Karma Returns

I climbed over boulders, down steep slopes and avoided those odd pointy crystals. Now they aren’t stalactites cause they aren’t glowing. Being sure to not lose focus and thus my torch. In the darkness behind and before me, I still could hear the odd sputter and snicker.

Was I scared? Of course. How could I not be? However, I’m already in to deep and can’t turn back now; both figuratively and literally. I’m far more scared of the trouble I will be in should I not obtain the tooth and need to return home, having broken the rules again. The thought of unlimited freedom to study magic pushed me forward.

Although I couldn’t walk forward due to a dead end right now. I craned the light up and down, seeing no cracks to give a hint of a room beyond. Just a strip of white rock near my feet. I took a handful of nuts, ate them and turned back.

Sometime in the wandering I began to notice the darkness growing closer. I kept making the flame larger, but the darkness writhed closer.

My stomach twisted into a knot. Another wall of stone stood before me. I turned around again.

The dygols’ amusement grew into laughter and further into shrieking. I attempted to block it out with thoughts of happy places, food and drink. That’s what my sixth-grandma back had told me to do. It never did work.

A wall of rock, an impasse, a road block. With each one ever darker howling.

Yet another dead end. I placed my head against the wall. Looking down I saw the darkness only inches from my feet. I turned around, legs feeling heavy and slid to the ground at a snails pace. There was no where to go. Only one seed left in my bag.

When does the maze end?

I spotted a pattern of white rock that looked familiar. Tears ran down my face. Back where I started.

It was hopeless all along?

The stories were true. The dygols led me through an endless maze and as I grew weak the darkness slithers closer. I struggled to keep my eyes open, I simply had no energy left.

How many hours has it been?

The darkness touched my toes. I felt the breath on my face. My eyes closed.

Never did find that deep cave beast.

I bit into the seed. Wait these are beasts. Opening her eyes I looked around. Can’t see them. However, they can see me. So stupid. I thought to herself. I had been imagining a behemoth, the beasts were around me the whole time unseen.

I had only moments at this point to take action and one chance. Thoughts circled around my mind. Can’t be seen or even lit. What other option is there?

It became pitch black. A dygol was likely to eat me.

I jumped and swept my arms outward before myself in an arc, feeling my fingers brush cold fur. I reversed my palms back inward and brought them together in a cramped ball shape. Cold sweat came over me pressing the ball together as tight as possible.

If its possible to control light, then I can also control darkness!

I ignited another glow torch and ran. Not even an arms length could be observed before me as I scaled uneven ground and large rocks. I reached the sink hole before turning back and there it was, the ball of darkness chasing behind. Within it the dygols.

I looked at the wall with troubled fervor and jumped on. I scaled the rocks feeling almost weightless thanks to the sticky slime, crawled out the hole and dashed off towards the entrance, darkness closing in behind.

I reached the entrance and slipped through a hole, turned around and stuck my arm just through the crevasse. I waited what seemed to long before the darkness covered it and pulled back at the last second. The dygol bit down into the stone and its teeth got lodged and split. A pained wail let out. I grabbed on and pulled. The tooth broke off as I fell backwards. My eyes looked it over and smiled. It was a grey color with small sparkling specs in the mix, tapering down into to an end with many small points. When I looked back up the darkness was gone.

I hooked the tooth on my back and scampered out the cave onto the forest edge with renewed vigor.

————

Although it was night, my eyes still needed to adjust. After the haze cleared I could see the clear night sky filled with luminous planets of dazzling colors, radiant stars and below it all sat my hamlet. Small lights dotted its whereabouts between shifting trees and flowers.

I started the decent back, however there was one last stop to make. Making sure to keep a close watch while making the trek and soon enough I spotted a globerry bush’s vivid radiance. I tugged one with both hands off its thick branch. It came off with a snap. This is it, the last ingredient needed. I waddled off towards my final destination.

Sneaking up to Arwita’s lab under the cover of night I was surprised to find no one strolling the commons. I opened the door to his house as quiet as possible. The room was dark with only a few flasks sparkling in the night’s glow.

I dropped the berry, bags and myself on the floor with a thud and let out a heavy sigh. Arwita came prancing out of the back with his unusual stride.

He broke a bottle than lit the room and yelled. “Begone mi-miscreants!” Looking around the room his face changed to one of concern. He continued to tip toe around his untidy lab, around tables until he saw me sitting on the floor surrounded by the gathered objects.

“What happened to you?” He started shivering and swaying side to side. “Not g-go-good.” He was sputtering. I hadn’t called out due to a mix of exhaustion and amusement.

I looked at my reflection in a bottle on the floor. A plump face stared back covered in dull leaden-blue dirt. Her eyes looked like lead weights struggling to be held up.

“Where do I start?” I said with exhaustion.

“From the be-beginning. You’ve been gone for over a w-w-week.” He hunched over.

“A week?” I bolted up in confusion. I was wandering for over a week? It only felt like a few hours realistically.

“Th-they said you went into the cave and didn’t come back.” Arwita answered.

A pain shot through my torso. They know? Storcha? I thought back to her looking at me during scavenging.

Tap, tap, tap. Both of us perked up at hearing foot steps coming from outside.

“Quick, get to the back.” Arwita said in a loud whisper.

I jumped up and dashed away. Closing the door behind, I noticed it was a closet with only a broom in the corner. Guess he keeps everything on floor of the lab nowadays. I thought to myself.

“We heard a ruckus over here.” A female voice came muted through the door.

I placed my head against it.

“Ooooh it-it was nothing. A, a bat just got in. Yes.” Arwita replied.

Good thing he stammers anyway.

“Oh thats awful. You really should get some windows.” The voice replied back.

“M-m-maybe. Don’t want to choke on the fumes.”

“If your ok we’ll argue about this tomorrow. Goodnight.”

“Yes, goodnight.”

A door shut and footsteps came towards me. I stepped back as Arwita opened the door.

“Just a ne-neighbor.” He said looking even more nervous than usual.

“What did you mean by I’ve been gone for over a week?” I said with a glare. I needed to get right to the point.

“Exactly that. Storcha said you ran into the ca-cave and no one has seen you since.” He said while pushing a finger into his palm.

I began to scratch my cheek. Over a week? I should be dead. That was never anywhere in the stories. I never thought dygols existed either though. My eyes started to feel heavy again. Just didn’t feel like explaining it all. But, I didn’t have a choice. I held up my fingers to count.

“I went into the cave, fell through a hole, almost got eaten by drygols, almost starved, wandered for hours, not a week by the way and then tricked a drygol into breaking its tooth. All so I can get some brilawell made.” I dropped my arms in frustration, breathing hard.

“Ahh so they got to you.” Arwita replied simply nodding.

You knew? Why didn’t you tell me? I yelled in my head. I didn’t have the energy to argue. It certainly felt like I’d been awake as long as he says.

“Can you make the brilawell?” I asked with annoyance.

“I can. Yo-you sleep in here. Don’t want people to k—k-know I am housing a criminal.” Arwita closed the door.

Adrenaline shot through my veins and I opened the door again in panic. “Criminal?”

“Y-y-es the water in the root cellar showed signs of magic. You disappeared, s-so everyone suspects it was you.” He replied back with confusion.

I looked downwards. Really? In the end I was caught, I really needed to leave now.

“You just make the brilawell.” I told him and went back into the closet. Exhaustion and fear battled all night.