Chapter 1
Light is incomplete without darkness...
SPARROW
I wake to the sound of soft swishing and creaking. My entire body is rocking side to side en masse a cold surface. I untangle myself from the thick sheet around me and open my eyes. In the dark is a looming figure above me. I swallow back my scream and bolt up straight, lifting my head from its lap.
All around us is darkness and water. The boat stirs along through the water, pushed by a tall form in a billowing black cloak. I take in my surroundings again. The figure I was resting on looks to be an older man with cloud white hair, and black eyes. His long white lashes frame those narrow slits.
“Where am I?” I ask them. Neither chooses to respond. The figure rowing the boat has a wide and deep hood that even with the occasional flames dancing down the path, I cannot see into it.
“Where are you taking us?” I ask him. He doesn’t answer. As he rows the boat glimpses of his pale hands peak out into the light and vanish. The longer I stare, the more the details grow as my eyesight adjusts to the dark.
His hands are just exposed bone, long and grappled tightly to the paddle. I turn away from him, my empty stomach churning violently. We sit in silence for a few more moments.
Where was I last before here? I think. But I can’t recall. I remember being with my sister. She was telling me a story about the castle. Something about how big, and grand it was. How we would never be cold again if we could just live there.
I take in a deep breath and think harder. The boat shifts making me uneasy. We come across two big tunnels, left, and right.
“You must make your choice.” A rattling voice crawls in my head. I turn sharply to the man rowing the boat. His cloak shimmers in the firelight, a cluster of twinkling white moves across its black surface like the night sky.
“What choice?” I ask. He pulls a hand from his paddle and points towards the tunnel. I look to my companion to see he has begun to swim towards the left tunnel.
“Wha- I can’t swim,” I say. My voice cracks fear starts to grow deep in my bones, my hands shake as I peer into the dark murky water.
“You must make your voice,” the rattling voice repeats. Its harsh tone is like nails to a chalkboard. I hold my head holding to press away from the pain.
“R-right,” I say. Whatever was on the other side of these tunnels couldn’t be good. I wait as nothing happens. Finally, I look back to the bone man in the dark cloak. He steps forwards. I tumble back into the other bench. I push away from him slowly not trying to rock the boat. He bends down and reaches out with a pale white hand, all bone, even his forearms are this starch, milky white.
“What do you want?” I manage to ask. My throat squeezes in on itself, my stomach flips and flips, tears start to spill past my lashes and down my cheeks.
“You must go alone, this is as far as the ferry will take you,” He answers in the same screeching wail.
I stumble back and glance into the water. Little bubbles have gathered around the wood. Tiny nails grate into the sides.
“But,” I start backing away. What is that? I peer back into the water. Whatever had gathered there before was gone. Hard hands clasp my shoulders and pull me to my feet. I scream as I am lifted into the air and tossed overboard into the water.
I thrash against the current pulling me back. I kick my feet and level my head upwards. I break the water’s surface and gasp for air. It’s so dark I can no longer see. My head is throbbing, my body feels heavy with lead.
Swim. I try to remind myself. One hand forward, push down, then out. I try over and over to keep myself afloat, pushing against the violent waves crashing into my face and pulling me under.
“Sparrow,” calls a familiar voice. When I come back up to the water I am surrounded by a white fog.
“Help,” I call and go back under. I fight against the pressure on my legs. I’m too scared to open my eyes. I have but only half a breath left.
“Sparrow,” calls the voice again. This time firmer.
Olita? I push again kicking against what’s holding my legs and arms. It releases me, and I arrive back at the top of the water.
The white fog is gone, and a small patch of land was aways away. I let the current pull me over. I climb up onto the land and roll onto my back.
“Olita?” I call. My vision is blurry, and my chest feels heavy. My thin white dress no longer covers me having been soaked through. I sit up and cover what I can. The dark tunnel seems to stretch on forever. “Olita are you okay?” I ask. I hope it’s not Olita, I don’t want her to have to endure the cold water. She can’t swim either if my memory serves me right.
A rustle of wind catches on my skin and dries me.
Where the hell am I?
“You’ve made it.”
I turn around to see a ghostly figure hovering just above the soil. I stand up and take her in. “Olita?”
The woman smiles. Her dark auburn hair is no more. Just a pale blue, floating in a soft wind I cannot feel. She is wearing a long pale gown much like my own.
The most chilling part is I can see straight through her.
“Olita, what happened?” I ask stepping closer. Voices start screeching, the wind picks up as does the current of the water.
“We cannot talk here.” She says quickly. She turns her eyes to and fro before landing them back on me.
“When you arrive at the judgment, you must not say a word. Do not cry, do not scream. Just be patient.” She says. Her pale astral hand points to the water. “You must let them take you,” she says and points towards the darkness where the howling is coming from. “Or they will,”
“Olita, where am I? What judgment?”
“Go Sparrow,” she says. She wraps her cold arms around me before dispelling into the air.
“Olita!” I call louder. The voices from the darkness get louder. As they come down the tunnel the flames douse into darkness.
“Heavenly plane, protect me,” I say before jumping back into the water. Cold vines wrap around my arms and legs pulling me deeper. My eyes burn from the water seeping over them. My lungs burn from holding my breath the deeper down we go.
The surface of the water goes from purple to black, as the darkness rolls past.
I close my eyes and concentrate on holding my breath. My limbs twitch involuntary begging me to swim. Pressure starts to push against my skin. My heart thumps so hard I can hear it.
I hold my hands over my mouth and nose begging myself not to breathe. My tears lift from the corners of my eyes as tiny droplets in the water.
The darkness cools my skin pulling me upwards. The vines struggle against their force pulling me down. I feel as if I’m tearing apart. I scream unable to hold my breath against the pain any longer.
My lungs fill with water and burn so harshly I lose consciousness.
