The Story Dig: Part Three

Hello everyone! [Insert the appropriate greeting for whatever time it is where you are] Today, as promised, I have another Story Dig post for you. Enjoy!

“Hey, you good from last time?” Grace comes up behind you, looking at you intently. “You don’t have to go to this next world with me.”

“No, no, I’m good.” You nod, and Grace smiles.

“Good. This one shouldn’t be as dark as the one we just left.” She leads you down to the ravine, lifting a trapdoor and sliding in feet-first. You slide in after her, falling until you break the fourth wall.

I fell past outstretched rocks, roots snaking around the rock face, and tumbled-down boulders. Looking down, I saw the verdant tops of leafy trees rushing up to me. Thrusting out my hand, I caught ahold of a gnarled old tree limb. Score! As I clung to it with both hands, I wondered how long it would hold me up, if someone would ever come for me, and most importantly of all; who had pushed me?

***

          Sleet pelted down from heaven. Freezing, I clung tighter to the root, curling my body around it as well as I could. Spasms of shivers passed over me. Then I realized that, with each drop of sleet, the tree root became more and more slick. There was no way for me to get a better grip. I was postponing my inevitable plummet.

          I was starving, and thirsty as well. Weak, I debated letting go and ending my misery before the ever-slickening tree root did it for me.

“Hey down there!”

I’m hearing voices, I thought. Even still, I looked up at the top of the cliff, shielding my eyes from the cold slush pouring from the sky. There was someone up there!

“Hello!” I called. “Um, can you help me? PLEASE???”

“I’ll be right there,” replied the voice. Suddenly, the girl walked off the edge of the cliff! But what was more astonishing was that, instead of falling, she was supported by a growing bridge of ice!

She slid down the bridge and reached me in no time. She wore a neat black coat over black snow pants.

“Here,” she said. She grabbed my arm and helped me onto the bridge. She noticed the long gash I had received from a sharp rock as I fell past it. “That’s a bad cut. We’ll get it looked at.”

Numb, I just nodded. We walked back up the ice bridge as it disappeared behind us. “Do you have a place to go?” asked the girl. I shook my head.

“Alrighty then,” she said. From behind a thick tree, she pulled out a toboggan. “Hop on!”

I didn’t think now was the time for fun in the snow, but I didn’t argue with my savior. She climbed onto the front, and I sat behind her. When she gave me the signal, I pushed off hard with my hand and we were off. Skidding down ice and the newly gathering snow, it was kind of fun, but I could feel myself getting colder. When I had stepped out of my warm lean-to, I had only planned to take a quick look around, not to plunge off a mountain, so I had not worn a sweater.

We soon reached a valley. I gaped. In front of us spread a beautiful landscape, with a bridge crossing a now-frozen creek into a well-maintained front lawn. But behind the trees and shrubs and potted plants, I saw the magnificent spectacle; a beautiful old stone building, built like a castle, with turrets and a pretty green roof. The girl who had saved me – I still hadn’t learned her name- turned to me and smiled. “Beautiful, huh?” I just stared.

Sooner than you would’ve expected, the world dissipated, and you were yanked out by invisible strings. “That was brief,” said Grace, rubbing her arms. Both of you had been dusted with snowflakes in your short visit. “Whew, it’s cold.” She did a little dance to try and warm herself up. “Whaddya say we get hot cocoa and some food?”

“Sounds good.”

***

This is so bad….

Fun fact: This is the oldest story on my computer! It’s based on a roleplay called SkyRaiders on the Aetherlight Forums that I used to be obsessed with and decided to borrow the idea. I had rewritten a somewhat better version of it, but I was unable to find it, so you get this garbage instead. Thanks for bearing with me! Merry Christmas and be blessed!

Comments