The warm sunlight trickled through the leaves and gently danced on my skin. I flittered my eyelids open, and was greeted by a thick, shaded, cool forest. There was a foggy haze that gave it a beautiful ethereal glow and a playful air of mystery. I stood up from my involuntary resting spot and dusted myself off. I had fallen somehow, although I had no memory of the occurence.
I took a few steps forward, the grass was lush and green; the forest was damp, and just ahead of me was a decaying tree stump with the most beautiful lilac colored mushrooms growing all over it. There were so many different types, it looked like a little amethyst colored saprophyte galaxy, and just added to the allure of this enchanted place.
I pressed on; there really was no proper direction. I was lost in the middle of this beautiful ethereal forest. The light trickling in here and there mixed with the foggy haze, and just heightened the magical glow of the forest.
Magical, alright. But it still didn’t explain how I had gotten here.
The only signs of life I could see was the flora and fauna; I didn’t hear any insects buzzing or birds chirping. The only sound I heard was my own footsteps, which felt foreign.
I continued further, and found a bridge. It looked old, but still felt sturdy. I cautiously made my way across, looking over the side once. Normally I wasn’t afraid of heights, but I had no idea where I was, or why I was here. Looking over again would just feed the pool of anxiety that was flooding inside of me. Especially when the only sign of life I could hear was my own footsteps.
I eventually reached a small clearing up ahead; it was a perfect circle of dirt with numerous rings inside of it – like a tree trunk exhibits its age. The rings were thin and too numerous to count, and the circle itself was about ten feet across. It looked like it had been undisturbed for years, but there was no visible explanation as to why no vegetation of any type grew here. It was like it was a dead ring – but the only dead ring of land I could make out.
I cautiously stepped in it; it felt soft, dry maybe. Kind of like someone mixed ashes with dirt. It didn’t look like someone had made these rings, they were too perfect – but the fact that nothing had disturbed it until I did just now was a bit eerie.
It didn’t matter. As a matter of fact, I disturbed something that didn’t want to be disturbed. I felt the ground beneath me shake violently, and whatever it was, it was angry.
My heart tried to leap out of my chest, but instead it got caught in my throat. I turned to run back to where I came from, but the paths before me looked unfamiliar. I looked both left and right, and nothing looked like the way I traversed before. I picked a trail and ran.
The forest was alive, and she was angry. Vicious howls and snarls, angry banging, and violent stomping filled the once silent air. My blood ran cold and this wave of anxiety rushed over my body as my skin prickled like it was electric; I felt the air shift and the energy rushed towards me.
I ran for my life. My heart was thudding in my chest, and I was gasping for breath as I ran and ran. I heard the creatures frantically following me, twigs snapping and breaking in rapid succession. I was terrified, and I didn’t know what was louder, the sound of my heart struggling to escape my chest, or the sound of my feet slamming against the dirt as I raced for somewhere that looked safe.
I don’t know what I stepped on, but I went down. I went rolling down on the dirt, and felt rocks, twigs, and all sorts of other things jabbing my face and body. I couldn’t stop the momentum, and I tried to shield my face as best as I could. I felt the back of my head bump against something hard a few times until I finally stopped. The ground felt cool and slightly wet; it was almost comfortable, since I was burning up and sweating from the sheer terror I had felt just before. Then I remembered why I was running for my life, even though the sounds had ceased. I was enveloped in the eerie quiet again, but I knew they had to still be after me.
I struggled to get up, but my body refused to cooperate. I knew I was covered in cuts, bruises, and I probably broke something. Or a few somethings.
There was no way I was making it out alive.
I gave up, I let myself fall on the ground. It actually felt so soothing to feel the damp earth on the side of my face. If I died before the creatures found me, it wouldn’t be so bad. I closed my eyes and tried to remember the happiest moments I had before this last moment of pure confusion. At least my last physical memory would be the sunlight poking through the leaves and giving my final resting place the most serene glow.
The warm sunlight filtered through the leaves and gently danced on my skin. I flittered my eyelids open, and was greeted by a thick, shaded, cool forest. There was a foggy haze that gave it a beautiful ethereal glow and a playful air of mystery. I stood up from my involuntary resting place and dusted myself off. I had fallen somehow, although I had no memory of the occurence.
I headed forward towards a clearing with rotting tree stumps; they were all covered in the most magical lavender colored mushrooms.
Galactic Bubbles 