Morgan Hannah
Life & Style Editor

 

I feels like I’m trapped in an earthquake, and this
is the last place I'd want to be if lam. The ground
is shaking, the walls are shaking—everything is
moving altogether as one.

And when I think it might be over, I am wrong.
Dead wrong. The mountain uproots itself and lifts
up out of the sand. I know this because the entrance
is now up much higher, and I can feel the sensation
of my organs rising into my throat, like when ona
ride at an amusement park. I just hope there’s no
drop later.

The scrabbling noise from further inside the
mountain, and the darkness, doesn’t stop but only
quickens in pace. My heart is beating so hard, my
ribcage stings—I need to get out of here! It was a
stupid idea to enter a breathing mountain!

Opening my eyes, I make for the exit. One
foot after the other, it’s a struggle to move fast while
shimmying sideways though the small space, and
it doesnt help that the rocky surface all around me
is damp and slippery—in the dark it’s difficult to
make out stable footing. My numb fingers push at
the rock rather than grip it, and I’m almost at the
edge when behind me, there’s movement.

“Aaaahhhh!” They push, shove, claw, and jump
around my body as if 1 am nothing more than a
boulder in their path. My stomach is flat against the
rock—it’s cool to the touch—and I look up just in
time to see alien after green alien jumping, leaping,
and catapulting out the entrance to the rock, all
the while the shaking, earthquaking motion has
not seized. In fact, it seems as though we're moving
forwards. My God! This is a giant creature of some
kind—it must be!!

Getting to my feet, I follow after the creatures,
pausing at the lip of the crack. The sun is blinding
and hot, and I am upat least 15 feet. There’s a pile
of green bumps and limbs squirming through the
sand down below.

“Why did they all jump?” I ask myself, and only
the rumbling of the mountain answers.

There’s something else coming... The thought
is dark and surprising, and I have to count to
five before I dare turn around and stare into the
darkness, just to make sure there’s nothing behind
me. I’malone. For now. But there’s still one more
question left to answer: Do I jump?

Continuation of this exciting adventure next week!