Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Chapter Two

The humidity of the forest hit me as soon as I stepped on the lush grass. To my right was a fallen tree. Beyond that was a ledge which was currently out of reach. Looking to my left, I saw that the trail ended quickly, with a stone set in the ground. Walking over to it, I placed my foot on its surface. The stone sunk into the ground instantly, causing me to lose my footing and fall to my knees. In the distance, I could hear the sound of stone moving.

I stood up and brushed myself off. Intent on discovering what had changed, I began to retrace my steps. Almost instantly, the stone rose to ground level again, accompanied by the distant noise returning for a short time. Curiously, I tapped the stone with my foot. As I expected, it sunk and rose again. Apparently it didn’t take much weight to activate trigger. If I could find something to hold it in place, I would be able to figure out what was happening. Unfortunately, there was nothing on the ground heavy enough to weigh down the stone; plants and leaves littered the ground, but no rocks or sticks.

Running back to the beach, I grabbed the largest coconut I could find and returned. Home had provided for me. In response to the coconut’s touch, the stone sank into the ground and stayed in place. With a content sigh, I retraced my steps yet again until I came to the fallen tree. Stepping over it, I realized what the stone had done. By the high ledge which I had seen before, a small stone step had risen.

I walked over to it, testing my weight against it. The stone remained firmly in place. With a small jump, I was able to stand on the stone, and with another small hop, I was on the ledge above.

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