EHC - Chapter 1
#1 of Eon Hero Chronicles
Chapter: 1
~ Grant
I sighed out of pure relief; the last book from my growing hoard was finally shelved away. I'd finally unpacked every belonging and set up my new home as I liked it, the rent was high but I could pay it, and it wasn't that bad a place to live in. A bit shabby here and there, and small, but it'd do for me.
Wandering into the kitchen and opening the cheap fridge I'd sniffed out earlier that week, I retrieved a bottle of apple juice and a glass from the cupboard above the sink.
I topped the glass up with the golden liquid and the glass frosted slightly from the chill of the fridge before taking a sip and gazing around my new home.
With my free hand, I brushed my fringe back. It was high time I had another haircut, it stuck out of my at odd angles and just looked pretty bad in general; though I had to admit it gave me some character and the length of brown complimented the green vest I wore almost everywhere.
Finally, I'd managed to sort out my train-wreck of a life and put everything together, I had a decent paying job, money in the bank, a computer and all my novels. I was making steady progress on the website I had started with friends and had an education in games programming ahead of me.
Life was looking up.
I took a swig of the Apple Juice and sighed, the glass was half empty and I was feeling better with some liquid in me now. Lowering my hand, I put the glass on the spotless bench and went to take the bottle back to the fridge when my world began to spin all around me and then with a loud resounding POP everything just vanished.
I couldn't move, couldn't even move my eyes, and for an instant I began to think a bomb was dropped on my house then everything came rushing back at me, and I mean everything, colour, sound, taste, smell, proper sight was slower but it came back eventually and when it did I swear my heart stopped for a second.
I was in a forest, it was humid and sticky, ferns were dripping with dew all around and I heard strange bird calls echoing around me, bouncing off the tree trunks and the mountainous ranges to my left.
Then I passed out in shock.
I guess I came to a few hours later, because the next thing I knew was I was lying down in the dirt and trampled plant matter. Small ground-based ferns tickled at my face and arms while tree ferns towered above. I had the distinct impression of prehistoric earth before I remembered a place I'd been to that closely resembled this place, the mountain ranges in Victoria.
With a struggle, I sat up and wiped both sweat from the humidity and dew that had dropped onto my face from the ferns surrounding me and then brushed the dirt and dead plant matter from my jumper.
Inhaling, I realised the air was fresh, crisp and somewhat sweeter than I was used to it being - though heavier on my lungs.
"This isn't possible," I whispered to myself, still in shock at my sudden and rather abrupt change in surroundings, "It... it's just not possible."
I felt small, tiny almost and it wasn't just the incredibly tall and straight trees around me either, for once I had experienced something I couldn't wrangle up an explanation for. Still rather dumbfounded and having that infinitely small feeling wrap around me and squeeze me, I stood up and staggered through the underbrush, crunching over branches, leaves and dead plants.
Occasionally I'd glimpse oddly coloured birds fluttering through the branches overhead and strange footprints in the earth I was trudging over, even claw marks in the base of tree trunks.
I stumbled down into a creek, sloshing through the ankle-high water and slipping over pebbles as my sneakers filled with water and my socks grew heavy and clung to my skin. I stopped as I heard a splash to my right, I turned my head quickly, just in time to glimpse a small, silvery fish jet towards me and then past, further down the creek and just as suddenly as it had entered the world around me, and it was gone.
There was something about that fish... something familiar, and I knew nothing about fish. I wiped my forehead and tugged my short hair back, letting my longer fringe flick back down over my forehead, shadowing my eyes and nose before I sloshed up the bank and onto somewhat dryer ground.
The scenery blurred into a seemingly endless sea of mossy logs, hollowed trees, tree-ferns and fern-shrubs. It was a blur of green on brown, under a dimming sky that I could barely make out; I was really only aware that I was heading up, slowly but surely skywards.
As everything darkened and I realised night was blanketing the world, I felt an ache in my knee and groaned. There was no artificial light and I couldn't see the moon... which meant there would either be no moon for tonight or it'd be blocked by the land and trees.
I needed to find shelter and fast.
I quickly found a hollowed tree that was uninhabited save for grubs and other creepy crawlies which I shooed out with a wave of a stick which clattered over the trunk. I then crawled in, dragging a large bark shedding over the entrance to conceal my resting place before crouching uncomfortably and shoving my arms into my vest and leaning my head to the side, onto the rotting timber.
Blinking slowly, I listened to the strange sounds in the night, animal cries and insect chirrups, the creak of trees gently swaying and the distant sound of running water.
Sleep came slowly, but it when it did, I silently thanked it.