Torrent Part 3

I got dropped into a garden with trees that were shorter and were tighter together among the tall pinkish grass. I stared at where I was from the top. There was still quite some way to go. I was nowhere near the top of the mountain. Why was I dropped off here? It would have been nice if the water carried me up, but it only left me on the other side of the mountain.

I sighed. "This place is interesting."

There were some closed cliffs on the edge of where I was. Muddy torrents fell into the forest below. I was enjoying the ride, but it was time to go.

I went through my bag, looking for my journal, opening it to reveal the dried flower, reminding myself of what it looked like. Then I searched around this cascade of shades to find purple flowers, any purple flower it seemed like after searching for so long, coming up empty. Did flowers not bloom on this level? If the flowers were at the top of the mountain, why was I here?

I sat down picking at the grass; it was only the top that was pink going to the root. It got greener. I crunched into it, tasting it. There was just something about the color that made me just want to see what it would taste like.

It was sweet, really sweet, and tasted like a combination of fruits and brown sugar.

"Meh, what kind of grass is this?" I swallowed it and let it settle.

Not really my taste, but still it filled me with a burst of energy, so I sat there picking at it for a while, until I noticed a path that seemed to shine in the sun. It was a path that was rising upward through the mountain. Maybe like a stairway? I have seen those before crafted by the elements, but this almost seemed man-made, yet it looked like a crude break in the ugly face of this mountain. Could that be the path that led me to the top?

I grabbed my bag and set off on my trek. I had to admit though that the purple rainwater made me feel so hydrated, more hydrated than I ever thought possible and the pink grass filled me with such a rush, I felt like I had the speed of a cheetah running through me, simply walking was not enough, my pulse was racing and it felt like my blood vessels would burst through my eyes. I quickened my pace and the faster I walked, the better I felt, like the water was moving through my veins smoothly.

I started walking faster until I was running, rounding corners. The purple leaves of trees seemed to blend together until it was all one big blur as I sped past them unsure what anything was, but I filled with excitement now, more confident that I could reach the top by the end of the day. And that excitement added more fuel to my feet. I never heard wind the way whistled by me. The speed at which it moved sent a loud buzzing sound through my body, vibrating me. I couldn't stop because if I did, all of this energy would explode within me and I didn't want to combust. I had to keep moving and the faster I moved it was like I could feel every speck of dirt blast against my skin, almost bruising me, but I wasn't out of breath or anything, it was almost like I was like a tornado spiraling along the sides of the mountain, advancing quickly.

The top of the mountain became smaller in my gaze. I was getting closer. This was so cool. Why didn't we know about this where we were from? What was this place? Could it be heaven on earth? But it didn't seem that way. It was almost like a mix between nothingness and something, like a figment of your imagination and reality. Could this be limbo?

No, that couldn't be it. I would have had to die first to be stuck between heaven and earth. My mind raced with thoughts. It was the normal racing of thoughts; it happened inside me, and yet it had not sped up with my body. It was strange moving at this speed and thinking at a normal speed. The thought of it made me anxious and the more anxious I became, the slower I got.

I stopped, for I had reached a plateau. In front of me was the pure unbridled rock. Immense trees littered around, but this side of the mountain blocked the sun, leaving me in uncomfortable darkness. The wind was calmer here, but I could hear something, like a whisper. I dropped my sack and took out my climbing instruments for I was not done yet.