Maybe the stress of the last few months was clouding my judgement. Maybe after being patient for so long, I couldn’t keep it up anymore. Maybe the curiosity would have been too much regardless. Either way, I looked. I really shouldn’t have, but I did.
With the way light had been working here, I thought I’d be able to handle whatever tiny bit the flashlight would let me see of the thing. What I didn’t think about was how the rules of this place were changing as Wolf ate. When I turned on the flashlight, it suddenly started operating just as it would in the world we left.
I saw teeth. So many fucking teeth in so many disgusting mouths that spiraled into the depths of the thing. Some went farther than the light could, but one of them… One of them had what I’m sure was an eye at the center of it. It was like a shiny black stone with two openings on either side. I’m not good with flowery language like Wolf is, but even if I was, I don’t think any description could properly get across how fucking wrong this thing was.
I screamed and fell backwards, hitting the ground that was suddenly under me. I don’t know if it was the impact or the shock that knocked me out, but when I came to, I was in a warm, comfortable bed.
Bolting up, I was about to jump out of the bed in a panic, when a hand on my chest stopped me.
“Easy now”
The words flashed through my head, causing me to flinch.
“Sorry! Still getting used to this” Wolf said aloud this time, though hearing her voice was another shock. Under her normal speaking voice was the, much quieter, cry of that thing. “Are you alright?”
“W-Wolf?! What the fuck is going on??” I blurted “Where are we?”
“We’re still in that “god’s” domain- er- well, I guess I can call it MY domain now” she responded as she settled back into a chair by the bed.
“We were just in a fucking void with a nothing but a corpse!” I was still trying to process the situation “Where did this come from?”
“I made it.” She said, as if it should be obvious. “You remember what I told you about fixing this place? Consuming that creature gave me the ability to do just that, to establish its laws and mold it to our needs.” She paused for a moment before flatly adding “You would have seen me do it, had you not looked at the thing and knocked yourself out. You had me worried sick.”
“Ah… yeah… sorry…” I said sheepishly, suddenly feeling like an idiot.
“It’s fine. The important thing is that you’re safe.” she said with a sigh.
“What about you?” I asked, “Are you… okay?”
“I’m still myself if that’s your concern.” She smiled. Her teeth seemed larger than they used to be “Despite the new abilities and slight physical changes, it’s still me in here. Other than that, I feel exhausted, but good.” Yawning, she spoke again, “now that I know you’re alright I may go take a nap. You might want to get some more rest yourself, as we have something important to discuss, and I want us both to approach it with clear heads.”
She collected her knitting needles and yarn from where they had fallen, stood up and made her way to the door.
“There’s food in the fridge if you’re hungry. I’ll be outside if you need anything” she said before leaving the room.
There was no way I was going to get more rest after that, so I got out of bed and started to take in my surroundings. The wooden room had a window with what I thought was moonlight shining through, but I couldn’t see its source when I looked out. All I could see was grass leading to a ledge that fell off into darkness.
Turning back from the window, I headed to the door. Stepping out, I found myself at the end of a very short hallway. There was a door to my left and another slightly further down the hall on the right. Ahead, the hall opened out into a large room, with the front door on the far end. On the left was a kitchen area, complete with a table and chairs. To the right was a living room space with a wood stove, a soft looking couch, and an equally soft looking armchair.
Heading to the front door, I stepped outside. Looking up, I still couldn’t find the source of the light. There was no sun or moon or stars, yet I could easily see all the way to the edges of the little island. I could see Wolf and the bed of blue flowers she had laid down in, as well as a carved post with a hook near the top that was sticking out of the ground. Turning back, I looked at our new home. The cottage could have been ripped right out of a fairy tale. Vines with colourful flowers reached across the walls and around the windows, while softly glowing mushrooms grew along the doorframe on both sides.
It was then that my stomach broke the silence with a growl as I suddenly realized that I was starving. For the first time since we crossed over, I actually felt hungry, so I went back in and got something to eat.
I don’t know what else to say, except that I’m glad that the hike from hell is over.
