Juniper
The Cave
I didn’t have a better choice. I could either suffocate in the fog or strangle Jamie because he wouldn’t stop telling me about it. On the taxi, he wouldn’t stop talking. He kept saying, “I want to go to the mine!”
When we arrived, the Tension that almost destroyed this country was creeping around us. Jamie didn’t mind at all. He was almost wetting himself out of excitement. I hardly understand what he’s thinking. I just wonder if Jamie has a master plan to take over the world of something. The Tension didn’t help lessen the problem; instead, it increased. Tension makes people that are years apart to fight with each other. Harley is 10 and I am 17 years old. I think our age difference was enough to make us fight.
This was probably the worst thing about the Tension. I wasn’t born yet, but I heard from countless people that they had no choice but to hate their own parents. All families that lived in America were affected. Most parents were driven out of the country by their own parents. Some families fled before they were affected. People younger than 18, hated other people older than 21. For some unknown reason, people that were 19 and 20 weren’t unaffected until they turned 21.
Harley suddenly started attacking me. The dagger I gave him for his 9th birthday was being pointed at me. I taught him to use it well. He cut me up pretty badly. I have cuts in my arms, legs, and under my ribs. I had no choice but to pin him down.
I was a little mad because the Tension was giving me a headache. I was also sad: I was getting along with him well and it was all going down the drain. I taught him how to use the dagger well. It’s a little shame that I didn’t bring a weapon. Maybe I could cut him up a little (just the way he is doing right now) and make him realize what he was doing.
I finally pinned him down and took his dagger away. He trashed around. Jamie yelled at my face, “Let go!”
He spat on my face and quickly wiped it off. I realized too late that I released him. He threw me off and ran closer to the mine. I chased after him, yelling his name. I watch him run inside a cave. I ran inside with no hesitation. It was difficult to run in the dark. I couldn’t see at all. I had to walk slowly or I would continue to bump into the walls. I imagined pathways and creepy monsters that were waiting for me. This is one of the most dangerous places in the world. It felt like a while until I saw something. It was a small glow. I walked closer to it, thinking it may be an exit. The closer I got the more cautious I was of the green glow. The light grew in size, but I didn’t see an exit. Reaching the glow, I saw that it wasn’t an exit. The walls were actually glowing. They shook and I wondered why until I noticed the way they shook. The cave was breathing. The walls caved in and then spread away from me. I was too amazed with the breathing, green walls that I didn’t bother looking at where I was walking. I took one more step and I fell. What I fell into was heavy and I couldn’t swim up. The green light hit what I was drowning in. It was black.
The murky black liquid would not let me go. Instead of floating to the top, I sunk lower. I thrashed around but it did nothing for me. The liquid stuck to my skin and it burned. I tried breathing but it went inside my mouth. I coughed it out, but it didn’t get any better. My head went below the murky liquid. I opened my eyes and it felt like I didn’t. I saw nothing but darkness. It was even darker than the cave. It was the blackest thing I ever saw.
I had troubled breathing. I was losing consciousness. In my mind, I was thinking, "I didn’t even get an audience to say ‘Goodbye, cruel world!’"
When we arrived, the Tension that almost destroyed this country was creeping around us. Jamie didn’t mind at all. He was almost wetting himself out of excitement. I hardly understand what he’s thinking. I just wonder if Jamie has a master plan to take over the world of something. The Tension didn’t help lessen the problem; instead, it increased. Tension makes people that are years apart to fight with each other. Harley is 10 and I am 17 years old. I think our age difference was enough to make us fight.
This was probably the worst thing about the Tension. I wasn’t born yet, but I heard from countless people that they had no choice but to hate their own parents. All families that lived in America were affected. Most parents were driven out of the country by their own parents. Some families fled before they were affected. People younger than 18, hated other people older than 21. For some unknown reason, people that were 19 and 20 weren’t unaffected until they turned 21.
Harley suddenly started attacking me. The dagger I gave him for his 9th birthday was being pointed at me. I taught him to use it well. He cut me up pretty badly. I have cuts in my arms, legs, and under my ribs. I had no choice but to pin him down.
I was a little mad because the Tension was giving me a headache. I was also sad: I was getting along with him well and it was all going down the drain. I taught him how to use the dagger well. It’s a little shame that I didn’t bring a weapon. Maybe I could cut him up a little (just the way he is doing right now) and make him realize what he was doing.
I finally pinned him down and took his dagger away. He trashed around. Jamie yelled at my face, “Let go!”
He spat on my face and quickly wiped it off. I realized too late that I released him. He threw me off and ran closer to the mine. I chased after him, yelling his name. I watch him run inside a cave. I ran inside with no hesitation. It was difficult to run in the dark. I couldn’t see at all. I had to walk slowly or I would continue to bump into the walls. I imagined pathways and creepy monsters that were waiting for me. This is one of the most dangerous places in the world. It felt like a while until I saw something. It was a small glow. I walked closer to it, thinking it may be an exit. The closer I got the more cautious I was of the green glow. The light grew in size, but I didn’t see an exit. Reaching the glow, I saw that it wasn’t an exit. The walls were actually glowing. They shook and I wondered why until I noticed the way they shook. The cave was breathing. The walls caved in and then spread away from me. I was too amazed with the breathing, green walls that I didn’t bother looking at where I was walking. I took one more step and I fell. What I fell into was heavy and I couldn’t swim up. The green light hit what I was drowning in. It was black.
The murky black liquid would not let me go. Instead of floating to the top, I sunk lower. I thrashed around but it did nothing for me. The liquid stuck to my skin and it burned. I tried breathing but it went inside my mouth. I coughed it out, but it didn’t get any better. My head went below the murky liquid. I opened my eyes and it felt like I didn’t. I saw nothing but darkness. It was even darker than the cave. It was the blackest thing I ever saw.
I had troubled breathing. I was losing consciousness. In my mind, I was thinking, "I didn’t even get an audience to say ‘Goodbye, cruel world!’"