This is an idea that branched off my story called "The Cave". It explains the whole concept of the cave, and tells of my first adventure there. Hope you like it
Braving the Darkness
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Curiosity always got the best of people when it came to the cave. That dream inducing darkness could bring out the most horrifying fears or the most potent beauty in one’s imagination, and drown you in their immense reality. It was a diamond studded staircase to the heights of heaven itself for one traveler, and a bottomless pit to the sickening depths of hell to another. Some who braved the living darkness had returned to tell about the surreal experience, and some had not. Whether the lost ones were now dwelling in the glowing beauty of paradise, or burning in the fiery hell of their own imagination, no one will ever know. Some of the ones who had emerged from the tempting mouth of the cave, emerged as completely different individuals, and some came out simply knowing more about themselves. Previously insane men came out carrying the ugly heads of their own slain inner demons, and previously sane men had given birth to entirely new ones. This enchanted place had fixed some and ruined others. I consider it a place of judgment. When one enters, they are asking to be judged, and changed accordingly. The only sure thing I can tell you, is what happened the day I entered the cave.
As I stood in its presence, glaring into the deep darkness of its mouth, it had claimed me. I was lifted into the air by its icy talons and drawn into the depths. Upon entry, my skin went ice cold, and my heart had begun to race as I felt its divine eyes on me. It was already judging me and deciding my fate. Its gaze penetrated my soul, and ultimately my imagination, seeking the information it needed. Sleep quickly came over me as I floated in the darkness.
When I awoke, I was lying face up on a wood surface. I felt sick, for the floor seemed to be rocking. I sat up and studied my surroundings, discovering that I was on an ancient wooden ship, in what seemed to be the middle of an immense ocean. The wind was kicking up high waves, and a thick mist hung on the surface of the water. I stood up and walked to the back of the ship, peering out into the soupy haze. As my eyes adjusted, I thought I could make out the silhouette of another ship in the fog. Two enormous black sails filled with wind, raised high above its mass, and a flag rippled at its side. I could barely make out the writing on the flag, but I thought it merely said WB. The two initials were written in a beautiful flowing script, lined with gold.
Before I could be sure of what I saw, I was pulled off the ship by those talons again, and flown high over the ship with the black sails. Something appeared in my grasp that had not been there before. It as a green glass bottle filled with clear liquid. A damp rag poked out of the neck, and a flame popped up on it. As the rag slowly burned, I realized what it was for. I released it and watched it fall to the ship. There was a flash, and large flames leapt up from the deck. The talons held me there, and I watched the ship slowly burn into the water.
After the spectacle was over, I was dropped. I landed hard on the ground, just outside the entrance of the cave. I lay and thought about what had happened, and it all seemed to come together. I realized I had just saved my writing career.
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I'm posting a writing challenge in the challenge forum that relates to this. Try it out!
