Endless Cycle

Our breaths froze in perfect harmony. The wraiths no longer pursued us. The frogs no longer croaked. We were finally free, at long last.

White light gently caressed the steps before her. The girl, whose shard of hope was dampened by hesitation at this very moment, looked up at the exit that beckoned to her. I expected to look up too, missing the grand sight, but instead, I leaned forward. Confused, I waited in my side of darkness, expecting our moves to sync.

At that moment, when the end was near, our bond had been broken. I was no longer unified with her. Inching along the line that kept our worlds apart like a drowsy caterpillar, I pressed my face against the border, expecting obstruction. Instead, I broke through the leaf and found myself staring face-to-face with the one whose movements, thoughts and fears matched mine.

She gasped at the sight while our heads leaned forward. Had she not seen me before? I felt the same, though at the same time, I somehow knew her face and posture. Her head drew back suddenly and another gulp of air escaped.

Her short-lived hope came as quick as a breath. The girl, who ultimately desired freedom, fell short of the staircase. Her chest heaved with sobs, begging the dungeon to let her pass. But it was not her turn; I warned her of this with my eyes before turning to the staircase. Two steps at a time, I jumped and jumped until her cries were washed over by damp white light. For a moment, even the darkness shunned itself.

The light flowed endlessly like a pure white stream and I, a mere whisper in the dark, became soaked with it. A tingling sensation from the hem of my dress signaled me to look down upon them. The light was filling me, all to the tips of my bow!

Another, different touch gently tugged at my neck. I looked behind to see a red cape, just like hers, materialise behind me. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply and profoundly, for the time was near. The red cape, once flowing valiantly in the gentle breeze, fell, clinging to the back of my dress. The imminent darkness was seeping through the cracks. Disoriented, I took a step forward, the first step since I became filled again.

It was then, at that moment, that the ground opened, and the darkness fully consumed me.

----

The worst part of waking up is the light. As it seeps into my eyes, I reach for it, but the distance between us is vast. It taunts me from above, raining empty circles and squares around me.

In mid-sleep, pain from the impact of the ground resonates through me. My eyes close and it too, comes to a close. I open them again to see a single white butterfly taking off, away from my face.

The ground I rest on is white, like the light beckoning me overhead. I hoist myself off it, shaking droplets of water off my body, and see a tint of orange peeking through. A distant past, a concealed identity. I could sense it through this surface. There's a girl trapped beneath here.

Our minds are set on one thought: we have to do whatever it takes to escape. There's a light here, and it's calling to us from the other side of this prison. Each window we pass promises us this reward.

But as we proceed, from one room to the next, a deep thought penetrates us. We've been through this process, over and over. Only one of us can escape. We are stuck in this endless cycle, yet still perform each motion with the same cry. With every step, a fear begins to swell from underneath us. We will be stuck in this set forever; there is no escape.

We will never be free.