Chapter 5

Isqueeze through the narrow tunnel, pushing my heavy backpack in front of me to make more space. Dirt and pebbles scrape against my hands as I struggle to see through the darkness. The walls close in on me, and a sense of claustrophobia sets in as I keep moving forward.

Electricity surges through me, raising the hairs on my arms. My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. Suddenly, the exit is clear; a soft light beckons.

I emerge from the tunnel, stumbling out onto the soft ground and falling into my backpack. Blinking to adjust to the sudden change in lighting, I stand up and take in my surroundings. My jaw drops.

Definitely not in Kansas anymore.

I'm still in the forest at the foot of Devil's Mountain… but it's not the same place. There's none of the inky darkness, but a soft blue hue and the moonlight. The trees here tower above me, endless. Dozens of fireflies glow near the top of one particularly large tree.

I blink twice. Fireflies? So up north? And during the winter?

The cold is not as bad here, but I shiver. Not from the chill, but from the abrupt shift in the atmosphere. The surrounding forest is alive with this luminescence, an otherworldly glow that seeps into the leaves. Vines climb barks, sprouting bright flowers I've never seen before.

And it's so light here. Still evening, but much lighter, with the moon illuminating every root, every branch.

Have I gone through a literal portal? To where? Another time? The past? Or another world?

My heart skips a beat. I can't help the thrill that curls inside me.

I asked myself, what else? and this is the answer. This is what lies within the forest.

A raven caws from above. I jump and whirl around. The bird sits in the same spot as the previous one, perched on a branch of the ash tree. I narrow my eyes in doubt.

Either this is still my world somehow, or this bird is the doorman.

The baby whimpers, but I'm so close now that I can hear it just fine. Leaving the raven behind, I haul my backpack up and follow the sound, pushing through a tangle of branches.

How did this baby even get here? The hypothesis of fae grows more likely by the second.

Past the branches, the terrain opens into another small clearing. It's here. The sound comes from here. Silver moonlight turns the area blue and white, muting the colors, illuminating strangely large leaves, tall grass,…

And a dead body.