Fantasy Short Story

Passage

Part Five- Finale

Image by Matt Payne

From above, a shrill sound pierced the heavy atmosphere. The twinkling lights that had danced and sparkled harmlessly spiraled into a blazing maelstrom. The dark, rippling surface of the ground retracted from the glaring light as it streaked downward, surrounding him and the gargantuan arm that constricted around him with seething, intense energy. The shrill cry resonating from within the searing light was piercing and he cringed from the sound. The delicate sparkling light was suddenly as intense as lightning, stabbing and arcing around him at the thick slime slowly dragging him down into the mud. It reacted by rearing upwards and swinging first in one direction, then another before it shook violently, but the marauding swarm of light persisted in its attack.

The compression against his body began to ease and when he looked down, he could see the ropy tendril was melting, falling in great globs and droplets into the muck from where it came. Fighting to free himself, he drew a deep breath and fell to the ground even as the swarming lights pursued the rapidly disappearing tendril of slime. Scrambling away towards safer, dryer ground, he didn’t stop until the laughter and high-pitched screaming faded into silence.

Then and only then, he fell onto his back, coughing and gasping for breath and…