...The Narrator's Introduction:...

According to the title of this, you must have already assumed I am the narrator of your story, though I'm way more than you think. Yes, I am the person who knows everything but I'm not just an unimportant storyteller you will never hear from again. In fact, I am a real person in this tale of mystical creatures and magic kingdoms.

As a reader, you for sure are curious about who I am, but I can not tell you exactly everything; well not from my perspective at least. Yes it might sound strange but the story is not mine to tell at all, it is my mother's.

And why am I telling you it this way and not her instead? Well, I was once very young, and curious; asking about my mother was the first thing I ever really did. As a child, I never knew my parents and was told I had to be protected in order to stay alive. So not having them I always asked questions, especially about my mother because I was told I'd never find her if I looked. Not until she was born.

Curious now? That desire truly ran my whole life when I was young. It ran my mother's life even more than mine because she had no memory of a family or where she came from either. Being curious is just second nature just as much as love and magic from where I come from, but sometimes it takes a person too far.

You must be wondering how could I tell you a story through the eyes of my mother, with her thoughts and perspective, it's simple really. Magic of course! It can take a person anywhere, even back to a different time.

So here it goes, the story of how my mother died. I'm going to leave you with one last thought in your mind, her death was meant to happen.

Her story starts in a forest after I was born... way after. Or in her perspective shall I say before?

...Chapter One: The First Day of my Life....

I scamper across the mucky forest floor more briskly than I anticipated with the injuries on my leg. My eyes have been focused on the ground to avoid any other collisions with a tree branch and my foot, which now could possibly be sprained. Everything my eye catches has seemed to just blur together by now, causing me to stumble anyway. Or maybe it is because I'm dizzy and out of breath. My lungs are almost done for the day and feel like they could explode from pushing too hard. Also, the pain in my head is excruciating, as if this is the first time in existence I've listened to anything.

Although I've become extremely exhausted the one sense I can always depend on is my hearing. My ears still pick up the smallest things even if my head is pounding from the sound of my own heart beat. I never would have believed it was abnormal to hear this many individual noises if someone told me so weeks ago. But now I know that hearing the tiniest sounds, including the slightest rustle from a leaf with a caterpillar crawling across it, is not as normal as I origonally thought.

The other senses I possess seem to be nothing compared to this particular one that I have such a strange connection to. It is like a gateway to other perspectives, smaller ones, ones no one would know were there. It is a way to another story, a whole new world. Though no one would believe me when I tried explaining that I could hear everything, including something from out my room and down different hallways.

Having such an enhanced sense of hearing has gotten me into some of the most serious troubles within the past few weeks of my life. Hearing voices was the first, originally I believed they were in my head until I discovered two other women lived inside the building as well. Though I never met or spoke to them I'm still very upset with myself that I escaped and left them behind. Now here I am running away while the women are still being heald captive like I used to be.

Truthfully there's nothing I could've done, especially when I had no clue how leaving the building was going to work out. Still, I don't know where I'm headed. How could I if I have no memories of my childhood or where I came from? I don't even know my name but that's the least of my worries. I have to get out of this forest before they realize I'm gone.

I'm extremely paranoid they will come chasing after me, but maybe I should be more scared of the woods they spoke so hauntingly of. The beautifully sounding forest is not as intimidating as I generally thought it would be, but that is only because I assumed what the men told me about the outside world was true. According to them this forest was more than just a horrible place. It would suck people into it and they would never be seen again.

At first I thought it was just a fib to make me afraid of leaving them, but the more time that passed the more I realized all of the men had a fear of it. What ever it is, it's very serious to them and their lives depended on me. One thing is, they didn't make me scared of the outside world, I became more curious of it. I'm more frightened of those men then having the forest suck me down into it.

Still I question it, what could be worse then the men who kept me captive? It was practically prison, but where the men were allowed to do what ever they pleased. Sometimes I wasn't treated like a living creature. Once a younger man believed I was completly evil and had the power to destroy anything I wanted. The other man replied saying that I wasn't old enough yet.

Catching the rest of that conversation got me a day without food, but it was worth it. Apparently some of the men believe that I will eventually become an all powerful being that destroys some family line. Sadly that is all I know about myself, but honestly I don't believe they could just know what will happen in the future. But then where would that statement come from?

Depending on the man that was assigned to me that day I would be treated differently, so talking to them was practically out the window. Only on one occasion I successfully had a decent conversation with a man I'd never met before. But, I didn't get anything out of him to help me discover who I was or what I was doing there.

After freeing myself I have concluded every single sentence they said to me was a lie. Why would I trust people who kept secrets from me? For all I know they could be the reason why my memories are gone in the first place. Nothing they told me is relevant now, though it is ironic. The whole reason why I left was because I was curious of the forest. They wanted me to stay with them because of the forest. It's the reason why I'm frantically running in the woods that may or may not possess evil like they said.

The sound of something behind me startles me to the core. I pray that it's not one of the men trying to snatch me back. When I gradually slow to a light jog I can't help myself but glance over my shoulder, finding that nobody is there. My body longs for a break but I don't dare stop to catch my breath. I'd rather faint of exhaustion far away from that building then be caught by those men.

As I continue on my way I regret going the way I chose. The opposite direction of the road infront of the massive brick building is not going to lead me to a small town or city. Now that I am thinking about it my reasoning for doing so is unknown. I only have this one suspicion that seems to itch deep inside my soul but it is beyond imagination. Maybe it is true that some unknown force is pulling me in a specific direction. I could've safely gone down the thin dirt path but something was telling me not to. So of course curiosity got the best of me once again and now here I am, lost. Unless this feeling is real and something really is making me go this way.

No, I quietly tell myself. It's impossible that something is silently making me walk through these woods like I'm searching for someone. Maybe the forest does have some kind of spirits in it? No, it must be paranoia. These woods are just as normal as the rest of the world. A forest can not suck a person up, it does not have powers, and magic is not real.

Once again, crunching leaves from behind startles me. Goosebumps cover my whole body and my head pulses. This time I take longer than a glance over my shoulder and to my delight there's still no one behind me. When my attention goes back to the front I believe all is well but in the blink of an eye I'm falling to the ground before I can catch myself.

The sound of a sharp crunch echoes throughout the forest as my torso and arms collide with a wet rotting log. It breaks beneath me and sticks through my cloths and into my skin causing me to groan out in pain. Seconds later my stomach becomes ice cold and wet. Mud. It shocks me, making me flinch at the freezing-like temperature of the puddle under the crushed log.

At the first attempt to get up my arms give out on me. My head is spinning and my legs burn from the sudden halt of movement. After a few seconds I gather up enough strength to sit up. My eyes blink down to the rest of my body, I'm covered with wet leaves and twigs but on the bright side they smell pleasingly fresh.

My heart pounds out of my chest. The feeling is unfamiliar but at the same time I know it's normal for this situation. It's strange not having memories yet when something 'new' happens to me I think, "Oh right, that's what's supposed to happen." It is like deja vu, I didn't know what was going to happen until it did and it felt normal.

I scramble up from the damp ground but the dizziness is making me unable to keep my balance so I sit down on a nearby fallen tree. My lungs are feeling like they're being ripped from my body any my throat is so dry I begin coughing. I've never felt such a rush and pain at the same time.

I decide to gaze up at the midday sky for the first time since I have been out here. It's light blue with perfect fluffy clouds and a sun that's extremely blinding even as it hides above the treetops. I'm not accustomed to such an open atmosphere but it is nice, especially when I can clearly hear the sweet sounds of chirping spring birds. Leaves blow in a sudden chilly breeze as I get a feeling that there is something watching me.

My eyes frantically scan the branches of the newly budding trees. I'd rather not get stuck in this forest forever, even if there's nothing wrong with it. But I also can't go back the way I came. I'd rather not have to go back to that dreaded prison. Though what if they were right about these woods? I don't wanna die-

"Follow me." A voice whispers with a reassuring ring to it.

My stomach drops as I see something white run past me out of the corner of my eye. The glimpse of it is enough to spook me into standing back onto my feet. There is someone out here! But I can't see them. This must be some kind of trick one of the men is pulling on me. I need to keep moving or something bad is going to happen to me.

Far in front of me the white creature catches my eye again. It goes in and out of bushes, jumps over logs and large fallen tree branches. I can never get a good look at it long enough for my brain to determine what it is, so I follow. The voice couldn't have come from the white creature, it's impossible for an animal to talk.

My legs start slowing down again and I stretch my arms up in the air, expecting it to feel good but forgetting the pain my shoulder is in. The soreness is a day or so old from being smacked hard by one of those men. The cause of the punishment was because I tried prying information from one of them like usual. That time was my last warning or I'd be locked in the basement forever. Thankfully I was just stuck in my room for a day instead.

To be honest I don't know how much time has passed. There's all of this space inside of my head for memories to be stored and yet still things like this perplex me. Everything has seemed to blend together making up one giant and meaningless life.

I stop in my tracks. What am I doing following something I don't even know is real? My brain has become a whirlwind, caught between believing in the supernatural and thinking that this is all in my head. For all I know I could be in a deep sleep and will awaken any second in that dark room I used to daydream in.

All I wanted was somebody who'd understand me, who could guide me in the right direction, someone I could trust into. Some days I even thought of love and I convinced myself there was someone walking this earth, turning back every stone, going through every doorway searching for me. Even if the person was not a family member I'd still be pleased knowing someone wanted me back with them. As days went by I became more disappointed, suddenly believing that no one would come to my rescue.

I was deeply aching for a family or a friend to come save me that it was horribly unhealthy. Then again, being kept in a small confined room is also bad for one's health. So with the little motivation I had left I knew freedom was what I truly wanted.

By now I'm used to being alone, even as I travel through these wet leaves and branches. I'm reminded that I can only depend on myself, but that gives me hope that someday I'll be lead to the right people and someplace I can call home. The thought of being alone forever plagues my mind when I dream of my future.

But I'm trying to put that all behind me. Never giving up on where I'm going is my new course in life. Hopefully I can determine what happens next-

My stomach rumbles making my mind instantly forget what I was just thinking about. The sound taughts me, making me wonder if I will starve to death before I can find my way out of here. Though the temptation is burdensome I refuse to let hunger or the thoughts of starvation get to me. I don't remember the last time I ate but I'm used to not eating. If the men decided I wasn't worthy of having a meal in my stomach they wouldn't give my anything.

Not only am I hungry but the remaining hours of daylight are dwindling fast which means horrible things for me. I have learned that the darkness is truly horrendous. It would frighten me at night inside the building because I never knew if somebody would be lurking nearby, ready to get me if I stepped out of line. Now that the night is coming, I'm worried that the outside world is really what they say it is.

Not even a second later of me thinking that this forest is out of the ordinary at least one hundred birds suddenly chirp from the tree tops. I bring my attention up, wondering what the matter could be but instead of finding something horrifying I see many colorful birds flying away from their perches above me. They dissapear into the sky that is turning dark, how is it no longer midday? It's making me conclude I miscalculated the time when I first got out here.

Right before I'm about to move my eyes back to the ground where my feet are firmly planted on the muddy forest floor, my eyes catch a hint of the same furry creature I thought I saw earlier. A pit clenches in my stomach, knowing the animal doesn't seem to be the type to climb all the way up there. So how did it get there, and why?

The strange animal leaps off the high branch, making my stomach fall as I watch. As it nears the ground I fear for its life but only until, to my amazement, the creature lands on all fours in frount of me. At first I'm confused to how it survived that long fall but the thought only lasts a millisecond.

Pleasantly I find that it is just a rabbit. One that can climb trees then proceed to leap off more than fifteen feet from the branch and land successfully. Not to mention it may or may not be able to speak to humans?

With all the courage I have left I say aloud, "If you can really talk then tell me why you want me to follow you."

It freezes in its tracks after moving quite far ahead of me. It allows me to approach it slowly but only when I get close enough to touch it, the creature responds smoothly, "Home."

I jump back, not being able to pry my eyes off the beautifully giant animal that's now a few yards in front of me. He doesn't face me but I know he was the one who spoke. I'm completly baffled by everything I've recently witnessed but still manage to stammer back, "I don't have a home."

"You will."

By the way I was mumbling I'm surprised it understood my words. I just stare at it with my mouth agape as it slowly turns around to take a look at me. I'm unable to keep my eyes on it, seeing it as the most intimidating living being I've ever come across in my life.

But maybe he is harmless. Maybe he can help me. I force myself to look down at the puffball of white that could be mistaken by anymore for a plain old rabbit. Instantly I regret my decision of staring at it with wonder, discovering that its eyes are a strange purple. I'm about to reach out for him when he vanishes into thin air as if he never existed in the first place. I take a breath but can't get air into my lungs, feeling like the wind was knocked out of me entirely. Everything swirls as my eyes unintentionally flutter closed and my body hits the hard ground.

Consciousness starts to come back to me as my body becomes aware of the chilly temperature of my room. The next thing I notice is the pain in the back of my head. I roll over onto my stomach in search for my small pillow only to find that I'm not in bed at all. The whole rest of my body is in excruciating pain and I realize that I am not in the building either.

I sit up, unable to open my eyelids because all of a sudden they're extremely heavy. At first I think I'm covered in a cold sweat until I feel tiny droplets of water landing upon my forehead. I completly forgot that I'm outside, I'm out in the rain! The feeling is strange, it's gentile even though it is so cold. I never would've imagined how refreshing a rain could be.

Finally my eyes open, revealing an unexpected pitch darkness that wants to swallow me whole. My fear skyrockets all the way to another planet as I sit up quickly with my head pointed to the sky. It's the only thing I can see at the moment, finding the moon halfway hidden behind a cloud and some stray stars popping out in places above.

The first thought that engulfs my mind is the incident I had with the white rabbit. The talking one. He told me to follow him back home! Believing he could lead me to safety completly slipped my thoughts before this very moment. I was immediately assuming he would seduce my mind or take me away to some horrible place. But I guess now I have some slight hope that the creature was being truthful. It's too late now, my miracle is gone and I'm out of my dream.

The only thing clear as day to me would be the picture of the rabbit in my mind. His fur looked like little wisps of soft fluff and his paws seemed like they had way more control that what a normal rabbit would have. He was larger than a small dog, definatly bigger than a French bulldog. I recall his eyes were a strange color, green or blue maybe but definitely very bright. I convince myself, a white rabbit can have colorful eyes. It's not as strange as the rest of the matter, unless everything was just a figment of my imagination. Rabbits can't talk, and this one certainly didn't know me or where I came from.

The more I try a reasoning with myself the more I'm confused. He could be here watching me right now, but I'm sure I'd hear him nearby. I don't dare move a muscle, hoping there aren't other kinds of strange animals lurking around these woods. Maybe I won't be so lucky with the next creature that I come across. There must be way more harmful animals out here than that talking rabbit.

I force myself to take a long breath, feeling the sharp night air go into my lungs. The smell of wet leaves comfort me, despite my fear of the dark and this forest. But the more I listen the more I become horrified, even though I like the sound of the chirping spring crickets that quickly resemble a pulse. A coo from far behind me rings through the dense trees. It has to be an owl, what else would it be?

Anything.

I cannot force the image of the rabbit out of my head. It haunts me to the core, not because of what he looks like or because he can talk. What gets me is that he spoke like he knew me. This thought makes me have the need to go searching for this rabbit. Unless he has been here the whole time I was asleep and can somehow be quiet enough that my ears don't pick up the sound of him.

The weather begins to worsen and the rain has no sympathy for a cold and lost lonely girl out in this deserted forest. I pull my legs up carefully so I can sit in a ball with my arms wrapped around myself. At an attempt to keep my body heat in this rain my brain forgets about the darkness. I stare at nothing in particular, unaware of what my surroundings are until the sound of rustling leaves startle me.

Instinctively my head moves towards the sound but I see nothing but black. At a moment like this one, I wish my eyes could see in the dark. But no, I am human with eyes exactly like everyone else's. So I sit here in the wet leaves and sticks, uncapable of doing anything until the sun rises in the morning.

Another sound causes my heart to pound like a drum. It was louder this time, a cracking of some sort. I'm hoping to who ever is out there that this is just a squirrel or chipmunk in a tree, even that owl from earlier I wouldn't mind. Something normal? A deer? Bears? Supernatural creatures that can talk, that have powers, and could kill a human. If I stayed where I am it would be too late for me by morning, I just know it.

I do believe that those men were right about these woods, they are correct about everything. I didn't believe them and now I'm stuck out here with no way to protect myself from something deadly. Though they spoke of dangers they never taught me any basic skills to ward off strange animals. Honestly, they didn't teach me much of anything.

I have nothing to call myself, though I've just assumed I'm nameless. Not too long ago tried thinking of a nice name for myself but never decided on anything I liked. Not having anyone's names archived someplace in my brain is no use when I want to find something to go by.

I overheard someone referring to me as, "The witch." Then the next day another man did the same. Seeing it only as an insult flew over my head at the time but now after finding what lives in these woods maybe the men were right. I don't really know what a witch is in the first place, so I'd rather not have someone call me one or compare me to one either. Now maybe this bit of information can help me find people like me, or maybe my family.

I don't believe I have a family, how could I if they didn't come to rescue me. A few weeks could've given police or someone time to find me, right? Unless no one was looking for me in the first place. It could be possible that those men are holding someone captive that I know from before I lost my memories. Maybe I was living right down the hall from somebody I knew my whole life and had no clue, still if I saw them I wouldn't know the difference because I've got no memories.

The blankness eats away at me every day, making me hope for a slight glimpse of the past that could aid me in my dull life. But I can not blame my own brain for the dementia, it was most likely caused by the men themselves. I've declared that theres only a few reasons why they stole my past from me. One is that I was an experiment, but the men do not seem sharp and are most definatly not the scientist type. They're more dirty and stupid, that's why I was able to escape so easily.

Two, they did not seem to care about me. So I could be their enemy. Being physically and verbally threatened by them has made me conclude they wouldn't care what happened to me as long as I didn't get out. Though they said they were trying to protect me, but not from each other; from what exists out in these woods.

A third thought I have is that I was captured in the first place for a very important reason. I had a place in the world, a future ahead of me that they didn't want me to be in. I must have seen or known something I wasn't supposed to, and they took me to make sure I didn't tell anyone or do something to change what they wanted. All of this could mean that they have something planned, or know something other people don't. I have a feeling that this forest is involved. If not then why would their base be right in the heart of the woods?

I begin to shiver, finding how the rain has become much colder than it was earlier. With larger droplets I can feel it's about to get heavy, giving me no preparation at all for a downpour. At this very moment a chill runs up my spine, not because I'm cold but cause something is here. The silence of the rain creeps me out, making me hear that all of the creatures have gone into hiding.

I beg for the universe to fast forward in time until the light of day has come and my life has appeared out of thin air. I wish for everything that I've ever wanted but in reality that will never happen. I'm just a nobody, searching for a life I most likely never experienced. This void inside of me gets darker the more I think about the people and moments that could have been in my life before I lost my memories. I want to know what it's like for someone to genuinely hug me, wipe my tears from my face, and push my matted hair out of my eyes.

But, I guess I'm not gonna get anywhere if I sit here and waste away in my own problems. My wishes won't come true if I keep sitting here trying to find out what I should do, I must keep going. I can no longer pretend someone's going to come to my rescue, because no one has and ever will. If someone loved me enough to save me from this awful nightmare called life they would've already found me. So with every bit of strength I have left in my stiff cold bones, I unwrap my arms from around my legs and get to my feet.

My old socks squish into the inside of my thin shoes, making me know I've been sitting in this rain way too long. I begin walking carefully, knowing that the slightest wrong step could send me flying to the ground. I get a little distance before I feel the ground curving, it must be a hill that I'm standing on. My feet below me slide in some mud causing a panicked yelp to escape from my lips. I freeze to catch myself, listening to my voice echoing through the wet open air.

When I take my next step I instantly regret trying to leave, hearing the sound of multiple animals starting to scurry across the leaves on the ground. The darkness prevents me from identifying what they are which makes me uneasy and my ears aren't much help either. I can't imagine these animals being something normal, after coming across that disturbing talking rabbit.

In the background noise I also hear a creature that is much larger than the other ones. At first I think it's a human by the sound of hard thumps on the ground until it suddenly stops. It can't be a human because if it was I'd know it. I've been around them enough to know what every single part of their body sounds like. A breath going into their lungs, the slight sticking sound when they blink, a pounding heartbeat, the disgusting sound a throat makes when they swallow, and worst of all the swishes of their bodily fluid when they walk.

This creature is larger than a squirrel but smaller than a human. My muscles tense at the image of that rabbit I've been pondering about ever since I first saw him. He is most definatly the type of thing I was warned so discreetly about by the men. But what is worse, being stuck inside that brick building or discovering that an animal knows something about me and can talk about it.

I try locking my fear away in a place that will never see the light but really it's no use. I take a breath and decide that if it is the rabbit I can't pass up the opportunity to talk to it again, "Can you hear me?" My voice cuts throughout the crisp night air begging for some kind of mercy.

I stay deathly still trying to listen for anything but the creatures movements cease to exist. The patter of rain against the ground drounds out any other sounds that could be nearby. My fingers reach the hem of my thin shirt, trying to unstick it from my stomach. A bit of water drips out of it as I grip it hard. I have to leave right now!

When I take a step forward my foot rams into a log and I fumble backward. Falling doesn't happen for long because next I find myself stuck sideways in something wet and prickly; the branch of a pine tree. I try pulling my body up so I can stand again but the branch beneath me cracks causing me to fall all the way to the ground. The thick branch follows and smacks me right on the forehead. I push it off of me causing little pine needles to rain down on me. Sitting up, I'm immediately all itchy because the needles are sticking to my skin. My head pounds and my spine feels like it is going to crack.

I have endured worse pain than this but the spot on my forehead stings and I refuse to lift my hand up to touch it. It could be bleeding but maybe it's just the rain dripping from my hair. My coordination feels off anyway and my head is spinning. I groan unintentionally, letting myself let go of what strength I have remaining. I forget where I am until my ears pick up on somebody snickering.

My peace comes to a halt and I strain my eyes searching for the source of the noise in the black of night. A rustling sound startles me into a more alert position and a familiar voice makes me jump, "I was always told you were clumsy."

My curiosity appears, thinning out my fear of the talking rabbit. "Told by who?"

"My uncle."

"He knows me?" I sputter becoming extremely dizzy.

"Not this you."

"So yes?" I question.

"As of right now you don't know him yet but you will eventually."

I'm even more confused, "Do you know me?"

"Of course I do." He laughs at me, "I apologize for being so secretive to you, the most important woman to Elyria. But I must not say anything more."

"Elyria?"

"I have already said too much."

He starts moving, and I hear him get quite a distance, "Wait!" I say with urgency. "Please, take me someplace safe."

"Just follow the spirit."

The sounds of his little feet hopping in the distance makes me know that he's not coming back for me. I stand staring off into the place he went, being unable to see anything at all. After a period of time I end up jumping at the sound of my stomach rumbling like thunder. I wince, thinking of going back to the building in search of food but the growling in my stomach is only a reminder of how they didn't feed me much at all.

My body longs for something to fill up my stomach just as much as I yearn for a family. My conscience begs to find peace and pure happiness, something I've never fealt before. It could be just my mind playing tricks on me but I feel a presence nearby, and this time I known it's not a walking, talking and breathing kind of creature. It's something of completly different nature.

Just follow the spirit.

The rabbit's voice echoes through my mind like a song I've heard plenty of times. Out of nowhere there's an intense pressure on me, like something is trying to convince me to move forward again. This is the same exact feeling I felt earlier today right after I had escaped. Though this time it is much stronger, making me know for sure I'm closer to my destination.

Even though it itches at me and my patience is dwindling by the second, I plop myself back down to the forest floor. I can't draw more attention to myself when I'm alone and exposed in this supernatural forest. Another reason why sitting is a good idea is because my body is as heavy as cinder blocks and I'm trembling for multiple different reasons. If I wanted to keep walking I physically couldn't.

I want to lay down and visualize the next goal I'm shooting for but what's the point? I must be patient and stay where I am until the sun comes up, it will be safe for me anyway. Drifting off to a nice slumber is out of the question, I'm way too preoccupied to even make an attempt.

As I shift to lean my back against the damp tree trunk I discovered was behind me, I decide to deliberately distract myself. My conciousness searches inside my brain for the faintest memories but I find nothing new. The image of my appearance does not exist either, making the possibilites endless of what I look like right now.

My eyes that stare off into the abyss of blackness suddenly become delighted seeing a sparkle of light. It does not shine down upon me like a star would, it's more like a flashlight floating above the horizon. It could possibly be the moon rising, but it looks too small to be it. I blink many times, wondering if it is just a figment of my imagination but only when I look up to the sky do I believe it can't be the moon after all. The moon looks awfully beautiful, but not as exciting as the whitish yellow shimmer of light far below it. My attention is quickly pulled to the newly found light as it bursts down like it's falling out of the sky.

Of course I continue to subconsciously persuade myself that my mind is playing tricks on me again. I can not believe my eyes. My brain keeps concluding that it is some sort of illusion and that it will evaporate into thin air any second. But if this is real and I'm in a forest where anything can happen, maybe this is an alien coming to snatch me from Earth. It comes so fast it's like a shooting star but I'm stuck in slow motion watching it.

It slows down many yards in front of me and doesn't look like a blob of light anymore. It's more of a cluster of lightning bugs, but I know it isn't what I expect it to be. It is way to early in the spring for them to be out yet. So with that, I know this is no sort of natural phenomenon. They flicker and float in mid air, drawing my eyes to them and nothing else. The way it moves it's like it can see and hear just like any normal living creature. It waves around the trees and through the lowest branches, travelling to me as if it wanted me.

Suddenly it clicks in my head, it's the spirit! The same one my not so little rabbit friend was talking about. He was right! And I'm supposed to follow that thing? I want to follow but in reality, it's too dark too even notice a finger right infrount of my eyes. But the closer it gets to me the more my body notices this new pressure washed upon me as if I have to follow it. It's way more than just a simple urge to go with it. It's like there's some sort of serenity that wants to engulf me into a magical, happy state if I go with it.

I stare for what seems like hours as the 'spirit' comes to me. I can admit, it makes me curious and I want to run up to it and touch it. Before my very own eyes the color of the spirit has transformed from its old yellow to a new purple that blinds me. It makes me wonder if the yellowish color was just a decoy to make people think it's just a star or a light.

Now the spirit is closer, I observe how humongous it is with it's sparkling orbs of purple light. It is so close that it is larger than the moon above, and it looks just as mysterious as before. In fact it is so close that I could reach out and touch it. Unthinkably my arm lifts up and I raise my left index finger so I can try to poke it. To my surprise it floats apart, out of the way of my hand. I can't even manage to grasp one of the little balls of light, it just disappears into my hand.

Something clicks inside my brain and I understand that this is what will lead me to where I'm meant to be. The moon has some sort of soul inside of it, a very peaceful one which gives me relief. I stand to hug the godly being but it moves right out of my reach causing me to notice how devilishly black the night is. It sprinkles down little purple glowing glitter onto me and suddenly my body starts moving in the direction that the spirit came from.

As I do so, tears begin streaming down my cheeks. The warmth of them are comforting on the flushed and cold skin of my face. When I cannot pull my eyes from the newest strange creature in my life my speculation on these woods increases. Maybe they aren't as evil as the men said so, they seems less harmless the more time I spend in here.

I let the crisp air fill onto my lungs which causes a sharp pain in my chest and shoulder. I ignore the feeling of it and instead pay attention to where I'm going and the spirit in front of me. It guides me to the unknown, at first I'm fearful until I note how it prevents me from tripping over anything, even my own feet. The force is careful and sympathetic enough to make sure everything goes right. Maybe this is the first step that will lead me to something worth while. Although this is marvelous I still have a sore ankle and a shoulder that may be out of place.

I walk for what seems like ten minutes, though the trees and up a small hill. The same place I recall looking at when I first discovered the spirit. I treck up until the ground flattens out and the trees have begun to clear out. My feet come to a halt as if the spirit itself was telling me we made it to our destination. I look around and see nothing different in the glow of the spirit but only until it goes to the ground below me and fades away to nothing.

I succumb to the darkness, feeling a cold chill to me once again. The rain has lessened but it's still enough to make my body cold. I intend to pick up my foot from the ground and continue walking but then when it doesn't move I start to panic. My legs can't move and I realize how my feet are beginning to go into the ground.

Out of no where I get a sinking in my stomach. I think I have been led right into a trap. My body begins to submerge into something, but it is not dirt or mud or anything of that sort. All I can identify against my now buried legs up to my knees is an almost numb feeling.

I can not believe that I let my curiosity get the best of me! Now I'm here stuck in the ground, allowing my body to get sucked into some unknown place. Maybe this will be the start of my new life, a transformation into somebody new. Once it gets up to my waist I breathe and breathe, hoping that its all just a scary dream. But when it gets to my neck I fully believe that this is going to kill me.

It doesn't hurt in any way, even as it gets up to my mouth and I can no longer open my lips. My last breath is a much larger one and I close my eyes begging what ever god that exists will protect me and spare my life. As seconds pass I suddenly have to take a breath and do so. But instead of being suffocated into the ground my lungs don't scream for another breath, I continue to breathe normally.

After everything I've gone through in the past few hours, I still wouldn't have ever imagined being sucked straight into the Earth. The men warned me but I didn't believe them until this very moment in time. They were right! They were right about everything. I will never be seen again, and maybe I'm comfortable with that. Though assuming it would kill me has gone over the top of my head now discovering how I'm not in excruciating pain. I should be crushed, suffocated and dead but here I am still existing inside a body that can not comprehend what this strange occurrence is.

To me everything feels like mush from the inside out as if my bones don't exist any longer and I am complete Jell-O. I can only see blackness, but for some reason I'm no longer afraid. Maybe it is the relief of not being smothered to death by the ground itself. I'm in no pain at all but am completely paralyzed. My lungs are not needing a breath and are comfortable like I just took one. The only thing that is disturbing to me is the part where I can't hear a single sound. No moving through dirt, and most definitely nothing from myself either. It's as if my body doesn't exist anymore. The heartbeat that I normally hear every second of every day is no longer there.

An exhaustion washes over me like someone put a spell upon my body. Instantly I presume its the spirit that has done this to me, I'm surprised but more curious than anything. If I'm being taken somewhere by that creature I guess it will be better than that prison I was in. Being here right now is better, even though it seems like somehow time has stopped and I'm drifting off into my own little world. Though really, I am struggling to keep a straight mind. I'm falling into such a peaceful silence that I allow myself to go and possibly into some sort of forced slumber.

Out of no where I feel like a switch was flipped and suddenly all of the senses have returned to my body. I'm a bit woozy and light-headed as if I slept for hours which may be true. A frigid sensation washes over my body, feeling how the ground must be some type of stone. Next, a smell drifts into my nostrils...dampness, but cold, mustsy? Rock and dirt? Where am I?

The fatigue wears off so quickly because of the hard ground below my muscles. It doesn't feel like time has passed from when I was out in that strange forest, but I know I'm no longer there anymore. My ears are ringing, and at first I wonder why until I take a breath, recalling what it's like to feel the air go into my lungs. I determine that where ever I am, this place is just silent. Meaning no one is here, not even a living creature or plant. Unless the spirit is here. No breeze, no water, no surrounding things that can make sound. It's odd. Very odd.

My eyes peek open, unsticking my eyelashes from each other. They blink a few times trying to focus but when there's nothing I just flinch. My trembling body moves up into a sitting position. My head moves up and down, left and right and still all I can see is blackness. There's aren't any twinkling stars up above to give me comfort. I feel around on the ground, but strangely find no trace of dirt that should've come sprinkling down when I fell. Does this mean I really didn't go through the Earth? Maybe it was some sort of trick. I only have one more conception and it's that my mind could by chance be tampering with reality.

I close my eyes for a second and take in some air, hoping it will allow my shaking body to calm down. Within a second of breathing in the musty air I declare that yes this is real life. It's got to be! I've checked this twice now and still I'm contemplating on if all of this has really happened or if it is only my imagination. Maybe the whole reason why I was locked up in that building was because I'm a lunatic. And the men just told me things to frighten me. That makes a lot more sense than what I'm experiencing. I must find my way out, I must run away to somewhere safe.

I automatically begin tapping my fingers against the floor, making this eery silent place have a little bit of sound. I can only hear my heartbeat going faster, and the echo of my finger nail against the stone. I make another sound but this time with my voice, hoping it will travel someplace and tell me this place isn't just a plain box. But when the sound waves just bounce back at me it proves that there's no openings anyplace, unless there's a door and the walls are very thick. Then suddenly it hits me, I must be underground still.

If I did come from up above there has to be an opening on the ceiling somewhere. When I get to my feet my body becomes more alert and an adrenaline rush makes me freeze for a minute. Is there something watching me? After scanning my eyes in front of me I turn around and do the same, half expecting to see that glowing orb of light. The spirit isn't here watching me which I wish it was, even if it made me feel funny.

I sigh a little too loud and go back to what I was doing before. To test my theories I lift my hands up to the ceiling and feel nothing until I get on my tippy toes. My fingers barely skim anything identifiable until I stretch up and reach too far. Something sharp pricks my index finger and crumbles under the light pressure I put on it. Little pieces of what I assume is rock rains down upon my head and shoulders. I duck, trying to avoid any large chunks that could come in contact with my body. Quickly after I easily identify this place as a little cave.

Next, my palms feel around the ceiling carefully for what seems like minutes and all I find is how painful it is to get little pieces of rock in my eyes. I conclude that an ordinary little door above won't be there, not if I travelled here in some supernatural way. Or magic? Maybe this cave his some kind of power. How could there not be any of that here? Especially when a sparkling swarm of purple and yellow lights somehow seduced me and brought me into this cave. And of all things a cave?

I'm more dissapointed that I haven't found anything remotely interesting or something that will lead me to my new life. But what ever happens I'm hoping to have something better than I had before, and I'm trying to understand why I've been brought here out of all places. Its odd atmosphere bothers me because I feel like this isn't any ordinary cave. Since there's no way out there has to be something down here that the spirit wanted me to see, or somewhere it wanted me to go.

I take a deep breath getting a sharp pain in my chest. I let the mold in the air creep into my lungs knowing that my recent short breaths are only because I'm overthinking. I decide for the millionth time that I need to go with my gut feeling, even if it is aimlessly following an unidentifiable purple being which is not here. Though there is this sliver of hope that I have, feeling that its presence lingers immensely as if this place was it's home, the very same place I'm so apprehensive to explore. The only possibility I have left is there's a door somewhere, but I don't have the energy to search.

My speculations on the creature and a door come to a halt at the first sound that gladly rings through my ears. There is an additional softness to it, something splashing against something hard. I identify the noise as rushing water coming from below, rising up towards me. I stand tensely knowing full well that something has suddenly changed. The longer I stand frozen the more the previously faint sound of water moves to an extremely sickening rush. The peach fuzz on the back of my neck stands on end and my skin becomes covered in immeasurable goosebumps. The temperature drops drastically making me more uncomfortable.

Is this the spirit's doing?

My impatience really does annoy me, causing me to begin pacing around even though my tired body has begun to weigh me down. I wonder if I will discover something that will get me out, though my ears argue otherwise. There's no need for me to walk around but I do so anyway, with my hand outstretched along the wall. It is just as completely solid and rocky as the ceiling with no sort of exit.

After marching around for a while I find how the ground is just like a sidewalk, flat one minute then out of no where becomes uneven causing me to stumble. The first time was enough to make me grumble but now that I've done it a second time I come to conclusion that I've gone further than a whole trip around the cave. My foot makes a small splashing sound making me aware of a thin layer of water on the floor. To declare its really there I crouch down and touch my fingertips to the puddle. It is icy cold, making me want to go curl up in a blanket, even if it's those thin sheets from my bed in my locked and lonely room.

It's hardly enough water to seep into my shoes but soon enough it will be rising. This is definitely abnormal because of how quickly it appeared and besides, I should of heard it when I woke up. Since then time must not have passed much at all. It doesn't feel like I have been here for more than ten minutes, and so with that I try again to think up a plan on what to do next. Waiting here is not an option now, but my mind is just as blank as when I first tried to find a way out.

There's not way I can leave the same way I came because it physically doesn't exist. This is a mind game I've got to solve unaccompanied which I guess is all I've ever known in life. The men messed up everything about me and yet here I stand pondering if maybe they aren't entirely atrocious. But being warned about this world is different from experiencing it myself, and so in this moment in time I still stand grateful that I've escaped them, even while ice cold water soaks my socks. My feet cringe and tingling rapidly goes up my ankles, legs, and knees, up my spine then to the back of my neck.

I shiver finding how the water rises extremely fast and in a split second it is creeping up inches past my ankles. All I can do now is wait for some unnatural event to happen, unless I dround first. Honestly, I believed that if I didn't find my way to civilization I would eventually die of starvation but I never thought drowning would have been possible. Either way it would be painful. Thinking of death brings be back to the thought of those men, would they kill me if I had stayed?

Time passes like a snail until I notice how the water is already up to my thighs. It no longer sounds like it's pouring into the room, making me finally understand that it is coming up from someplace in the floor. It feels like it was in the refrigerator all day, bringing a numbness to my body. I keep my hands up around my shoulders, hoping that if there is a god out there he will spare me from this pure agony.

I want a life, not death!

But the more I beg the more I feel alone, just like usual. I sigh and speak out loud, "Why is this happening to me?" I wait, half expecting to get a change but the only thing I get is water up to my waist. The spirit has to be here, "Spirit! Let me explain myself. I want to life! I want to live!" Still nothing but I continue with, "I'm just a lost lonely girl who is looking for a family. I want to be a person. I want a name, and friends and a life."

My voice reaches to the point where I don't quite recognize it as mine. I'm the quiet type and I never have begged for my life, though I do recall some moments where I almost got to that point. Around those men I was too frightened to step out of line but now that I don't have to worry about them I have become more scared of dying than ever before.

It will only be a minute or so until I'm completly submerged in the frigid water. Within a few more minutes I'll be dead and I will be nothing, just like my pointless life. Giving up seems like the best option, it's not like I have anything to loose. Maybe there is an afterlife that will be so blissful that I will feel more alive than ever. The only thing that is holding me back is the curiosity I have about this forest and myself. I want to be able to uncover the secrets the men have withheld from me.

With the water up to my stomach I declare that the cave is halfway filled. Maybe if I can imagine my own alternate life I can get out of this. I snap my eyes closed, forcing my body to loosen up a bit. I am not alone, I am with an only friend I knew before I lost my memories. Somebody I can trust that knows me better than I will ever know myself. My hand snags on a sharp rock attached to the wall, if only that person was real. If only they could aid my stinging hand that indicates it is bleeding.

My foot slips out from under me and my injured hand falls beneath the water. I try to fix myself upright but my knees buckle. The water is inching up almost to my heavy chest, then in a matter of seconds it is at my shoulders. Next I am treading water, knowing that the ceiling is only inches above me with little space left. My time is dwindling but I am calm, almost not knowing my fate. I still think it is possible the spirit will come, but maybe it wants to take me to another place beyond this dark world.

This time my head unexpectedly smacks against the stone ceiling. I let out a blood cuddling yelp that eccos throughout the space I have left. My forehead begins pounding and I try to steady myself by placing my feet on the ground but with the lack of circulation in my lower half I can't keep me standing. I begin to hyperventilate realizing what that no one will come to save me. I always get left behind to fend for myself and that is because nobody cares about me.

I reach my left hand out to grab the stone wall, and for a brief moment I believe I'm alright until my foot catches on something below me making my head dip under the water. My eyes experience the worst pain they have ever felt as if sand got in them. The sting is hard but not as awful as the feeling of my knee bashing against something sharp.

When I surface my mouth opens, water dripping down my lips tasting like salt but I don't dare take the time to be astonished. No, instead my foot falls into an opening on the ground. This must be what I found a few moments earlier when my foot got caught. I take a moment to investigate then conclude I can't feel anything with my foot well enough to tell if I can fit through it. So in a split second I know this is where the water is coming from and I might have a chance to find a way out through there.

I will find something, someone, love, happiness, peace! My life! The thinkening air argues otherwise making me not want to face my sudden fear of drowning. Though if I stay here there is a one hundred percent chance I will die, so I decide to shut my burning eyes shut, take in some air, and go under. With frantic hands I search for the space and when it's found I make sure I'll fit.

I pop up one last time to get some air then with all the strength I can muster I plummet down. My body sucessfully passes through the hole without any altercations making me feel accomplished. Carefully I swim through the unknown, preparing to crash into any object in front of me but after a few seconds I determine it is somewhat safe.

My cloths slow me down but there is no time to strip my jacket off, so I continue on my way even though my head wants to explode from the pressure and my lungs long for a breath of fresh air. There is no way in telling how far down this tunnel goes so I push myself to the limit even if my mind is the definition of a panic attack. I do want to be above water, anyplace but here honestly. I use that as motivation to keep going, though I am extremely light headed and the pain is horrifying.

I'm unintentionally slowing down and after what feels like an eternity can't help but give in to the temptation of taking in a breath, it's of course more painful than having empty lungs. My body tries rejecting the water causing me to cough uncontrollably making tiny bubbles escape from my mouth. I take a gulp of water and open my eyes as a last resort for hope.

Expecting to not see anything I flinch when my blurred vision picks up on a source of light not too far from me. It shimmers purple and I know that must be the spirit I met in the woods. Without thinking my mouth forces itself shut and I keep going towards the light. It disappears as soon as it arrives just as I am grabbed by the waist startling me into a muffled scream.

I'm held captive and pulled into the depths of the water while the only thing I can do is frantically attempt to smack it's arm. At first I think it is some strange sea monster but then when I stop fighting against it, it's fleshy skin is smooth and human-like. It is warm and quickly my body begin to feel again. As we descend further a strand of my hair begins dripping down my face. The gears start turning inside my brain after I cough up the water from my burning lungs and take in some much needed breaths of air.

There's still a rush of water against me but now I feel marvelous despite how I was just drowning a minute ago. A relief washes over me like never before, even though I can magically breathe underwater. I allow my heavy eyes to shut and my mind to go to ease but before I know it we aren't moving downward any longer and I'm taken into a tunnel that is lit up with some kind of yellow light. My eyes open and we follow it for a few seconds, it gets brighter and brighter.

When the toes of my shoes brush against something soft and I am released to stand, my head emerges from the water. Everything is so blurry I can't make out where I am so I rub my eyes, thankful that I am still living and breathing. My begs for help were answered! I survived! My mind is just entirely blown because if it wasn't for this person my body would be decaying by now.

My body would have been already decaying by the second if it wasn't for this thing that saved me. I'm a bit curious of what would've happened to my soul after I died but at the same time I'm glad I didn't. I guess I don't want to be let down like I already have with my life. Now things have changed, I never believed this would have happened to me. I wanted to live, know about my life, and have experiences of love. I will get that. It's all so surreal.

When my eyes finally can see I catch my savior staring down at me. The room around us is another cave, just much larger than the last one. There's some stairs that lead up from the pool to the room around it, a hallway above and carvings into the stone everywhere I can see. What is this place and who is this woman that saved me?

She appears just as astounded as I am, "Wow." Her voice is oddly recognizable but from where I wouldn't know. Her long dripping blonde hair sticks to her shoulders but she could care less about it, "Is it really you?"

Her extravagant baby blue eyes twinkle, letting a tear escape from the corner of her right eye and running down her freckled cheeks.