51st of Summer, in a dream
Karin blinked. She was walking along a dusty corridor, her bare feet trailing dust and cobwebs behind her. The walls of the corridor were bare, cracked and non-descript. There was a feeling of dryness on her tongue, as if she hadn't had enough to drink, and there was a dank smell of something rotting in the air. Karin didn't notice. Through the windows she could see the mountain she was trying to reach. Its snow dusted flanks shone dully with moonlight, and its jagged peaks glistened like teeth in a star-crusted mouth.
The mountain almost looked purple in this light, and as close as she'd ever got to it. Sometimes it looked fierce, other times it looked meek. This night, it looked menacing. Karin didn't mind though, she knew the rock couldn't hold venom towards her. She was more worried about that... thing. That thing which she couldn't quite remember. The winter wind was cold on her shoulders as it moaned through the floorboards and over the windowpanes. The stars glowed fiercely, as if they'd been stoked by the furnace. The girl shivered, not because she was cold, but because of the something she feared as the stars burned ever brighter.
She walked on. Her mission seemed almost impossible, to scale that fierce mountain. She looked down at her hands, the pale skin of her knuckles dusted with a fine coating of ash. Around her, the building was crumbling silently into the fire which had crept up on her like the most seasoned thief. Ash and smoke billowed, silk curtains of death that Karin ignored. Doggedly, she continued, her back to the fire, her front to the snow. Ash obscured her vision and she coughed, a wracking cough that frightened her to the core. She wasn't used to feeling fear, not here in this corridor at least.
The fear gnawed at her, and she crawled forward on her hands and her knees towards the door that loomed imposingly in front of her. The door creaked, but she ignored it. Flames licked at her feet and a spasm of pain flickered through her body. She wasn't used to pain either, but some feeling deep inside of her told her that if she stopped, she'd die. So she reached to grasp the handle, getting her hand burnt in the process, and...
She was out. She stood up, breathing deeply with her heart pounding in her chest. Curling her toes into warm, shell-studded sand, she angled her hand over her eyes. The sunlight pounded down on her, flushing her pale skin crimson and she squinted into the distance. Just... about... there. She found what she was looking for. Yes, the mountain was there, in the distance. She looked behind her, a feeling of something missing clouding her mind for a moment in confusion. There used to be something there... I think? What was it?
The building that had been there was gone, in its place was a long beach of never-ending, rolling, golden sands framed by a glistening sea on one side and a carpet of green forest on the other. She shook her head confusedly, her eyes narrowing against the sun as she looked round again. The tree trunks to her left cast charcoal shadows across the beach, and the memory of the burning building quickly receded from her mind as she walked towards the forest that lay in front of the mountain. As soon as she stepped forward, the forest blanketed her.
There was no transition, but Karin didn't notice that. It was cool under the branches, but there was no breeze to stir the air. Wondrously, she looked around her. The trees were thick and strong, their branches blocking the sky. Its greenery was lurid green, its boughs taller than the eye could fathom, yet to Karin they were perfectly natural. In fact, it was as natural as if she'd lived in this cool forest all her life. Around her, the air stood still. There was no sound, no rustling, no animal calls- not even a bird chirruped in the branches.
The silence was oppressive as Karin shook her head, trying to clear it. Her mission, it was dearly important in some way, if she could only remember why. She ventured a step forward. The sound of rustling behind her made her head turn around with a snap. The sound was loud in the quiet. Her heart pounded in the pit of her throat. Of course, there was nobody there. Rapping her knuckles against her temple in frustration, she sat down on a fallen log, its trunk covered in ivy. The bark was stained deep ruby with the blood of some forgotten animal, and it was scattered with clawed pits, scarred over with dirt and soil. Her fingers sought out the pits absentmindedly. What was my mission again? She glanced down, studying the trunk.
The blood didn't phase her, nor did the ants that crawled over her hand, the hand she had placed in front of their home. She marvelled at the efficiency of the stream of insects. Their tiny legs scuttled over the rough terrain, clinging to precipitous chunks of bark and all the while, they carried a steady stream of chewed leaves between them. They were quite large, and as she glanced closer, she saw their poison sacs were full. But she wasn't afraid. Karin had never been afraid of the natural world, but as the ants clambered over her, she felt an unusual sadness welling inside her. She couldn't explain it, this sadness. Maybe it was the sight of the little insects, so full of purpose. Or maybe it was something else entirely.
As a tear welled and fell down her cheek, silently the rain started to fall too. Drops of rain fell onto the ants, and some of them were knocked off. Others scurried away, finding shelter in their home, the busyness and familial comfort of the ants nest. That's it, she thought sadly. They have a family. She sat there for a while, her tears mingling in the rain until she was calm again, and she wasn't even sure why she was crying. Still, the rain kept pouring. The ants were long gone, and Karin was drenched through. If anyone were to look at her, she'd look a sorry sight. Her long blonde hair flattened to her head, and her clothes at least five shades darker than they were originally.
She peeled off her cloak and deposited it next to her on the floor, watching as it was absorbed into the earth. With a distracted glance, she heard a thud of fabric on earth away past her left shoulder. She glanced over, but couldn't see anything. Whilst she had been sat musing, the rain had slackened, and a curious, muffled snuffling had started up. Karin's detachment from reality snapped into focus as a large, swollen boar roared through the clearing in front of her. It's eyes glinted with a murderous intent, and it's tusks were stained with the same blood that spilled across the fallen tree. Feeling that the animal would surely do her harm if she didn't move, Karin scrambled up from her sitting position, wishing she hadn't sat still for so long.
The oppressive atmosphere of the forest pressed down on her, suffocating her in fug, but the girl had a curious feeling, like... she was past caring. She jogged through the trees, hearing the boar snuffling behind her. She'd done nothing to anger this creature, but it's rage was almost tangible in the air. Karin's breathing was laboured. She paused for a second, resting her hand on... the same fallen log she'd left. Looking down detachedly, she saw herself draped over the log, two tusks protruding through her stomach...
And in a blink, Karin was sitting on the log again. This time it was different though. She could remember, and her hand went down to her belly, expecting a gaping hole. Nothing there. How bizarre! Instead, she saw a chink of sunlight shining through the branches. With a sigh of relief, she realised the oppressiveness of the forest had lifted. Birds were singing somewhere above her, and the mountain could be seen in the distance. It was time to walk again.
Karin blinked. She was walking along a dusty corridor, her bare feet trailing dust and cobwebs behind her. The walls of the corridor were bare, cracked and non-descript. There was a feeling of dryness on her tongue, as if she hadn't had enough to drink, and there was a dank smell of something rotting in the air. Karin didn't notice. Through the windows she could see the mountain she was trying to reach. Its snow dusted flanks shone dully with moonlight, and its jagged peaks glistened like teeth in a star-crusted mouth.
The mountain almost looked purple in this light, and as close as she'd ever got to it. Sometimes it looked fierce, other times it looked meek. This night, it looked menacing. Karin didn't mind though, she knew the rock couldn't hold venom towards her. She was more worried about that... thing. That thing which she couldn't quite remember. The winter wind was cold on her shoulders as it moaned through the floorboards and over the windowpanes. The stars glowed fiercely, as if they'd been stoked by the furnace. The girl shivered, not because she was cold, but because of the something she feared as the stars burned ever brighter.
She walked on. Her mission seemed almost impossible, to scale that fierce mountain. She looked down at her hands, the pale skin of her knuckles dusted with a fine coating of ash. Around her, the building was crumbling silently into the fire which had crept up on her like the most seasoned thief. Ash and smoke billowed, silk curtains of death that Karin ignored. Doggedly, she continued, her back to the fire, her front to the snow. Ash obscured her vision and she coughed, a wracking cough that frightened her to the core. She wasn't used to feeling fear, not here in this corridor at least.
The fear gnawed at her, and she crawled forward on her hands and her knees towards the door that loomed imposingly in front of her. The door creaked, but she ignored it. Flames licked at her feet and a spasm of pain flickered through her body. She wasn't used to pain either, but some feeling deep inside of her told her that if she stopped, she'd die. So she reached to grasp the handle, getting her hand burnt in the process, and...
She was out. She stood up, breathing deeply with her heart pounding in her chest. Curling her toes into warm, shell-studded sand, she angled her hand over her eyes. The sunlight pounded down on her, flushing her pale skin crimson and she squinted into the distance. Just... about... there. She found what she was looking for. Yes, the mountain was there, in the distance. She looked behind her, a feeling of something missing clouding her mind for a moment in confusion. There used to be something there... I think? What was it?
The building that had been there was gone, in its place was a long beach of never-ending, rolling, golden sands framed by a glistening sea on one side and a carpet of green forest on the other. She shook her head confusedly, her eyes narrowing against the sun as she looked round again. The tree trunks to her left cast charcoal shadows across the beach, and the memory of the burning building quickly receded from her mind as she walked towards the forest that lay in front of the mountain. As soon as she stepped forward, the forest blanketed her.
There was no transition, but Karin didn't notice that. It was cool under the branches, but there was no breeze to stir the air. Wondrously, she looked around her. The trees were thick and strong, their branches blocking the sky. Its greenery was lurid green, its boughs taller than the eye could fathom, yet to Karin they were perfectly natural. In fact, it was as natural as if she'd lived in this cool forest all her life. Around her, the air stood still. There was no sound, no rustling, no animal calls- not even a bird chirruped in the branches.
The silence was oppressive as Karin shook her head, trying to clear it. Her mission, it was dearly important in some way, if she could only remember why. She ventured a step forward. The sound of rustling behind her made her head turn around with a snap. The sound was loud in the quiet. Her heart pounded in the pit of her throat. Of course, there was nobody there. Rapping her knuckles against her temple in frustration, she sat down on a fallen log, its trunk covered in ivy. The bark was stained deep ruby with the blood of some forgotten animal, and it was scattered with clawed pits, scarred over with dirt and soil. Her fingers sought out the pits absentmindedly. What was my mission again? She glanced down, studying the trunk.
The blood didn't phase her, nor did the ants that crawled over her hand, the hand she had placed in front of their home. She marvelled at the efficiency of the stream of insects. Their tiny legs scuttled over the rough terrain, clinging to precipitous chunks of bark and all the while, they carried a steady stream of chewed leaves between them. They were quite large, and as she glanced closer, she saw their poison sacs were full. But she wasn't afraid. Karin had never been afraid of the natural world, but as the ants clambered over her, she felt an unusual sadness welling inside her. She couldn't explain it, this sadness. Maybe it was the sight of the little insects, so full of purpose. Or maybe it was something else entirely.
As a tear welled and fell down her cheek, silently the rain started to fall too. Drops of rain fell onto the ants, and some of them were knocked off. Others scurried away, finding shelter in their home, the busyness and familial comfort of the ants nest. That's it, she thought sadly. They have a family. She sat there for a while, her tears mingling in the rain until she was calm again, and she wasn't even sure why she was crying. Still, the rain kept pouring. The ants were long gone, and Karin was drenched through. If anyone were to look at her, she'd look a sorry sight. Her long blonde hair flattened to her head, and her clothes at least five shades darker than they were originally.
She peeled off her cloak and deposited it next to her on the floor, watching as it was absorbed into the earth. With a distracted glance, she heard a thud of fabric on earth away past her left shoulder. She glanced over, but couldn't see anything. Whilst she had been sat musing, the rain had slackened, and a curious, muffled snuffling had started up. Karin's detachment from reality snapped into focus as a large, swollen boar roared through the clearing in front of her. It's eyes glinted with a murderous intent, and it's tusks were stained with the same blood that spilled across the fallen tree. Feeling that the animal would surely do her harm if she didn't move, Karin scrambled up from her sitting position, wishing she hadn't sat still for so long.
The oppressive atmosphere of the forest pressed down on her, suffocating her in fug, but the girl had a curious feeling, like... she was past caring. She jogged through the trees, hearing the boar snuffling behind her. She'd done nothing to anger this creature, but it's rage was almost tangible in the air. Karin's breathing was laboured. She paused for a second, resting her hand on... the same fallen log she'd left. Looking down detachedly, she saw herself draped over the log, two tusks protruding through her stomach...
And in a blink, Karin was sitting on the log again. This time it was different though. She could remember, and her hand went down to her belly, expecting a gaping hole. Nothing there. How bizarre! Instead, she saw a chink of sunlight shining through the branches. With a sigh of relief, she realised the oppressiveness of the forest had lifted. Birds were singing somewhere above her, and the mountain could be seen in the distance. It was time to walk again.
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