Awoken

How long has it been, Dear Reader? You may not believe it but I have only just awoken. I do not know the cause of such a long slumber, for if the date on this screen is correct, it has been very long indeed. Perhaps it is this place...perhaps time runs differently here...and I haven't been sleeping nearly as long as it seems...

But that does not make sense, does it? No..my head is cloudy...and I am finding it difficult to put my thoughts straight before I write them down. It must have been the water. I dare not drink it again.

But what am I to do if I cannot find water again? I think I will fill up my water skin, but not take a sip unless I become desperate. A long sleep...be it weeks...is not so bad...is it? I pray it will not come to that and that I shall discover a purer source.

Oh! Oh, Dear Reader! You will not believe this! My eyes left this screen for a moment and...Oh! I can scarcely breathe! A way out! At last I have found it! For not far from the fountain, still in reach of its light, there is a ladder! A ladder! I am not sure why I did not notice it before, I suppose because it blends so well with the wall...but no matter! I cannot care, for I see it now, and that is all that matters.

Fountain

It was farther than it looked, but I found it at last. It...was not what I was expecting, but I find I cannot let myself be disappointed. I was hoping for a door, a mouth in the cave, a portal to the outside world bathed in the warm light of the sun. I found something peculiar instead.

It is a fountain, Reader, a fountain that gives light on its own. The water is shimmering and radiant and the marble which forms its base glows so soothingly. I notice these qualities only now for initially, I must confess, my thoughts were bent solely on slaking my incredible thirst. You must of course think this to be very foolish, but consider, Dear Reader, how much longer could I live without water?

I have not felt any adverse effects, so I believe I made the right decision. What would you have done if you were in my place? Enough. I do not wish to to argue with you, Reader...though in truth, I am arguing with myself as you have not once written a reply.

The light cast by the water is calming and I am so very tired. I think I will sleep here for a while.

A Light in the Dark

Could it be? Oh, could it truly be? I see a light, dear Reader! A light! It is far away, but it is there!

Running Blind

Dear Reader, I am still alive. For now. After running blindly for some time, I finally escaped the noises. But I am still in the dark. I feel no nearer to the exit of this horrid tunnel than I was when I first awoke. To make matters worse, the water skin I had found slung over my shoulder is now empty. If....No, I do not care to think further on this matter.

I must keep moving.

Have you ever found yourself lost in the dark, Reader? How did you survive...

Please....if there is anyone out there....please respond.

Praying for water.

Darker Still

It's been hours....maybe days. I have fallen in and out of fitful slumber so often that I no longer have any awareness of the passage of time.

I was waiting Reader...waiting for your reply.

But it never came.

Do not worry, I know you are not to blame. Perhaps my messages will never reach you. Perhaps my words will never carry farther than this cavern...for I have determined that I am indeed in some kind of cavern. It is the only explanation.

I hope you will forgive me if this is unwise, but I cannot wait any longer. I cannot stay another minute in..down?...here, else I will go mad. It is not just the dark...there are noises too...sharp skitterings...and a softer sound...as if a sack of beans was being slid across the floor. Even now, it feels closer. My knees are shaking as I try to stand. I must escape.

Pray, Dear Reader, that I may write again.

Dark

To you, the unseen person who may happen upon my secret words, I bid you welcome. What you read may surprise you, for in truth, it surprises me.

I hadn't planned to speak of this journey, for I haven't a friend in the world to tell it to. Just you, my unseen reader. I feel it's safe to tell you...for we've never met, and you therefore should feel no obligation to continue reading....and I shan't blame you.

I have stumbled upon a strange place indeed. I'm not even sure how I got here.....It's so dark. I can barely tell up from down. I can feel a rough wall...or maybe a large rock...at my back, but I'm afraid to move and investigate further. The dim light of this screen does nothing to penetrate the blackness around me.

I can't stay here. I know that. But.....I'm frightened. Please, dear reader...if you're out there..tell me what to do.