*nanowrimo* preface

My mother always told me that there was beauty in the unknown. I never truly understood what that meant until I was staring the unknown in the face. It was breathtaking. I think sometimes we get so focused on the known and how it affects us that we take for granted the journey of the discovery. At least, that's what my mother believed. It was poetic, how much she sought adventure, right up until the adventure found her unexpectedly and she wasn't prepared. She died when I was twelve. I still don't know how. But I never forgot the look she got in her eyes whenever she found something new. It scared me sometimes. That she might just seek the next adventure and then lose herself in the dreams.

But now the unknown is staring me in the face and I have to make a choice. Do I follow in the footsteps of my late mother, whose voice I still hear guiding me forward even now, or do I choose to be content with the known, the safe, the sure?

This is the choice I face now, as the shadows loom in front of me, promising life, love, happiness. But also pain. Loss. Corruption.

I don't know what I will find on the other side. I don't know if I'll regret being fearless. I'm sure my mother did the moment she realized that she wasn't ever going to return home. But I have the same choice to face now that she did all those years ago. The end is calling me, and whether it will be the end of life or death, I suppose I won't know until it's too late. But as for me, if this rapid fire beating of my heart is any indication, then I know that I cannot just stay here and do nothing. 

With the courage of my mother as the wind in my sails, I inch slowly toward the wall of shadows in front of me. So close that I could reach out and touch them. With one final breath, I push into the darkness, and the world goes black.

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word count: 356

happy november, writers! thus begins the journey of our protagonist (still unnamed) as she sets off to discover what exists beyond the edge of the world. please reach out if you would like regular chapter notifications! <3