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Into the Light
“Wait!”
Zoey raced through the dense forest, her hair whipping around behind her as she dodged tree trunks and leaped over roots. She could hear the creature cackling as it swiftly floated in front of her.
“Come get me,” the creature sang in a deep velvety-smooth voice that sent a shiver down Zoey’s spine, but also intrigued her enough to have her chase after it.
She gasped for air and tried to ignore the pain in her calves as she struggled to keep going. She had no idea why, but she had a burning determination to see where the creature was leading her. It was definitely leading her somewhere; it was evident by the way it paused every time she took a short moment to catch her breath. She knew it could be a trap of some sort—after all, it was a ghostly creature wearing a torn black cloak leading her, calling to her in a rather creepy way—but she had always followed her instincts, and right then they were telling her to follow the phantom-looking ghost thing. Or maybe it was her obsession with spooky things telling her that.
Either way, she was following it, and it was making sure that she was. Every few moments, she would catch it peaking over its cloaked shoulder and glancing at her, every glance followed by a short, ominous chuckle that seemed to echo off the trees.
Suddenly, the creature came to an abrupt stop in a small clearing. Its cloak swayed where its feet were supposed to be as it slowly turned in Zoey’s direction. She halted, a violent shiver running down her spine as she met the creature’s cold glare, its eyes glowing red through the shadow of its hood.
Slowly, the red began to fade, as did the creature itself. Zoey blinked twice, and it was gone.
Fear rose in her, and she spun around, expecting it to appear somewhere behind her. It wasn’t there; the forest was the exact same as it had been ten seconds ago—except for a ball of mist that hovered above the damp ground before her. She jumped backward as it quickly began to move towards her. The mist brushed her ankles as it sped past her, and she turned to watch as it sped past where the creature had been and into the clearing. It hurtled into a white pillar, its circular form segregating as it rammed into the hard surface. The separated mist spun around the pillar as it moved up it, then moved on to the other pillar attached to the first, and then to the next. Zoey had tunnel vision as her eyes closely followed its movement. It was only when she focused on her entire field of vision that she noticed what the mist was moving around.
A portal? Her brow creased as an uneasy suspicion rose in her chest. In her experience, portals usually led to the Underworld, which is a place no sane person would want to be near. And it certainly wasn’t a good sign that a rather suspicious creature led her there. But this portal didn’t look like it had any relation to the creature; instead of being dark and chilling, it was bright and gave off the impression that it led to a paradise. It didn’t seem to be active, but the grass and other plants near it still glowed from the magic that it emitted. Even the mist seemed to glow as it continued to circle the portal.
Zoey’s uneasiness slowly turned into curiosity as she studied the portal. It didn’t appear dangerous at all, but that certainly didn’t mean it wasn’t. But if it’s not active, what would be the harm in investigating it?
She tapped her foot against the soft ground three times before she began cautiously moving toward the portal. Her fingers closed around the rim of her skirt and her toes curled as the cold from the damp grass crept through the front of her boots. As she neared the portal, any fear she had left faded. A sense of familiarity filled her as she stopped before it. Her eyes wandered over the white stone and interesting carvings of the portal, her gaze stopping at the center of it, the trees from the other side looking back at her.
She felt a feeling of longing enclose around her heart, telling her hand to touch the empty space. Her brain went numb, her thoughts vanishing as the feeling took over. She raised her arm and slowly extended it. The feeling grew like a wild flame as her fingers approached the center.
Just as her fingertips brushed the space, a thrilling shock ran down her arm, and the portal was surrounded by a white light. Pain erupted in her retina from the sudden flash, and she immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
As soon as she saw the light die down from behind her eyelids, she slowly slid them open. Blobs of color danced around her vision, but she could still see the portal that remained in front of her, now active. The space where she could see the trees before was now filled with light, with white magic particles diving in and out of it. Just like the rest of the portal, the appearance of its activeness wasn’t similar to an Underworld portal’s bright purple screen and deep purple particles.
As Zoey’s eyesight recovered and the shock from the flash wore off, her brain fell back to its numbness. The burning desire returned, only this time it told her feet to move instead of her arm. Her surroundings suddenly seemed even more ominous than before; the forest was darker, the spaces in between the trees infested with shadows.
A sense of safety emanated from the portal as it bathed her in its light. It felt almost as if it were protecting her. She stared at it, the feeling of familiarity returning. A single word formed in her mind.
Home.
She took one slow step forward, then plunged into the light.
© Kayla Minder
Zoey raced through the dense forest, her hair whipping around behind her as she dodged tree trunks and leaped over roots. She could hear the creature cackling as it swiftly floated in front of her.
“Come get me,” the creature sang in a deep velvety-smooth voice that sent a shiver down Zoey’s spine, but also intrigued her enough to have her chase after it.
She gasped for air and tried to ignore the pain in her calves as she struggled to keep going. She had no idea why, but she had a burning determination to see where the creature was leading her. It was definitely leading her somewhere; it was evident by the way it paused every time she took a short moment to catch her breath. She knew it could be a trap of some sort—after all, it was a ghostly creature wearing a torn black cloak leading her, calling to her in a rather creepy way—but she had always followed her instincts, and right then they were telling her to follow the phantom-looking ghost thing. Or maybe it was her obsession with spooky things telling her that.
Either way, she was following it, and it was making sure that she was. Every few moments, she would catch it peaking over its cloaked shoulder and glancing at her, every glance followed by a short, ominous chuckle that seemed to echo off the trees.
Suddenly, the creature came to an abrupt stop in a small clearing. Its cloak swayed where its feet were supposed to be as it slowly turned in Zoey’s direction. She halted, a violent shiver running down her spine as she met the creature’s cold glare, its eyes glowing red through the shadow of its hood.
Slowly, the red began to fade, as did the creature itself. Zoey blinked twice, and it was gone.
Fear rose in her, and she spun around, expecting it to appear somewhere behind her. It wasn’t there; the forest was the exact same as it had been ten seconds ago—except for a ball of mist that hovered above the damp ground before her. She jumped backward as it quickly began to move towards her. The mist brushed her ankles as it sped past her, and she turned to watch as it sped past where the creature had been and into the clearing. It hurtled into a white pillar, its circular form segregating as it rammed into the hard surface. The separated mist spun around the pillar as it moved up it, then moved on to the other pillar attached to the first, and then to the next. Zoey had tunnel vision as her eyes closely followed its movement. It was only when she focused on her entire field of vision that she noticed what the mist was moving around.
A portal? Her brow creased as an uneasy suspicion rose in her chest. In her experience, portals usually led to the Underworld, which is a place no sane person would want to be near. And it certainly wasn’t a good sign that a rather suspicious creature led her there. But this portal didn’t look like it had any relation to the creature; instead of being dark and chilling, it was bright and gave off the impression that it led to a paradise. It didn’t seem to be active, but the grass and other plants near it still glowed from the magic that it emitted. Even the mist seemed to glow as it continued to circle the portal.
Zoey’s uneasiness slowly turned into curiosity as she studied the portal. It didn’t appear dangerous at all, but that certainly didn’t mean it wasn’t. But if it’s not active, what would be the harm in investigating it?
She tapped her foot against the soft ground three times before she began cautiously moving toward the portal. Her fingers closed around the rim of her skirt and her toes curled as the cold from the damp grass crept through the front of her boots. As she neared the portal, any fear she had left faded. A sense of familiarity filled her as she stopped before it. Her eyes wandered over the white stone and interesting carvings of the portal, her gaze stopping at the center of it, the trees from the other side looking back at her.
She felt a feeling of longing enclose around her heart, telling her hand to touch the empty space. Her brain went numb, her thoughts vanishing as the feeling took over. She raised her arm and slowly extended it. The feeling grew like a wild flame as her fingers approached the center.
Just as her fingertips brushed the space, a thrilling shock ran down her arm, and the portal was surrounded by a white light. Pain erupted in her retina from the sudden flash, and she immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
As soon as she saw the light die down from behind her eyelids, she slowly slid them open. Blobs of color danced around her vision, but she could still see the portal that remained in front of her, now active. The space where she could see the trees before was now filled with light, with white magic particles diving in and out of it. Just like the rest of the portal, the appearance of its activeness wasn’t similar to an Underworld portal’s bright purple screen and deep purple particles.
As Zoey’s eyesight recovered and the shock from the flash wore off, her brain fell back to its numbness. The burning desire returned, only this time it told her feet to move instead of her arm. Her surroundings suddenly seemed even more ominous than before; the forest was darker, the spaces in between the trees infested with shadows.
A sense of safety emanated from the portal as it bathed her in its light. It felt almost as if it were protecting her. She stared at it, the feeling of familiarity returning. A single word formed in her mind.
Home.
She took one slow step forward, then plunged into the light.
© Kayla Minder
