Forever in the Past and Future

Chapter 1

I now stare up into the mouth of a hungry grizzly bear, which I had escaped from. But I forgot that I am near Cliff Val—the waterfall that's cursed. Clinging to the rocks, my fingers turn bloody and black. Even though I know I'm not going to die, I gasp trying to hold on. The bear sweeps its paw near my face, making me cry out. Smelling its breath, fish, and blood; its brown fur falling onto me as I hang from the rocks. Feeling it's brown, soulless eyes bearing into me; seeing the bear almost catch me. Climbing down, rocks fall from the top onto me, making me lose my grip on the rocks. Screaming as my body is consumed by the cold, icy water; gasping as I break the surface, staring up at the bear on the cliff. I see him swipe the air in frustration, stomping away from the cliff edge. 'I guess I don't need a knight now,' I think, swimming to the rocks.

Limping out of the icy water, I shiver as my blood turns cold. My now blue cotton dress is soaking wet, and my brown hair hangs around me in gross strands. I rub my hands against my arms to get me warmed up, as I limp and trudge my way back home to Cobinville and then to the castle.  Cobinville is a small town outside the royal castle, the famous Cobin Castle, where the King and Queen live that rule all of Kingdom Nordania with the lovely Princess. I huff thinking about that life, my life, wondering how I live through it every day. The boring lessons, dancing at elaborate balls, Princes and knights coming to claim my hand in marriage. My mind is mentally dying thinking about going back to all of those stress filled days.

I walk down the road, shivering from the breeze and the sun now settling down for the night. My shoes, still dripping wet, have small pieces of rocks in them that I can feel with every step. I can hear the squishing sounds as I hobble down the rocky road. My body is too cold to even try to get the rocks out of my black slippers. I'm almost home when I realize I left my basket of food out near the Cliff. I groan and look back down the way I came. Comprehending that my mother would have a cow if I didn't bring it back, knowing it could be something that was my grandmother's.

Grumbling and cursing at myself as I trudge back the way I came and I walk to where I last saw the basket. As I walk into the dark forest, I begin to hear sounds that I've never heard before. The hairs on my arm begin to rise, afraid of the creatures waiting to eat me. The screaming and howling of animals and some chirps of creepy bugs are deafening. The crunching of my shoes smashing leaves and sticks in my path fill my ears. My breathing becoming shallow in small puffs, coming out in white clouds. Looking around, feeling as if eyes are on me, my heartbeat begins to pick up as my legs begin to move a little quicker. Glancing around, suddenly I feel something grab my arm, causing me to scream. I struggle to break out of the grip that had ahold of me, running in the opposite direction—any direction from what had grabbed me. 

Hearing it chase after me, feeling as if it's about to consume my soul, and the cold around me didn't help that feeling. My wet dress sticking to my legs, about to make me trip over my own two feet. Quickly, I look behind me to see if I can catch a glance of what is chasing me. I see for only a second, a black figure—tall and fast—close. I look back in front of me when I suddenly run into a tree. I smack right into the rough bark and fall on my butt. And so I stare up at the trees with my eyes slowly closing, watching as something stares over me.