by K. M. Bonde
“Yeah, everything’s great, Mom. I like him a lot. I'll talk to you more tomorrow.” She really just wants to go upstairs and shake that feeling she’d had since stumbling through the bush. “Goodnight, Mom.”
“Goodnight, Elora.”
Elora runs up the stairs, heading to her room. There are so many things going around in her head, questions that she needs answers to. She can’t say why, but something about that place makes her want to go back. It’s almost like she is drawn there. She ponders what they’ll find tomorrow as she follows her nightly ritual—brushing her teeth, changing into her pajamas, and turning out the lights.
Not long after she gets out of the bathroom, she crawls down into her bed and clicks the large button on her cute but way outdated 80's lamp next to her bed. She soon falls asleep and all is quiet in her little room.
* * *
In a distant and slumbering part of another world, the sun is rising over forests, mountains, hills, and a small village. It shines through a round window on a small wooden house with grass growing on the roof. The village is quiet, the only person around is a mysterious man walking toward the house. There’s a small cat sipping some milk from a plate outside the house, but as he approaches, the cat hisses and runs off toward the center of the village. The man knocks on the door before entering the small house.
“Ah, Alric the Elder. I should have expected as much. What do you want?” calls out a voice from within the house.
Alric moves toward the voice, his brown robe hovering an inch above the floor. The Elder sizes up the person in front of him; he’s big and athletic, scars dotting his face and arms. “Eadric Stronghand,” he says mysteriously. “I know what you are going to do. I urge you to rethink and not set out on this quest.”
“I have to seek the answers to my questions,” replies Eadric easily.
Alric pushes back his hood, revealing his long white hair. “But why now? After all this time?”
“It has been so long since they left, and I need to find out what happened,” replies Eadric. “Besides, I felt a movement earlier in the Sheastream.”
“I know. I felt it too,” says Alric. “Are you planning on going to the cave?”
“Yes, according to the old books, that’s where the answer might be.”
Alric glances at Eadric warily, his stormy blue eyes alight. “It’s infested with all kinds of creatures, and it’s not a safe place. Please stay here, and we can find another way.”
“No, I have already prepared for my journey,” says Eadric firmly. “I can’t back down now.”
Alric scoffs. “I’ve known your family for generations, and you are as stubborn as your father was. At least take someone with you to help you.”
Eadric waves a hand at Alric dismissively. “If I'm not back before the sun has passed twice, have Remus come and look for me.”
Alric looks around the house. “Have you told Myrna?”
Eadric tilts his head. “She will understand. Tell her that I'll be back in no time.”
“I'll try.” Alric sighs. ”She is a feisty one that wife of yours. She might actually go after you herself.”
“Then make sure she does not.” Eadric takes a sip from a jug on the table, then bends down to pick his sack up from the floor. “Send Remus, he knows where the cave is.” Finally, he grabs his sword from the stand next to the door and leaves the house and Alric behind.
The village is still calm as Eadric walks toward the forest. He passes a small woodcutter place on the way and a local tavern. A worn sign hangs outside, marking The Dirty Duck for any travelers. He smiles, thinking of all the glasses of perfect ale he’s has had there.
Turning, Eadric walks on a little gravel pathway through some farmlands. A few cows are out eating grass, and they watch him as he passes. When Eadric enters the forest, a young man comes running up to him from behind.
“Wait!” It’s Remus, his son.
Eadric looks at the thin boy in front of him, only fifteen springs old, but already with an ocean of adventure in his eyes. The boy has a small dagger hanging from his leather belt.
“What do you want, Remus?” asks Eadric, his voice laced with authority. He meant for Remus to come look for him only if he didn’t return, not for Remus to join him now. He’d have to clarify that with Alric later.
“I'm coming with you on your quest.”
“Out of the question,” replies Eadric. “Stay here and watch the village for me. I'll be back soon. Talk to Alric if you need anything.”
Remus steps closer to his father. “I was outside the house and I heard what you said, Alric cannot stop me. I'll come with you now.”
Eadric curses under his breath. So, it wasn’t Alric after all. “Silly boy, you were listening outside the house? Then you would know that this won’t be easy. In that forest lays the Cave of the Fallen in which our ancestors are buried. I'm heading there. We have to go through our ancestor's burial grounds in order to get deeper into the caves.”
Remus raises his shoulders and looks up at his father and says, “I'm ready, Father. I can do it. Let me prove myself. If you aren’t happy with me, then send me home later.”
Eadric observes his son closely. The boy doesn’t twitch under his gaze. “If you come you have to stay close and do what I say.”
Remus beams. “I will!”
The two continue walking on a path leading deeper into the forest and soon, the forest has engulfed them. Near the village, the forest isn’t thick, but out here, it’s growing denser. Fortunately, a path leads toward their ancestral burial place. After traversing the path for some time, they reach the cave. There is a sign outside reading Cave of the Fallen. Flowers and pots with water sit nearby. A small wooden stall sits to the side, a bunch of empty torches ready for visitors. They pick up two torches, lights them and slowly enter the cave.
Eadric and Remus walk silently past the graves of their ancestors, the boy shivering against the cold of the cave. It has a narrow path in the middle with graves on each side, and warm light flares from the torches Eadric and Remus are carrying.
Eadric looks around, pointing to the graves they pass. They contain many names and honorable words. One says The Brute. Another says, He who stood up against the great bear. Some has weapons next to them, others nothing. On another one of them it says, Slayed by the fearful, unnamed beast of the swamp.
“These graves give me the chills. They seem so old and dark,” says Remus.
Eadric speaks without turning his head. “They are, some have been here for over a thousand years.”
Remus looks around and then back at his father. “Where are we going?”
“We need to pass through this burial ground and delve down to the lower levels of the cave. Watch your step. No one has been in there for a very long time. No telling what can be found down there. Might be rocks and piles of debris on the path.”
As they traverse deeper through the narrow path into the cave, Eadric notices Remus looking back at the diminishing light from the entrance. Water splashes in the distance, and weird echoes come from within the cave.
Quietly, Remus whispers to his father, “Could it be the creatures?”
Eadric holds up his torch and looks at his son’s wary face as Remus comes closer to him. They continue deeper into the cave without looking back.
Chapter 3: The Meeting
Ryan and Elora hold hands in the early morning sun, heading back toward the garden park where they’d stumbled upon that secret world yesterday, their vintage leather backpacks holding supplies for the day.
Glancing down at Elora’s backpack, Ryan smiles. “I remember that backpack. You got it from you mother, right?”
“Yeah, a long time ago when I was little. I had it for school.”
He snaps his fingers. “That's where I remember it from! You had it in middle school. I thought you looked so cool with it, and you always said you wanted to be like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider, always going on adventures. You were going to bring that b
ackpack for that long hike in the mountains that we never got to go on.”
“You are amazing,” Elora replies with a giggle. She’d always admired the adventurous women in video games and stories as a kid, and now she was embarking on her own journey. “I didn’t think you’d remember something from so long ago.”
He squeezes her hand, and they continue walking toward the park. After a few minutes, they enter the park, and Ryan leads her toward the part of the park from last night.
“I'm excited to see what is beyond the field and to see that village,” Elora says quietly. “Do you think a lot of people live there?”
Ryan glances down at her. “I don't know. We'll see. We just have to be careful... we don't know anything about that place.” They pause when they reach the miraculous bush, and he turns to Elora. “This is it. Are you ready?”
Elora lights up like the sun. “Yeah, let's go already!”
She rushes ahead, sprinting toward the bush, and Ryan follows her. They burst into the field on the other side, the smell of the flowers greeting them. The sun is high in the sky now, and it’s warmer than when they were here before.
“Well, here we are again,” says Ryan.
Elora looks to her left, then to her right, and finally back at her boyfriend. “Yeah, it looks the same… but time seems to work differently here than in our world. It’s the middle of the day, based on the sun. What time do you think it is?”
Ryan looks at the sky, then shrugs. “Maybe noon,” he says. “No later than two, though.”
“Let's go and see the village again,” says Elora, who is already traipsing up the hill.
“Hey, wait!” Ryan calls. “I think we should take it slow.” He catches up, and they walk toward the hill together, hand-in-hand. “Why don't we try to get closer to the village first and check it out before anyone notices that we’re here?”
“How will we do that?” she asks.
Ryan looks around. The hill rises before them, and the field and trees are behind them. The forest is down the hill and to the right, and it circles the village. He points toward the trees. “If we follow the forest to the side of the village, then we can get a closer look but stay hidden.”
Elora looks toward the forest and then at Ryan. “Let's hurry up, I want to get back before it gets dark.”
“This way.” says Ryan.
They creep toward the forest, lingering on its edge at first. It’s not as dense as it looks from the outside, so they step among the shade of the trees and head toward the village.
“It’s got the same trees as home,” comments Elora. “Or, they look the same, anyway.” Pine trees tower above them, and moss grows along the bark. Bushes dot the ground, sporting berries that look similar to raspberries except for their color.
The pair stay close to the edge of the forest, making sure not to go too far in. Finally, they reach a spot in the forest from where they can see more of the outlay of the village.
Ryan stops. “Here. Let's have a closer look.”
They crouch down low, gazing out at the village. There are several small houses, many of which have grass on the roofs. A woman is gathering water from a small well, and somewhere nearby, someone is cutting wood. A few people are out and about, walking on what looks like the main street through the village. They all wear old robes and leather clothes, pants, and dresses. Beyond the village on the other lower side is a river running next to the village, and a mill at the edge of the water has a large, spinning wheel.
Elora’s face lights up. “It looks like a town from a history book! What is this place?”
Ryan smiles. “Either we traveled back in time or we’re not on Earth anymore.”
Suddenly, something is crashing through the forest and headed right for them. A boy comes out of nowhere, slamming into Ryan and falling over.
“Hey!” Ryan yells, jumping back from the fallen kid.
“Are you alright?” asks Elora, kneeling down to help the boy up.
The boy gets up quickly, his face scratched from the debris on the forest floor and his clothes dirty and wet. “No! I need to get back to the village. Who are you?”
Elora looks at him. She doesn’t want to answer first, so instead, she asks, “Who are you?”
“My name is Remus, I need to get back to get help. My father is still in the cave.”
Thinking the boy is harmless enough, Elora points to Ryan. “This is Ryan and I am Elora. What happened? You were in a cave?”
Remus nods. “My father and I were searching for something in the cave and then something attacked us. I got separated from my father and knocked down. There was no light and my father told me to run and get help. Then I did not hear him anymore. I ran out to get help.”
Elora nods, putting a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “That sounds terrible, can we help in any way?”
“Perhaps… will you come with me and look for my father?”
“We can try,” says Ryan. “Tell us what happened in the cave.”
“We entered the cave and went past the graves...” Remus continues.
“Graves?” asks Elora.
“Yes, it is our village burial place. What I remember is asking my father how far into the caves we had to go. My father was looking for something, and I really wanted to prove myself by joining him. My father said that it would not be far, only enough to reach the lower level and its tunnel. We needed to reach the end of the tunnel. I had heard stories about creatures down there, but my father said the only creatures down there were rats and bats. I thought that was relieving to hear, as I am not that good with tales of monsters and ancient creatures. As we traversed the cave, it got darker and darker. The glow from our torches was the only light. I remember how tightly I held the torch and my dagger.”
Elora looks around. “Where is your dagger?”
Remus sniffles, wiping at his eyes with the cuffs of his sleeves. “I don't know, I must have dropped it in the cave.” He takes a deep, steadying breath before he continues. “I remember stepping on something slimy, mushrooms. It was nasty, and I almost fell. My father told me to watch out as a lot of those were growing down there. I shook my boots and continued walking. The path took a turn to the right and there was cold water on the ground. My father told me that we were close to the lowest point, that's why there was water there. Sometimes it seeps up from beneath. I tried to stay on the side on the path. There was a loud splash and I got knocked down. The light from our torches turned into darkness, it was all dark. There was a screaming sound, not human, but more animal like. I could not see my father and I was scared sitting next to the wall. I could not see anything, I only heard sounds, terrible sounds that chilled me to the bone. After some time, I finally heard my father, he told me to run home and get help. He told me that something attacked us and that it was still there. I did not hear anything more from my father. I panicked and ran back from where we came. I held on to the walls and tried to find my way. I slipped on the mushrooms and scraped my face against the wall as I ran faster and faster. The last thing I can remember was my father shouting, Run, Remus! Run! Next thing I was running through the forest and ending up here.”
Elora looks at Ryan, her eyes wide. The same feeling from yesterday—the pull of this world on her—tugs at her again. “That's terrible.”
Remus nods, then turns to look at the village. “We need to get help in the village and then go find my father.”
Ryan puts his hand on Remus shoulder, his voice laced with hesitation. “Why don't you show us the cave now? It’s faster and then if we need help, we can go to the village.”
“Yes,” Elora adds. “Please, we’d like to help.” She knew from Ryan’s hesitation that he didn’t think it was the best idea, but she was glad he was still willing to help the boy. They could go home after this.
Remus looks between the two, his eyes wide with surprise. Finally, he nods and points toward the forest, taking off at a sprint. Ryan and Elora keep pace with the younger boy, and Elora tak
es time to look at the forest. It's beautiful, with tall straight trees rising toward the sky. Soon, Remus leads them onto a dirt path ingrained in the ground, and then they’re at the cave opening.
Elora looks at the sign. “Cave of the Fallen?”
“Yes, this is where our ancestors lay buried,” says Remus, his tone serious. He walks toward the entrance and picks up three torches laid out on the small stall. “We need torches,” he explains, handing one to Elora and one to Ryan.
As they enter the cave, a chill runs through Elora’s body. “That’s strange…” she whispers. “I’m having déjà vu, like I’ve been here before.”
Ryan raises an eyebrow. “That’s impossible. We’ve never been here before.”
Remus looks over his shoulder. “Are you from beyond the Great Desert?”
“Desert? We’re from…” Ryan pauses, not sure of what to say.
“… from another part of this country,” adds Elora. “We’ve traveled for some time, and we have to go back soon.”
Remus nods, seeming to accept the answer. Ryan and Elora share a glance before following the boy further into the cave.
“Elora,” Ryan whispers when Remus is at least ten paces ahead of them. “We can't tell anyone where we're from. Just imagine if someone came up to us and told us they are from planet Ix in the fourth quadrant. Right? We’ll either scare them or they’ll think we’re crazy. It would be hard to explain to someone that we just traveled through a bush to get here.”
“You're right,” Elora whispers back. “Let's tell them, if they ask we can say that we’re from somewhere else in this world. A more practical explanation and it will keep our secret.”
They pass graves on each side of the path, and sounds rumble from deeper in the cave. It sounds like someone’s running toward them.
Elora points toward a small light far down the tunnel in front of them. “What’s that?
Remus freezes, the sound coming closer and closer. Soon, a man emerges from the shadows, running straight toward them.
“That’s my dad, that’s Eadric!” Remus shouts.
