PINELIGHTforkindle (12 page)

I panicked. I grabbed my bag and flew down the stairs. The hall that had been crowded once before had cleared to only a few small groups of loud guests. I managed to slip past the vigorous chatter to the empty hall with the wide silver doors.

The crisp night air glided around me as I stood outside the walls. I threw my bag over my shoulders and in the moonlight flew to the cliff’s edge. I was fearful for what I might see, but knew that I had to look. I leaned over to look down at the jagged rocks and fierce waters.

At first, I saw nothing but white sprays of water. But as I turned to leave the cliff’s border, a red streak sliced through the darkness. I swiftly focused my attention back on the water. I peered down the cliff. A beam of moonlight struck a small rock in the water. Next to the solemn rock, red material floated to the surface.

With deliberate cautiousness, I followed the slope of the cliff down toward the raging water. Once the green grass of the slope turned to rock, my high heels became unsuitable for the occasion. With a fast and fluent motion, I removed my heels and placed them to the side. I could feel each black rock jab into the soles of my feet as I continued my descent. I did not slow down.

Right before I reached the water’s edge, I noticed that the wet rocks formed a rugged path that twisted back under the castle. At the end of this path is where I had spotted the red cloth. While I was fixated on what was ahead, my foot slipped, and a rock grazed my left ankle. A quick jolt of pain ran through my leg. I briefly applied pressure to the small puncture and then leapt back to my feet. I had to keep going. It felt so slow, much like my dream, as I pushed my way to my goal. I tripped over several more rocks, scraping my hands, elbows, and knees. But I did not stop. Now that I was on a path partially submerged in water, I could feel the sprays dampen my dress. Each splash left my skin with a chill and a deposit of grainy salt.

As the water’s hiss grew louder and the moonlight dimmer, I leaned in close to the wall of the cliff to keep my balance. A large wave crashed into my back—I was now completely soaked. Since I had arrived at the water, the rage of the ocean had grown. If I didn’t pick up my pace soon, I would be swept into the ocean. I released my grasp on the side of the cliff, brushed the tangles of wet hair from my face, and then leapt to the next heap of rock. Immediately after my successful landing, I leapt again, then again, and again. Each landing was followed with a painful puncture to my heels. Finally, there was only one jump to the exact spot where the cloak had surfaced. I heaved my weight forward and landed in a crouched position on the surface of the rock.

The mound was still encircled with a small light from the moon. I looked down into the shifting water. There was nothing. I shot a panicky glace to my left and right, searching. Nothing. With my legs still bent, I sprung my weight to an upright position to study the area.

Dark, eerie clouds passed in front of the moon, turning the busy sea into a shadowed abyss. If it were any other time, the darkness wouldn’t have bothered me, but given the setting and the circumstance, I was more than frightened. I instantly tugged the flap of my bag open and jammed my free hand toward the bottom. After a few seconds of digging, my hand stopped on the rough metal of my flashlight. I swiftly pulled the flashlight out and clicked it on.

A bright line of fluorescent light exuded from the cylinder and illuminated the surface of the water. Using the new ray of light, I investigated the fearsome water again. As the light passed over the patch of sea closest to the rock, I caught a glimpse of something below the surface. The beam of light wiggled. I tried to steady my hand as I peered into the murky water, but my nerves would not allow for it. I shivered at the thought of there being something, or someone, beneath the angry waves. Obviously, this was the reason for my descent, but I had never expected to find anything. The waves continued to crash while I sank back into the mound to take a closer look. I scanned the water slowly, tentatively.

I noticed a tingle on my skin, a strange tingle. It was like a thousand tiny ants were marching up my legs. I shined the light at my legs, but there was nothing on my skin. The tingling sensation moved to my arms—then I felt it on my neck.

Something was happening. I stood up to back away from the water, but was instantly pushed down to my knees. It felt like a wave of air pushing me, but I knew that it couldn’t be. The flashlight was shaking in my hand again. Another force came from behind, pushing my head closer to the water. I wanted to cry out, but I knew it wouldn’t do me any good. The tingle in my neck became painful as I was forced to stare down into the ocean.

My reflection was there, in the water. I couldn’t see it clearly, but it was there. Suddenly, I fell through my reflection; I was in the water. The salt water stung my eyes—I couldn’t tell if I was swimming up or down, left or right. At first I was drowning, and then in seconds, I resurfaced inside the mouth of a cave.

-12-

THE CAVE

I spat the remains of the ocean from my mouth as I lay on the cool black stones that carpeted the entrance of the cave. It felt therapeutic to suck in the night air. The next thing I was conscious of was the water rising through the opening. I planned to give myself a few moments to catch a good breath, and then I would swim back through the entrance. I didn’t want to stay in the clammy cavern any longer than I had to.

Just as I lifted my head from the stones, there was a shuffling of rocks coming from the depths of the darkness. I jumped to my feet, foolishly jittery, holding my flashlight close to my chest. There was something in the cave. This would probably be a good time to exit. I steadily pushed my way into the cold water until the swells met my waist. I took a few deep breaths and readied myself for the dive.

As I took my last profound breath, I heard a soft giggle resonate in the darkness. The hair stood up on my arms, while I held my breath.
It’s not real…There is no rational explanation for this.
I pushed the air from my lungs so that I could speedily take another. I was more than ready to leave this place.

Then, right before I dove into the water, I heard something that sent a shiver over my skin—one simple word.

“Stop.” The voice was from a young girl. Her soft cry echoed through the night air.

I was not alone. I stood there with my back to the darkness and questioned what I should do.
Is this the girl I saw fall from the cliff?
If she was down here, I sure couldn’t leave her to drown.

“Wait.” The voice pleaded again.

 This time I turned to direct a beam of light toward the voice. The light bounced off a red cloak darting further into the cave. I attempted to move toward her quickly, but the water made my feet heavy and slow to move. After a good minute of struggling, I made it to the water’s edge, exactly where the moonlight ended. My flashlight was now my only source of light. The cool, stale air filled my lungs as I took off running into the belly of the cave.

When I came to the place where the girl had been standing, I noticed the walls of the cave took a sharp left and tunneled to a lower elevation. I paused to shine the light down the tunnel and saw nothing but the fancy rock sculptures created by the timeless power of the sea.

I turned back to examine the rise of the water coming from the entrance. The tide was rising very quickly; it wouldn’t be long before the entire entrance would be underwater. I had to find this girl soon so we could swim out before the waves filled the tunnels. I looked back to the belly of the cave and then dashed into the unknown.

The cave took one dramatic turn after the next and narrowed each time. I had no time to hesitate—I simply ran down each slippery, dark tunnel. In my mind I made a mental layout of what I had passed to prevent later confusion.

I finally came to a seemingly dead end. There was a tunnel, but this tunnel was not like the others. At a glance, it looked like a dark shadow in the far corner of the wall, but as I stepped closer with the flashlight, I could see that it was more than a shadow.

I dropped to my knees and shined the light down into the small opening, hoping that it didn’t lead to anything. Hoping that I wouldn’t have to go through it. Just as I extended my arm with the flashlight, I saw the girl with the red cloak. She was in the tunnel. I would have to crawl.

The tunnel was much too small for comfort, but I had to go in. I had to help the girl. I shifted my shoulders and pushed my weight through the narrow lips in the wall.

“Where are you going?” I asked with a stern tone. My voice bounced from the walls.

The girl continued to slide down further into the darkness. She made it quite clear that she had no desire to stop, but I was not leaving without her. I had almost caught up with her, when the girl abruptly dropped out of sight. The tunnel had opened into a large chamber. I fell out of the tunnel, right after her, and took a few seconds to scan the new room with the light.

The chamber was perfectly round and decorated with hundreds of rock formations glistening with beads of water. I shined the light upward to the ceiling, but the light faded into a dark, circular shadow. We were standing in the bottom of a giant tunnel.

Water began to hiss and crash into the room. I directed my attention and flashlight back to the girl, and for the first time, I could see her face clearly.

Her skin was the perfect shade of ivory, and her rosy cheeks and lips gave her the appearance of a china doll. I watched in silence as she looked up into the emptiness of the chamber and closed her eyes. Her red cloak finally relaxed against her white nightgown as she stood completely still in this position.

“We must go,” I said gently this time.

She did not move. I walked toward her while the cold water gushed in through the tunnel to cover the floor. She swiftly dropped her head down and opened her eyes to meet my gaze.

“Stop,” she commanded.

My heart jumped. There was something about her voice that startled me.

“Where are you going?” she questioned.

I took a step back in the rising water. Her small rosy lips had moved, but it was my own voice that escaped her mouth.

With the light still shining on her porcelain face, I watched as her lips moved with mine when I muttered, “I’m going home.”

 I frantically took another step back, but stumbled, and dropped the flashlight. Without thought, I snatched the light and pointed it back to the girl. She was gone. My eyes scanned the perimeter of the chamber. There was no sign of her. The water was now knee-deep and surging in faster with each second. My mind swirled, trying to wrap itself around an explanation, but I could think of none. I looked carefully through the chamber, looking for anything to explain what I had just witnessed. The girl was nowhere to be found. She had simply disappeared into the dark. By this time the water had doubled to be waist-level. I had to go. I turned and began to make my way back to the opening.

As I waded in the dark, cold water, I took one last glance back into the chamber. Only darkness stared back. The rage of the water pushed against my legs with great force as I neared the entrance to the narrow tunnel. I aimed the flashlight down the eerie passageway to observe the speed of the incoming water. My heart fluttered with panic as I watched it crash against the sides of the rocky path. It looked like a tunnel from a water park, except less friendly.

There was no doubt in my mind that this chamber would soon be completely filled. And with the increasing force of the water, I couldn’t crawl back through. My only chance of survival was to keep my head above the water and float up the tunnel of the chamber.

I shivered as the water splashed to my chest, and took short and frequent breaths as my nerves began to take over. I knew that I had to act quickly. With the strap of my bag, I looped the slack around the handle of my flashlight until it formed a tight knot. Once the water rose, I would need to use my arms to swim.

Soon after I secured the light, a loud roar escaped the small, narrow tunnel. I shuddered at the thought that I could possibly be meeting my death. Another rattling roar escaped. I tried to keep my weight balanced as the bottom of my feet lifted from the slippery surface of the cave floor. It was evident that I was being hurried up the tunnel in a spinning movement. In seconds the water had pushed my body through the dark shadows of the chamber’s ceiling. And from the sound of the water, I was convinced that my ride had only begun.

After I realized that the force of the water would keep me afloat, I tucked my legs under my body and lifted one arm to the surface as a precaution to shield my body from the walls. I ascended into a pitch-black tunnel. The old smell of moistened rock was now overpowered by a much stronger smell of sweetness. The undeniable smell reminded me of the honeysuckles and gardenias that used to take over our backyard every summer. I wished I were home now.

My thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted with an odd bubbling sound from below. The bubbles tickled as they floated under my feet, through my legs, and around my arms to burst at the rough surface. The flashlight that had been hanging from the strap of my satchel illuminated the growing number of bubbles.         

Vivid lights began to penetrate the water as I was hurled upward.