A short story based on the song Growl's Garden by Clark
I can see her through the fog.
Everything is a blur. There is a white shine on everything. Slowly I see my arms raising themselves, attempting to reach out. But no matter how much I walk I cannot get closer.
I see the tree where it happened. It comes to me in flashes. I see her, being held by someone and I want to reach out to her. I can't seem to get closer but the fog fades just long enough to see myself holding her under the tree.
But I am here. That is not me. Don't listen to him. He doesn't know how to help you.
She doesn't hear me, nor does she even look my way, but the me that is holding her definitely does see me, and I do not like the look he is giving me.
The fog intensifies and I can feel something behind me pulling. I struggle as much as I can. Even digging my nails into the ground is not helping. I can no longer fight the pull. I am left confounded by the look of dread on the face of the other me.
I will find you. In the garden. Under that tree. I will not stop. I will find you, I promise.
Everything goes black as the force pulling me disorients me. Which way is up? Which way is down?
Suddenly I feel like I am falling backwards, and I wake.
I wake up feeling like a meteor that just crashed. I am snugly nestled deep in the ground while my body is still smouldering. I try to move but I don't seem to have the energy, yet. Not even to move a single finger. I know I have to move, though, the cold will get me otherwise.
Eventually I find the energy to move when an alarm, specifically set to get me moving again, goes off. I have a journey ahead to the final cave I need to reach in order to unlock the gate to the garden. I quickly pack, eager to embark on my fourth journey. Yet another mountain to climb, a last hidden cave to reach.
Yet again, I must walk past the frozen lake at the centre of plain. As I make my way ahead I look behind me to see the three mountains I have already visited, slightly glowing in the distance. I must focus on the last trek, though, I cannot let myself get slowed down now.
Scaling the mountain starts easy enough, it always does. But quickly the climb gets steep, forcing me not only to take more care with every bit of progress I make; eventually needing to lean entirely against the rock. This rigamarole is getting harder with every mountain. This being the last time I have to do this fuels my progress almost entirely. I reach the entrance to the cave after hours of climbing through snow and wind. As I finally walk down the long dark and barren corridor I remind myself of the goal. After this I can finally see her again.
At the end of the tunnel I can clearly see the large stone slab that I now know to be the console I need. At long last. I rub my right hand along the surface to feel what I cannot see but by now know is there: the small carvings of its circuitry. Though the individual carvings have been different from console to console, the one consistent feature fills me with dread.
In the middle of the console I see the small hole. I know exactly what I must do, though I hesitate at first. Slowly I remove the glove from my left hand which is missing three fingers. My thumb aside, I only my index finger left to offer to the light.
I need a few deep breaths to prepare mentally. When ready I push my index finger into the hole with no time to second guess. The hole begins to glow, enveloping my finger. There is a very sharp pain in my hand. The glow crawls along the engravings of the stone, shining brightly, forcing me to look away. The tension holding my hand in place disappears, my hand slips away from the stone and I fall to the ground.
I want stay down. Want to take a moment to rest, but the rumbling of the mountain beneath me tells me otherwise. I have to rush out of here.
Getting down the mountain always looks far scarier when you have to look down, but it most certainly is easier. This is a blessing as I have only a limited time before the lights will activate, and I will finally be reunited with my beloved.
I make it back to the frozen lake before the night is at its darkest. The four mountains I overcame and offered my sacrifices to are not just glowing, now. A glowing mist gathers near the top of the mountains, spiralling, eventually conglomerating into powerful beams. The upward jets of light split apart any remaining clouds into oblivion, revealing a moonless sky filled with uncountable specks of light.
I am left staring at the spectacle above, short-lived though it is. The beams converge directly above me in the sky, their strong flare overcasting every star.
I couldn't see it before, but I can see it now plain as day: there hangs a large ship where the four beams converge.
The ship absorbs the light. A strong glow starts to show between the wooden planks of its body. Eventually the light takes over. Not just the ship but everything around it, too. A beam of light shoots directly down onto the centre of the frozen lake, mist rising up in a sudden flash.
I carefully walk over the ice towards the intense beam of light still raging. The dense cold mist sneaks around me as I draw near. Deep within the mist emerges a different world, one where time stands still and everything is covered in a white glow. I walk into the mist and from one moment to the next the cold bite turned to a soft warm caress on my skin.
I walk in a daze where everything moves in breaths. Every breath in makes a step forward. Every breath out makes a step backwards. I am unable to move out of place.
Ahead I spot a tree I recognise. Under it lies a figure that I cannot identify but assume I know. Bit by bit I get closer without breathing, until I can eventually kneel down over her body.
There she lies. The woman who means everything to me, slowly dying. I put my arms around her and hold her close.
I found you, at last. I told you I would, didn't I?
I can see her mouth move but I can't hear a word. She's looking me in the eyes without breaking contact. I have not seen this look in her eyes before.
A sound from behind has me looking away from her. There are an endless series of shadow bodies reaching their arms at us. They are frozen still, but they pulse in and out of existence at random. Though I cannot see their faces, I know exactly who they are. They are all me.
The cold suddenly hits me hard and sharp. From my left hand into my arm, shoulder, inner ear. I turn to look at my dying wife. Once again she speaks, but all I hear is the ringing in my head.
It wasn't your fault. Why are you apologising. Don't cry.
The bitter white sting in my left eye pierces deep into my skull. The shadows around us flicker.
For the first time they take a step forward, all at once. Then another. Each step they take hurts like an ice knife all over my body. I can't hold on anymore, I drop her.
The shadows close in on us while we are collapsing, everything fades to white. The light burns my being but it isn't warm.
I am cold.
I feel it wrapping around me, tugging me, lifting me slowly. I can only barely see through the cold white radiance. Above me the ship of light. I am slowly carried into the hull of the ship. The wood closes around me like a set of jaws, eating me out of existence.