//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Gems, Elements, and Sinerals // by jsk244 //------------------------------// Chapter 2 By KidtheBrony In a location far from Mobius, a figure sat at his desk typing away on a small laptop. The screen flashed with text and reflected off the small reading glasses perched on his nose, and beside him sat a cup of hot chocolate (no marshmallows) that gently gave off steam in the chilly winter air. To the left of the desk, a large window showed a beautiful night sky clear of clouds and sparkling with stars, a vast forest filling the horizon in every direction. The moon, small but bright, hung high in the sky, and a brief glance to the computers clock showed it was well past midnight. He'd been up for some time now, typing away all the while, but felt little need to sleep still. Not while his ideas played in the back of his mind. He was a writer, or so he would say to any who asked about his job. In truth he worked at a local bakery for actual money, and though he sent some of his more original works to publishing companies, he held little hope in getting them published. But he didn't mind if his work was rejected, because he enjoyed writing nonetheless, especially about things that interested him. Things often made by others, true, but still he enjoyed expanding on what they'd given already to the public. Right now his brain was abuzz with an idea that had come to him around dinner time, changing his plans from eating out to instead reheating the food from last night so as to work on his writing. A smile crossed his face as yet another chapter was finished, and content, he leaned back and sighed. "Another long night...but worth it." He whispered. Sipping at his chocolate, he began proof-reading his work for errors when suddenly he felt...something. Or rather he finally noticed something amiss. Whatever he was feeling was incredibly strong - not just a gut feeling, but an actual pressure that pushed him to move. Frowning, he set his cup down and stood, walking over to the window and peering outside. The night was as clear and peaceful as it had been since sunset, but again following this feeling he opened the window and leaned out. Cold air blew across his face, sending a shiver down his spine. It was wintertime and though snow rarely fell where he lived, the wind could be as biting and fierce as a blizzard at times. Tonight it was only mildly strong, but he didn't want to keep the window open longer than he had to. He didn't even know why he needed to open the window, but as the wind died down, he took note of something else: the lack of sound in general. The forest was silent, not a critter or owl uttering a sound. It was so still, that if not for the wind, he'd think that time had stopped somehow. He'd ventured through the wilderness more than enough though to know what this silence meant. Something was wrong, and nature knew it. Closing the window as the silence grew unbearable, he turned back to his desk and took a long swig of his hot chocolate, ignoring the burning sensation as it went down his throat too quickly. Now warmed up, he glanced around his room to try and determine where else the sensation was present to him. Nothing came to him by the bed, nor at the tall bookshelf beside the door. Returning to his computer - and saving his document, just in case - he peered over the nick-knacks scattered around it across the desk. None of the figures or books caught his eye, and growing frustrated by this strange need to move, he turned toward the door and opened it to leave. What he saw on the other side, however, made him freeze in shock. A wall of light completely covered the doorway on the other side, tiny tendrils wafting off and filtering into his room now that the door was ajar. It was bright, brighter than the moon, almost as if staring into the sun. He could not make out anything from the hallway beyond, or even the old height marks that he knew dotted the door frame from when he was younger. There was no heat to suggest it was burning, and as his eyes adjusted slightly he could see that it almost had a liquid quality to it, as if he could actually touch the light. It pulsed slowly, barely noticeable, but every time it did, that pressure he could feel around him grew ever so slightly before returning to normal. As the shock wore off, he shook his head to clear it and gave the light a speculative look. He knew that something strange, otherworldly even, was happening. He didn't drink and certainly didn't do drugs, so it couldn't have been a hallucination. While aliens were in his realm of beliefs, he also didn't think this was the work of some extraterrestrial looking to kidnap him for science. But then a new thought occurred to him, and it was crazy enough to likely be true. But could he? "Hmm..." He muttered, running a hand over his chin. Keeping the door open and the light in sight, he turned toward his bed and picked up the backpack set at the foot of it. Carefully emptying its contents, he separated out the odds and ends that had been inside, keeping things he thought he'd need in one pile, before packing it again and walking over to his dresser. Grabbing two days worth of clothes, he placed those in a compartment before also walking to his bookshelf and desk, repeating the selection process. With some literature to keep him entertained, and his laptop turned off and stored with its power cord, he took a final look around his room to make sure he wasn't forgetting something. At the last minute he snapped his fingers, and kneeling at the side of his bed, he carefully pushed a loose floorboard just underneath aside and grabbed an old, well polished wooden box hidden inside. Lifting the lid, he retrieved the old army knife left to him by his uncle, and placed it and it's sheath onto the side of his belt. A small precaution, he thought to himself Finally satisfied, he grabbed the cooling cup of hot chocolate, downed the last of it in one gulp, and with an excited grin, walked forward into the light. He slipped through it as if it was water, ripples briefly covering its surface as he passed, before vanishing from his room. Seconds later, the light itself winked out of existence, no trace of its presence left behind. In the forest outside, an owl finally hooted as if in farewell.