Night 4: A Real Nightmare

　　And God said, Let there be in heaven a body of light to divide the day from the night, and to make signs, and to ordain seasons, and days, and years.

　　And it shall shine in the heavens and on the earth. And it shall come to pass.

　　Then God made two great lights, the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night. And he made the stars.

　　Let these lights be set forth in the heavens, and let them shine universally upon the earth.

　　To rule over day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God sees that it is good.

　　There was evening and there was morning, the fourth day of Genesis.

　　***

　　Just how long have I slept? Why were my fingers and body cold is going temperature? It was so dark in front of me that I couldn't speak.

　　Why?

　　Am I dead? Is that in heaven, or hell?

　　I want to see my father. I want to go to heaven.

　　***

　　Weakly opening her eyes, Evina felt her body actually numb and unable to move. It made no difference if she opened her eyes or not, her eyes couldn't see anything and her body was tightly surrounded by darkness.

　　There was the sound of dripping water beside her ears. Clenching her hands slightly, Evina felt wet and sticky all around her, even the air had a damp musty smell.

　　Holding on to the rocky object by his hand, he struggled to hold up his weak body.

　　She had to get out of here. The darkness around her frightened her. Slowly taking a step toward the endless darkness, Evina snapped back to her dream.

　　Walking alone, rambling?

　　Was she in a dream world? This feeling of loneliness made her prefer that she was still dreaming.

　　"Evina, my Evina, you're finally awake from your nap. Come here." The old voice came from behind her.

　　"Evina, what are you waiting for, get over here."

　　The voice was distinctly laced with impatience, urging her hesitant steps.

　　Perhaps there was someone here who could lead her out of this darkness. The owner of that voice knew her name and should not be evil.

　　Evina groped her way toward the source of the sound.

　　Despite her caution, she tripped over the same foreign object.

　　She saw that she was about to lose her center of gravity, but even faster, a hand gripped her wrist just in time.

　　It was a withered patch of skin, she felt.

　　"You've been on earth too long, and I'm afraid your eyes can't adapt quickly enough to the environment here. Now, close your eyes tightly and repeat after me silently."

　　A strange tone read raw from her throat. Then a sparkling brightness came to her eyes in front of her.

　　Surprised, she opened her eyes. What was in front of her, however, sent shivers down her spine.

　　The light was still as obscure as ever, and she could vaguely see the sickening sewage flowing from the crevices in the rock she touched with her hand.

　　Rushing to draw back her hand, she looked down, only to see that the 'foreign object' that had just tripped her was actually a huge python!

　　She was silenced and took a few steps backward in fear.

　　And what surprised her even more was the old crone in front of her. Silvery hair cluttered over her shoulders, and her dried up old face was ashen. Short, hunchbacked, and wrapped in tattered cotton wool, she was oddly attired.

　　She, on the other hand, was the old woman in the dream, contorting her face in agony to her ... now staring her dead in the face.

　　"What's wrong with you, Evina, this is your home, why are you so strange?"

　　Home? Evina laughed to herself.

　　Since her father's death, her true home had gone up in smoke along with him. And now this strange old woman was speaking softly of 'home' in a space that terrified her.

　　"How do you know my name, I don't know you, why did you bring me here, what do you want!"

　　The damp, musty smell made her sick.

　　It was the first time she had ever questioned an old man so rudely, and perhaps she was too afraid.

　　"No one forced you to come, and I said nothing fancy to impress you. From the moment you swore the oath, you made a promise with me, the indestructible Niditra sorcerer, that will never be abandoned. It was in fact your request, the voice of your heart, that brought you here."

　　"No, what are you babbling about! I have a home of my own, a life of my own ... old woman, and if you can bring me here, you can surely send me back ..."

　　Evina's voice grew weak, the old woman's words so true.

　　Did she really want to be here, did she choose to come here to escape the coldness of the real world?

　　No, it's even colder here.