Under the Surface
Part 2
Eyes snapping open and body aching on an uncomfortable surface, Ethan woke. After his hazy vision focused, he looked around his new environment. It looked to him like a mermaid's grotto.
Damp, jutting rock walls stretching upwards, beyond his view line, were draped with seaweed and shells and the echoes of water droplets falling from the ceiling resounded across the vast space. Primitive torches made out of carved driftwood hung conspicuously. A few meters apart from one another, on the rough walls of the cave, they were the only sources of light.
He stood up shakily and was drawn to the only other human sound apart from his own awkward walking - someone was crying. Instead of thinking about where he was, or what was going to happen to him, he thought about whom the tears being shed belonged to.
The sobs sounded like a girl's and he immediately thought of Erica. Perhaps she was crying for him...
He felt his way along the cave wall, not daring to walk the other side where there were no torches, and eventually spotted a gloomy figure slumped against a wall near him. As he drew nearer he could make out the person's features.
She was around his age, he guessed, and was wearing a dress that looked like she had arrived from a party. It looked expensive and flattering, but he couldn't tell because it was dirty and soaking wet. Her handbag lay beside her, also soaked, and she was barefoot. He tripped over something and identified it as one of the high-heeled shoes she must have kicked off earlier.
'Is this yours?' he asked uneasily, and dropped it onto the ground. The girl looked up at him quickly, as if she had only just noticed his presence, and then hid her face in her hands. She had stopped wailing, but he could see she wasn't all right.
He sat down beside her and waited until she wanted to talk. Eventually she sighed tiredly and then lifted her head to look at him. He was bitterly disappointed to see that she looked nothing like Erica. Her eyes were a dark brown and her hair was black instead of Erica's chestnut brown. She didn't look ugly, but she wasn't Erica. Ethan looked away from her stare.
'Do you know where we are?' she asked in a voice that was raspy and cracked from crying so much. Her pale face was blotched with tear marks.
'I haven't got a clue.' Ethan answered honestly, his own voice strained by exhaustion. He felt like he had just run a marathon.
'I see.' the girl said and she rubbed her eyes self-consciously, becoming aware that she had just been crying uncontrollably in front of a stranger. Then she watched him with suspicion. Ethan didn't want her to be scared of him and run away - he wanted somebody with him.
'My name is Ethan.' he said in as friendly a voice he could manage. Then he looked at her, expecting her to repeat the courtesy.
'Rose.' she answered solemnly. Ethan thought of how her name matched the dark crimson fabric of her dress.
'How long have you been here?' he asked, wanting to find out anything he could about this new place. Was this the afterlife? It certainly wasn't like any heaven or hell he had ever imagined.
'I don't know... hours. I walked for a while, but then I stopped. I saw...' she trailed off and fear filled her chocolate coloured eyes.
Ethan knew not to ask what she saw, but the question burned deep inside of him. Did she see heaven? Hell? Where were they?
'All we can do is keep going, Rose. We can't stay here.' He said instead. It was true - they couldn't stay in the dank passageway forever. The passage must lead to somewhere. Ethan saw it as a test, a test to see if he was brave enough to enter heaven and be with Erica.
'No, I can't!' Suddenly her voice rose and pure panic tarnished her expression. 'I can't see that again!' Now Ethan wanted to ask too much to contain his words.
'See what?'
'The night she died! I was there again... I saw her dead...' she said, fresh tears pouring down her face. Ethan did not know what she meant, but what she said deeply disturbed him. This was obviously a memory of hers, prominently in her mind. But why would she see her memories like that?
Curiosity took over fear. Ethan wanted to walk through the passage to heaven. If he had to see his own memories, so be it. They would all be a test.
'Don't worry Rose; I'll be there for you if you see it again. They're only memories - they can't hurt you.' He reassured her as best he could, a burning desire to start walking gripping him.
Rose looked up at him as if she was drowning and he was a safety ring. She nodded slowly - even after what she saw she didn't want to die slowly in a cave. She wanted to be saved. Ethan smiled at her and then extended one arm for her to hold onto. He pulled her up and she stood unsteadily on her bare feet.
Her leg buckled beneath her and she screamed out in pain.
'My leg! My leg!'
Ethan caught her before she fell and could tell that she was unable to walk. He put one of her thin arms across his shoulders and shifted her weight onto him.
'Hop on your good leg. It'll be alright - I'll look after you.' He reassured her again. They began walking, at first awkwardly, and then they settled into a rhythm and began the journey that they didn't know the destination to or the length of. All Ethan knew was that nothing was going to stop him finding Erica.
Nothing...
Damp, jutting rock walls stretching upwards, beyond his view line, were draped with seaweed and shells and the echoes of water droplets falling from the ceiling resounded across the vast space. Primitive torches made out of carved driftwood hung conspicuously. A few meters apart from one another, on the rough walls of the cave, they were the only sources of light.
He stood up shakily and was drawn to the only other human sound apart from his own awkward walking - someone was crying. Instead of thinking about where he was, or what was going to happen to him, he thought about whom the tears being shed belonged to.
The sobs sounded like a girl's and he immediately thought of Erica. Perhaps she was crying for him...
He felt his way along the cave wall, not daring to walk the other side where there were no torches, and eventually spotted a gloomy figure slumped against a wall near him. As he drew nearer he could make out the person's features.
She was around his age, he guessed, and was wearing a dress that looked like she had arrived from a party. It looked expensive and flattering, but he couldn't tell because it was dirty and soaking wet. Her handbag lay beside her, also soaked, and she was barefoot. He tripped over something and identified it as one of the high-heeled shoes she must have kicked off earlier.
'Is this yours?' he asked uneasily, and dropped it onto the ground. The girl looked up at him quickly, as if she had only just noticed his presence, and then hid her face in her hands. She had stopped wailing, but he could see she wasn't all right.
He sat down beside her and waited until she wanted to talk. Eventually she sighed tiredly and then lifted her head to look at him. He was bitterly disappointed to see that she looked nothing like Erica. Her eyes were a dark brown and her hair was black instead of Erica's chestnut brown. She didn't look ugly, but she wasn't Erica. Ethan looked away from her stare.
'Do you know where we are?' she asked in a voice that was raspy and cracked from crying so much. Her pale face was blotched with tear marks.
'I haven't got a clue.' Ethan answered honestly, his own voice strained by exhaustion. He felt like he had just run a marathon.
'I see.' the girl said and she rubbed her eyes self-consciously, becoming aware that she had just been crying uncontrollably in front of a stranger. Then she watched him with suspicion. Ethan didn't want her to be scared of him and run away - he wanted somebody with him.
'My name is Ethan.' he said in as friendly a voice he could manage. Then he looked at her, expecting her to repeat the courtesy.
'Rose.' she answered solemnly. Ethan thought of how her name matched the dark crimson fabric of her dress.
'How long have you been here?' he asked, wanting to find out anything he could about this new place. Was this the afterlife? It certainly wasn't like any heaven or hell he had ever imagined.
'I don't know... hours. I walked for a while, but then I stopped. I saw...' she trailed off and fear filled her chocolate coloured eyes.
Ethan knew not to ask what she saw, but the question burned deep inside of him. Did she see heaven? Hell? Where were they?
'All we can do is keep going, Rose. We can't stay here.' He said instead. It was true - they couldn't stay in the dank passageway forever. The passage must lead to somewhere. Ethan saw it as a test, a test to see if he was brave enough to enter heaven and be with Erica.
'No, I can't!' Suddenly her voice rose and pure panic tarnished her expression. 'I can't see that again!' Now Ethan wanted to ask too much to contain his words.
'See what?'
'The night she died! I was there again... I saw her dead...' she said, fresh tears pouring down her face. Ethan did not know what she meant, but what she said deeply disturbed him. This was obviously a memory of hers, prominently in her mind. But why would she see her memories like that?
Curiosity took over fear. Ethan wanted to walk through the passage to heaven. If he had to see his own memories, so be it. They would all be a test.
'Don't worry Rose; I'll be there for you if you see it again. They're only memories - they can't hurt you.' He reassured her as best he could, a burning desire to start walking gripping him.
Rose looked up at him as if she was drowning and he was a safety ring. She nodded slowly - even after what she saw she didn't want to die slowly in a cave. She wanted to be saved. Ethan smiled at her and then extended one arm for her to hold onto. He pulled her up and she stood unsteadily on her bare feet.
Her leg buckled beneath her and she screamed out in pain.
'My leg! My leg!'
Ethan caught her before she fell and could tell that she was unable to walk. He put one of her thin arms across his shoulders and shifted her weight onto him.
'Hop on your good leg. It'll be alright - I'll look after you.' He reassured her again. They began walking, at first awkwardly, and then they settled into a rhythm and began the journey that they didn't know the destination to or the length of. All Ethan knew was that nothing was going to stop him finding Erica.
Nothing...