The Cave

 I woke up, my eyes beginning to adjust to the plain darkness. I stood up, my veins pulsing loudly and blood boiling. I could feel the cold, somewhat queer stone on my feet; the odd, deafening silence and the agony that I felt in my left knee.

 “I have to get out... right now” I told myself, taking a couple shaky, fragile steps into the darkness. I could feel my knees buckling. “Lisa will be so worried if I don’t return home in time...”

 And I instantly remembered my beautiful, 14-year-old old sister, Lisa. Oh, how beautiful and ethereal she was, how dainty and graceful – so full of motion and happiness. Oh, she’s the only thing I’ve got. “I have to return home...”

 Suddenly, a gust of icy wind blew in my face, and I felt myself startle.

Instantly, a candle was lit, and I saw a broken, mahogany stool on which the candle stood. The golden, beckoning flames seemed to dance around me as though I was lost in furious, fire. But all I could do was take it and keep going, for it seemed like the only bit of light that was left in this dark place.

Now I could see that it was a kind-of cave; the grey stone-walls, the hard rock ground, water dripping from somewhere above - most likely the unfathomable, high ceiling.

 Then I heard it; a gasp, a moan. A shudder, a flick. A breath, a heart-beat. Then a smoky-white, ghostly figure shot right at me!

 As it came closer, closer, the thin hand reached out for my heart. As it’s cold, dreadful fingers seemed to close around my soul, close around my heart, I felt myself catching my breath and falling to the floor, with a particularly-vibrant crash. I tried gulping for air, but it seemed like the spirit seemed to create a choking, little box around me, so that light nor oxygen could pass right through it.                                                                                                                          

With a start, I felt my heartbeat slowing to a minimum, my lungs aching and squeezing really hard inside, my skin becoming pale and cold. So pale, that it seemed to gleam for seconds. I felt so out-of-control, so wild, as though something has just gone terribly wrong with my brain, and I have turned from a normal, healthy boy, to a mad zombie…                                                          

I looked around frantically, and suddenly I could see a silvery, maddened shape. Looking at the thing’s face made my head loll to one side, my eyes half-open. With my perhaps-last breaths, I held the gaze with the it. Before I cold do anything else, the translucent eyes-holes sank into me like knife-edged disks, and I closed my eyes.

 Hours, or maybe days later, I woke up, realizing that I could breathe normally again. Looking around, I suddenly saw someone gazing tenderly at me; the light-blue eyes stared at me with love, and the soft lips were suddenly shaped into a smile. “Max... I love you.” and that was Lisa.