Part
one
It was
the pain which woke her, a dull throbbing at the base of her skull
and working its way down her back. As she opened her eyes, she was
greeted by a canopy of green and brown above her. Leaves. Branches.
Trees. There was no sunlight to be seen, just a muted grey green
light, as if she was seeing things through a haze.
She tried to sit up, but failed on the first few attempts, a
dizziness so acute that she wondered if she was going to faint again.
Once she was sitting up, she placed a hand at the back of her head
and
probed
gently. Yes, there was a bump there all right, but how did she get
it? How did she get here, to this forest?
There was a groan from her left and she glanced down to see an
equally confused Caden staring up at her. She reached down an arm to
help him up.
"Abigail? Where are we?"
"I have no idea. I was hoping you would be able to tell me."
"The last thing I remember, was that we were on our way to
Kansas for a conference."
"Oh, that explains it then," said Abigail.
"Explains what?" he asked, rubbing his head and wincing
when he found the
tender
spot of his own bump.
"We most be over the rainbow," said Abigail.
"Well, one thing's for sure, we sure aren't in Kansas anymore."
Abigail stared around at their surroundings once more. There was
something odd, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could
hear Caden's steady breathing and her own. That was it. There was no
other noise.
No rustling of leaves, although she could feel a little breeze caress
her face, no birds singing, no insect chirps. There was nothing
except her and Caden. No sounds of cars from a nearby highway, no
airplanes overhead. She looked up again, trying to peer through the
branches at the sky above, but it was impossible. It was as though
they were in a room with a ceiling made of trees.
Abigail stood up and began to brush at her clothes, to dislodge any
leaves or dirt that had been there, but her skirt and blouse were
completely clean. She looked quizzically at the ground, she'd been
lying on a carpet of grass such a vivid green, but there were no
grass stains on her clothes, and no loose debris from the trees
scattered about. Where were the fallen leaves and twigs, pine cones
The ground looked too clean and she bent down to make sure that the
grass was real.
She plucked a blade of grass to test it. It felt like grass, it
looked like grass, it smelled like...nothing. It had no smell.
Abigail sat back down and scooted over next to Caden. She began to
sniff his neck.
Sweat, aftershave and soap all combined to make one unique smell.
His. She would recognise it anywhere.
"Abigail? What are you doing?" he asked, gently pushing her
away.
"Sorry," she blushed at the intimacy of what she'd done. It
wasn't something a colleague would do, more like something a lover
would do.
"There's no smell here," said Abigail, handing him the
blade of grass.
He sniffed it and looked at her in surprise. "That's odd."
Abigail nodded and wondered if he was going to start smelling her
like she had done to him. She wanted him to, wanted to feel his
breath on her neck like a gentle caress and she had to bite her lip
from crying out loud at the imagined sensation. It was the odd
situation they found themselves in, that was all. She didn't really
want to be doing that with Caden. Did she?
"Hello!" called a voice in the distance. "Do you need
some help?"
They both turned to see the owner of the voice, a tall man dressed in
a linen tunic which reached his knees. Two blue vertical stripes at
the edges were matched by the blue of his eyes. Blond hair and a
blond beard glinted in a source of light that Abigail couldn't
fathom. The day was bright, but she couldn't see the sun.
"My name is Linden," he said and bowed to them. Abigail and
Caden stood up and reached out their hands, but he didn't seem to
know what a handshake was so they dropped them by their sides and
bowed like he had done.
"We seem to be lost," said Caden. "Do you
one
It was
the pain which woke her, a dull throbbing at the base of her skull
and working its way down her back. As she opened her eyes, she was
greeted by a canopy of green and brown above her. Leaves. Branches.
Trees. There was no sunlight to be seen, just a muted grey green
light, as if she was seeing things through a haze.
She tried to sit up, but failed on the first few attempts, a
dizziness so acute that she wondered if she was going to faint again.
Once she was sitting up, she placed a hand at the back of her head
and
probed
gently. Yes, there was a bump there all right, but how did she get
it? How did she get here, to this forest?
There was a groan from her left and she glanced down to see an
equally confused Caden staring up at her. She reached down an arm to
help him up.
"Abigail? Where are we?"
"I have no idea. I was hoping you would be able to tell me."
"The last thing I remember, was that we were on our way to
Kansas for a conference."
"Oh, that explains it then," said Abigail.
"Explains what?" he asked, rubbing his head and wincing
when he found the
tender
spot of his own bump.
"We most be over the rainbow," said Abigail.
"Well, one thing's for sure, we sure aren't in Kansas anymore."
Abigail stared around at their surroundings once more. There was
something odd, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could
hear Caden's steady breathing and her own. That was it. There was no
other noise.
No rustling of leaves, although she could feel a little breeze caress
her face, no birds singing, no insect chirps. There was nothing
except her and Caden. No sounds of cars from a nearby highway, no
airplanes overhead. She looked up again, trying to peer through the
branches at the sky above, but it was impossible. It was as though
they were in a room with a ceiling made of trees.
Abigail stood up and began to brush at her clothes, to dislodge any
leaves or dirt that had been there, but her skirt and blouse were
completely clean. She looked quizzically at the ground, she'd been
lying on a carpet of grass such a vivid green, but there were no
grass stains on her clothes, and no loose debris from the trees
scattered about. Where were the fallen leaves and twigs, pine cones
The ground looked too clean and she bent down to make sure that the
grass was real.
She plucked a blade of grass to test it. It felt like grass, it
looked like grass, it smelled like...nothing. It had no smell.
Abigail sat back down and scooted over next to Caden. She began to
sniff his neck.
Sweat, aftershave and soap all combined to make one unique smell.
His. She would recognise it anywhere.
"Abigail? What are you doing?" he asked, gently pushing her
away.
"Sorry," she blushed at the intimacy of what she'd done. It
wasn't something a colleague would do, more like something a lover
would do.
"There's no smell here," said Abigail, handing him the
blade of grass.
He sniffed it and looked at her in surprise. "That's odd."
Abigail nodded and wondered if he was going to start smelling her
like she had done to him. She wanted him to, wanted to feel his
breath on her neck like a gentle caress and she had to bite her lip
from crying out loud at the imagined sensation. It was the odd
situation they found themselves in, that was all. She didn't really
want to be doing that with Caden. Did she?
"Hello!" called a voice in the distance. "Do you need
some help?"
They both turned to see the owner of the voice, a tall man dressed in
a linen tunic which reached his knees. Two blue vertical stripes at
the edges were matched by the blue of his eyes. Blond hair and a
blond beard glinted in a source of light that Abigail couldn't
fathom. The day was bright, but she couldn't see the sun.
"My name is Linden," he said and bowed to them. Abigail and
Caden stood up and reached out their hands, but he didn't seem to
know what a handshake was so they dropped them by their sides and
bowed like he had done.
"We seem to be lost," said Caden. "Do you
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