Chapter IX - The Lower-Flat-Lands

Chapter IX - The Lower-Flat-Lands

My heart pounds at the sight. Everything that I saw and heard on the other side of the barrier is gone. I want to stay and wait for Callum. I want to stand here and yell out his name. But, I can’t. Aralyn’s words echo in my mind. “You can do this. You have to find Elias.”

It takes a great amount of my emotional energy to stand up and continue running down the path. As I run, the trees grow thicker and the path begins to flatten out. I stop myself. I’m in the Lower-Flat-Lands. The place I’ve looked at through my window for years as if it were only a picture. I continue on running through the forest until I see the sun descending in the sky. I remove the tied up shawl from my shoulder and place it on the ground.  I open it up and begin dressing myself in the clothes inside so that I can stay warm as the night becomes cool. I then begin to pile up fallen leaves and place the shawl over them so I have some sort of bed. I lay down, but, I don’t sleep at first. I just think. What happened to Callum? Did he escape some other way? What will those men who were after us do to him? Elias’ sister didn’t tell Aralyn much of anything in order to protect her. What if they hurt Callum because of what he knows? Why didn’t I feel like I should stay and wait for him? My questions stop as my stomach begins to complain to my brain. I haven’t eaten since my party. I wonder how I’ll ever find food in this forest. I can’t survive without food. Other than the fruit that grows on trees, I’ve never been taught how to make food or even where it comes from. My thoughts fade into blackness as my eyes flutter asleep. 

I wake up to the blindingly bright sun. It takes me a few moments to remember where I am and what’s going on. I collect my things and keep going. As I walk I examine the flat ground. Everything is different about the Lower-Flat-Lands. The trees have a different alignment, and the sky seems so much bigger. This land has some sort of magical feeling about it. Like a peaceful enchantment is laid upon all who enter. 

I continue walking, hoping that I’m going in the right direction, when I hear a rustle in a bush near by. I move towards it slowly and cautiously, when a four-legged creature jumps out at me making a strange yelping noise. I fall to the ground and the animal continues to yell at me. It stops and sniffs my face as I lay completely still with fear. I am surprised, however, when it begins licking my face excitedly. Feeling much less alarmed, I shove the creature off of me and sit up. It has large, brown eyes, floppy ears, a round, wet nose and is completely covered in hair. It sits with it’s mouth open, tongue hanging out, breathing heavily, and we stare at each other for a while. Then, it resumes licking my face. I don’t know what kind of creature this is. No one keeps animals in Cultridia. The only time they’re even really talked about is in our first and second years of school. However, that was a long time ago and I don’t remember many of the animals I learned about. This one has a large build, and a bulky head indicating that he might be male.

Finally, I stand up and continue walking. The animal follows me. Every once and a while I’ll look back to find him still trotting along behind me.

“Well, I guess there’s no getting rid of you.” He yelps again, then runs up to me and rubs his head against my leg. “I think I’ll call you Henly.” He speaks again in agreement. I find another tree to rest on for the night when, unfortunately, it starts raining. I pull my jacket over mine and Henly’s heads.

The next morning we continue on our journey as the earth begins to dry itself. The feeling in my stomach has gone from one of complaints to a sickly feeling causing weakness to veer throughout my body. Even though I dread it, I urge myself on as Henly encourages me to keep moving. Suddenly, Henly yelps at patch of trees and begins to move towards them while sniffing the air. I follow after him as he begins running. He stops and begins clawing and shouting at one tree. I pull him back and look up. I can hardly believe it. It’s an apple tree! I begin to climb the glorious food source and one, by one pull the apples off of the branches and stuff them in my shawl. One of the apples fall off the tree and onto the ground. This excites Henly as he appears to be just as overjoyed as I am by the sight of food. Once my feet are on the ground again, Henly and I enjoy a feast of apples, and, after a quick nap, we are on our way again. 

As the sun begins to set and I start to lay out my things while Henly lays down and rests, his head bolts up and he makes an awful growling sound.

“What is it, boy?” I ask. He stands up and angrily moves towards a nearby tree. A pit molds in my stomach when I begin to wonder what might be up there. I stand in my place, shivering with fright, when the figure of a boy drops from the tree. He lets out a groan and Henly jumps on top of him growling fiercely. 

“Henly!” I shout and he runs towards me wagging his tail. I slowly walk over to him.

“Who are you, and what were you doing in the tree?” I ask.

He slowly rises from the ground. “My name is Elias. I was scoping out the forest for-” He stops when his large brown eyes reach mine. “-For you.” I am shocked. The young man in front of me is the dark-haired boy, and it’s not a dream.

“What?” I ask perplexedly.

“You’re Olivia Netherly?” He asks.

“Yes.” I reply.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

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