The Waterfall

As I peer through the portal, I see a waterfall. I can make out that there is ground for me to step on. It appears dark grey, like some kind of cave entrance. My foot steps through, and when my body travels through, it feels like tiny sparks of electricity are pinching at my skin begging to be let in. The portal seemed easy to step through, but it seemed there was some kind of film covering it. I had to force my body through, and once on the other side it felt like energy had washed over me.

For some reason, I felt more powerful, almost as if my exhaustion had been replaced with buzzing excitement. The sound of the water rushing over the entrance to the cave echoed through the walls. It sounded so peaceful, yet so aggressive at the same time. My eyes scanned my surroundings, and I see nothing other than a marking on the cave wall. My feet bring me closer to it. Once it comes into focus, my heart begins to beat fast. The sound of it pounding in my ears was louder than the water roaring beside me. "Iridessa" it read. The writing was shaky, as if someone had done this in a panic.

'Why would someone come here and write my name on the wall?' Everything about this whole situation was making me uneasy. My stomach was turning and my head was following along with it. My tongue rubbed against my dry lips, and I decided water was the first thing on my list of priorities. My body mindlessly jogs towards the water fall, and my hands puddle together to catch pools of water to drink. After three handfuls, I realize this is not working. The water keeps sliding in between my fingers, and draining out before I can get my fill. My body took over and my head reached out under the stream of water that was a stray from the waterfall. I opened my mouth and allowed the water to flood in. I swallowed gulp after gulp until my stomach felt full. After hydrating myself, I began rubbing the dirt from my body. Eventually, my hand found its way to my wound, and I realize it is gone.

I felt the pain, I saw the blood. I even had thoughts about how strange my blood was, but now the wound was nowhere to be found? 'Things keep getting stranger and stranger.' I don't know what lies beyond this waterfall, but for now. I will not find out. It is night and the sun is beginning to set behind the wall of water. Shapes of light reflect and bounce all over the cave as the sun catches the water dancing, head on. Unsure if there are any more wolves, or magical invisible people, I decide to lay my head down and try to rest. Tears begin falling from my eyes as Sawyer pops into my head. Part of me wishes she was here with me. I wouldn't want to be lost in the woods with anyone besides her. The other part of me, says I'm glad she's at home and not in the danger I have been in. I think of my mother, sitting at home scared of me and whatever harm I could cause to her. I wonder if she is worried about me, or happy that she does not have to worry about me anymore. I take off my jacket and bunch it up, using it as a pillow. The cave is warm and humid, making it slightly harder to breathe but great for keeping your body temperature even. My eyes begin to swell from the tears, and eventually it becomes impossible for me to keep fighting against them to keep them open.

Back at Iridessa's family home

Jane's pov:

Red and blue lights are flashing into the living room through the windows. Jane sat to herself wondering what went wrong between her and her daughter. 'She thinks she is so grown now, haven't I given her everything I possibly could?' when the little golden-eyed baby popped up on her doorstep with rosy-cheeks, it seemed as if her prayers were answered. Jane and Carl had been trying for a baby for years. They tried every infertility treatment they could, they tried IVF, and their relationship was thinking with all of the stress. Jane never wanted to use a surrogate, she would rather adopt.

Now that she sat in her living room, talking to police officers. Trying to convince them that even though they had a fight, she had not been to any of her friends houses or normal places. She tried explaining that she ran straight into the woods, and had not emerged. However, with her being a teenager and Jane telling them they had just had a fight. The police refused to treat this as anything other than a runaway.

"I don't care if you consider my daughter a runaway", Carl is raising his voice at this point. The vein in his forehead is popping out amongst the wrinkles he is making worse with stress. This vein always bulged when he was mad, Jane never liked seeing this. She knew it meant he was very upset, and he did not get upset often. "I'm telling you she's more than likely lost and in danger, and you aren't going to do anything about it??" he finishes. The short, husky police officer responded back. "Once she is missing for 24 hours, contact us again and we will start a search". Carl turned to me and gave me a complicated look. I could tell he wanted me to chime in and help, but I quickly realized this greasy man would not be any assistance to us. "Just try to be patient, in most cases the child returns home before the end of the day." The cop tries to reassure us.

It was not reassuring, it made me want to slap some sense into him. My daughter is in the woods, by herself, and I am just supposed to wait until morning… hoping and praying she returns? This is what the people who are supposed to protect us suggest? The anger is rushing through my veins, as my feet turn and I stomp out the back door, heading towards the woods. If they would not search, I would search myself. I could hear Carl's footsteps, struggling to catch up with me. "Jane" he called out, but I ignored him and continued walking. "Honey, WAIT" he yells out when he realizes I am not stopping. This actually registers in my head, and I realize we are a team and I should not be fighting against him. My feet slow, allowing him to catch up to me. He reaches for my arm and pulls me to him, tightly embracing me. He was such a comforting man, I always felt safe and reassured in his arms. His shirt becomes wet with my tears as they stream down my face, and the wet fabric is pressing against my skin. "We have to gather some materials first baby, we can't just go into the woods unprepared." He kisses my head and begins rubbing my hair as he says this. My head nods in response, agreeing with him. He was always the reasonable one, the patient one, everything that I was not. Maybe that's why we worked so well together. "We need to make sure we can lead her, and ourselves, home once we find her." He finishes. My brain was irrational at first, but this made the most sense. My mind could not argue with this logic. I needed to make sure she got home safely…I just wanted to know she was safe. The thought of her being out there alone was killing me.

'All over a silly argument ' I scold myself, this was not worth all of the trouble. 'Maybe I was too hard on her' I keep thinking. I did not want to push her away, but I cannot always he her friend… I have to be her mother too. "Okay" I mumble out to Carl through my tears. "Okay"