Battlefield

The land was barren, the sky was black and all that were left of that night were ravished by wolves hidden in the shadows of old storybooks, waiting eagerly to pounce upon their unsuspecting prey when they reached a certain page. It was the same every time but the cataclysmic memory faded into a mere reverie inside her holocaust of thoughts. Darkness became a battlefield inside her mind as ghosts tend to haunt her dreams. It was in this abyss of phantoms that she learned how to fight off her own demons. Every night, she would chase crimson butterflies and end up falling deep into a rabbit hole where everything was not as it would seem.

“Tic Toc”, chimed the old grandfather clock in the living room, announcing it was already midnight. The girl had bags under her eyes since she was trying so hard to avoid sleep but to her misfortune, she eventually dozed off on the couch and butterflies materialized before her yet again, beckoning her to follow their trail. But suddenly, these colorful bugs disappeared into a haze of violet smoke and as she took a step further, she plummeted deep inside a burrow that was only small enough for a girl her size to fit in.

She was unceremoniously knocked unconscious after the fall. Weird chirping sounds brought her awake and she was surprised to see her reflection in a hall of many mirrors. These mirrors reflected her in odd shapes, some with big elfin ears and some with humungous fingers and big fish lips. She eventually found a mirror that had strange writings on it that she couldn’t quite decipher. She couldn’t find her reflection on it, only words. “Curious.” she exclaimed and tried to touch the symbols while pointing her finger towards it. And just like magic, she was sucked inside the mirror leaving her dazed and confused as ever.

Something growled from behind her and she screamed, surprised to see a small wolf limping towards her. She was afraid but instead of running away, she decided to be brave and beckoned the animal into her arms. The cub was unexpectedly docile and whimpered as she scratched its ears. She ripped the sleeves of her sweater and wrapped its left leg, bandaging the wound to stop it from bleeding. “It must be hungry.” she thought and carried the cub as she went on her journey, gathering wild berries on their way for food.

It was almost dark and the girl was glad she had the white furry animal for company. When they reached a small clearing near a riverbank filled with fruit trees and bushes with more berries, the girl also collected some twigs and rubbed them together until they sparked and flames started to appear.

“Tic Toc”, chimed the old grandfather clock in the living room, rousing her from sleep. It was almost morning but the land was barren, the sky was black. Crimson butterflies appeared in her thoughts. Darkness was her battlefield.