Beyond the Darkened Path

The storm shows no mercy to those who venture into its icy depths. Lilian Crawford was no exception, in fact, she had willingly ran into the violent force of nature to escape the clutches of her parents and another one of their pathetic arguments. If she was being honest, she didn’t know where she was running to, her feet were moving of their own accord. 

The clouds let out a mighty roar as a clap of thunder split the sky, the rain coming down so heavy it was near impossible to see. It splattered Lilian's face as she raced for the old, abandoned bridge on the edge of town. She often found herself visiting the bridge, just to get away from it all. Nobody came this far out of town, and those who did, those who went under the bridge… Well, they were never seen again. 

Lilian suppressed a shudder as she carried her legs over the soggy ground, each step taking her further and further from the safety of the town. She came to a halt before the bridge, squinting into the dim interior of the stone structure. For all that Lilian came here, she never dared venture under the bridge. Not because of the rumours surrounding this place, she couldn’t care less about them. But rather because it was so decrepit it was crumbling in some places, and she did not fancy being flattened like a pancake.

 But... it wasn't exactly like she had a choice. She could either accept the cover of the bridge, or go back to that godforsaken place she once called home. She opted for the former.

Lilian dragged her phone out of her jacket, smearing the rain that had landed on it. With a click, the screen lit up. She saw the 8 missed calls from her mother, and the 14 text messages from her father. Yet Lilian slid the phone back into her pocket anyways, ignoring her parents.

Inhaling deeply, Lilian stepped forward. Again and again and again. Until she was one step away from entering the gloomy darkness that lay before her. Her heart began racing, but not out of fear. No, this was excitement. Pure, adrenaline-driven excitement. There was nothing eighteen year old Lilian Crawford craved more than a little adventure. And now that she had it laid out before her, she would not back away. The warnings of the townsfolk echoed quietly in her ears, but the hammering of the rain, the booming of the thunder and the cracking of the lightning drowned it all out.

She would not be like the townsfolk that came before her.

So Lilian made that final step, crossing over the threshold. The rain still battered her back, soaking her from head to toe. The water dripping and hitting the floor the only sound to be heard in the silence that followed her entry. She scoffed to herself, how dangerous could this place actually be? 

Inside, the bridge resembled a tunnel, Lilian could have sworn the bridge did not stretch so far from the outside. Barely a few paces into the damp space, and she could feel something amiss. Lilian retreated some, past the threshold and into the raging storm. She squinted, holding up a hand to cover her eyes from the rain. Through the short underpass of the bridge, Lilian could see the great expanse of ocean that sat to the west of Green Haven.

Lilian slowly took a few steps forwards, keeping her eyes on the other side of the bridge. The closer she got, the quicker her heart was beating, wild and out of control, bursting with a cacophony of sound. With each advance, not even the rain could silence the very word coursing through every vein in her body. Run. 

Once again, she crossed that line, and though her instincts screamed at her to be silent, she could not stop the gasp that escaped her lips. It was a trick on the eyes, surely. There was no possible way to explain how Green Haven was before her in one moment, then a forest shrouded in sunlight the next. Lilian glanced behind her, only to find her town, still battling the storm.

She spun around, the forest still there, and began walking, deeper and deeper into the gloom. Every part of her body was on alert, and she couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that something was still not right. Why is it taking so long to get to the other side? Apparently the forest was not the only uncanny change the bridge had to offer, for it seemed to stretch on for eternity.

Lilian felt it before she heard it. The slight tingling at the nape of her neck. The sudden drop in her stomach that has her clenching her fists. Coming to an abrupt stop, she scanned the walls, the ceilings, the entrance to the bridge, not entirely sure what to expect. But there was nothing. Lilian blew out a breath, bracing her hands on her knees. A low laugh escaped her lips at the sheer absurdity of thinking anyone would be stupid enough to follow her under the bridge. 

Lilian wiped the line of sweat coating her brow and turned back to the treeline. Three things happened to Lilian in the space of a second:

Her heart sank.

Her stomach lurched. 

Her throat constricted. 

Standing at the edge of the forest was an animal unlike any Lilian had ever seen before, or perhaps she could distinguish it as something from one of the absurd amount of fantasy books she liked to indulge in. From a distance, it could be mistaken for a small dog. But standing no more than ten meters away, Lilian could without a doubt see the wings protruding from the small creatures scaled back, the horns extending from its head, the slits of its nose. She didn’t dare breathe, instead holding her breath as the creature ventured into the tunnel, golden eyes sparkling as they landed on her.

Lilian knew her mistake when she took one step back. The creature’s head snapped up immediately. She eyed the sharp fangs lining the creatures mouth and mentally calculated how long it would take to sprint out of the underpass. This was it. This was how she was going to die. Lilian bit her lip to hide her whimper and retreated another step. The animal noted that, too, and picked up its pace.

No. Said a voice, young and bold, You came here for a reason. What a coward you would be if you left now. 

Who are you? She demanded.

That is for me to know and you to find out. Hurry along, or we shall be late. The voice replied, seemingly amused.

For some unknown reason, Lilian felt a tug on her mind, drawing her forward. Closer and closer to the creature she got. She crouched down to the creature’s level, inclining her head in friendly greeting. It dipped it's head in return. Lilian’s eyebrows arched at the bizarre gesture, and hesitated once before lifting her hand and placing it on what she could now only assume was the snout of a dragon, if all the time she spent reading books on mythological creatures were any indication. 

There is just one thing you must know before we begin our journey. The voice, the dragon, said into her mind, Do not be frightened. Doing so will only get you killed. Have courage, have strength, and be strong.

"What if I don't have any of those?" Lilian whispered aloud.

Then you will die. The dragon replies, nonchalantly.

The dragon began walking towards the forest, looking back when Lilian did not follow. She looked between Green Haven, her home, and the forest, full of adventure. What harm could be done if she went with the dragon? This was certainly not real, perhaps she got struck with lightning and this was all a fantastical dream conjured up by her delusional mind. With an exasperated sigh, Lilian did not look back to Green Haven before following the mythical being into the forest realm.