Neverlander by Elora Burrell

Author:Elora Burrell [Burrell, Elora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-913716-06-6
Publisher: Ink and Fable Publishing Ltd.

XVI

I gasp as I bolt upright in my makeshift bed, my breaths shaky and uneven as I’m thrust back into the land of the conscious. My eyes adjust to the gloom of the cave and I calm a little when I remember where I am. The remnants of last night’s dream cling to me as I wipe the beads of sweat from my brow with a shaking hand. Since my arrival at the Indian camp and every day since those first visions, the same dream haunts me every night. Or rather… nightmare. Every time I close my eyes and drift off, it’s lurking, waiting for me with its piercing violet eyes and malicious laugh.

I look down at the sheets tangled around my body, before glancing over at Khara’s sleeping form across the room. She snores gently from under her covers, curled up in a ball, still deep in slumber. Untangling myself from the folds of blankets, I pad out of the room trying not to wake Khara.

‘I wonder what time it is…’

I trace the cave walls with my left hand, feeling my way through the dark passageway, past a room filled with Slightly’s loud snoring, and out into the main area of the cave. The morning light trickles in through the entrance, illuminating the cold fire pit from last night. I glance over to see a handful of sheets strewn to one side and an empty space where Curly should be.

I feel relieved that I don’t have to face him just yet. The memory of yesterday plays in my mind as I walk across the room and down the pathway that Khara had pointed out—the one that leads to a natural fountain of water. I contemplate what I’ll say to him when I see him, unsure how he’ll react when I see him.

I come to the end of the passage, my hand dropping back down to my side as I peer through the gloom toward the small opening between two stone walls. Trickling water sounds through the stone and a satisfactory smile reaches my lips.

Stepping forward, I slip through the gap. The sound of rushing water is much more than a trickle now, looking around the small dimly-lit area. A natural shower of water rushes down from a gap in the ceiling and spouts down, draining through a gap in the rock below.

The walls are slick and damp as I lean on them to take off my boots and place them to one side, out of the water’s reach. Tentatively, I hold my hand out and to my surprise, the stream of water is mildly warm considering the early hour. As I step back and begin to undress, undoing the tightly woven belt from my waist, I hear something behind me and spin on my heels.

My lips part in surprise as Curly steps toward me. In the dim light

I notice the calmness in his expression, the light in his dark blue eyes as he studies me.

I’m alert, ready for him to give some kind of a warning, but he remains silent.

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