(90) Settlement – 5

She brought her hand up quickly in front of his face and made a horizontal wriggling motion with her forefinger.  “It kind of squiggles across the ground like this.”

Despite the anger he had been feeling and as tired as he was, both mentally and physically, he still let out a huge laugh. 

“Feel better?” she asked.  “It took you long enough to set up the punchline correctly you know.”

“I do feel better, actually.  Thank you for that… that incredibly stupid and drawn out joke.  It took a few troubles off my mind at least.”

“Well, thank goodness for that.  Plus,” she said, sweeping her hand forward, “it helped pass the time until we made it here.”

It took his brain a moment to make sense of what his eyes were seeing.  It was especially difficult given the near complete blankness.  So instead, he reached out with his hands to try and feel his way to get a little closer to whatever it was that his guide was gesturing towards.

He took one stumbling step before he noticed a soft yellow light emanating from behind him.  He spun around and watched as his guide released a cupped handful of glowing fireflies into the night air.  They hung there, hovering above the two of them, providing a ghostly yellow light to the immediate area.

Kre didn’t bother to question what he had witnessed.  He simply turned back around and gave a slight shake of his head.  With the light, even as dim as it was, he could now spot the trunk of a large tree behind the underbrush.

Except it wasn’t a tree trunk. 

After his eyes adjusted a bit, he could see that he was looking at a large, flat piece of rough wood.

“It’s a door!” he exclaimed.  Now that he was in the right frame of mind, he could make out the very rough stones that made up the wall surrounding the door.  The stones seemed carefully shaped, if they had been modified at all, to appear as natural as possible with many still retaining the lichens and moss that help them blend into the scenery.  They also didn’t rise straight up like a wall normally would but seemed to be stacked in a leaning heap like a pile of stones normally might settle.

“After you,” the woman said smiling.

“Is this…”

She nodded.  “Red’s place.  You’ll find a warm meal and a soft bed here, as long as you don’t cause any trouble.”

One question still tugged at the edge of his mind.  “And the fireflies?”

“Oh, they stay outside.  The last time they came in, they caused way too much of a ruckus and they’ve been banned ever since.”

“I meant…”

“Look, it’s late.  I’m tired.  You’re tired.  Your friend with the odd name, Kiterumdaisy, might decide to leave without you again and then you’ll be on your own. 

“Alone,” she emphasized.  “In these woods.”

She leaned in close and whispered the last bit, “With spidersnakes lurking about.”

He didn’t need anymore encouragement than that.  He turned and reached his hand out to look for a handle to grab before he realized that there wasn’t one to be found.

“It’s a push door dear,” she sighed.

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