Entwined Paths ~*~ chap 2 part 1~*~ {pg 13+}

[ishaah]

Chapter Two – Arrivals
Part 1
~Bliss~

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The bus squeaked to a stop at the end of the dirt road miles from any civilization, it seemed like the trip had lasted days though it was not more than a few hours, this was the end of the bus drivers run. Bliss stood up and thanked the driver then got off the bus and waited while it pulled away leaving her alone in the middle of nowhere. Bliss took a deep breath, although she felt nervous she also knew in her heart that she was heading in the right direction, the direction to find her new path, a new life.
The day soon turned to night as Bliss walked through the shrubs that covered this area, she by now had many cuts and grazes on her legs though she hardly noticed any of them, the excitement and fear were far to great for her to worry about such petty things, she knew that her destiny was ahead and couldn’t wait to find it. What Bliss didn’t know was that her destiny started the second she stepped foot off that bus.

Bliss walked until she couldn’t walk anymore, she needed to rest so she sat down under a large eucalyptus tree, closed her eyes and slowly she drifted off to sleep. Everything from Bliss’s past seemed to swirl around in her dreams, her parents, her best friends, everything in small doses like a clip show from a television soap. Bliss sighed as she woke and looked around, the sun was now high in the sky and it was very hot, she could see around herself more now, she stood up and took a look, in every direction there were trees and shrubs. She wondered how she could possibly know what way to go when everything looked so similar but she just shrugged and started in one direction and chose to stick to it. See Bliss had a lot of hurt in her past, but she had an even bigger heat, one that carried her through everything, no matter the pain or fear or sadness it carried her onto the next step in her life. Bliss trusted her heart, she trusted enough in it to know that she was going the right direction, to wherever she was meant to be going.
Bliss walked again until the sun sunk down and the moon had risen high into the sky before she again had to take a break. She sat down on a log and stretched her feet, relaxed and wondered to herself what she might find along this new path, these thoughts lasted for a while before her they were interrupted by the sound of rustling in some near by bushes, She looked to the bushes nervously waiting to see what was going to emerge, nothing followed the sound besides silence. Bliss was glad of the silence, she was sure she was on the right path, she just wasn’t sure everything along the way would be safe, in fact something deep inside told her that there would defiantly be dangers, things she would do well to avoid. Bliss relaxed again and got some more rest, she slept right through the night but when she woke in the morning she wasn’t where she had fallen asleep, she was somewhere else, somewhere dark and cold. Bliss stood up and grabbed her belongings and felt of something solid to lean on, there was a wall, she instantly realized she was in a cave, moving along she felt her way using the cave wall as a guide trying not to think of how she got there in the first place but just how to get out. The further she moved the stronger a smell of rot got, not like the rot of a dead body, more like the rot of old water.

Bliss felt worried, the further she walked the less she was getting anywhere, it felt like hours before she finally saw a light in the distance, not daylight, more like the light of a fire, she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued walking until she got to the fire, there was no one near it, it was as if the fire had lit itself or so Bliss thought at first. Still unable to see an exit out of the cave she remembered reading about an elf traveler who had been lost in a cave and to light his fire he needed to find an area with air, remembering this Bliss looked around everywhere for a place where air could come into the cave “Child, what is it you are looking for” came from no where in an elderly man’s voice, both soft and gruff at the same time, Bliss clung to the wall and looked around, she could feel her heart pounding so fast it was making her whole body move “Well child, what is it your looking for?” the voice said again “I um, please sir, I am looking for a way out, I don’t know how I got into this cave, and I would like very much to get back to my travels” Bliss stuttered worriedly trying to see where the man was but not succeeding “I brought you here child” The voice said “you need not fear me, I know of your journey and you are still going the right direction, my name is Trance and I have lived in this cave for centuries, my will is not to hurt you” Bliss was confused, she sat down by the fire and took a deep breath “Please sir, how is it you have been in this cave for centuries and know of my travels, a person lives not more than one hundred years” The old man laughed “That is true of humans child, you are a witch and there others will all by different, however child, I am not a person at all” Bliss was even more confused then before, she wasn’t sure if this man was playing a joke on her or if she was still dreaming “Sir, I am only a human girl, I am no witch, and what possibly could you be if not a person?” she asked trying not to sound rude with her question “I am a dragon, like the ones from your stories, I am known as the keeper, I protect this gateway, in all my time child there are very few who I am to let though, you are one of the few” Bliss bite her lip, everything the man was saying was so far fetched even she was having trouble believing it, she was starting to think that she had read to many fantasy novels and her dreams were getting weird, but not to be rude, Bliss just smiled “Please sir, you are clearly not here to hurt me, you should not hide yourself, it doesn’t much matter to me what you are, it’s who you are that counts” she said sounding a lot less nervous than she had before.
In the distance ahead there was a rustle then two huge yellow eyes shone like torches, the huge Dragon lay his head down near the fire and looked at bliss quizzically, Bliss smiled “This isn’t a dream is it?” she asked in the politest way she could “No child, This is probably the most real you’ve ever had” Trance said then took a deep breath “You will have so many questions Child, but you will learn soon enough that sometimes there are no answers that will make sense, Everything is going to be somewhat new to you, it would be better for you to accept things and not question them at all” Bliss stood up and walked over to Trance and sat next to his head “I will try my best not to question Sir” she said feeling not at all afraid of the gigantic dragon she is now sitting next to, but more humbled by his presence. Trance smiled a teethy smile and lifted his head only long enough to move a gigantic paw under it to lean on “You must be terribly lonely spending centuries alone in this cave” Bliss said with a hint of sorrow in her voice “That it is” Trance yawned “Though loneliness is not more than a state of mind, tell me child, how is it possible to be lonely with a heart full of love and I mind full of memories, I lived my life long ago and now I rest and reminisce on my past” Bliss moved around to the front of Trances face “You say such things sir, but your eyes tell another story, I see the sadness. Tell me, what point is there to say things to which you do not believe yourself?” Trance sighed and his breath blew Bliss’s hair strait back “My future is as it is Child, Sometimes it is easier to pretend things are one way in hopes that you will in time believe it, then to spend your time longing for what you can not get back” Bliss frowned at this point “That Sir is and easy out” She snapped “Life is hard, no one ever said it would be easy and lying is not a way to live at all, No matter how hard you try you will always have the truth waiting, You will never change you life if you do not try” Trance looked at Bliss and smiled “That is true for you child, But for me this is my way, I am far to old to change now” Bliss frowned even more “Forgive me Sir, But age has no limit to change, is life not learning every step of the way, A child is born and knows nothing but the basics to life, If what you say is true, how does a child grow to be an adult?” she said “I must be going now sir, however before I do I will wish for you to find a new happiness, no one should be lonely” Bliss smiled again and gave Trance a gentle kiss on the side of his face then walked off.
After a short distance she turned around “Goodbye Sir” she said then continued walking. It wasn’t long before the light from the fire had totally diminished and Bliss was alone in the darkness again, she felt bad about snapping at the dragon but she also knew that loneliness was not a fact of life, everyone needs someone to care about them, someone to care for.

Bliss walked the rest of that day in the darkness, not even stopping to eat, She had almost run out of the food she had packed by now but she knew she had no choice but to keep going, turning back could be more damaging without food than continuing, especially when she had a feeling she was almost at the end of the cave whether she could see the light or not.
Bliss took a deep breath “This is it” she said to herself and felt her way around the corner, she looked ahead and in the middle of nowhere stood a shimmering blob around the size of a small doorway, she walked right up to it and put her hand up on it, for a moment the surprise of her hand going into the shimmer and not coming out through the other side stunned her but she just smiled and looked behind herself “Thank you all” she whispered almost to sadly then she turned back and stepped through the shimmer, coming out into beautiful daylight, she looked behind her to the shimmer but all that stood there was a tree. Bliss realized from that moment there was no turning back, she had chosen her path and now she had to follow it, a new start, a new journey…