The New Trail

"Ow!"

"What… where are we?"

"Owww, I don’t know. I can’t see anything."

"I know, it’s pitch dark."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I bumped something. A little rock? Yeah, here it is."

"Is this a cave?"

"I think so, or something like that. The stone’s really cold."

"Wait, shhh."

"I don’t hear anything."

"Me neither. Nothing. Except us breathing."

"Kind of weird, huh?"

"I don’t understand how we got here."

"We must have fallen down a hole, or something."

"I don’t remember falling. Just stabbing myself on this rock."

"We were walking on the new trail, right? I don’t know, I feel all weird and fuzzy."

"Yeah, yeah, that’s right. But I don’t remember falling."

"Something must have happened. This is so weird."

"Maybe we hit our heads. Except it’s not my head that hurts, it’s my hand. I think it’s bleeding."

"Wait, where are you? The echoes make the sounds all weird… there you are."

"Careful!"

"It’s fine, it’s fine. Which hand is it?"

"Here— don’t touch it! Yeah, I’m pretty sure it’s bleeding."

"Press on it, that’s supposed to help. Where did we fall down from? I can’t see anything."

"I really don’t remember falling."

"We must have fallen, how else would we have gotten down here?"

"I don’t know, I’m just saying it’s weird! Why can’t we remember it?"

"There must be a way out up there somewhere, I’m going to try to climb up."

"Wait, wait. Don’t just leave me here!"

"We have to find a way out."

"Well… just keep talking to me, okay?"

"Okay. I’ll just climb up on this rock here… I really can’t see anything. I think I can get up this way?"

"Be careful."

"Yes, yes, this should work. Here… is this stable? I think so…"

"Oh my gosh, you’d better not fall on me."

"I won’t fall on you. Wait, I think I can see something. Yes… yes! There’s light up there, that must be where we came down here from."

"How could we have gotten all the way down here without noticing? Do you not remember anything?"

"Nope. Just walking on the trail. And then sort of sliding on the rocks a bit, down here in the dark."

"That’s so weird! This is so weird. It’s freaking me out."

"I know."

"So what, is there an opening up there?"

"Yeah, I think so. I’m getting closer."

"How am I supposed to get up there?"

"Just climb up, you can do it. Your hand’s not that bad, is it?"

"It hurts."

"I can see it, it’s definitely an opening! There’s grass and leaves and stuff out there."

"I’m going to be stuck down here!"

"No you won’t, we’ll figure out how to get you out. I’ll just climb up on here… whoa. This is not the new trail."

"What is it? Are you out?"

"I’ve never seen this place before. And the sky’s all weird. Where are we?"

"Get me out of here!"

"Come on, just climb up, you can do it, follow my voice. The rocks are pretty stable, it’s really not too hard."

"Okay, okay. I’m coming. Ow."

"You okay?"

"No! I’m mysteriously stuck in a hole! And you said the sky’s all weird!"

"We’ll be fine, just come up here. Can you see the light yet?"

"No… yes! Oh, there, I think I can see the opening. Stick your hand down."

"Can you see it?"

"Um… yes! I’m almost there… yes!"

"Come on, I’ll help pull you up. Almost there."

"Whoa, what is this place?"

"Do you think we found a magic portal?"

"Oh, come on."

"Well, look at this place!"

"Okay, yeah, maybe we found a magic portal."

"Let’s explore!"

"Fine. We’d just better not be stuck here forever."