A Light From the Shadows Shall Spring

Name: Cecilia Farrow
Nickname: Cissy
Age: 27

Blonde hair, pale skin, deep blue-grey eyes

I squared my shoulders, taking a deep breath in hopes of steadying my nerves. I kept having to remind myself that I wanted to do this. I needed it. Looking back over my shoulder, I hiked up my backpack a little higher and gave a reassuring smile to my family members who had come to see me off. They were nervous for me, I could tell, but they smiled and waved anyways.

I turned to face the land in front of me and took my first step. And then another. And another. Slowly, slowly, my deliberate steps fell into a rhythm and I was off. Backpacking across New Zealand had come as a surprise to everyone when I told them I was interested in doing it. It had always been something I'd wanted to do. Or rather, something we had wanted to do. There were so many things we had wanted, and so many things we would never see fulfilled. All because of a car accident. A flaming hunk of metal weighing more than was even imaginable took the life of a man who was supposed to be here for so much longer. The only man I had ever loved was gone, and now, this was what I had to do. I had to leave everything behind for a little while and go somewhere I'd never gone before.

I had trained for months for this. I took survival classes and I took rock/ice climbing classes and bought everything I would need for my journey. I had hiked the highest mountains I could climb and maneuvered my way through bogs and marshes. I had a tent and some extra clothes, and knowledge on how to catch food if I ran out, and I knew how to get water if I ran out of what I'd bought with me, which would more than likely happen. I felt ready for this. But when I waved goodbye to my family, and as each step took me farther away from them, I had this strange feeling that I couldn't place. It was a sad feeling, but also a feeling of uncertainty of my future. I pushed it aside and continued walking until finally, I looked back and could no longer see the small, familiar figures that had accompanied me today. There were mountains in the distance, and I kept my eyes fixed on them, determined to travel though them in the weeks to come.

I would walk until my feet were sore and my eyes were droopy and then I would stop to rest. I would eat when I was hungry and drink when I was thirsty. After three days of walking, I was still on flat ground, although more brush and trees were popping up. By nightfall of the fourth day, I had noticed the ground was slightly more inclined, and little hills were beginning to form underneath the yellowed grass. I made camp for the night and knew that by the end of tomorrow I would begin the ascent to the mountains so I could make my way through them.

By the seventh day, I had climbed to about 12,000 feet and I was slightly surprised at how relatively flat the land was here. This mountain took its time to reach its full height, and in a way, I was glad for it.

The sky was grey today, and a strange fog hung in the air. I pulled my jacket a little tighter around myself and for the first time since I'd begun my journey, I wished I had someone with me. I had been thinking a lot this past week and I was in need of human interaction, but realized this was not a likely occurrence out here. As I walked along, I noticed a ravine had started to form to my right. I could see where the brownish-grey dirt had separated itself, as long, jagged-looking edges protruded downwards, into the ground. As I climbed in altitude, the grooves became deeper, and soon, I could no longer see the bottom of the ravine from the path I was walking. I didn't know why, but it unsettled me. I felt a little too close to the edge, even though I was more than a safe distance away from it.

I decided to keep my gaze forward, and tried not to think about how long of a fall it would be had I decided to walk along the fragile edge. As I continued to walk, I noticed something up ahead. For the briefest second I was alarmed, and didn't know what I thought the thing was- only that it could be a million things. I knew for sure it was a very bright white, and it almost seemed to glow. I changed course slightly so I could pass closer to the object and hopefully make out what it was.

Eventually I was close enough to tell that it was a tree- a magnificent tree at that. It was pure white and looked old and almost sad, but it looked as though the tree still had life in it. It was a subtle depiction of life, but there nonetheless. I was mystified. I had never seen anything like it. I walked right up next to it and reached out to touch it. It was warm to the touch and I was startled, but I was even more startled by what happened next. The ground beneath the tree started shaking and I tried to back away but found that I couldn't move my legs. It was as if they were super-glued to the ground. And then, to my horror, the ground around the tree began to crack and fall away, deep down, into a black nothing-ness. My heart raced in my chest and I desperately tried to grab something that would keep me from falling the same way the earth had. However, to my absolute horror, I began to feel the exact dirt under my feet give way and I could do nothing to stop it. I cried out, knowing that no one would hear me, but hoping anyway. And then, the patch of ground I was standing on fell away from the earth and I fell with it. I screamed out, hoping the end of the drop would be soon. My arms flailed out as I tried to come in contact with something I could grab hold of, but there was just nothingness.