As Miri ran farther into the forest, she did not know where she was going, only that she wanted to leave. The wall and the barn, which could be seen rising above it, were soon lost as she traveled. She ran until she was tired, which, as she was in good shape, was quite a ways.
Miri slowed, gasping for breath. her run had done her good, and although she was still sad and angry, she was no longer heartbroken.
She kept walking through the forest, looking around. Green light filtered through the new spring leaves above, and helped warm her. She looked at the trees all around her. They had been here for hundreds of years, growing steadily, enduring all. Miri decided to be like those trees.
She was heedless of the passing of time, and when the light from the sun began to dim, she was surprised. She glanced around nervously. Miri had been so upset in her desperate rush to get away, that she had paid no attention to which direction she was going.
""Oh, no" Miri said out loud "I'm lost." Because she had no idea which direction was home, she decided to pick a direction and start walking. Beginning the trek, with no idea if she was heading deeper into the woods, or back home, she suddenly felt exhausted. She had run, then walked, several miles.
Above her, the light became fainter as the sun began to set. Miri tried to remember which way the sun had set back at the house. She stopped suddenly as she realized that the direction she was going couldn't possibly be the right way. Turning, she picked a new direction and began walking, hoping against hope she would soon reach civilization.
After a few hours of walking in her new direction, Miri had to admit defeat. The sun was long gone, and she could not go any further. exhausted, she plopped down on a fallen log and put her head in her hands. Miri glanced around, looking for anything that could be used as a blanket or bedding of some sort. Thankfully, it was a fairly warm night, unusual for the time of year, but at least there was something to be grateful for. Sighing, she lay down, using the log as a pillow, and fell fast asleep.
She slept long and hard, and did not awaken until mid morning. Stretching, she looked around. "Ahhh!" she yelped, as the crick in her neck from sleeping on the ground made itself known. Miri massaged her neck and looked around more carefully.
Tall trees towered above her, their branches reaching out for each other like arms. The ground was covered in grass, where the bushes cleared enough, and several birds hopped and twittered in the trees above.
It had been dark when she stopped, and as she looked around, she realized that there was a small path, more of a deer trail really, leading through the undergrowth. Not seeing any better options, Miri decided to see where it led. she followed it through the undergrowth, being careful not to scratch herself on the brambles that edged the path.
After about an hour of walking, the path opened up into a small clearing. On the far side, a cliff rose, from the top of which spilled a waterfall. The water tumbled down into a small pool of water. Miri walked closer and stared into the depths. she could see her own face, dirty and tired, staring back at her. Miri scooped up a double handful of water, shivering at the chill, and began to wash her face.
when she was done, she became aware of a horrible dryness in the back of her throat. Looking uncertainly into the crystal clear water, she wondered of it was safe to drink. Her thirst overcame her trepidation and she drank her fill from the small pool.
When Miri was finished, she decided to look at the cliffs. She had no idea that there were any so close to where she lived. walking along the bottom, looking up, she was struck by the impossibility of her situation. There was no way to climb the cliff, and she had no wish to re enter the forest where she had been lost for so long. soon, she came to the cliff behind the waterfall. she stopped, noticing a small path running between the pounding water and the cold, unmoving surface of the cliff wall.
Taking a deep breath, Miri hugged the wall and began to inch her way behind the waterfall. soon, she found she had more room as she carefully made her way deeper. Suddenly, her hand reached empty air, there was a cave! Miri carefully made her way inside.
Looking around, Miri waited for her eyes to adjust. The light that made it through the watery curtain behind her was not bright enough to fully illuminate the far reaches of the cave. She walked forward into the darkness, curious as to what she would find. She saw no traces of animals that would make her fear for her safety, and proceeded without worry.
Squinting toward the back of the cavern, she thought she saw a light, just for a second, and slowly walked towards it, suddenly apprehensive. The light grew brighter as she approached, and she could no longer pretend to be unafraid. Miri tried to turn and leave, but her body refused to obey, instead taking another hesitating step toward the brightness in front of her. terrified, she screwed her eyes shut.