Carly's Short Story Adventures

The First Adventure

Carly sat on her porch, newspaper in her lap. She would have to get up to turn on the light soon. Before she did however, she watched the sun set, dying the sky the richest shades of golden yellows, deep plum reds and oranges as it dipped behind the smooth horizon line on the ocean. The sight was made even more beautiful by the reflection of the colors over the ocean which narrowed into a private cove. The serene water gently lapped at the shore, only a few meters away from the large cedar deck she lounged on in her hanging chair. That sound could lull her to sleep at night and greet her as she awoke in the early mornings.  A gentle breeze passed, funneled into the valley by the surrounding mountains but still filtered by the large trees. This was the reason the water here was always calm, the breeze was never strong. With it, however, came the sweet fragrance of flowers getting ready to bloom as the moon rose higher in the sky, full and bright. It was always seemed so close in this part of the tropics. 

The final rays of sun finally disappeared from the night sky, and the stars glittered brilliantly in its place. It was time. She sighed and stood up, placing her newspaper in her bag. She needed to leave soon. The portal home should be open in about 2 hours but it was also in the middle of the forest, at the peak of the tallest mountain. The hike that would have taken her about an hour to complete but she had sprained her ankle on the last adventure and it hadn't healed yet. Carly shook her head as if it would shake the memory out of her head. That time hadn't been fun, nor had it been easy to make it to the portal. In fact, she nearly missed it. If she had, she probably wouldn't have survived.

Carly looked around the bungalow one last time. This was one adventure she didn't mind. The day was quiet. Once she established where the portal home was going to be she went out and got clothes suited for a night-time trek through the jungle, flash lights and extra batteries- she'd been in situations that needed flashlights and ran out of batteries before; she had promised herself never again. She shuddered as she remembered. She got a machete and a small handgun too, which she found in the bungalow. Of course she had to steal most of these things. The clothes and the batteries came from the local department store. It was further away than she had though so she stole a car on the way back. It made her glad she had learned how to hot wire cars to take revenge on her ex boyfriends. It was time.

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The jungle was pitch black. Carly's flashlight struggled to penetrate the infinite darkness surrounding her. Also, she kept biting her no matter how many little insects she killed while slapping her skin. When she shined the light on her hand it was stained red with her blood. Carly hoped she wouldn't get some kind of disease from the bastards. As nice as today had been with the tropical beach and beautiful bungalow, she didn't know if it was worth all these bugs. At least she'd be home soon and out of the dark jungle. Her thoughts drifted to the darkness. She began to think about what could be out there. Carly cursed her brain for bringing up those topics as she was just about ready to pee her pants. She closed her eyes and started breathing. Maybe it would be enough to calm her thoughts. That's what she hoped, at least.

Suddenly, a noise echoed loudly in the forest, making Carly jump high in the air and spin around wildly. She shone the flashlight around, heart quickening. It sounded like a branch falling. Carly listened inventively while trying to keep her knees from shaking. Everything returned to being silent, except for the symphony of insects. It was nothing. She continued along the overgrown track. Her heart was still beating as fast as before but as she walked alone in the dark, the quiet began to get louder. Her mind raced with all the possibilities that could be lurking in the dark. Carly cursed her active imagination as she quickly started to succumb to fear. Pain shot through her ankle causing her to nearly fall. She forgot to lessen her weight on that ankle. Carly took a few breaths until it subsided. The pain would have made her forget about being afraid but the sound of a twig snapping set her on high alert once again. She didn't wan't to know what it was and took of running before she was fully aware of it. She could only think that there was something that was going to eat her. Soon, though, she needed to catch her breath. She leaned against a tree, feeling safer with her back resting against a solid surface. Carly waved the flashlight in the dark as she stood up straight but saw movement out of the corner of her eye. In her mind it could only being something deadly. Her heart pounded in her chest as the adrenaline mingled with her blood. Carly was getting the hell out of dodge. Where was that portal?

She ran for her life. Carly stumbled over a root, losing her grip on the flashlight, it fell from her hands. Her eyes widened as the little circle of light disappeared into the brush. Her brain screamed! She could barely even make out her hands in front of her. Carly's heart thumped loudly in hear ears, her blood rushing through her veins almost deafeningly loud in her panic. She had to get away. Her foot caught on something and she fell, screaming! A bright light illuminated the darkness through the trees in the distance. It was the portal! Carly got up and ran as fast as she could towards it, trying to leave whatever was following her behind. The distance closed. Her lungs were protesting against the exertion but Carly couldn't find it in herself to stop for even a second. The adrenaline kept her running as fast as she could. As she got close enough to the portal to make a final jump, just for a second as she pushed off the ground, the thought that the portal would disappear on her sent an icy fear-filled dread that nearly broke her. She closed her eyes as she felt herself fall and roll onto a smooth hard surface. Carly lay on the ground wheezing. After a few long minutes, she finally caught her breath enough to stand up. She almost didn't believe it. She was in her bedroom. Still breathing heavy, Carly just limped slowly to the bathroom for a boiling hot shower, her brain not even wanting to try to comprehend what just happened. She was home.