The Black Abyss I

The young man traveled down the edge of the escarpment. It was a thick, vegetated valley, its slope steep and perilous. He slid past trees and through the underbrush. He descended rapidly, forgoing any pretense of caution. At times, he could slow himself only by sliding through thickets. He placed his hopes of descending alive on his reaction time and availability of any roots or branches before various cliffs and boulders. And so he slipped and slid down the steep face of the Green Plateau. Near the bottom, his luck ran out and he plummeted the last twenty feet to the forest floor.

Bruised and aching, he embraced the leaf-covered ground and let out a sigh of relief. He had accomplished his first goal of his quest. He lay as the fading afternoon sunlight abandoned the forest. The chill of the oncoming night finally prodded him to rise and seek shelter. He searched in the thickening darkness and found a suitable depression beneath the roots of a giant deciduous tree. The stars began to shine; a few of the sparkling lights filtered through the leaves and branches of the forest canopy. The boy gathered some leaves and formed a suitable bed for the night. Stretching out, he pondered his journey. Everyone who lived in the Emerald City had seen the Black Abyss, a shadow lying to the northeast of the Green Plateau. Yet, none had crossed the miserable marshes and ascended the ominous summit of Mt. Dulgar. He knew his quest and decided to lay his pains and worries aside for the bliss of slumber. He drifted off into the world of dreams. Silence consumed the forest. Night pulled its curtains on consciousness.