Prologue
It was 1850. The mining cave was quiet from both inside and out. One man (and only one man) stood in front of it. And for about five seconds, he did nothing but stare at the cave. “Hello?” he called out.
Nothing.
Holding one hand (specifically his left hand) in front of his face, the man called out to the inside again, “Is anybody in there?”
Again, nothing.
Upon looking around left to right, the man contemplated on what to do next. Since there was no one else around, he couldn’t resist the temptation of the cave. After hesitating, he slowly began walking into it. And of course, with each step he took, the darker the atmosphere got. But despite acting in no hurry, he tripped on something and immediately fell. But luckily, it wasn’t serious and he didn’t injure himself, nor was he far away from the outside of the cave; he was only ten feet away from it. After letting out a cough, he got back on his feet and contemplated. Soon enough, he decided that the cave was too marvelous to resist and went in even further. But in doing so, he began to lose track of the outside. Right then and there, he fell again. And this time, it was a pit that he fell into. The atmosphere was now pitch-black, so there was nowhere else to look. The man trembled and felt panic pumping into his blood-stream. He thought about calling out for help, but who would be able to hear him? The only thing he knew was that there was no going back.
Your storytelling style is really engaging, especially the opening 👏 I’m excited to read more chapters.
Strong and intriguing opening. The pacing works well and the sense of isolation is effective. It builds tension in a controlled way. I’d maybe streamline a few details (like overly specific descriptors) to keep the flow even tighter, but overall it’s a solid hook that makes you want to keep reading.