NaNoWriMo Chapter Three Excerpt

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This was the third excerpt posted from my novel, Found in Time.

Ella returned her quill to the ink well, and let out a long breath. She sunk back into the couch, and weariness descended quickly. Ella held her hand out. Not only were her fingertips stained with ink, but her hand didn’t uncurl because she had held her quill so long. Another loud exhale escaped her lips without notice. Ella’s hand dropped to rest on the cushion.

About to close her eyes, her attention was instead drawn outside. Another blue flash of light had just occurred, this one being brighter than the last. Ella’s head whipped to look out the window. She expected to see nothing. However, her whole body froze when she realized there was something there.

A figure was standing still in the distance right at the edge of the forest. It was made of the same blue light of the flash. Ella thought it was humanoid, but whether it was a man or woman was impossible to discern. A glow of the same blue light surrounded the figure, and made her question if it really did have the shape of a person. In any case, it clearly wasn’t human.

Ella didn’t blink. She thought if she did the figure would go away. However, even as she stood up and pressed up against the window, the figure remained. Her mouth opened in silent shock. The figure had slowly raised its arm towards her. It wanted her to come to it. Ella’s heart beat furiously against her chest.

“Jimmy.” Ella said in no more than a whisper.

“Jimmy!” she said much louder.

Ella rushed away from the window to grab him. The poor frog was jolted awake, and was terribly confused as Ella nearly smashed him against the window in her haste.

“Wha?! What is it?!” he asked in confusion.

“Look! Look at what’s outsi―” Ella’s words fell quiet.

“What am I supposed to be seeing?” Jimmy questioned curiously, his tone not pleased.

In the mere seconds it took her to grab Jimmy, the figure had disappeared. Ella searched for it furiously, but it was nowhere to be found. However, she was not giving up. She held onto Jimmy tightly as she ran out of the nearest door without bothering to grab a coat. Night’s chill had no effect on her as she scanned the forest perimeter again.

“Ella, what are you doing? Take us back inside, or at least grab a coat! It’s freezing out here….for you anyway!” Jimmy demanded.

“Remember the blue flash I saw earlier? I saw it again, but something was different this time. There was a blue figure made of the light. It stood by the forest and motioned for me to come.” Ella explained, completely ignoring him.

“A figure made of blue light? There’s nothing in the forest that would make such a thing. Maybe you fell asleep without realizing, were dreaming, and are now awake thinking it is real?” Jimmy proposed.

“I know for sure it was not part of a dream. There’s no way.” Ella rejected the idea instantly.

She began to move forward through the snow.

“We are not going out there, Ella! Let’s just supposed this figure was there, it doesn’t mean you actually have to go over it!” Jimmy said forcefully, desperate to convince her.

Ella continued to ignore, and ran. She was sure if she could get into the forest the figure would reappear. It was beyond her what it was or why it wanted her to follow, but Ella’s curiosity was so great she was willing to ignore the danger.

“Stop! Shadow is strongest at night! We could be attacked if we get any closer!” Jimmy warned with no luck.

Ella ran, and ran fast. The cold air burned in her lungs and stung her face. The only light she had to see by emanated from the house. Clouds blocked the stars and moon. As she got farther and farther away, the world in front of her grew dark as the ink on her hands. Ella stumbled and slipped a couple times, but kept going.

Jimmy finally created an orb of light that floated in front of them. Since she rarely ever got close to the forest, Ella didn’t comprehend how far away it was. Her throat was dry, her feet were frozen, and her heart beat as if it was going to burst. Finally her pace slowed down, and she slowly jogged until she reached the edge of the forest.

Even with most of the trees leafless, the forest was dense. Sounds like whispers echoed out from its depths, and the branches danced as the wind brushed past them. The very air took away the last of her breath― its taste both sweet and bitter. Pinpricks of white light broke through the darkness while they flittered about like butterflies.

As Ella stared at the otherworldly sight in front of her, she fell into a reverie. Her eyes glazed, and she no longer was cold. An unheard voice in the wind beckoned her forward. Ella obeyed willingly. She took her very first steps alone into the woods. Subtle movements amongst the darkness escaped her notice.

“Ella, this is very bad. Turn around now. Shadow is here, and it’s watching us.” Jimmy whispered.

Ella did not answer still. However, now she was not ignoring him. In her trance, she couldn’t hear his voice. Jimmy panicked quietly. His body went transparent as he tried to transport Ella away with him, but he lacked the amount of power necessary. The only options available to him to stop Ella would end up hurting her. Even if he went back to the house alone to get help, something was sure to attack the second he left.

“Ella, please!” Jimmy pleaded.

There was no change. Jimmy suddenly increased the power of the light orb hoping to scare Shadow away. It was still weak from its fight. If he put up a strong front it might flee. Unfortunately, his effort had the opposite effect. An aura of anger arose from the hiding darkness. There was a pause― the deep breath before the attack. Jimmy tensed as Ella walked forward unknowingly.

Then the chaos came. Rays of absolute darkness shout out from the shadows. Jimmy’s orb of light shattered as the darkness wrapped around to consume them. Ella was knocked back by the raw power, and finally snapped out of her daze. A mighty wind pressed her to the ground. Ella wanted to scream, but the world had gone silent. Shadow devoured everything.

Jimmy jumped to the middle of the sphere of Shadow around them. It was quickly growing smaller. A force field of bright light erupted out from him and pushed back against their cage. Shadow began to break. The forest could be seen through gaps, but the darkness was persistent. Jimmy’s field already began to weaken and fail. Ella covered her head with her arms and prepared for the worst.