This challenge was run by Eddie Sullivan. The challenge was to tell a story one could tell around campfire that started with " The stupid light was shining right in my eyes." The story had to end with "I think it is finally over. It is too dark too see and I am too scared to look." Example story: Hump Hungry By: Eddie Sullivan The stupid light was shining right in my eyes. “God damn it Jimmy, stop screwing around with that thing and hold still. I’m trying to paddle here.” “Sorry Rick, this lake is creepy. I ain’t sure it is worth it doing this.” “It is worth it. You don’t know any better cause you're a virgin.” “Am not!” “Whatever! You haven’t even seen a girl naked!” “Yes, I have!” “Your sister don’t count!” “Take it back Dick!” Jimmy jumped up toward the front of the canoe swinging the light. I pushed him back with the paddle. “Sit down asshole. The boat will tip and I don’t feel like swimming tonight!” I placed it back in the water and kept paddling. “This camp is for cheerleaders. We are so getting laid! Cheerleaders love Eagle Scouts. It’s the uniform. Also if you ever call me Dick again I’m gonna crack you in the head with this and leave you to drown.” “Screw you Dick!” “What did I just say!” I swung the paddle back up at Jimmy. “I wasn’t making fun of your name, I was calling you a dick!” “Whatever. I should have taken Stu across the lake.” “Maybe you should’ve. This lake is creepy as shit.” Jimmy swept the light over the water back and forth. “Why did they ever put a Scout camp on Crystal Lake anyway? Haven’t they ever seen that movie?” “The camp was here before those movies, sissy. Are you really telling me you are afraid of slashers in masks?” “It is just scary, okay?” “Your just faggy, okay?” “Asshole. How much longer? I gotta pee.” “You would. The guy I talked to at Jamboree in Connecticut said it was dead straight across the lake and a little west. We should be there any time now.” Jimmy heard a low wailing sound. “Shit what was that. Let’s go back!” “You are such a wuss. That was a loon. They are all over the lake. I swear I don’t even know why we are friends.” Jimmy flashes the light around on the water. “Oh yeah a loon. I knew that.” “Yup. Sure.” “Hey look a light.” “Where?” “Over there off to the right.” “Yeah I see it. I will paddle us over. Welcome to the promised land my man. Time to get lucky.” We drifted quietly to shore and landed our dingy. It was time to get our feet wet. I jumped right in, but Jimmy hesitated. “Hey Rick, what if they freak out about us being here.” “You worry too much. We brought beer, they will love us. C’mon jackass!” He got out of the boat like the little princess he is, trying to jump to dry land without splashing in the water. “ Just help me pull it up on shore will ya!” “I’m trying’ to.” “Come on the light is over this way.” We walked towards the flickering light and started to hear music. It was heavy drums and girls shrieking. “Damn man, they are throwing a party. I bet it’s an orgy!” “Rick, why would they be throwing an orgy at an all girls cheerleading camp?” “You really are a special kinda stupid ain’t ya? You ever heard of lesbians? They got no boys so they have their fun with themselves!” “That can’t be true. That is just something that happens in dirty movies.” “Listen to that screaming, giggling and moaning and tell me I’m wrong.” Sure enough we got to the edge of the bushes and of course I was right. There was the heavenly sight of cheerleader upon cheerleader as naked as God made them. They were bouncing around gyrating to the drum music. They were kissing and painting each other’s naked bodies with paints. Some of them were eating great big hunks of meat like primitive sexual cavewomen. I heard Jimmy suck in a breath. “I know. That my friend is an orgy!” Jimmy didn’t even seem to be looking at the naked chicks. He was pointing at their bonfire. Hung over the fire was Greg, a scout who had gone missing on a hike that day. We hadn’t given enough of a shit about Greg to cancel our rendezvous with sexual destiny. Jimmy started whimpering. “What are they doing? Are they eating him?” They had worked through Greg’s legs but much remained of him over the fire. I looked closer and the girls all had their teeth filed to points which gleamed by the light of the fire and the moon. “Jimmy, we have to back away, run to the boat.” I had already started backing away as I said that. Jimmy was not the cool, collected type. I knew this so I wasn’t really surprised at what came next. He screamed. He screamed so loud the girls heard him over the music and turned toward us. Time to haul ass! I turned and made a run for it. Jimmy wasn’t out running me! I heard the girls screaming behind us. It sounded like that crazy bad ass Arab chant from movies and shit, but not quite. I saw things coming through the dark to the front and sides of me. “Shit Rick, those are arrows!” “Keep running!” I heard a thunk and Jimmy fall. He was screwed. My legs were pumping. Maybe they would stop to take care of him. I saw the dingy. Almost home free. I ran down the beach and hoped in. That damn boat was ten feet out just from my momentum. I grabbed that paddle and started digging in to that water! I heard splashing. They couldn’t possibly be swimming! I paddled till my heart felt like it would burst. I could barely move my arms. I had got out of there so quick I didn’t even see where I was headed. I realized Jimmy had the flash light. They could be swimming after me. I think it is finally over. It is too dark too see and I am too scared to look. The End Top User avatar kailhofer Editor Emeritus Posts: 3245 Joined: December 31, 1969, 08:00:00 PM Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin (USA) Contact: Contact kailhofer Campfire Games Post by kailhofer » April 24, 2016, 05:04:17 PM Nothing to See By: Robin B. Lipinski The stupid light was shining right in my eyes. Yes, you heard me, light as in bright, penetrating light which was not white but rather of the intense blue kind one sees while welding without a welders mask. “Ah, you’re full of crap as usual Bruce, and I bet you’re going to say it is your PTSD you got while in Iraq which caused you to talk about the rocket attack again.” “Yeah, he’s right Bruce, you’re full of crap…Hey, your marshmallow is burning, ha!” Shit, I hate when my marshmallow turns into a sugary mass of molten goo. Damn…Ouch, damnit. Sounds a little stupid right? I mean come on, three guys sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows when they should be shacked up with some women with no morality and love hot, sweaty sex. Now, let me tell you something. You’re probably a writer, right? Probably a pretty bad one if you’re spending more time on the internet reading other writers work then working on your own…Oh, I see I hit a nerve, well truth can sometimes hurt. I bet you’ve even attended some writer’s camp where some, ‘guru’ was talking to you about how you can better your writing? Maybe giving you tips on how not to talk in your writing as if the first person? Yep, thought so, and… Ouch, ooh, ah this marshmallow is beyond redemption and that bright light is still hurting my head. Wait a minute, where is that voice coming from talking about writers? “Who ya talking to Bruce, you’re a loon for sure!” “Yeah, a loon, awoooo! Probably gonna burn your next mallow too, ha.” Oh, this is good, Bruce is burning his snack, his friends are making fun of him and I get to fuck with them. Who am I? You know, oh you know full well… Who is there? Are you guys playing a trick on me? Come on, I bet you brought that idiot, Rick out here to mess with my mind. Rick, come on out of the bushes you dweeb, I know it’s you. This is the part where the narrator paints a picture with words and music. You can now see in your mind a dark, forestry setting, the deep slow bass of a throbbing drum along the moon hidden behind a cloud, plus there is the potential of a prankster named, Rick hiding in the bushes, but you would be wrong as there is no prankster, just three guys sitting around a campfire, and of course, me. Okay Rick, I know it’s you. “Who are you talking to Bruce? Man, you’re messed up dude, and judging by your latest attempt at writing I think you’re losing what’s left of your mind.” “Yeah, seriously, maybe you need help?” Ah, there is that stupid light flashing in my eyes again, boy does it hurt. (Intermission) Hungry, need some popcorn, a chocolate bar, marshmallow, maybe some hardcore sex? HeeHee. While you’re busy trying to figure out just what kind of strange (censored) (censored) and (censored) weird stuff you’re reading written by what clearly is a deranged 'person', let me fill you in on what you’re missing while this story is taking a break. Bruce is suffering from PTSD after enduring some top-secret stuff you’re not allowed to read. I, of course, am constantly by his side to help him in his attacks and also to make him suffer greatly. His two camping buddies were close grade school friends and were now in the middle of being butchered. Dave, poor old Dave. Once he was a trapping partner who with Bruce, had skinned many a beaver and mink. Now, his skin was peeled from his body as smoothly as a freshly peeled muskrat, and his severed head was laying open eyed looking at the now discarded marshmallow stick. Jack, ah yes, Jack, this was a fun one. Jack was beaten to death with Bruce's bare hands and then skinned and beheaded with the head impaled on the stick and roasting nicely in the fire, though with Bruce’s cooking skill or lack thereof, was already singed and the smell of burnt flesh filled the area. (End of intermission) We’re back, and as you can see by my master narration, the scene is pretty bloody. Poor Bruce was holding his blood spattered hands on his head, his body rocking back-and-forth while the scattered marshmallows were on the ground soaking up fresh blood. And this is where I’m going to let Bruce have his mind back…What? You want to know who I am? Ha! You can’t handle what you already know. Needless to say I’m there when you need a little evil in your life, and might I suggest you tap into it as this world needs a little more blood flowing… Ohhh, my head hurts, that stupid light…When will this nightmare end? (HeeHee, and with a final positive thought before opening his eyes) I think it is finally over. It is too dark too see and I am too scared to look. (the nearing end of what’s left of the authors sanity) The End Top User avatar kailhofer Editor Emeritus Posts: 3245 Joined: December 31, 1969, 08:00:00 PM Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin (USA) Contact: Contact kailhofer Campfire Games Post by kailhofer » April 24, 2016, 05:05:15 PM Bioluminescence By: P.A. Hosler The stupid light was shining right in my eyes... Peter and I had been cave diving together for years, it was unlike him to be so rude while we were diving in such dark depths. I assumed the excitement of our discovery was causing his lack of courtesy. I reached out to brush his flashlight aside so my eyes could recover from the temporary blindness he caused me, but he wasn’t within reach. I squinted and saw his silhouette gliding through the brightest light I’d ever seen. Moments before the cave was blanketed in darkness you’d expect to find in such places. I swam quickly towards Peter’s dark form. He was headed for the crevice we had just found in the cave wall. A thin gash, impossibly bright. When I caught up to Peter he was already investigating the cave wall. Above the crevice I could see much better. Peter scribbled on his slate, “It’s just wide enough to squeeze through.” I frowned and shook my head. We’d squeezed through some pretty tight places before, but none of those were eerily lit. There may have been some bioluminescence now and then, but nothing like this. I’d never encountered another diver with tales of such phenomena. Peter held up his slate again, “I’m going in!” I knew I wouldn’t be able to change his mind. I shrugged and gave him a thumbs up. Peter of course was going first. There wasn’t enough space to go through with our tanks strapped on, there almost never was when we’d maneuvered through formations like these. Peter unstrapped his tank and pushed it ahead of him. He often bragged that if the tank fit he could fit, it was his “wide enough” gage. We checked our tether and Peter disappeared head first into the narrow gap. The line spooled out slowly with only brief pauses. At eight feet the line stopped moving. I began to worry, but finally three sharp tugs alerted me that it was my turn to make the trip through the gap. I suppose I can’t claim claustrophobia. I’ve been spelunking and cave diving for the last eight years now, but I’ll say I’ve never become comfortable with the tight squeezes we occasionally get ourselves into. Cave diving is dangerous as hell, taking risks of any kind beyond the one you’re already taking is not recommended. Peter and I actively discourage what we do. This is how we get our rush, this is our envelope to push. We’ve lost a few friends over the years. Peter lost his last dive partner a few years before I ran into him. I think that is why he has to make the first move when we breach the unknown. I don’t think it’s guilt or an over protective nature, I get the feeling that if anyone is going to die during one of his dives he wants to be first. I think he views death as just another cave to explore. I’m not so morbid. I don’t necessarily fear death but I really don’t want to die anytime soon either. I was more nervous than usual. There shouldn’t have been any light down here. My skin itched, craving the inky blackness that is supposed to be surrounding you when you’re below the Earth’s surface. Peter was already on the other side, so I slid my tank through the hole following it head first on my back. I expected it to be a tight fit. Several times the squeeze was so tight I had to exhale nearly all the air from my lungs to keep moving forward. I imagined that one wrong move in one direction or another would wedge me so firmly in place that the breath I just released could easily be my last. I felt Peter grab my tank and guide it the final few feet out of the narrow passage. His path was expert and I wriggled out into an immense domed cavern. Although the light was intense, there was no heat. The thing producing the light was enormous, it’s breadth and girth nearly consuming the entirety of the space we had just entered. “I’m going to get a closer look”, Peter had already scribbled onto his tablet. I wasn’t sharing his curiosity at that moment but I nodded slowly as I shrugged my tank back on and we swam, still tethered, towards the glowing behemoth. As we approached it, a hole began to form on it’s surface. Inside was the inky blackness I’d found myself longing for just a short time before. I stopped swimming, but Peter seemed to be drawn towards it. I tugged our line but he didn’t seem to notice or care. Suddenly, the hole started to move towards us. A long tube had formed, it moved closer, and the light down its shaft began to oscillate ribbons of dark and light. Suction was being generated through a long fleshy straw, pulling us into it. I turned to swim away but was abruptly stopped as our tether jerked taut. I turned in time to see the end of the tube engulf Peter’s fins and slowly move up his legs and towards the rest of his torso. He turned his tablet towards me, “Come with me Allen, it’s so... peaceful...” I tried to unhook the tether. I watched in horror as Peter’s head and then his outstretched arms, still clutching the tablet, disappeared inside the creature’s orifice. As it closed around the rope I imagined a long strand of spaghetti being sucked into its deadly lipless maw. I panicked as I was being drawn closer. As soon as it touched me, what I can only assume was a powerful neurotoxin coursed through my body. I couldn’t move, but I didn’t experience the peacefulness Peter mentioned. I wanted to scream as the tube slid over my mouth and then slowly over my mask. ...I think it’s finally over. It’s too dark to see and I’m too scared to look. The End Top User avatar kailhofer Editor Emeritus Posts: 3245 Joined: December 31, 1969, 08:00:00 PM Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin (USA) Contact: Contact kailhofer Campfire Games Post by kailhofer » April 24, 2016, 05:06:33 PM The Night of Their Coming By: Sergio Palumbo The stupid light was shining right in my eyes. It was night – THAT night! - and here they came. AGAIN! Not that such a moment had been entirely unexpected, although it was certainly not desirable or acceptable, by any means. Anyways, this was how events had gotten to this point, after the sun had finally set... ------------------------ The fresh air of the late evening wrapped the hills as if it were an invisible dome with boundaries that nobody could see clearly, but it was there. You could tell its limits by the freezing drops of water on the shrubbery’s leaves, along with a cold wind that came in suddenly, as if it had an appointment - arriving exactly on time at the hour previously set. There was no living being around, given the late hour, although there were already some dead at the site: they were only the first ones to arrive, as countless souls were still expected to get there soon. Frank sat on a stone, a boulder so tall that he would have trouble climbing it when he was still alive, but now the problem didn’t affect him, as his colourless presence was completely weightless and wasn’t stopped by anything anymore. Soon another gaseous shade approached, taking the shape of an old woman, with white skin and a slender appearance. “I’m here, too!” “I’m glad you’re here for this Halloween meeting!” he replied in a low voice that seemed to come from the afterlife, as it really did come from beyond the grave. “I was afraid you might be late.” “I’ve got all the time in the world, you know.” She smiled a funny grin, displaying two wide eyes that had been beautiful when she was alive. When their group contained dozens of members all assembled together at the ancient ruins of that Celtic site, Frank stood and gestured to the other souls, calling them to order. A lightning bolt hit the ground, starting a small fire in the background. “Ladies and gentlemen, everyone dead just like me: it’s time to start our annual meeting. On this hallowed day set aside for those who passed away, we have come here tonight to walk this ground again, even if for a very short time. Let’s begin by telling each other our most sincere recounting of the way we died on earth, be it very long ago or just recently.” There was some mumbling in the crowd of pale presences, before a black man moved forward, reaching the middle of the place where Frank stood. “I’m Myanbi,” the figure said, hiss soul still displayed the main features he had possessed when alive: some ruffled curls and intense eyes, as black as his flowing hair. “Good to see you again!” everyone present greeted him. As the crowd fell silent again, Myanbi touched his torn shirt - probably the same one he was wearing when he drowned. “My tale of how I got to the afterlife begins in the Mediterranean Sea. There were seventy-five of us there that terrible day, and only two men survived the shipwreck. We all boarded a weathered vessel in North Africa and tried to crisscross that stretch of sea to get to the opposite coast in search of a better life. But the stormy night immediately summoned forty-two souls into the blackest depths, while the others who were still on board when dawn came found themselves on a damaged ship with little hope. The ruthless captain of that illegal vessel sighted the rocky shore, jumped overboard and swam, trying to pose as an immigrant. Then, after we hit the rocks, anyone who couldn’t swim simply sank below the waves. Of the few who were able to escape, only two safely reached the coast and were arrested. The others all died, and I was among them…” Then, suddenly, while the souls were still listening to Myanbi’s story, those vivid lights came on. And they had come for those who were dead! All the dead immediately started moving away, as if they were trying to escape the grip of some wild beasts capable of preying on their souls… It was the living beings! It was them, again, with their up-to-the-minute devices meant to investigate the deceased and discover the secrets of the afterlife. By now, Mankind had figured out all the secrets of the Big Bang, and everything about the deepest recesses of space and even the oceans. So, they had turned their attention to the physics of the dead. Undoubtedly, they wanted to know what could harm the ghosts…and that was scary, but it wasn’t just a scary tale, it was a reality. Moreover, it wasn’t something you could hide from as there was no chance to stop them or any way to die, as you were already dead. It happened each year on Halloween, when the souls assembled together worldwide and took again the real shape they had been when they were alive. The problem was that this day proved to be the best time for humans to discover more about the dead as they were even more visible than usual. The living humans had always been spying on them and that day was the time the souls were subjected to forced tests…so the light that shone on them from those new portable machines men had conceived for their research meant just one thing: trouble! Usually, it didn’t last long, but it did hurt, and at times it disrupted your shape - the shape you only had on Halloween. When Frank noticed that the lights had finally gone, along with the researchers, he stopped running away and remained silent. The night wasn’t over yet, maybe there were some of those men still nearby, but he was really dejected now. While still hiding, he sadly considered, ‘I think it is finally over. It is too dark too see and I am too scared to look.’ The End Top User avatar kailhofer Editor Emeritus Posts: 3245 Joined: December 31, 1969, 08:00:00 PM Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin (USA) Contact: Contact kailhofer Campfire Games Post by kailhofer » April 24, 2016, 05:07:23 PM October Flash By: Rick Tornello The stupid light was shining right in my eyes. Who would have imagined that a particle whose rest mass if not 0, was as close to non-zero as could be and had intelligence and was sentient? Boy, were we all wrong. Photons, light as we have now discovered is the native intelligence of the universe. It sees all, knows all, remembers all and when all is said and done, is all. It’s that simple or complex. The Santa Claus myth musta got twisted, and like a lot of myths, the Santa Claus myth was based upon some truth long forgotten. Surprise, and merry Christmas folks. #### Many people have damned the light. It shows all to be seen. It is the great equalizer. The darkness may be scary, and hide the unknown, but for those of us who have things to cover up, and who doesn’t, the light of justice, of truth, call it what you will, is scarier still. That damned light, right in front of me all this time, captured all my life and my thoughts. It is multidimensional. It illuminates everything. It is doing the same to every one you alive out there today. I can only guess it will project all that came before too. Nothing can be hidden, no thing. Think about it my friends. What skeletons are you hiding? Light was a gift from the gods, giving site to reason, and to our minds so that we might reflect back on our gifts and the givers of those gifts. But have we done so? Maybe a few, artists, philosophers, musicians, healers and writers have, but on the whole, the masses, throughout all time, (a funny term for referring back to this mass less entity that is everything, when you consider it), have done nothing but squander these gifts. And here we are, sitting around this campfire, wondering what will to be next, what will the end be? Some have said fire, some said ice, but no it won’t be those things. That, I can promise you. Don’t look for tomorrow, don’t look for the sun, the light. It will be gone. As a race, our blindness is sealed. And if you feel as I do, you too will bemoan our fates. I believe, no…I know, our future will be empty, just pure darkness, no stars, no anything. We have been banished. As I sit here before you in this darkness, I do hear you all breathing. I think it’s finally over. It’s too dark to see and I’m too scared to look. The End Top User avatar kailhofer Editor Emeritus Posts: 3245 Joined: December 31, 1969, 08:00:00 PM Location: Kaukauna, Wisconsin (USA) Contact: Contact kailhofer Campfire Games Post by kailhofer » April 24, 2016, 05:08:22 PM - Winner - The Altar By: Michele Dutcher The stupid light was shining right in my eyes, so I motioned for David to turn it off. “Sorry about that,” he told me. “I forgot that my helmet light was still on.” David was in his fifties, in coveralls, and was meeting me where the gravel road intersected the path leading into the woods. “Have you already been caving today?” I asked. “I thought we were supposed to meet-up at 8 PM, after I got off work.” “Right, but I had a small group of cavers who wanted to go in, so I took them. They’re still probably down there milling around.” He grinned sheepishly, as if he were a schoolboy who had been caught. “Do you think they’ll find the Indian carvings?” I asked. “I don’t want anyone around them until I can get more pictures and publish my paper online.” “I didn’t take them back that far. I’m sure your petroglyphs are okay, Gwynn.” He switched on his flashlight before turning his back on me, motioning to follow him into the trees and shrubs. As we began to hike, I noticed how quickly the darkness had fallen under the leafy canopy. “It seems creepy to be going in after sunset.” “Day or night, stormy weather or fair – it’s always the same inside a cave,” answered David. As we walked along the wagon rut path, I saw the abandoned stone lodge. “That’s odd,” I whispered. “It looks like there’s a blue light coming through the windows on the top floor.” “That’s impossible,” sighed David, as if shushing a child. “There’s no second floor anymore. It rotted out decades ago. It’s probably just the reflection of the moon.” “But it’s cloudy – there’s no moon out tonight.” I strained to see. “Stop David, please! Look at the window! Someone’s in there!” David looked up and a dark figure behind the window shifted, allowing the blue glow to shine out for only a moment before it suddenly blinked out. “It’s just a cloud passing overhead, Gwynn. Let’s get to the cave.” I could feel my legs beginning to tremble as we started our descent to the canyon’s floor. I heard water rushing from the cave even before I saw the cave’s mouth in the near darkness. “We need to turn on our helmet lights,” instructed David, and I did as I was told. I had the feeling that someone was watching from the darkness of the steep, graying cliffs, so I was glad to get inside the stone walls of the cave. As we splashed through the shallow stream, I was surprised to hear voices coming from further back. “Who is that?” “Oh, you mean those voices? Those are probably the people I led through earlier. They’re members of that online club, the ‘I love CRV’ club.” “I saw the homepage online. What’s up with their membership list? Their names are so odd: Alva Watts, Fern Voyles? Old names, you know? Some of them are even the same as names on the wall.” David began to stutter a little, as if taken off-guard. “Maybe they’re family names, passed down. Anyways, Indian Rock should be right around the corner here…” Suddenly the cave opened up into a large room and I could see forty people in caving gear standing in front of the wall. “I thought you’d never get here,” said a tall man. “It’s almost time for him to arrive. Is this her?” “Yep!” said David. “She asks a lot of questions.” “Well, all your questions are about to be answered. I’m Charles Heifes,” the tall man said – motioning for two men to block the path to the entry corridor. I was stunned and confused. “Charles Heifes? From Brookmor Indiana?” “That exact man.” “But the date etched into the stone was Jan 25, 1909? I don’t understand.” A woman stepped forward, shining her helmet light into my eyes. “And I’m Mrs. Heifes. A century ago my husband and I were trapped in the Inn by a terrible blizzard. We were cut off from the main road, the food was gone and the firewood was running out. So we came down into the cave where it was warmer. That was when we found the altar – and the image of the shaman.” In the faint light of the cave the shaman’s petroglyph began to glow. Everyone reached up, turning out their helmet lights. “We were starving until HE appeared to save us,” shouted Mr. Heifes. All eyes were transfixed on the wall now, waiting, waiting… “Look now! He comes!” All those present dropped to their knees as a blue figure stepped through the wall onto the ancient altar. He wore a square helmet with a slot in it showing his piercing black eyes. He was majestic in a feathered kilt and leather moccasins. His chest was bare with a scar that ran from throat to navel. “Is this the new one?” the wind in the cave whispered. “She is,” answered the group in unison, bowing their heads. I edged my way to the opening that led further into the darkness of the cave. “Carve your name into the wall and join with us forever!” said the figure bathed in blue light. Suddenly all those present took off their helmets, revealing only skulls. “Carve your name – protect his altar! Carve your name – protect his altar!” I felt my knees giving way. Then my survival instincts took over, and I ran into the darkness away from the cult, tripping through the water, climbing over rocks. Only by chance did points of light appear in a hole in the cave wall, revealing the stars in the night sky outside. I grabbed onto any tree roots that I could, pulling myself upwards through the hole with the last of my strength. That was how I ended up shivering here, hiding behind this rock in the woods. I think it is finally over. It is too dark to see and I am too scared to look. The End