The Trail

The Abyss

Below a vibrant night sky, where stars and planets all aligned, sand dunes reached far and wide. A red moon rested by the horizon, the top rounding over the edge. The celestial body was so close that it seemed as if you walked over the edge, you would fall right onto its surface. Cicadas rested in the sand and played their wings in tune with an old, static gramophone. A forgotten tune from a century past played on constant repeat.

Bare feet sank into the sand as they unhindered wandered towards the strange music. It was as if the stars were programmed to move in rhythm with the sound, like a giant light installation they were projected onto the dark canvas.

She followed an aisle of red candles, their flames suddenly flickering in the wind. A mild zephyr swept over the edge of a sand dune and moved the aureate grains in the way of a soft wave. It swept past the legs of the wanderer, tickling the delicate skin. As the gust passed, it revealed a floating sheet roofing a table.

Below, a woven rug in the shades of burgundy and gold rested upon the sand. The table was round, lined with gold and the table top made out of dark marble. An oil lamp made of brass stood on its surface, surrounded by red flower petals. Petite lanterns that carried the colours of red, green and gold hung from the dark sheet, mimicking the night sky.

Behind the table there was a large throne. Its cushions made of onyx velvet, its lines and curves lined with gold. Upon the throne sat a large, black dog with fur that shimmered in the light of the lanterns. Around her neck, she wore an ornamented collar decorated with gemstones. She carried a proud posture as she welcomed the wanderer to sit by her table.

The young woman took a seat upon a second chair placed opposite the pompous throne. In awe, she took in the peculiar setting before she turned her face towards her old friend. She blinked, and when she opened her eyes, the table had been set with a teapot, goblets filled with wine and bowls hosting fruit and grapes.

"Thirsty?", the black dog asked and put one of her front legs over the side of the throne as she leaned back.

The wanderer nodded before she grabbed one of the goblets, reached by a strange sensation of a lost memory when she drank from it.

"What is this place?", the young woman asked and licked her lips free from the sweet and bitterness of the wine.

"Oh, there will be plenty of time for you to learn about our realm", the dog said with a grin, her amber eyes lighting up in the light of the candles. "For now, you should rest. I believe there will be some friends of yours here to greet you soon."

"Are you a god, too? Like the thunder man", the woman asked in pure curiosity.

The black dog chuckled and put her head asquint.

"Not quite a god, my friend. I'm more of a kindred spirit. A gate keeper, perhaps", she replied in a strange tone.

"My dreams... The hissing woman, the white deer...", the woman mumbled, lost in thought.

"Yes, Naygara and the protector", the dog nodded, hinting at a smile.

"So they weren't just dreams, hallucinations?", the woman wondered in what seemed like a strange relief.

"Dreams are just a perception of a different reality. With some, the gap between worlds is thin enough to break through...", the dog said in her peculiar voice, hinting at a pause, before she added: "Or for someone to break through to you."

"In that case, what am I?", the wanderer asked in fascination, looking down at her palms as if the answers lied within the lines of her skin.

"That's what everyone has been trying to figure out, kiddo. I can barely deal with one of those crackpots at a time, so I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to be dragged across their realms", she said and rolled her eyes.

"What about the vial... I didn't complete Mamaragan's wish", the woman said as she suddenly remembered - lost in her own thoughts as if caught in a lucid dream.

"That is not for you to worry about anymore, kiddo. You did good", the dog said before she jumped down onto the rug and stepped out amongst the sand dunes. "Come, it's time for you to choose."

The goblet fell to the ground as the young woman rose to her feet, her hair flowed in the wind as she turned her face towards five wavering silhouettes that stood upon the ridge of a sand dune. From where she stood, they looked like mirages billowing in the heat of the desert. As she stepped out into the sand, she knocked over the goblet and spilled the wine in a cascade of red and purple, staining the beautifully crafted rug.

Paw prints were left engraved in the soft sand, only to quickly be replaced by light foot prints. In harmony, they peregrinated out into the desert, turned into mirages by those who were left by the wine stain...