Luminari

Chapter four

I continued falling and coughing for a while then I began to slow down, I went slower and slower until the air became so thick it was like I was falling through water. I landed softly like a petal falling off a flower in ankle deep mud which stank of skunk and rotten onions. I scrambled to get my inhaler in my mouth before I passed out. 

Once I could breathe again I looked around in amazement I was standing in a cave dark as night the walls aligned with blue and purple crystals. I slowly trekked through the mud careful not to pull my feet right out of my shoes. The crystals lit up the cave like thousands of beautiful light bulbs each a different size but all the same octogen shape.

I walked over to one of the walls and slowly ran my hand over some of the stones. They were gorgeous more beautiful than any diamond or gemstone I had ever seen before. I wondered if they were worth anything. I tried to pry one out of the wall it was the size of a baseball and a deep blue color like the ocean. I pulled with all my strength, but it wouldn't budge it was like somebody had glued it there with super glue. 

There was one no bigger than a marble right next to that one, I pulled out my pocketknife and stabbed at the side of the stone trying to get it to come out. It finally popped it out of its spot, and it landed at my feet with a little tink noise like a fork. When I went to pick it up, something pinched my finger. I pulled my hand back in shock rubbing the sore spot on my finger, I looked down to see six tiny crab legs and two small claws poking out of the underside of the gemstone. The crab like creature was stuck on its back helplessly flailing its legs in the air.

"Sorry Mr. Crab I didn't know it was your house," I apologized flipping him back over careful to avoid his claws.

I looked around with worry some of these stones were the size of small cars, if they were all crabs I was in big trouble, I watch animal planet and I know what crabs do to their pray. I silently made my way through the cave trying hard not to wake any of the others. 

It was a maze down here. Full of hundreds of random twists and turns that lead down multiple tunnels with dead ends and loops. There was one tunnel where every single crystal was the exact same shade of green. I didn't know whether or not I should take that one. Was green a good thing or was it bad.  I decided that since the blue and purple tunnels seemed alright as long as the crabs stayed asleep I would stick with them, though I had to admit I was curious I didn't want to risk it. 

I came to a fork in the road. The right was full of green crystals and the left had something that sort of looked like a human bone near the entrance. I didn't even want to get close to the left tunnel in case it was a bone, so I went against my reasoning and headed down the green tunnel instead.

Something about the green tunnel was off, the walls had more gemstones on them, and the gems were more reflective so I could see myself in ten thousand places at once. I stared into one of the gemstones perfectly aligned with my head. I didn't look brave at all. I looked like a lost little kid scared and alone wanting to crawl into bed with his mother and be read bedtime stories under the safety of his blanket and warm light of his nightlight.

I watched as some of the gemstones moved around on the walls and walked a little quicker. The green tunnel seemed to go on forever turning and twisting, halfway through I gave up trying to find the end and turned back around heading for the blue and purple tunnel. But of course, I got lost. I wandered around for an hour, with nothing but the same bright green crystals to keep me company. I was getting really sick of the color. It was like I was stuck inside a giant nose and the walls were full of shiny/deadly boogers. 

I felt myself going crazy as I came up on another divide with three more bright green tunnels to get lost down. I picked the middle one for no reason but a few feet down I came up on a pile of grayish white things. When I got a little closer, I realized with horror that it was a pile of bones. The bones were all different sizes and lengths, there was a lot of them but not an entire skeleton worth, for example the skull was missing. 

I quickly turned around and ran from the tunnel. I ran down one of the other tunnels either right of left I couldn't remember I tried to keep track, but it was nearly impossible to remember every turn I took. The tunnel I chose felt like it was slopping downwards which was a bad since I was trying to get out of the ground not further down in it. 

The tunnel continued for an impossibly long time, and I was beginning to lose hope worried I would be lost in here forever, when I was a miracle. Like a beautiful shimmering oasis to a desert wanderer, I saw an exit. There was a perfectly crafted doorway that led to an open field of wheat with a blindingly bright golden sun setting on the horizon. All I had to do was go through a very short tunnel aligned with a set of light pink crystals. I was about to step onto the first pink crystal when something grabbed me from behind.

I quickly looked over my shoulder to see a big black wolf-like dog with long sharp teeth hooked around my belt pulling me towards him. I started screaming trying to get myself out of the dog's super strong grip. He knocked me onto the ground and pinned me down pressing his big soft paws on my shoulders. I could feel his hot wet dog breathe on my face as his small brown eyes stared into mine. He was so thin I could see all his ribs he must have been down here for a while. His warm slobber dripped onto my shaking face, his sharp fangs bared as he growled, and his stomach roared.

(Sorry this chapter is so short!!! If you're enjoying the story so far, please leave a comment and vote it means a lot. Thanks:)