom announced, looking out at the desolation in front of them.

They had crossed the river with little trouble with the help of a friendly fisherman, who was more than happy to help someone in need. Hours later, they were nearing the Whirlpool.

The Whirlpool really did wipe out every living thing. Small, dead pine trees still standing upright littered the land they beheld. The saplings had clearly fought hard to grow in that barren place, but had soon succumbed to nature, unable to survive on pure willpower. A strong wind was whipping their clothes. An awful howling and sucking noise got louder and louder as they advanced - obviously the Whirlpool was close by.

"I wonder how far we have to go!" Ruth wondered.

"What!?" Tom asked.

"I said, I wonder how far we have to go to get to the Whirlpool!" she shouted.

"Yes, that works for me!" Tom obviously hadn't heard correctly.

"Come on!" She waved her arms toward the Whirlpool.

The winds made going a little rough, and occasionally a strong blast would cause them to lose their footing, but they were making progress.

"This isn't too bad!" Ruth said. She had spoken too soon. It was like they walked through an invisible wall that was holding all the wind in. They took one more step and were immediately engulfed by the wind. It whipped around ferociously and knocked them to the ground. They quickly scrambled back and the roaring winds slackened. They looked at each other. Ruth grabbed the rope hanging on her satchel and knotted it tightly around her waist. She handed the other end to Tom and he did the same. Taking a deep breath, Ruth pushed forward. The wind beat at them with mighty fists, forcing them to the ground. With no other choice, they began to crawl. Soon they were forced to drop their satchels and continue on. The wind was cold, and its icy breath stung her cheeks. Ruth's eyes grew blurry and tears formed, only to freeze on her face and blow away moments later, and her fingers became numb. Soon, her teeth began to chatter. The colder she got, the harder it became to keep a grip. The ground became rougher. Jagged rocks were scattered everywhere. Ruth's eyelids grew heavy. Just a little rest, please, she wanted to beg Tom. But she knew that was impossible. There was no way in heck they could rest here. She put her hand down to grab another handhold and cut her hand on a sharp rock. She yelled and brought her hand to her chest, blood pooling into her fist. Being tired and in pain was the worst. Her yell startled Tom and he lost his grip. He tumbled backwards, pulling Ruth with him.

She scrambled for a handhold. They were going too fast. Tom grabbed a large rock and clung to it. Ruth sped past him and was jerked to a stop by the rope. She gritted her teeth. That hurt. A lot. Tom grunted. Slowly, they got back on all fours and continued.

Just when Ruth thought she could go no further, they arrived. A steep cliff appeared out of the mist revealing the Whirlpool. Tom's figured solidified out of the fog and as he neared he almost fell off the cliff. She scooted closer to Tom.

"What now?"

"Where?" Tom asked.

"WHAT DO WE DO NOW!?"

"Jump in, I suppose."

"WHAT!? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?" she shrieked, scooting away from the edge.

"It's the only way! It makes sense that the Key would be there, it's almost impossible to get to."

"NOT ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE, IMPOSSIBLE!" She wondered how Tom could be so calm about this. But he must have known this was coming. He'd had time to prepare himself.