On The Run

They carefully approached the strange carving with Lucy’s pocketknife in hand. Summer went right up to the carving and pressed her hand against it. Her hand started to glow and she stepped back with a fearful face and as she did her whole body glowed brighter. Lucy reached out to take her hand but by the time she touched her skin, she disappeared leaving a trail of purple dust floating down to the ground. The dust seemed like glitter in the warmth of the sunlight but the ground itself was green and fluorescent. The grass blades blew in the wind and Lucy shed a tear thinking of Summer. Angry with tears blurring her vision, she touched the carving. The same thing happened to her, so Tim was left alone outside the tree next to the carving. He stared at the carving trying to make sense of the symbols surrounding it, but all he could see were symbols. No writing, no use if ink, no nothing. He sighed, closed his eyes then he too pushed his hand onto the centre carving. He could see the things around him, just like he was still there. But he started to move unwillingly towards the back of the tree. A small orange light beamed out from a small indent poked in the tree. He squinted at the light and suddenly found himself in a room made of wood, which he soon realised was the tree. Even the door carving was engraved into the circular room. There was a dark wooden table that contrasted to the lightness of the oak tree enveloped around him. He sat in the chairs that enclosed the table. The sunlight shone through the glass window that was only visible from the inside. He stood up and walked to the sink where there was a green teacup filled with peppermint tea. It was still hot with steam coming off it. There was a muffled noise followed by a bump.

Tim shuffled to the staircase, he swept his hand along the handrail and walked upstairs. As he looked up the towering stairs went on for what seemed like forever. He simply walked to the first floor and found photos scattered along the ground. They looked old but they were sitting in the sun. Something didn’t seem right, the tea was warm and the photos in the sun were ice cold. He ventured further up the stairs and was passing the fifth floor when another bump startled him. The door slowly creaked open. Tim walked in confused, the room was empty. Where did the bump come from then? A magical dwarf pounced out from behind the door and knocked him on the head. His eyes wobbled around and he fell quite loudly onto the floor. The dwarf was wearing a tall fuzzy black hat, a green coat and a pair of bearskin boots. He grinned evilly, then pulled back a curtain revealing the rest of his friends out cold and unconscious. He tied them up to a chair and sat in the chair opposite them, awaiting their awakening. They Lucy awoke shortly after Summer but Tim was still sleeping of course. He planned to interrogate them on the attack and kill them after doing so but it was them who were getting information from him instead. The dull room had a deathly atmosphere to it and even Summer picked up on what was going to happen. Tim was still sleeping and the picture on the wall outside rattled and fell off. The grumpy dwarf rolled his eyes and went down to the kitchen to get a dustpan. As he wandered out the door Lucy quickly told Summer to take the pocketknife from her side pocket. Summer got it but it slipped through her fingers and crashed onto the ground. It echoed throughout the building. Lucy squeezed her eyes shut waiting for him to walk in and yell at them, but he didn’t even hear it. Lucy slid her arm further down to pick up the knife. She hurried, trying to cut the rope on Summers chair as it was easier to cut. Summer wriggled her hands loosening the rope. The rope fell on the ground and Summer swiftly stood up, grabbed the knife and went to the back of her chair and began to cut the rope. Lucy tried to wake Tim by kicking his legs. He woke up and asked what happened, typical Tim. Lucy broke the rope and cut Tim’s in one swift cut.

They crept towards the door and saw him walking slowly up the stairs. Lucy looked up, there were so many floors that she thought it never ended. They carefully stepped out from behind the doorway and kept low as they snuck up the stairs to make sure they weren’t going to be seen. The dwarf stepped up the stairs that seemed huge to him as he was the height of two steps from the staircase stacked up. Summer went ahead and looked through some doors on her way up. Tim was still rubbing his eyes as he sat down to rest. Lucy grabbed his arm and pulled him along. Lucy and Tim overtook Summer when she was walking strangely towards a room glowing with a purple light on the ninth floor. Lucy saw her going into the room where there was a purple glowing light that she hadn’t noticed before. Lucy watched her anxiously and called out her name. She was completely zoned out, she looked as if she was hypnotized. Lucy covered her eyes with a blue piece of fabric she ripped off her shirt. The fabric was semi see-through. She saw Summers silhouette still walking towards the brightening light. It flashed brighter, Lucy squinted. She shielded her eyes and looked back. Tim was also now walking strangely towards the flickering purple light. They went so far into the light that she lost sight of them both. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and took off her blindfold. She stuffed the fabric into her pocket, turned around and opened her eyes. She was surprised. The light was comforting, it felt nice and she never wanted to leave. She stepped forwards unwillingly. The light got brighter and brighter until everything went black. She snapped out of it and had her eyes wide open, however, there was still no light. She heard a loud crying sound. She reached out to see if anything was in front of her. There was nothing there thankfully. She shuffled along the ground trying not to trip on anything if it was there. She followed the sound of crying when she knocked over what sounded like a lamp, the noise stopped. She heard a spinning noise then something cold brushed up against her shoulder. She flinched at the pain of a cut. She ran in total darkness, having no idea where she was going she fell onto the floor. The spinning noise was coming back, she closed her eyes reached into her pocket and felt something cold, smooth and metal.