Chapter Five
"At the Edge of this Green Earth"
When I finally reached the outskirts of the woods, I plopped down to take a rest. Sweat dripped down my face like bullets and caused my eyes to sting and water as I sat on a nearby stone. Panting heavily, I remembered the vial that the male Trog gave to me and pulled it out from my satchel. "I wonder how he reversed the effects of this cursed substance. Why did he feel the need to save me, unlike the other male Trogs there?" I thought, shakily. Glancing at the bottle—which gleamed a reddish colour in the sunlight—I put it back into a safe place, wishfully trying to avoid my memories of the horrid ritual. Leaves fell into place as the Deepwoods became still. The only sound to be heard was the babbling of a brook just below my feet.
"Oh sky, I wish to find my friends—please lead me to Nicole and Twig!" I asked, still thinking wishfully. The silence felt as if it had an objective, that intended flowed within the chaos. Despite all of the unpredictability that the Deepwoods brought upon me, there was something that felt comforting about being in the Deepwoods again. "If the Trog who rescued me, told me to follow the wind to find the way back, I suppose I should press onwards." I said, getting back up. "I will follow the river's current and see where that leads." And so in that moment, at the turn of the tide, I started to walk along the stony banks of the flowing water. The lonely road grew soft and muddy, as I kicked small pebbles out from under my feet, which disappeared into the foggy air.
"This is truly the farthest from home, I've ever been." I said, as I reached the edge of the Deepwoods. I stepped out from the trees to find myself on a cliffside, which jutted through the great unknown. The river continued to flow past the outer reaches—dripping down towards the emptiness below—where it would evaporate into the clouds, masking the stars above. A large, tall shape emerged from the mists ahead, but I could not see who or what it might be. "Who's there? I'm not messing around—reveal yourself, you coward! I'm warning you!" I yelled into the void. The ground shook as the footsteps grew closer, and I saw them. It was Twig—sitting atop what looked like a giant, walking tree—waving his arms at me. "Hello? I cannot see you, Is that you Elspeth?" he shouted. "Yes, Twig! It is Elspeth, I'm right here!" I yelled back. He climbed down from the tree-giant and quickly ran towards me, and I to him.
At last, we hugged each other, here on the edge of the world together. "I'm glad you're back, Twig." I said, with tears of joy falling down my face. He nodded in the silent embrace. "I cannot believe you waited for me, I never thought I would see you again." Said Twig, wiping his eyes. A crash came from behind the woods behind us, which made Twig and I both jump at the sound, waiting for something crazy to happen. A shadowy figure who was carrying a lantern walked towards us. But something wonderful happened, when I saw that this new figure was actually Nicole, who had wandered around trying to find us. "Nicole! Come over here!" I shouted in her direction. The figure broke into a sprint towards us, and almost tackled me in a hug. "You would not believe the place that I just escaped from! There was a garbage pile—no wait, then a giant freaky lady with eight eyes—no, wait I found this sword led me out—I'm so happy you're with me, at the end of everything." She said, trying to explain the story. The tree-giant interrupted her, and raised his gnarled hands slightly. "Now, master Nicolaus, master Twig, and master Elspeth—do not be so hasty—there is still more to this story, and we have yet to find it out."