Caged part 1

"Be back before dark, honey!"

I stuffed my brown woolen hat on my head and tugged on my jacket zipper. "Okay, Mom!" I yelled so she could hear me from the living room. I swung the kitchen door open and hopped out, taking care not to slam the rickety door behind me. Mom hated when I did that, and I didn't want to make Dad fix it. Again.

My breath swirled around me in vaporous clouds as I crunched through the leaves. I'd taken this path to the woods a hundred times and knew every step, every turn, every ankle-twisting hole. The late autumn sun peered through a clear blue sky, its rays working golden alchemy on the dry, brown grass. I reached the forest's edge and ducked under a slender branch, stepping into the sheltered embrace of speckled light and mossy trunks.

This was where I belonged. I shut my eyes and felt the hours of bagging groceries and saying, "Have a nice day," bleed out of me and dissipate into the cool air. Just breathing in the musty smell of damp leaves and contented fungi relaxed my muscles. A good meander through the woods with nothing but the crunch of leaves and the creak of trees should get rid of the cuss words my boss had pounded into my head when I'd dropped a watermelon on a customer's foot.

Opening my eyes, I began scuffing through the forest's leafy carpet, just like I used to when I was little. My rambling daydreams came to an abrupt halt when my left foot jammed into a rotund stone partly covered in leaves. I hopped back, toes throbbing. For a moment, irritation flared up inside my chest and I gave the large stone a vicious shove with my foot. A smooth, black orb uprooted itself from the ground and rolled heavily out of the leaves. Curiosity quickly replaced resentment. What was a bowling ball doing in the woods? I crouched down and gazed at it.

Instead of the glossy black exterior I expected, its dark, foggy hue seemed to churn slowly inside it. Maybe not a bowling ball after all, I thought. I reached out to roll it over, hoping to see the three finger holes which always made me think of a surprised face. As my fingers brushed the cool surface, a jagged shock ripped though them, tore up my arm, and snapped my head back. Pure light blasted my vision as my back hit the ground.

Sthe lin dwoein fthin.

The words flitted into my pounding head, searing on my thoughts even as the light faded from my sight. Skeletal branches entwined far above my head, spidery threads against a reddening sky. I lay for a moment, breathing deeply the clear air, before pushing myself to an upright position. I squinted. In front of me was darkness. Black the size of a bowling ball. Despite the shock I'd just received, I felt the urge to touch it, to pick it up. I stretched out wavering arms, half afraid, half eager. My hands closed around the cool, velvety sphere. I scooped it up and rose to my feet.

Whispers slithered into my mind as I held it. Revoke, O Teller, the curse. A chill ran down my spine. They were the same words I'd heard before. But I could understand them. What was going on?

The sphere's interior began to roil, and its surface grew warmer. O Teller, revoke the curse. Clouds of silver began blending with the black, churning like a planetary storm. Wisps of gold curled in, and I gasped at what followed. A girl's face. It twisted and warped along the golden stream, dark eyes wide with terror. Another face swirled up from the bottom, bringing with it another and another. Whispery moans and chittering noises choked the air around me. I tried to drop the orb, but it had fastened itself to the palms of my hands. My mouth opened to let out a scream, but only a distant whisper emerged. Faces continued to float through the distorted interior of the orb, murmuring and sighing.

My eyes were wide, my legs wobbly, and my chest constricted with fear. A chant began to beat into my thoughts. Revoke, O Teller, the curse. Revoke, O Teller, the curse. Revoke. Revoke. The curse. The curse. Pressure built up in my head and my vision began to dim. I clutched the orb and wished everything would go away, the faces, the voices, and the pain in the back of my eyes. I wanted to be free of it more than anything. I shut my eyes, willing it all away.

Abruptly, the ache in my head subsided and the voices faded. My fingers unlatched from the orb, and my eyes sprung open as it thudded to the ground and rolled slightly. I fell to my knees by the sphere, awed. It was clear as crystal, glistening like dew in the morning. What had happened? Glancing around, I suddenly noticed the grey mist which surrounded the small area. As I watched, it faded into the air, but just before it was gone, I heard a soft sigh.

I rocked back onto my heels, mind whirling. Questions began to surface from the depths of my muddled head. Who – what – was in the orb? Why were they trapped in there? How did I free them from their curse? Where were they now?

As my mind began to clear, Mom's warning to be back before dark filtered into my thoughts. Without my knowledge, the sun had slipped over the horizon and left a red stain in the sky. If I didn't get up now and run like mad, I wouldn't make it back in time to not get grounded. I looked back at the shimmering orb. I couldn't just leave it here. But I couldn't take it home or Mom would have an honest-to-goodness cow.

I took in my surroundings. Despite the growing dusk, I knew exactly where I was. I eased to my feet and headed for a bush to my right. Lifting up the low hanging tangle of branches, I spotted a crudely dug burrow nestled in the dirt. Just what I was looking for. I retrieved the orb, crouched beside the bush, and rolled it as far as I could into the hole. Replacing the branches, I dusted my hands and rose to my feet. Hopefully the only living things to come into contact with the orb in the future were moles and earth worms.

I turned my back on the bush and headed for home. When I finally breached the edge of the forest, I tilted my head upwards.  The moon radiated soft white light on the small house which crested the slope in front of me.

When I reached the door, I turned the knob in slow motion, slipping through the crack before the hinges creaked. Light flared into life on the ceiling, revealing Mom, swaddled in a bathrobe with a mug cupped in her hands. Her eyes crinkled.

"You're grounded."