Woman of Stone

Did you know, that psychosis is a cocktail mix? it contains both hallucinations and delusions. Pretty nasty thing if I say so myself, psychosis is a symptom of a variety of disorders---or medical conditions.

It is when oneself can no longer tell what is true from false, reality from---dreams of lucidity, and when one should break under the---gravity of things...there can be no telling of how severe the malignancy can get. Do be careful now.

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Grace led in front of the line like before with me trailing at last once more, each usher of thawed breeze shivers me whole, the cave was wider than I'd expected and again things just kept spiraling over my expectations, after further cautious threading over deformed varieties of rocks whilst venturing into the vistas of uncertain faith, we've managed to reach a section of the cave where the entirety of the floor, stalactites, and walls were frenzied with either what I could only describe as prodigious unfathomable literate scribbles of malignant knowledge or an isolated fracture of the earth's previous history, left untouched by societies and was only passed down by the ancestral kins from those men that came before us, the first inhabitants of this placid rock, those who came to be before humanity.

Obviously, none of us understood what they were nor what they meant, whether they were hieroglyphics of the highest order or if they were simply---lost in time, but what we do understand is the ominous portent of this recluse place.

Eventually, we reached an ancient temple door with two monoliths supporting each edge, both monoliths were comprised of contorted skin and bones, flesh and faces, grief that couldn't be spoken, a dread that scorned any who lay eyes on it, almost as if this were actual people and---animals that were turned to stone in gruesome damnation---condemned into such faith.

The ruined door itself was also scribbled in alien texts. All bolted still including me---as we plunge into a morass interaction with these blasphemous artifacts, this place almost definitely felt to be the mouth of hell itself.

" Guys I don't think that we're supposed to be here. " protruded Drey breaking the unbearable tension that intertwines us all.

" I think so too. " Immediately added Gab,

Just like that, we were all heading to the other end of the cave hoping to enjoy ourselves at the grotto.

Just as we were about to reach the other end, a nail hammered our feet at the cold and barren as we were dumbfounded by what our every eye basked on. Do my eyes deceive me? or does my mind play tricks of unspeakable cruelty over me? The monolith of great horror and the temple door greeted us once more. Nautical distress plagued over us.

" Maybe if we, umm---just try to walk back again, maybe we could... " Grace was the first to speak breaking another weighted tension that once more tangled us, but before she could finish we immediately went aboard on that note, trying to deny the fact that something stygian etched by erebus lingered about.

But this time...there was no denying, we reached the other end and alas the temple and monolith were there yet again as if it was mocking us in delight. There were none who tried to break the tension that grievously loathed upon us---until:

" James, Mel, and Drey---try walking to the other end again, and see if you still end up here. " Suggested Gab, desperation had us in chains, at this point we were willing to do anything besides nothing.

I lead the way as Mel from the back, in a straight line we went off, but still ended up back with the rest of the group---as if this queer temple door magnetically, geologically, and tectonically pulled us in a lapse where no escape is possible...except, going through, similar to a spinning black hole.

" What if we just go through? " none dared to second my suggestion at first, but eventually Mel knew that doing nothing would get us nowhere so she and the others went with it too, although she remained very skeptical about it. The thought of opening the door to hell puts no one's mind at ease.

The door had two rings for a knob, all rusted and dusted through the course of time. I Pulled from the left as Gab from the right, the door was heavier and greatly surpasses us in strength, not long Drey and Ysa helped Gab from the right as Mel and Grace from the left, at three, we pulled all together in great struggle for strength.

Gallantly did the stone mouth opened, and once it did---our torches hindered us no more for inside this stone gate was a great garden of Babylon, where the grass emitted luminescent particles similar to the grotto before, and at the middle was a small pond of vague iridesce at its heart lies a still statue of stone protruding a woman wrapped in silk with both her arms pressed on her chest, her hands wrapped in a fist, her expression almost compassionate-like, she was on her knees as she lays on a stone pedestal.

" This must be what they worship as "UHTRR" " said Ysa as we glared in awe, not only by the so-called "Uhtrr" but also at the strange peculiar garden that bare no touch from the outside world except those of the ancestral kinsmen. The garden was small befitting this cave but with all this wonder I couldn't still stop this gnarling whisper of my subconscious yelling for a way out.

I couldn't explain the sensation but as my feet touched the grassy blades, it felt subtle, warm even, sort of like---home, as if everything in the world just gently crumbled down and that I couldn't care less about it, it felt prodigiously peaceful, a cathartic dreamscape where I lay distant at rest.

And then I realized that I spaced out as I firmly stood next to Mel, I gently patted her on the shoulder and asked if she's okay, as enigmatic as these noxious hazes are the greater I crave for it, Mel acted the same as I did saying that she spaced out, then I took a glance at everyone else, I saw Ysa, Drey, and Grace all stilted and queer.

I made my way and jostled against them, again they all had similar reactions to those of mine and Mel, Gab on the other hand stood in front of the statue in a harrowing demeanor. Alphabetical writing was carved around her pedestal, but he couldn't understand what language it is and neither did I.

Grace on the other hand could, It's Ivatan she mentioned, the text said " Lay thy hand and rest thy mind, set thy self free, once is, shall forever be. " and like a moth to a flame, we besieged the statue soaking our shoes and feet of iridescent water then rests our hands in place.

None deterred nor took hold of the portent from before, we were all equally oblivious of what could be and what will ought to be.