Prompt: "What's behind the waterfall?"
#9: "The Secret of Stormwylde"
I stopped to inhale the musty, earthy scent of the trees,
the mossy boulders towering over me as the damp dirt cushioned my steps. The
faint sound of rushing water provided the backdrop for a symphony of birdcalls.
This was my favorite part of hiking in the mountains. I
shifted the weight of my backpack on my shoulders and set off again. According
to the map I brought with me, the waterfall should be just around a few more
bends and over the next rise, and then it would be just a short climb to reach
the summit. I had done it! Bucket List Item #43— “Hike To the Top of Stormwylde
Mountain” would be complete within the hour.
The realization galvanized my feet, and very soon, the
rushing roar of the waterfall filled my ears as I watched the glittering white
tower spilling endlessly before me. I sat on a protruding rock jutting out from
the wall behind me, to give my feet a rest. Pulling my backpack onto my lap, I
reached into the snack pocket and pulled out a granola bar to much.
*rustle, rustle*
“Chu-chrra?”
I nearly threw my granola bar as a large rodent materialized
in front of me. The rushing water had likely muffled the sound of its approach,
which is why I didn’t see it until it was literally an arms-length away.
I had never seen a creature like it. It had a bushy tail
like a squirrel, but it sat about two feet high, staring at me with its beady
eyes, holding its paws together like a porcupine without the quills.
“Chu-chrra?” It chittered again, inching closer. Now I could
tell that its attention focused on the granola bar in my hand. Was it safe to
feed, like a squirrel or a chipmunk? What kind of a rodent was it?
Slowly, I broke off a small piece of granola bar. The snap
seemed to terrify the creature, sending it scurrying back toward the bushes,
jabbering angrily at me.
“Chee-chrree-chrree!! Chee-chukka!!”
“Sorry!” I dont know why I started talking to the animal. I
held out the piece of granola bar. “Here; want some?”
I could see its beady eyes watching me from the bushes. The
tiny nose wriggled, and the churra (I decided to call it that, since that was
the noise it made) slowly inched forward at the sight of the bar.
I tossed the crumb onto the path, and almost as soon as it
landed, the brown whirlwind blasted out of the bushes and snatched it up. I
could hear happy “Chrrr, chrrr” noises as it munched.
I tossed a few other pieces to the churra, finished the rest
of the granola bar, and stood to continue on my way.
“Chrrra?”
The inquisitive animal had finished the food and now stood
right beside me. When I looked down, it scampered to a small side path that led
toward the waterfall.
“Okay, guess we’re not going together,” I said. “Bye!” I
stayed on the path that would lead me to the summit.
“CHEEE!” the churra shrieked, running back to me and taking
my ankles hostage. It actually stood up and placed its little claws against my
leg, pushing me back toward the small path. “Chrrra?” It warbled innocently.
I took an obligatory step down the path, and the churra
scampered eagerly ahead. A creepy feeling crawled across the back of my neck;
why did I get the feeling this animal was leading me somewhere?
I shook my head. “What am I doing? Stay on the path; follow
the map!” I turned to climb back up to the main trail.
A second time, I almost tripped over the churra; it
deliberately inserted itself between my feet! As I regained my balance on the
narrow path with a steep drop to one side, the churra positioned itself behind
me, taking up the whole path and not letting me retrace my steps.
“Are you kidding me right now?” I groaned, turning to head
back toward the waterfall as my only option. We were so close, I could feel the
spray saturating my clothes. The churra urged me on, walking in front of me
more frequently after I made no more attempts to walk back.
A flash of bright, colored light caught my eye. A glinting
water drop? It didn’t fade in the shadows, though. It had roughly the shape and
flight pattern of a butterfly, but still, it was glowing brighter than I had
seen any other animal. When I stood next to the waterfall, the glowing, flying
thing fluttered right up to my face.
I blinked. That couldn’t be right! My eyes must be playing
tricks on me, because instead of the three-part abdomen of a bug, I saw the
minuscule shape of a humanoid between those wings!
It fluttered back toward the waterfall, and what happened
next felt like an optical illusion. It was like the waterfall was projected
onto a hanging curtain, which the flying thing (fairy?) lifted aside, revealing
a shadowy passageway underneath the waterfall. I stood, stunned, as the churra
calmly trotted forward. At the threshold, it stopped and turned back to me.
“Chrrraka?” It’s call echoed, as if the shadows concealed a
vast chamber.
“Here goes nothing,” I muttered to myself, following the
churra into the cavern under the waterfall.
Almost immediately, instead of rock and darkness, I found
myself walking in a grassy field, with bright sun shining overhead. I saw trees
in the distance, and I heard a whole lot of chattering and rustling as dozens
more of the fuzzy brown churras scampered toward me.
I looked around, trying to get my bearings. Where was the
waterfall I had just passed? Where was the mountain?
Where was I?
A rumble echoed overhead, like a short burst of a jet
engine. Instinctively I looked to the sky.
My heart jumped into my throat. Floating through the blue
expanse was the unmistakable form of a really-truly DRAGON!
“I have a feeling I’m not on Stormwylde anymore,” I muttered
to no one in particular.
>>>>>>>>>>>
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