4 : Wonderland

"Ahhh.....!" I keep on screaming till I landed.

The fall was harsh but I didn't felt broken. My bag was still on my shoulders and I heard my phone crashing after me. I was surrounded by darkness it was like I couldn't figure out if my eyes were open or not. Soon, that pain I felt earlier started to turn in fear. My heartbeat quickened as I stood trying to look in the dark.

I wasn't that stupid to yell for help or ask if anyone's here just to alert the thing that can be hidden in this dark dangerous place.

"Flashlight! My bag!" I exclaimed lowly to myself as the light bulb blinked in my brain.

I quickly shuffled in my bag lowering to the surprisingly dry ground. I found a knife in my side pocket and flashlight inside the middle compartment. I sighed in relief as now I can see and have something to protect me from the unknown. I quickly closed my bag and threw it on my back.

Turning on the flashlight i examined the place. It was some sort of tunnel. There was a straight slope behind me and probably from which I fell here.

"Where's my phone?" I muttered and started to look for it. I found it lying on the ground but broken and useless.

"Shit!"

The more I looked around the more weird that place felt. There was no single spider web or dirt. No mice or insects crawling anywhere. The walls were made of weird greenish rock. It didn't look natural but it also didn't look man made too. I tried to climb back the slope from where I came from but it was too steep.

So, I decided to look for another route which can get me out of this weird place. After walking further in that tunnel I noticed the light further deep in.

"It's definitely the sun!" I hoped.

However, the more I followed the light its color started to change. What I thought was sunray turned to be some bright blue ray just like ocean.

Suddenly, I started to hear that melody again. A cool breeze hit my face and sound of waves and seagulls started to sync with that melody.

Did I teleport to some beach??!

What the heck??

I was in the middle of highest mountain in kingdom of corea! The mountain is surrounded by forest and the city. The beach is wayyyyy too far! Way too far, even if I suppose because of the fall I descended the mountain but I don't think I had walked all the way to some beach.

Did I actually teleport? Did I fell in some teleportation portal?

"It doesn't make sense.... This isn't some science fiction... this doesn't make sense..!" I chanted to myself as I followed the light tightening my grip on the knife.

But what I saw at the end was certainly ten thousand miles away from what I was expecting. If I thought the tunnel was big, the place front of me was tenfold bigger that it.

Here, I stood in front of the door to a large dome. I cautiously walked forward in observing it, the dome walls was in shades of green disappearing to high celling which had so many paintings just like we see in European church palace. A castle, a kingdom, there was a baby held by king.

'Prince?'

'No.. No.. No! It's a princess!'

I saw the painting of toddler wearing the dress and crown. Further, I saw that toddler as a young girl who defeated a man thrice her size.

'Beautiful yet dangerous girl'

People seemed to love her... but she seemed to love the sea more. Further I saw large ships, vast oceans, beautiful islands, victories and slaughtered beasts as the young girl turned into a beautiful women.

The paintings fades to form a kingdom enemy was outside of the north gate. King looked like he was on bed....

'Death bed? Was he dying?'

I questioned as I look further images on the walls.

Then I saw the court room where men and women were in pairs pointing at the princess. And she was standing alone with head down in sadness.

'Eh... what does this mean.....?' I looked at the pictures in confusion trying analysis it.

Then she was alone in castle, the kings' seat was empty and the kingdom was surrounded by enemy.

'Did he die?'

The princess was helpless but then five men surrounded her. They look quite similar.... I ran back to the ships and sea images to examine them and indeed they were. It was her crew in the ship! They were there on every ship with her.

'So, her loyal? Um... friends?' These people were around her every time.

The paintings transcends into next scene where six of them at the shore by the castle. Some kind of light shown on them, a beautiful and majestic water dragon was in front of them. The princess was in the front, one man or one of her loyal little behind her and four remained little behind him in a line as princess held a sword.

She defeated the enemy restoring the peace. The princesses now become the queen and her loyal subjects were also crowned sat on the throne alongside her as she sat in the middle with the sword in her hands. The sword was shining beautifully... it felt powerful.

In the next picture it looked like people were hungry.... Hungry for the sword.

The kings and queen defeated everyone who tried to attack them. As the paintings go further the swords color changed from pure white to dark black.

Now, the older kings and queen were sailing the ship far in storms, around the six islands through high tides and angry waters and found an island. With forest Green as emerald and waters blue as sapphire.. They walked inside the island. The same dome shape structure was there but it was of blue instead of green. At the bottom of dome fishes, coral reefs where surrounding it but, the painting didn't looked like they were swimming. It was under water but not filled with water.

'Does this make sense?'

Standing in weirdly formed circle, they were praying. Then appeared some green lady.. 'Forest goddess?' And the queen gave her the sword in return of some brown sticks. The goddess disappeared in circle shaped emblem carved in middle of the floor turning the sword into soil. Suddenly, all of them were kissing the one end of stick.

'Are they eating it? Stick?! What is it? Bamboo?' I walked further to understand.

'It's a flute!'

I saw music characters coming out of it in the next painting. The circle door where that goddess melts the sword formed the carving of dragon on it.

'Maybe they locked the sword.... Okay next..'

I walked ahead but I came back to where I started. It was a full circle.

"What the hell??!" I cursed loudly and my voice echoed in that dome surprising myself.

I looked at the middle, at the source of blue light which was flickering like some light house.

"Is this some kind of joke? What the hell is the meaning of this all?!!" I complained to myself.

"Ugh... never mind. I just wanna get out of this shit!"

I circled the dome many time finding any door to escape but there was none. Tired, I sat down on the floor to drink some water from my bag. I started to feel sick and breathless. The sound of that melody was irritating me more every second.

"Stop it! Stop it! Shut up!!!" I yelled

and threw my now empty bottle towards that blue light. Surprisingly it bounced back in speed towards me. To protect myself I jumped down on floor lying flat on my stomach. The bottle hit the wall behind me and crumbled on the ground.

"Holy shit-" I gulped.

"It was freaking Tupperware!! If mom found about this, she will definitely kill me!" I thought.

"Well.... It's if after I ever get out of this shithole...." I sighed.

As if understanding I cursed this place. The music got louder making it deafening.

"I'm sorry!! I'm sorry!!!!" I apologized covering my ears tightly.

The music stopped as I apologized and inhaled in relief.

I started to get up but, while doing that I noticed some letters circling around that blue light bulb.

"Far away crossing the six islands in west.

Magic of forest,

Bind the treasure of sea.

The seeker of the heights..

Has to fell deep,

Then shall open the door..

Walking through the heat.

The conqueror would be the one

Who gets the dragon's key."

"Okay..."

" what the heck is this?" I sighed for the millionth time.

This place was much weirder than I imagined. I just flopped back on the ground contemplating that maybe I should just sleep here till I die.

As if the green walls with these weird story paintings and this blue human size light bulb was not enough for this place to harm my brain cells. That now, the floor also has riddles written on it. Who the hell made this obnoxious place?! That person was clever enough to paint things and scribble riddles on floor but, not clever enough to make a fucking door!

Where are those brain cells, when you need them most?!

After god knows how many minutes lying down and crying on my misery I collected my thoughts and stood up in determination.

"Walking through the heat.... Blue light..." I eyed that blue light.

Suddenly I remembered that blue flame is the hottest flame.

To check my wild guess, I forwarded my hand towards blue light.

"Fuck!" I cried. The blue light was really hot. I checked my hand for burn but there was none.

"Open the door walking through the heat..." I read those lines again.

My guess was right. The heat was this blue light.

'Oh! Bless that random YouTube video which i watched at 3 am!!' I felt like I cracked the civil service exams.

I ignored other words and just focused on those door line ones. So I have to go in that light and voila! I'll find the door to my freedom!

I quickly tighten my bag around myself and gripped the knife firmly in my hand.

"Yolo! Bitch! Let's go! It's rather go in or die out here!"

I gave myself a pep talk and jumped into the light.

It was definitely hot but I wasn't burning. I walked further inside and passed the flames. Now, here I am standing in middle of the ring of those blue flames. I looked around to see I was standing on a round heavily carved floor and in front of me were six weird flutes floating in the air, moving in and out like some hypnotizing screen saver from windows 2003.

My mind made another wild guess and tried to convince me that these are the same flutes from the story on walls of this dome. It felt scary.... This whole situation was scary. But me being that dumb curios person from the treasure hunt movies failed to surpass my urge to touch those things. I forwarded my hand to touch one flute and suddenly, all those flutes circled around me as I walked in middle of that round in surprise holding the knife in front of me. The blue light disappeared making that melody which made me walk towards this place in first place intensified with the increasing pace of the flutes around me. My hairs were flying as response to sudden wind around me; I was too star struck to say or think anything and just keep on looking around wide eyes. The music stopped and the flutes suddenly merged into each other making one single flute that slowly descended on the ground in front of my feet.

I picked up the flute just to look closely. As I picked it up the ground beneath me started to shake. The dome started to trembling, rocks and dust started to fall down like house of cards. The circle around me creaked I clutched the knife and flute in my hands and again I fell down this supposed to be 'rabbit hole'.

***