Labyrinth: Saving the Fallen City

Two Sides of the Forest Prologue

I'm going to post the new book as an addition to this one. I may switch over for it to have it's own book, but for now it will be here. This is my personal work! The title will probably change, but that's not what I'm concerned with right now. Prologue and Chapter One will be up today.

If you are not able to decipher who the main characters are in relation to the fanfiction, I will tell you at the beginning of the chapter they are in. This prologue only has one returning character. Meet Sarah by another name.

           

I was standing before the tallest tree that ever existed. The muscles in my short body twitched in unison with the crack of thunder above my head that was so powerful that it shook the ground. The lightning lit the sky with a delayed glow and the heavy air was losing its fight against the clouds filled with water battling to fall. The forest around me was thick with trees and brush. Everything was electric and confusing. The world seemed to twist and writhe in lively progression, but I was still. Movement was imminent. If something remained still, it would get left behind and overtaken. I needed to move.

I was frozen in front of the tree, unsure if I should climb it or not. The tall tree called to me strongly in a soundless voice. Fear held me in place. I yearned to climb the large tree, but all the others had footholds and low branches. This tree was impossible to climb because of its long trunk and high branches, but I desired nothing more than the feeling of breaking its tall canopy and screaming into the sky in victory.

All too quickly, the other trees began to scream at me, their branches motioning for me to take refuge in them. I wanted to. I wanted to run to the many trees, I wanted to climb into their branches and explore all that they held. All their limbs intertwined which gave me a platform to climb. My body ached to explore what lay behind and above the forest before me.

I didn't have any time to choose. The rain was beginning to fall, and the twisting earth was starting to swallow me. My seconds of thinking were over, and the world resumed its chaos. A bolt of lightning struck the ground near me, warning me. I closed my eyes to give myself more time, but the thunder rolled and knocked me over. I was going to be engulfed by the world if I didn't decide.

"Choose now!" The air seemed to scream as it whipped my hair around and roared in my ears.

My body lurched, and I put my hand on the tallest tree. The bark was rough under my small hands. It felt like all the other trees in the world, but this one was stronger. As the storm grew violent, I circled the tree to find the foothold, but there was nothing. I searched for a bump, indent, or branch, but there were none. Another bolt of lightning struck the ground and I clung to the tree. My eyes closed tightly as if the action would protect me.

A small leaf caressed my cheek softly despite the harsh wind to calm me. My eyes eased open and a small scratch in the bark caught my attention. I raised my hand to the mark and traced my finger over it. The rain blurred my vision, but the scratch was all I could focus on. My eyes trailed up a small bit and found another scratch. I reached for the scratch and my hand hit a camouflaged bump in the tree that couldn't be found when looking up or at it. My small, childlike body filled with hope and I grabbed onto the bump. Strength swelled within me and I pulled myself up. I began to climb blindly, following the scratches of a past climber. The storm fell quiet on my ears as I continued my climb.

My rhythm was stopped when I reached for another bump in confidence instead of watching the scratches. My eyes searched for the scratches, but they were gone. Reality crashed down on me once again when I realized I was stuck. I clawed for anything but found nothing. I looked down to see the ground so far and the footholds camouflaged once again. Lightning struck the ground and the ground began to burn. Flames licked up the tree and the weaker trees began to scream in agony as their bark turned to ash. I began to cry at their destruction.