Night Lights and Dark Places

Chapter Two - Fool

He found himself overwhelmed by the outside almost immediately, and was tempted to commit every sensory detail of the moment to memory, but dared not linger at the mouth of the cave. In a few quick movements, he scaled the drop-off upward and out and into the world.

And, as big as he knew the world was, he could never have imagined the intimidating vastness of it all. The cave opened into a rocky hollow, the perimeter of which was surrounded entirely by sheer cliff faces. Beyond the cliffs, the sky loomed eerily, and for the first time in his life, he felt small. The feeling relieved him.

Meandering towards the center of the clearing, dazed and dwarfed, the first thing that struck him was how difficult it was to walk on uneven ground through wild grass. The second thing that struck him was the ground as he lost his footing and toppled over. Though the landing was soft, the fall irritated him, and he rolled over onto his back, stared vacantly at the sky. The day he'd always dreamed of, the moment he'd always assumed he'd greet with unbridled joy and unrestrained curiosity, and there he was, numb with shock.

He took in an unabashedly greedy breath of cool, fresh air and held it. Was it possible for air to taste good? Newly invigorated and motivated by his frustration, he swallowed his apprehension and sat up, exhaling. There was no point in laying around when there was a world to see and an enormous cliffside to scale.

~~~

The cliff was tall, taller than anything he'd ever seen, but the surface of it was softer than anything he'd ever climbed, so it was an easily completed task. The lip of the cliff was grassy and overgrown, with a flimsy wooden fence hugging the curve, and the closer he got to the top, the clearer the sounds of the forest became: the soft rustling of trees and wind whistling through the branches, frogs and insects droning repetitive songs.

Above all sounds were two voices, raised in argument.

"Stupid. We take off all this time and come all this way, and for what? Fucking nothing."

James slung an arm around one of the fence's support posts, lifting himself just enough to peek through the slats. The voices belonged to two human males, young, holding lights and trudging up a path that ran through the trees.

"Why do you give such a shit? I can guarantee you, we'd be smoking in my apartment anyway if we didn't get the time off."

"God, but it's the principle of the thing! It's literally tradition and you forgot the main event."

James hoisted himself up, curiosity getting the better of him. It had been so long since he'd seen anyone outside of his family, much less a living human. The two men were drastically different heights, wearing light clothing and carrying heavy packs. Most humans that came around carried packs like theirs; a valuable resource for his kind as they usually contained clothing and tools. He shuddered, grateful that these humans hadn't attempted to enter the cave.

The taller of the two was thin and fair-skinned, with hair the color of fire and a square jaw that looked disproportionate over a skinny neck and small shoulders. The small one was darker, in both coloring and demeanor, and possessed sharp, almost feminine features. Were they friends? They didn't appear to be enjoying each other's company.

James' foot slipped and he bit his own tongue trying not to cry out in surprise, and thankfully, he did not fall. Heart pounding, he scrambled up the rest of the way and crouched behind the fence, clinging tightly to it, watching the men meander up the path. They were approaching in his direction, and he prayed he was hidden well enough that they would pass by without seeing him.

"You're such a nag. Why'd it even have to be the Gruwelbos trail this time? It's way too goddamn spooky," the tall one grumbled, stuffing his free hand into the pocket of his shorts. "Like, a billion trails south of the college and you chose the condemned one."