Journey to Hope: Free Reads

Bright Is Lost

Bright had gotten so distracted chasing that mongoose into the forest, that she wandered too far into the Darkplace. She realized this when she saw she could no longer see the stars. Bright was so used to the twinkling stars up ahead. It was very dark around her, and shadows lurked in the shaded loom that was the Darkplace.

She felt her fur tingle. Her heart made of starlight raced in her chest, making a glowing beam in front of her. She suddenly realized she was having a hard time breathing. Darkplace air hurts Brightfields spirit's lungs. The darkness was hard for her to breathe in. There was almost no light. The light beam from her chest started to flicker out as she gasped for air.

She was terrified. Her thoughts spun in her head like a hurricane. What would happen to the Brightfields if my spirit died? Would they all vanish? Would every mongoose go to the Darkplace? I can't let that happen!

She was beyond afraid. But she looked up into the sky, and saw the bright moon. Her breathing calmed a little.

Sky light. My spirit can survive off of that for a while while I look for a way out, Bright thought.

Bright was also very confused as well as afraid. How did I get in the Darkplace? We don't even have a visible border! We're in different dimensions all together. More importantly, how am I supposed to get back home?

She looked up at the moon, and took deep breaths to her belly so she could focus.

Looking around at the trees, she saw just forest. Shaded, looming forest. But she heard trickling water. She figured maybe she should follow the sound. Her paws crunched in the leaves on the ground, and the rough, dry grass itched her belly. But what was she supposed to do?

Bright heard some cracking leaves. It scared her. Am I... not alone?

Usually, Bright was scared to be alone, but here, she needed to be to get home. She couldn't have any Darkplace Demons in her way.

A shadowy mongoose figure slowly emerged from the bushes. His eyes were red and snake-like. His expression was hidden by the shadows, so she couldn't tell if he was threatening.

"You," he said in a deep voice.

"Uhh... hi?" Bright stammered with a nervous smile.

"You lost?" the shadowy mongoose asked.

"Uh, yeah, I uh- I know where I have to go though to get un-lost," Bright said, her fur shivering with a bit of anxiety. The shadowy mongoose's eyes seemed to glow brighter, depending on how anxious she was.

"Yeah... sure. Anyways, you should go back home, sister," the mongoose hissed before turning around and leaving.

"Sister. Probably some sort of rude slang," Bright grumbled to herself. She walked towards the sound of the trickling water. She walked for a while. Being a brightfields spirit, her legs would never get tired- but here, they seemed to feel weary. She was lacking starlight to breathe.

The grass got longer and thicker. She started walking in a slithering-like motion in the grass. When she saw a bit of a glow, she looked up.

Ahead, there was a faint, glowing circle. She walked towards it at a steady pace, not wanting to run out of starlight. Once she got close enough, she could see- it was a glittering waterfall. The water seemed to be coming out of the ground, on a tall rock, that poured water into a large pool, and the water was leaking out of the sides, making streams.

Bright got close enough, and dipped her paw in it gently. It was ice cold, so she yanked her paw out of it.

"Boo," said a voice. It was the same voice of that shadowy mongoose. Bright turned her head around. It was him. But he didn't look threatening to her, as scary as his appearance was. She started to shiver from his red eyes.

"Don't be scared, I ain't gonna hurt you. I fuel off of fear, so if you get too scared, I'll go all out of whack," the shadowy mongoose said.

"I... I understand. You're awfully nice for a Darkplace Demon," Bright squeaked.

"I'm nice to you because... well, nevermind. I actually control the weather here, but I can't seem to shift the landscape. I've been trying to figure it out for years," he said. "And, you can call me Dark."

Bright nodded.

She looked back to the glowing pool. She was a bit thirsty from the lack of starlight, but at least she could breathe from this glittery pool and waterfall. She looked back to Dark, who was still there, staring at her.

"Uhh, Can I... help you?" Bright asked nervously.

"Don't be afraid, I can sense fear. Just don't. But yes, I do need some help. Can't you shift and build landscapes with your mind?" Dark asked.

"Uhhh, yea! Only in the Brightfields, though. My powers don't work anywhere else," Bright sighed.

"Hmmm. I see. Possibly the pool could help. We need more lakes for our members to drink from. We're having a drought, and my powers don't seem to be working," Dark explained.

"Hmm... Ooh! Maybe I can try!" Bright exclaimed. She looked up at the clear but gloomy sky, and imagined a cloudy sky. She closed her eyes tight, and light beams shined from her heart into the sky, forming dark rain clouds. She imagined rain, and her fur getting soaked. Soon enough, she started to feel raindrops. She opened her eyes when she was startled by a sudden downpour. She could barely see dark anymore, only his snake-like, red, glowing eyes. Her breath was getting short, so she looked to the glowing pool to restore her breathing.

"Thank you, sister, didn't know you could help," Dark said in a calm voice, "but why are you helping the Darkplace?"

There's that slang again! Bright thought to herself, a little annoyed.

"Well... I send mongooses here for a reason, but I don't think they should suffer," Bright admitted. "And... why do you keep calling me "sister?"

"Well, because I'm your brother. Yes, I'm upset that you banished me here, but what can I do?" He sighed.

Bright picked her ears up. She realized she couldn't stay any longer.

"I... I gotta go home, bye!" Bright said. She looked into the pool. She wondered how she'd get home. She stepped her paw in, and then dipped her head under. Brightfields spirits don't drown, so she knew she was safe.

She crawled into the pool, and she saw a tunnel that was glowing even brighter than the pool itself. She crawled into the tunnel, and all of a sudden, a hard sweep of water pushed her into the tunnel. She quietly yelped, but she couldn't speak underwater. It felt like a whole sunset that she twisted and turned through the tunnel. She finally saw stars, near the end of the tunnel. The tunnel pushed her out of the water, and she flew into the air, before landing on the soft grass. She stood up, and looked behind her, but the tunnel was gone.

Bright looked ahead to the beautiful horizon. She was home. She blinked to confirm it was reality. It was very real.