A sharp wind whistled. Endless rows of trees stood to strict attention, their leaves stretching desperately to reach the sun’s light that was hidden behind layers of thick mist. Moss consumed the ground, squelching uncomfortably at every step the young girl took. Her long brown hair repeatedly fell in front of her eyes as though attempting to shield her from seeing what lay ahead.

Stubbornly, she continued. The ear splitting chatter of her village seemed worlds away as she plodded down what seemed to be a trail through the thick foliage surrounding her. Beginning to grow confident, the girl broke her gaze away from the path before her in favour of squinting at the canopy above in an attempt to see the sky. This was a mistake.

The moment her focus shifted, the delicate toe of her boot caught on the root of a nearby tree and she was sent tumbling down an overgrown slope.

“Oof”

Fighting to catch her breath, she propped herself up with her hands and nervously took in her new surroundings. The dense foliage that had consumed every surface until now gave way to reveal an aged stone wall that was littered with cracks. Pushing herself up, she wandered towards it and cautiously ran a hand over the thin covering of moss.

A sudden rumble of thunder caught her by surprise and she glanced up just in time to be hit in the face by a freezing droplet of water. The droplets speed increased rapidly and she desperately glanced around before her gaze was tugged back to the wall beside her. Trailing her fingers over the uneven surface, she walked beside the out of place structure in the unfounded hope that it would lead her to shelter.

Against all odds, after what must have been only a few minutes, the wall veered away from its previously straight course and began to run parallel with another structure that was almost identical to its self. The drenched ground between the pair gave way to faded paving stones that replaced the squelch of the girl’s boots with a satisfying tapping. Continuing along her course, the girl’s growing curiosity was replaced with awe as she turned yet another corner and came face to face with a large brick entryway.

Two turrets rested on either side of a gaping archway that was filled with nothing but shadow. A strange fear caused the girl to creep forward cautiously and peer down the tunnel in an attempt to see the other side. Without success, she prepared to turn back and search for a cave of some kind deeper in the forest that would shelter her until the rain passed.

The forest had different ideas.

The moment she took a step away from the tunnel, the heavens opened. Impossibly cold bullets of water shot down through the previously impenetrable canopy and waged war on the girl’s head and unprotected arms. In a desperate attempt to shield herself, she dove through the entranceway and was swallowed by the darkness.