Monster, Myths and Legends

Date: August 14, 2022

Prompt #14 of @JonicaBradley : Monster, Myths and Legends

MONSTERS, MYTHS AND LEGENDS.

"Don't go there, you'll die!" warned Ryan to his friend but the boy wasn't one to listen.

The boy laughed at Ryan, cocking his head to the right. "You're too big to believe such things! Don't be such a puss. Come with me. I'll prove it to you that there's no monster in that cave. It's just a myth."

Ryan shook his head furiously. "No way Jose! I'm not gonna go there. I'm not falling in a death trap. I'll stay here so someone could get help when you meet the monster."

"Suit yourself," answered Ryan's friend and he marched to the entrance of the cave leaving Ryan alone in the eerie dark forest.

Ryan suddenly felt a cold air swept in his back. Maybe there wouldn't be monster in the cave and maybe there would be but it would be better than being alone with the hooting owls and swaying leave. "Arnold wait for me!" he yelled running to his friend.

Arnold pointed his flashlight to Ryan's face, "Why? Is it scary out side?" He laughed giving Ryan a playful jab on his side.

"Shut it," Ryan said with annoyed voice. "Let's just get this over with. This is a dumb right of passage so you just know." He cussed to whoever invented it. What does going inside a cave in the middle of the night to float a paper boat with your name got to do with being successful in life? It was a total piece shit for Ryan. If he could think, it was probably some junky teen did it.

"Hey you're going in the wrong way!" shouted Arnold pointing to a path in his right.

"Says who?" questioned Ryan.

"So you'd rather we split?"

Ryan eyes bulged wide, "Of course not!" He run to where Arnold was. However a a big shadow hovered over their head making them drop their flashlights. "No!" screamed Ryan running to the opposite side of the cave. He didn't know how long he was running, he just kept going until he bumped into someone. "Ha!" he screamed dropping to his butt.

"What are you doing here?" asked a voice.

Ryan looked up to see a girl about his age wearing yellow summer dress. "I am...I am with my friend. We are just..." He paused squinting his eyes; it seemed Ryan wasn't inside the cave anymore but in a clearing with lots of blooming yellow flowers. And above him were not rocks anymore but the bright starry night. "Where am I?"

"You don't belong here," snapped the girl. She grabbed Ryan's hand, "Let's get you out of here."

"It's beautiful," Ryan said looking at the festival in a distance. There were people dancing around and kids eating candies. "Can we go there first?"

"No. We must go now." She yanked his arm pulling him in the depths of the forest. "What are you even doing here? Kids these days."

Ryan was bewildered by the kid's remark as if she wasn't a kid herself. "What? Why? I didn't know there's a town here."

The girl puffed an air, "Because it's a place you shouldn't be. Now scatter away. Go straight and don't turn back. Walk until you find the exit."

Ryan turned to his back, to where the girl was pointing. It was the entrance to the cave he had been. "Oh. No. No. I'm not going there. There must be another way. Or maybe I can borrow your phone. I would call my mom."

"There's no other way. You just have to walk straight in there."

"What? No. That's bull. What's this place anyway?"

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. "I told you already. This is a place you shouldn't be." The girl opened her mouth wide and two sharp teeth came out as her tongue started elongating.

"Ah!" screamed Ryan running inside the cave. He run and didn't turn his back, afraid that the girl would eat him. He run until his legs gave off.

"Ryan? Ryan?" someone said shaking his small frame. "Oh my God Ryan! It's you!"

Ryan scratched his eyes, taking a good look at his surroundings. It wasn't dark anymore and his mom have him in an embrace. "Why are you crying? I'm sorry I sneak out. I swear I won't do it anymore." His mother continued crying and ahead of him was Arnold though something changed about him. He looked older. "Is that Arnold?" he asked his mom.

"Yes. Yes. Aw, baby...I've been looking for you for so long...Where have you been? It has been so long...It's been two years since you got lost in the cave. The older kids put up a frank, they were waiting inside the cave. They were wearing masks to scare the of you and you run...we never found you... But I didn't stop looking...I didn't..." Ryan's mother continue crying hugging his son tighter.

Ryan didn't know what to say. His grandmother used to forbade him from entering the cave; she said it was a tunnel to the spirit world and if he were to get lost inside he might not be able to come back. By the. he realized it wasn't a myth.