Drifting and the Spirits
Eventually the sun beams began to fade, and the
sky above the treetops darkened to a warm orange, then a staunch blackness. The
birds stopped their chirping, and the world around him grew very calm. A breeze
swept through the bushes and all around the tree trunks, causing the shadow to
shiver. His orb, still clung to his chest, was now the only source of light. A
faint warmth flowed from the crystal into his hands and chest, which he noticed
more and more as the night drew on. He had been walking a long distance through
the day and into the night before he heard a strange noise- a loud moan, or the
creak of a large door- coming from the darkness behind him. His pace quickened
as he turned his head around, attempting to make out what could have made the
noise. Then the sound came again, closer and more to the left. Then again, but
this time almost in front of him. He was running now, and every new sound all
around him made his body flinch. He noticed several faint glowing masses
appearing around him, but he was too afraid to focus on any of them.
Suddenly, as the shadow’s head was
turned, a large tree root snagged his foot. Without preparation, the crystal
orb flew out of his hands and he began to tumble down a steep hill. Leaves and
branches smacked him in every part of the body, leaving cuts and bruises as he
fell all the way down. With a loud thud, he made it to the base of the ravine,
landing on his head in a pile of dead leaves. He sprawled his arms and legs
outwards and lay in the mess, attempting to catch his shaky breath.
After a few moments of rest, he
realized that it wasn’t helping the fear dissipate. In fact, his breathing was
even faster now, and his body tensed and began to quiver. There was something
wrong. He tried to stand upright, but a massive pain sprang in his head and he
fell back over. The shadows of the forest all bent towards him and slowly
enveloped the trees and grass. The trees, dirt, bushes, even the moon above
began to fade as it seemed the whole world was being swallowed by an angry
darkness. The little shadow gripped his head in pain as the quivering became
more violent. He was frightened and felt as if he was going to collapse.
Yet in the midst of the growing
shadows, he glanced up towards a small hint of orange light coming from the
grass some ways away. The orb was now the only thing that drew any of his focus
as he felt his mind drowning. It sat in a pile of sticks, the flame still
floating perfectly in the center, giving off a warm glow that seemed to
penetrate the darkness of the world around him. Once again, the little shadow
tried to stand on his feet, but fell as another wave of pain hit. Given no
other choice, he stretched his arms out and crawled towards the glow of the
orb. His legs were weak, but he tried to kick them into the dirt to push
himself forward, giving as much strength as he could rely on. Mud and leaves
built up around his face and smeared his stomach and body, but he could hardly
feel it as the pressure in his head pounded away. With one quivering hand, he
stretched his arm out as far as he could reach.
When he brought his hand down,
instead of more dirt, he touched the smooth surface of the glowing orb.
Immediately, an ocean of warmth spread from his hand all through the rest of
his body. His vision began to clear, and the quivering in his limbs calmed. The
pain in his head subsided to a minor pang, then dissolved into fuzz. He took
his other hand and placed it on the orb, then closed his eyes and rested his
head on the ground below.
A few moments passed and the little
shadow heard the same noise from earlier. Again, his body tensed, but it was
still sore and tired so it hardly made a difference. He raised his head and
watched as tall, glowing beings floated by. They were phantoms, and he noticed
there were many of them on all sides, drifting just above the earth. They
effortlessly flew up the mound of which he had fallen over, all quietly moaning
to themselves, or perhaps mumbling. A closer look showed that each one was
different, although it was hard to tell them apart. They drifted through the
shadows, in no hurry but all in the same direction. After a few minutes spent
watching them, the little shadow tried to stand. He made it onto his feet, with
the help of the orb, and once again began to walk in the direction that he felt
urged to go.
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