To Fall Through Your Front Yard

Part One

I sit on our worn leather couch, staring out the window at our lawn that is now covered in a fresh layer of sparkling white snow. Just looking at it makes me shiver and I pull my blanket up higher around me.

"Beaux," my mother's voice shakes me out of my world of thought and I stand, carrying the blanket with me as I walk over to her as if it is the last thing holding me together.

I sit down next to her, her eyes are wrinkling at the corners as she smiles, "You should go for a walk outside."

My eyes widen, "It's too cold, Mother. I'd freeze."

She chuckles lightly, reaches out to run a hand over my cheek, "Wear one of your father's jackets."

"Mother-" I protest.

She interjects, "Go on. It won't be like this outside forever you know?"

I nod hesitantly and get up, walking over to the coat rack and taking one of my father's large, warm jackets from it. I wrap the blanket around me and put the jacket on over it, I hear my mother laugh as she watches me attempt to keep the blanket from falling down.

Eventually, I decide that the jacket is warm enough, and let the blanket drop to the floor.

Slipping on my green boots, I open the door and step outside onto our front porch. A cold winter breeze strikes me and I almost turn around and head back inside. However, the piles of snow outside make me shut the door behind me instead.

I take a step off of our porch and feel the soft snow sink slightly under my weight. Taking another step forward, I begin to run, feeling the cool breeze against my skin.

Suddenly, the soft snow stops sinking and I stand, perched atop it. I walk forward. My feet leave no mark. I walk forward again, my eyes widening in fright as the snow doesn't move at all. I look back in the direction in which I came, seeing my footprints go, go, go, and suddenly disappear.

"This can't be right," I whisper to myself, my words shaky and unclear. "This is impossible."

I unsteadily take another step forward and let out a yelp of surprise as I fall through the ground and land in a world of darkness.

Part Two

My knee aches, a horrible pain that makes me want to curl into a ball on the floor of this wretched place and cry.

"I'm only seven," I whisper. "Just seven."

I'm in a cavern.

I can see nothing. It's as if I have my eyes closed, but I don't. The Cavern is hot and I can feel sweat drip down my face.

I screech when I feel something brush my leg.

I inch forward, one agonizingly slow step at a time, letting out a shrill scream whenever I feel something, half-expecting it to be the tail of a dragon that will swallow me up whole.

All of a sudden, it's as if I step on a light switch, for the entire Cavern lights up, ridding itself of the darkness. The horrible heat disappears.

The relief makes me want to cry.

The Cavern is extremely overgrown. Vines cover every inch of it's walls and bushes are everywhere. A small spring with teal water lies nearby and a tree with perfectly green leaves sprout a fruit that I have never seem before.

It looks like an apple though, just by looking at it, I can tell that it is not.

I wonder if it tastes good.

I walk towards the tree, reach up, and pluck a fruit from one of the low-hanging branches. I can almost hear my mother's disapproval as I bring it to my mouth and take a bite.

It tastes like cotton candy.

The flavor makes me smile and I continue to eat the strange fruit as I explore the Cavern.

I should feel the same fear and worry that I did when I fell through the ground of my yard this morning, but I do not for this Cavern makes me feel at peace with myself even when I shouldn't.

I walk towards the spring. It's water is the most beautiful that I have ever seen. I take off my boots and dip my feet in the spring.

A cool feeling rushes over me. Pain in my knee disappears, along with an unwell feeling that I never knew that I had. I realize that I have never in my life felt truly well until now. The feeling is incredible yet confuses me in ways that I can't quite put into words.

Between the amazing flavor of the tree's fruit and the healing properties of the spring, this seems too good to be true.

Part Three

I step out of the spring and slide on my boots. As much as I wish I could stay, I need to find a way out of here. My mother is probably overwhelmed with worry. I scan the Cavern. If I got here by falling through the ground, maybe I can get out by climbing through it.

I look up, the ceiling appears to be made of rock. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that I would be stuck here forever.

It's a good thing I know that I'm not.

I finish my fruit and throw the rest of it on the ground, maybe it will sprout into a new tree.

Firmly grasping one of the vines that hang from the wall, I begin to climb. The work is difficult and I almost fall a few times but eventually, I make it to the top and am able to sit on a ledge.

"Only seven," I whisper to myself. "I've done all of this, and I'm only seven."

I stand and reach up, when my hands press against cold, smooth, rock, my heart sinks.

"No!" I cry. "Mother!"

I grasp another vine and climb until my head touches the ceiling. I sink back down until I sit on the ledge again.

"I just want to leave," I say.

Jump, a little voice in my head whispers. Jump.

"But I'll hit my head," I protest to the strange voice.

Jump, it repeats. Jump.

I look down, the spring is directly below me.

"Into there?" I ask the voice.

When I receive no answer. I decide to take a risk. I get to my feet and take a breath.

I don't give myself time to think, I jump. . . through the water? I land on the soft snow-coated ground of my front lawn.

Confused, I get to my feet and walk up to my front door, whispering to myself along the way.

"Did I die and go to heaven? Am I back now?"

Not quite, a little voice inside my head says. Not quite.