Blackberry Cottage

Crying wasn't doing me any good. I felt like an idiot. If anyone else were in my situation, they would get the heck up and go somewhere. That is exactly what I needed to do. My last few tears fell into the pond, and I stood up wiping my face. With a deep sigh, I made my way out of the lake.

The hammer sat in front of me. Stupid thing. This is what had caused me so much sorrow and confusion. I picked it up. Ugh. So heavy. At least it would come in handy when I needed a weapon.

I looked around and took in my surroundings. All I could see were trees. No signs, no buildings, no landmarks. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Eventually, I settled on heading directly away from the pond.

The trees were all very close together. A few rays of light managed to slip through the cracks between trees. The rays seemed to sparkle when you approached them. This whole place, this whole world was...better. Even though it was better, I didn't want to be here. All I wanted to be alive and back on earth with Auntie and Uncle. Can't believe I just said that.

My watch read...dang it. My watch was broken. That must have happened when I was teleported here or something. Anyway, I assumed that I had been walking for about an hour. Carrying the hammer was getting tiring. I had to stop sometime or my arm would fall off. Huh. I don't think that could here but...anything seems possible.

Something up ahead looked different. Finally. I ran until I realized I had stepped on something. It was a blackberry! Food! Up ahead there were a whole bunch of blackberry bushes. I reached out and grabbed two handfuls. Nothing had ever tasted so good.

After stuffing myself, I noticed something I hadn't before. A cottage. It looked old and abandoned, but it could have some supplies. I was beginning to think this wasn't the afterlife. I feel pretty dumb for making that assumption now.

The door to the cottage wouldn't open. It must be stuck. One of the windows next to the door had a crack in it. No harm in breaking it. Finally the hammer came in use. I closed my eyes right and swung at the window. I heard a loud crash and opened my eyes to find glass everywhere. With great satisfaction, I set the hammer on the ground.

Climbing through the window was a tight fit. Landing hard on the floor did not help. I found myself nearly choking on dust. And dirt. This place was filthy. An old bag was lying on the bed. It looked pretty spacious. Bet I could fit a lot of useful items in it. I walked around the room and got to work.

Now I know I should be careful with every move I make. I could end up making a stupid mistake again.