| Into the Maelstrom Chapter 3 | 0 comments |
|
Wednesday, April 6th 2005, by Marissa A Spencer
(c) 2004-2005 Marissa A Spencer
She slowly rises and wipes the black gooey mud onto a nearby rock. The old man leads his herd to a protected spot between some huge boulders and overhanging trees. Moira takes his distraction as an opportunity to get further ahead and find a quiet place to camp. She surely did not want to listen to grunting hedgehogs all night long.
She hikes for another hour and sees a good place to camp for the night. This is also a protected spot, which will shield her from any passerby on either side of the stream. Slowly taking off her mud and still spider juice covered clothing; she takes them again into the stream to get them clean. This has to be one of the messiest places she has ever visited.
She sits in the water; grateful it is a warm night with a darkened moon. No one can see her in the water. She hears a distant whinny and hurries with her bathing and gets up and sits on her blanket drying off. The last thing she needs is another meeting with the Kelpie. The last encounter was close enough. He seems to haunt her dreams however. Devastatingly handsome, he would haunt any young woman’s dreams. Emphasis on devastating…deadly is even a better word. She was dry soon and wrapped up in her blanket to sleep, since her clothes would not be dry until morning.
Morning rises bright and early, she bolts upright quickly, having forgotten where she was. Moira dons her clothes quickly thankful they are dry finally. In the morning light after she eats her meager biscuits, she spies a small opening in the rocks where she slept. The night before she had not noticed this. She could barely squeeze into the opening, but suddenly it expands into a large cavern with hanging crystals and a small stream that feeds the larger one outside. Peeking out, she grabs her pack and supplies and disappears into the crevice again. She lights her torch and figures she can at least do some exploring.
As she walks along the stream, she sees uncut gems littering the ground: rubies, emeralds, and sapphires. Kneeling, she gathers some into her satchel. “These might come in handy”, she says to herself. If there was something she could not resist, it was something pretty and colorful.
The cavern goes deeper and deeper into the ground and the air grows warmer. Pools of bubbling mud appear here and there, spewing hot sulfurous puffs of steam occasionally. The pathway narrows a bit and she has to pick a path through the shallow water to get to the next cavern. She squeezes through and steps into a crystalline wonderland.
Standing in awe of the incredible beauty of clear, diamond like crystals hanging in huge numbers from the cavern ceiling, she recalls a song the old woman taught her.
Crystal chambers enchanted mountain
Rise above the dragon’s fountain
Make a wish upon the spires
Setting free the magic fires
Stone shall be her resting place
No one there to see her face
Thrice a wish and touch the eyes
“She will rise, she will rise, and she will rise!”
Humming to herself, she steps in to explore this amazing place. Everywhere she turns is a view of such incredible beauty her heart is awestruck. The blues, pinks, reds, greens are at every glance and every flash of her torch. She walks deeper into see more and more beauties and unusual formations.
She turns and stops in her tracts. Right before her is an encrusted stone sculpture of a dragon. It is naturally formed, which makes it very unusual. Below the dragon is a bubbling mud pool. She is thinking of that song and shaking her head.
“Now that is not very likely is it? I mean…it couldn’t be.” She stares at the dragon for some time deep in thought. Her eyes travel up past the dragon and she sees an odd grouping of red stalactites. Climbing up to the hanging rubies, she touches them. They are warm like they are alive.
“I wish I knew what all this meant.”
There is a soft rumbling and the ruby spires start to vibrate and resonate. The wall behind them is covered in sparking sandstone, but there appears to be some odd surface texture on it. Moira goes to see what it is. There seems to be a face carved into the stone surface, and the eyes… are glowing!
She starts to hear soft sobs coming from the stone wall. Taking a deep breath, she reaches out and touches the eyes and speaks softly and clearly. “She will rise, she will rise, and she will rise!”
Two hands thrust out from the stone grabbing Moira’s wrists. Moira backs up and the hands relentlessly hold on. Moira is terrified at this point and ready to run or fight if need be. In moments, however, a woman’s form falls from the stone and at her feet, gasping for breath and half weeping.
Moira’s eyes almost pop from her head, when she realizes the woman has small clear wings and red eyes.
“You have saved me!” She cries again and whispers, “you have saved me.”
|
|
Category: Stories
0 comments
Other entries in Stories
Friday, February 15th 2008: Fridge Space
Friday, October 19th 2007: Mother's Last Gift
Friday, October 5th 2007: ANTI GRAVITY
Saturday, March 3rd 2007: Parable of the Rock
Friday, March 2nd 2007: The Curse of Nathaniel Granger
Monday, January 16th 2006: Into the Maelstrom 17-2
Sunday, January 8th 2006: Into the Maelstrom page 17
Saturday, April 9th 2005: Into the Maelstrom page 16
Sunday, April 3rd 2005: Into the Maelstrom Chapter 2, page 13
Saturday, April 2nd 2005: Into the Maelstrom Chapter 2, page 12
|
