The Way Out — Short Story

I was born in the darkness. In a deep dark cave, in a deep dark forest where the nothingness grows. In here, I live alone, with no one to comfort me, to soothe me or to teach me of the world. I am the very thing, that all things are afraid of, to have nothing, to know nothing, to be nothing. I am the thing, that things that get lost in this place are terrified to meet. Some may say that the very sign of me, means death to them and everyone that they love.

In my forest, there has only been darkness. Only mist and fog rise and fall on the edges of the forest wall. The trees do not stretch up but are hunched over reaching back towards which they are bound. The sky is black and still, reflecting off the motionless forest floor of rotten leaves. There are no creatures here, except for the things that dwell underneath.

Lucky for me, I have little appetite and lack any thirst. I gnaw on the roots to scratch my teeth and eat what lives between. My thirst is quenched from fallen mist that is refreshed from the morning fog. There is no place for me to look upon my face or know what features I possess. I have no desire to be full, or to be quenched, for I have all the nothingness I need to sustain me.

I have wandered this place, near and far for what seems like centuries and have seen no way to leave. Somehow, every now and again, a lost soul arrives, seeking some sort of something from my place. They often end up in front of my cave, shaking and quivering too afraid to step inside eventually running away. Yet, they never get to leave, for they fall, stumble and break only to be devoured by the creatures underneath.

Until today, when I saw something different walking through my forest. A young maiden, hair dark as the sky, as tall as any tree and a face that was determined to find something with in my cave. She stood at the edge, glaring into the darkness, her bones seemed to quiver and I could smell her blood boil and could hear her heart quicken but it didn’t stop her for she brought a weapon.

With a flick of a switch, a light beamed from her hand and pointed right in my direction. She gasped with surprise but did not run. I was unable to look at her or to show her my teeth for this light seemed to burn me from underneath.

“There you are” she softly spoke.

Was she speaking to me? Was I the thing she seeks?

“I have been looking for you,” as she quietly walked towards me.

I had no words to speak, for I have never spoken before.

“It’s okay, this thing won’t hurt you. Nor will I,” as she reached out her hand to touch me

I growled and made myself stand taller than she stood now.

“Wow, look at you. You are so strong and beautiful,” holding her ground before my anger.

I was confused, how could she see me this way, what did I not know?

I lowered myself and turned my head with what would seem like curiosity.

“Come, let’s get out of this place. I know a way.” She touched the side of my face and looked me in the eye before moving past me.

Deeper into the cave she walked, with the light guiding the way. I had never thought to go deeper into the cave, for I thought it stopped with me. It seemed to keep going. Soon my paws were wet and I could feel this cool sensation between my toes. I licked the ground beneath me and a smooth crisp taste touched my lips. It overwhelmed me and made me terrified to drink anymore, just yet.

Above me, things dripped down and fell on my back making it ache from being touched.

She just kept walking. Whispering to me from time to time,

“Just up ahead, wait until you see.”

See what I suppose? What was it she wanted me to see and why?

Soon she turned off the light in her hand and in the distance a green light gleamed ahead showing a path out.

Every step I took, I began to see a reflection underneath and all around. I had a nose, long and proud. A body made of fur, very different from hers and made of many colors. My ears stretched up, to hear all the new sounds and my eyes a color I never seen before.

The cave that we had been walking in was no longer dark but began to shimmer. Sensations I had never felt before pulsated through my blood and overwhelmed me. Even when I closed my eyes, colors penetrated my sight and the darkness I had come to know was gone.

When I opened my eyes again, I stood at the very end of what used to be.

“Don’t worry, it may feel overwhelming but soon you will feel right at home, here in the land where the Everything grows.”

Nicole Marie is a Transformation Speaker + Teacher sharing with others on how to become the storytellers of their own life. Join her on the Embodied Storytellers Podcast for weekly sessions of guided meditations, ritual storytelling, archetypal intention setting and community gathering of global minds.