The Endless Slumber

The Endless Slumber Sand piles along the sides of your shoes as you stare ahead at the gape that stands ominously, leaking dark aura that seems to bind you. You contemplate your decision as the devil and the angel on your shoulders cause tantrum. A dry, arid gust blows across your moist face as you snap back to reality. The moments of calm indecisiveness are quickly replaced with the fear of survival and the pressure of time.

Behind you the orange orb that grants you safety slowly sets, giving way to the wild beasts, scouring your tracks for easy prey, to take the offensive stance. This danger is what makes you regret the decision of becoming an archaeologist. You went on the hunt for a great discovery of runic leftovers of the inhabitants of the wild deserts, but now you fear that all people will find are leftovers of you.

You stare at the oozing darkness from the large limestone structure looking down at you. The mere presence of this cave ran shivers down your spine. If it could keep you cautious, foolish predators of the sand must know better to stay away. Which is why you decided to recuperate under the roof of the cave.

The sun sets behind you, ending your time to timidly stand in front of the cave, and instead, approach it. As you take one step ahead, the darkness pulls you in. You feel a sudden jerk in your back. You make nothing of it and hastily move ahead. Right now the priority was to survive.

As you reach deep enough into the cave that you cannot see the outside world anymore, you bring out a bough, lathered in oil, and a lighter. You bring them close to each other, and the magic we call fire is born. As you adjust your eyesight after the flash from the raging flame you hold in your hand, you look around to realise the scenic beauty you stumbled upon. The roof of your shelter has the sheepish colour of blooming purple jasmine.

 The roof reflects the light from the flame, irradiating the proximal surroundings. You close your eyes and can smell the sweet smell of something that reminds you of home: the scent of blooming hydrangeas, just like the one you nurtured in your garden bed back home. You take a whiff of the air and you can recognise pops of peppermint. The thought of home, and the serendipity it brought along with it, brought a tear to your eye. You look down and see the source of the therapeutic essence of the place. You also notice the droplets of red polkas scattered near you.

 You do not look at the way you entered, in case of a siege, rather, wander deeper into this haven. You feel safe. You feel as though the wishes of leaving the treacherous wasteland and returning to the comfort of your home were, in a way, made true. You gaily jolly down deeper into the cavern. The heat of the desert slowly withdrew, replacing itself with a hint of chill in the air. Combined with the aroma appetising you, you felt pleasured. You feel tickles growing in your back and find it amusing.

Everything felt perfect. From the sound that your footsteps made, to the slight echo of the cave. The pain from the excursion slowly drifted away. The weight of the baggage you carried lightened. Everything was abliss.

You place your bag between your legs as you scour through it to find a small device to hold the torch upright. You get hold of it and yank it out. You place it in front of you and station the torch. You place the bag to rest against a wall as you sit right across it.

The yellow to purple gradient of the walls feel artistic and comforting. The wall you lean against feels as though made of cotton. You look back at the path you took to reach this resting place. You barely see a trail of red dots all across the path, in a manner in which the trail seems to be following you. You find it a beautiful mix with the white of the flowers. Just as everything seemed to settle down to silence, you decided to lay down, to get some sleep. After such a hectic day, you predicted you would sleep in a matter of seconds.

Just as you saunter towards your bag to get your sleeping sack, you hear the floor calling to you. It was as though the floor was made of pixies, calling you to sleep, as they promised to vanish all the stress from today’s trek. After a quick thought, you feel it would be nice to sleep on the floor.

You were entranced by this calling and you decide to follow the pixies. You lay down on the floor, and you feel the tickle in your back grow. Everything slows down, as you begin to feel the thumps of your heart. You can feel the rush of blood through the veins across your arms. As you close your eyes to finally get some rest, everything around you hushes. The pixies please you, as you then stop feeling the hard, but comfortable, rock floor you lay upon.

Slowly, the feeling of delight courses through your entire body. You feel as though you are attended to by a Goddess. You wish that this night never ends, that this satisfaction stays with you till the end of your life. As you complete your wish, you tumble into deep slumber. Just as the wish of safety and comfort was bestowed on you, so did your final wish. As the pool of blood around you flows, the time of your slumber never ends. Manav Jain AS Level

~Manav Jain - AS Level