Jerry trained his eyes to the direction of the light. The more he looked, the more his fears intensified. A nudge within told him there was something amiss. And that his fears were only a creation of his thoughts. He scrambled up, removed his handgun from his side, and pointed it in the direction of the light, waiting for any slight sign of movement.
He didn't bother to wake Sarah just yet. Whatever had come to get them should get him and forget about Sarah. She had sacrificed far too much already. He began to take cautious but trained soldierly steps towards the light.
The more he approached the light, the more he was convinced that there was no sign of animation around the area. His mind went back to the stories he heard as a child. Not just heard, even confirmed.
He had grown up at the foot of a mountain like this. And there were stories of a large snake called gungun on the mountain; their tribal version of a dragon perhaps. During winter, when all the grass on the mountain had dried off, the snake would come out at night, transporting bright beautifully colored lights from one point to the other. Blue, red, pink, gold.
Nobody claimed to have seen the snake, only the movement of the light from one point to another. There were also tales of a Dutch missionary doctor in the area who had tried to steal one of the lights and had paid dearly with his life.
Thinking of the story of the missionary now made his heart begin to race at top speed. Especially as the lights began to blink blue, red, pink, amber, and gold. He stood in his tracks and tried to make out any figures lurking in the dark beyond. But he confirmed nothing.
He was only a few feet from the beautiful light now. He saw the last quarter of the moon hanging dull in the sky and wished it were full and shining in its glory. He lay flat on the ground and began to creep around the light. He had now confirmed fully that it was not Capt. Dati. This was something else entirely.
He crept to the other side of the light but there was no one there. Something else began to dawn on him. He had come this close to the light but there was no sign of attack or resistance. But he had to take a good look before he went closer to touch proximity. He surveyed the area but there was no movement. Oddly, the light glowed selfishly without casting off any resonance. It seemed like a lone dim blinking star on a cloudy night sky.
The dawning now pushed him forwards. He took out his flashlight and sent its beam towards the shimmering light. His flashlight revealed a stony surface. Jerry went to grab the stone and made ready to run off if he heard any sign of movement. He thought it might even be a precious stone that would be worth millions of dollars in the international market.
To his disappointment, the object did not move. It seemed to be a flat rock instead. Planted and immovable!
He decided to take a good look at the source of the light. But now that he was here, there seemed to be no light at all!! Was this some kind of magic? He took some steps backward to take another look. But from this position, he could see the light alright.
He went closer again.
This time, Jerry returned his handgun to its place in his belt and flashed his light again. Something told him to wake Sarah, but another thought declined. He'd be through here and join her soon. Perhaps then he could wake her up and show her this magical display.
He shone the light on the rock. It was amazing what he was looking at!!! Staring back at him was ancient handwriting of sorts. Most of the letters seemed crossed with four horizontal lines. The few that were not crossed seemed to be performing some sort of disco dance, standing apart from each other.
As an avid reader back in military school, he recalled that he had once read of the African alphabet developed in the Cameroons, Ethiopia, and south-eastern Nigeria. He guessed now that this particular one he was staring at must be the one from Cameroun by the proximity of this mountain.
Another thought nudged him to call Sarah to see his latest find, but he decided against it in the meantime. His flashlight accidentally caught something at the edge of the flat rock. When he peered closely, he saw that it was an image of a dragon rider engraved in the stone.
Jerry's heart leaped! He felt a little scared now. What in the hell was this image? His scare was not so much the image as the rider. It was not really human… despite the striking resemblance. Even as the image was an engraving, he could see the distinct features of the fairy being. An exaggerated nose, corky ears, a ridged forehead, and fur skin, with a spear in hand.
"What is this place?" Jerry asked himself under his breath. Frightened.
Another thing that bothered him was the fact that the rock seemed to have been planted here for ages. In fact, it looked like it had been growing with the mountain. But the engravings seemed pellucid enough. The clarity was undeterred as if the image had only recently been done. But it looked as old as the stone.
Jerry decided that it was time he woke Sarah! This was not a view for lone eyes!! Especially now that it was not Dati, he would wake her up to come see. In his haste, Jerry stepped his foot on the flat rock. But he had not calculated the move, and it would be a step he would never have bargained, even in another lifetime. What he now saw was just mist, vague and void. An abyss of never-ending.