Authors: L.M. McCleary
I could
see it – the rubble that led me to
Ponika
. A small
shaft of light escaped through the narrow slit that lead to the entrance and I
laughed at the sight; I was certain that I would be able to squeeze through the
gap in enough time. The patter of feet behind me had seemed farther away as I
neared the debris but in hindsight I think the whirling winds outside merely
blocked out their scampering bodies. I was sure that I was in the clear until I
saw a serpentine creature climb down the rubble before me and glare with red,
crystalline eyes. A sudden horde of them crawled down from what must have been
a tunnel in the ceiling, causing the roof to shudder and spew out chunks of
earth around me. I stopped only briefly at the sight but I could still see the
sunlight piercing through the rocks ahead; my ray of hope. I knew it was risky
but I couldn’t go back; not now. With my heart pounding in my chest I lurched
forward, dodging the lumps of fallen earth that now littered the ground around
me. I knew I only had a slight window of opportunity to escape before the
ceiling collapsed entirely but the creatures were coming down in waves; the
closer I got to escaping the more their writhing bodies came at me. My ray of
light was growing smaller as their forms piled atop one another, blocking my
only means to escape. I slowed my pace; I knew it was over.
“
Ponika
!”
I screeched out to him desperately, seeing his
face briefly through the cracks of the debris, “Run!” I saw him momentarily
disappear and then he was there again, his face appearing next to a gap in the
rubble. I saw him prance around nervously and then he was gone; everything was.
Chunks of the ceiling had fallen, one missing my head by mere inches. The
entrance was completely sealed off now; I had no choice but to turn around and
traverse the darkness behind me. I had seen no eyes waiting for me…did they all
try to cut me off at the rubble instead? I wasted no time in charging forward
but no longer hearing them caused me to swirl my head around me frantically; I
didn’t want to get caught off-guard. I was gasping for breath as I ran, shivers
running up and down my spine as I was swallowed up by darkness. How do I get
out of here now?
A lone
lantern sat on the muddy ground at the fork in the road. Its frame was smashed
yet it still whispered out a faint, flickering light in its dying breath.
Instead of turning right as I had before, I decided to continue down the path
straight ahead; it was my only chance left of escape. I didn’t know this path
so I traced the wall with my fingers as I rushed forward. I jumped at every
slight bump on my fingers, however, and found myself letting loose a small
shriek every time. My nerves were shot and my hands trembled violently; I was
definitely not prepared for this. I tried to steady my breathing as I stumbled
through the darkened path, hoping to focus my concentration on the inhales and
exhales and block out the world around me. But my mind raced; did those
things
travel inside the walls?
The ceiling?
I pushed myself
even harder now, my sides screeching in pain. With no signs of the creatures
ahead of me I had started to scan the path behind me as I ran until I found
myself watching my back more than my front. That’s when the floor suddenly
vanished underneath and I found myself falling. I had barely managed to eke out
a scream when I landed in an open cage that was covered in sand. A sharp pain
thrust itself up my legs as I landed but I ignored it as I turned my head
upwards; slight pieces of falling sand were landing on the cage from an opening
but it was far too dark for me to see exactly where. Should I attempt to climb
upwards? The metallic cage swayed and creaked loudly in the darkness from my
sudden landing and in the few seconds I had taken to contemplate my next move,
the cage jerked into action. Slowly at first, but it quickly picked up speed as
it descended further into the nothingness around me.
“No,
no…” I squeaked out as I tried to steady myself on the shaking elevator. “This
can’t be happening…” I looked around in a panic, hoping to see some light yet
expecting more red eyes to greet me in the blackness.
The
miner’s cage slammed into the ground hard, flinging me out onto the cold dirt
of a clearly long abandoned section of the mine. There were large chunks of mud
and stone littering the floor and there was very little wooden support beams.
There was nowhere else to go now; the cage blocked access to any other
direction. Taking no time to think I charged down the only path I had, feeling
the walls quickly as I went along. It seemed like only a few steps later,
however, when I found myself face to face with a wet, sticky wall and nowhere
else to go. I huffed loudly as I stared at this sudden blockade when I started
to hear the claws of the creatures in the distance. I turned around and stared
in fright at the path behind me, covering my mouth to quiet my wheezing breath.
A few minutes passed before the eyes slowly started to emerge from above, their
glowing eyes barely illuminating the metal cage that brought me here. I backed
up slowly into the cold muck of the blockage behind me as I watched the
creatures’ movements when I suddenly found that the wall melted away at my
touch. I dug a few fingers into the clay-like substance and fingered a few
pieces loose as I kept a vigilant eye on the monsters down the path. They
appeared to be looking around, most likely for me, but they did not move. As
quietly as I could I turned to face the wall again and had kneeled down to
start digging; my only possible way out. I peeled small parts of the wall away
and watched as it crumbled easily and noiselessly at my touch. As I continued I
had noticed that the ground below me had slanted upwards as I dug, offering me
hope at the chance of freedom. I had continued to glance behind me fretfully
and I finally sighed quietly in relief when I saw their slithering bodies turn
and continue down the path that the cage had blocked me off from. They wouldn’t
be gone for long, I was sure, but it gave me time and I was thankful for that.
I dug for what felt like hours until the wall suddenly fell forward and
revealed a different tunnel before me. Climbing into it I noticed that the path
was short; I could see both ends of it as soon as I entered which made me
briefly contemplate the reasoning behind a random passageway in the depths of
the mine that connected to nothing…or was this tunnel blocked off
intentionally? I didn’t think on it long, however, as I noticed the left side
of the shaft was barricaded by debris but I could see the hints of sunlight
peeking through its walls and I could hear the howling wind quite loudly; the
wasteland
had
to be on the other side.
I laughed
heartily. “Yes!” I exclaimed as I stumbled my way up the sloping earth towards
the obstruction ahead.
I
climbed over the rubble that blocked my exit and I held the clay-like substance
of the wall in my fingers; my heart swelled at the feeling of freedom in my
hands. My elation was short-lived as I realized I was no longer paying as much
attention as I should have; I heard the shuffling of an army behind me. I dug
frantically at the wall now, allowing more sunlight to shine on me with each
hectic swipe of my hand. I could feel it; the raging wind was blowing full
force onto my skin. I had cleared a large hole into the wall but the muck had
become hard and difficult to remove as I continued, slowing my progress. I
could see the wasteland before me, though, and decided to take a chance; the
only chance I had. I threw my belongings out into the sand, not wanting to risk
getting stuck because of them. Taking a deep breath I thrust myself through the
gap…and screamed when a claw as cold as death wrapped around my ankle – and
then another. I had kicked and squirmed as I grasped desperately at the desert
burning in the sun. I could feel the weight on my ankles getting heavier as
more creatures latched onto me. I used all my strength to kick off the monsters
and I felt my shoe connect with something soft as I managed to inch my way
farther into the sun. Gathering the last of my strength I lurched forward into
the desert and landed hard on my stomach as the mine’s denizens tried to pull
me back. Laying on the hot sand I suddenly heard a hissing sound behind me and
felt the grasp on my legs lessen considerably. I glanced briefly at the source
of the sound and saw the red, menacing eyes quickly retreating into the
darkness of the tunnel as large shafts of sunlight were now illuminating the
cavern. With the creatures darting off into the shadows my ankle was finally
free and I had thrown myself into the wasteland; I never thought I’d be so
happy to have a mouthful of sand.
I
started to laugh maniacally as I rolled onto my back and stared at the
morning’s shining light above me. I closed my eyes and embraced the hot wind
that raced across my face as I tried to steady my breathing. Feeling a slight
tickle on my leg made me twitch in fright, however, as I realized how close I
still was to the mine. I grabbed my stuff as I lifted myself to my feet, giving
the hole I had climbed out from one last look as I tried to recover from the
craziness that just happened; my heart was still pounding. The wind raged
heavily and I raised my bandana to my face, looking around for a familiar sight
as I did so. I hadn’t exactly kept track of where I was going inside the mine;
just where the hell was I?
“
Ponika
!”
I had yelled into the wind, struggling against
the sound of the storm to hear his hooves.
I had
scanned the desert desperately for him, squinting in the light and hoping to
see a figure in the distance. I shouted his name again with all the might my
voice could muster but I still heard and saw no sign of him. I glanced at the
ground, hoping to see some tracks but the sands were untouched; the storm would
have covered anything by now anyway. I had stood there for a while, calling my
horse’s name and putting some distance between me and the burrow into the mine.
There was no sign of
Ponika
and the winds were
becoming harsher; my eyes itched and watered from the constant onslaught of the
sandstorm and I cursed myself for not finding a hat to take on my journey. I
peered into the sand one last time for any sign of my horse or Salvation but the
whirling sands were too thick to see. I knew I had to get moving, though; the
cliff-face beside me would soon start to throw a large shadow, possibly one
large enough to lure those creatures back out. Not only that but what if night
falls? Would they dare to traverse the desert in the cover of darkness? I
wasn’t about to find out so I had headed out into the wasteland, calling
Ponika’s
name as I went.
I
meandered through the desert, seeing nothing but sand for miles around. I had
even lost track of where the mine behind me had disappeared to. Just where the
hell was my horse?
“
Ponika
!”
I shouted once again into the winds, knowing
by now that he would never hear it.
I told
him to run; maybe this is my entire fault. I couldn’t just expect him to stay
put though, could I? This was my journey to make, not his; I couldn’t let him
suffer. Maybe he will be better off this way…
Just as
I started to come to terms with the idea of continuing on without him, I heard
the familiar sound of wooden boards creaking and saw the mine’s awning come
into view. Somehow, I had managed to find my way back! Grinning wildly I ran
towards it, certain that
Ponika
must be waiting for
me just outside of it. He never strays far from me; why would now be any
different? As the entrance of the mine started to become visible I noticed a
peculiar sight; there were multiple pairs of footprints littering the sand
outside it and they certainly weren’t mine. The sight drew me to an immediate
halt and I inched my way forward, peering quickly into the darkness of the mine
for any signs of
Ponika
or whatever else may have
laid in wait. The mine, however, was almost completely caved in and there were
no hoof marks to be seen; if
Ponika
had come back
here at all, it would have been a long time ago…long enough for the winds to
have covered his tracks. I had never before felt my heart fall as hard as it
did now. How could he not be waiting for me here…did something happen? I
swallowed hard as I looked around me, searching for signs of whoever was apparently
traversing the wasteland through sandstorms. I could barely see a foot in front
of me; who in their right mind would be out in this willingly?
Unless…was
it Kay?
Or maybe my father?
I had stared down at the
footprints again, trying to gauge their sizes but they often overlapped, making
it difficult to differentiate the two pairs I could make out.
“I
suppose it could be theirs…” Honestly, who else would it belong to? I smiled
but still felt a nagging feeling in my gut. Thinking on Kay reminded me of his
stories...especially the one about sandstorms. It couldn’t possibly be
true…could it?
Kay had
come running up to me as I was making my way towards the fountain in town.
“Come check this out!” He had exclaimed excitedly, clutching a worn-out book to
his chest.
I couldn’t help but smile at his eagerness. “What have you got there?”
“Well, most of the pages are missing, but I can still make out most of the
story. It has to do with sandstorms and pirates!” Kay had quickly flipped through
his book, looking for a specific passage.