Corey landed on a bed of sticks and straw. He had to be at least twenty feet down. Despite the night, darkness seemed to thicken. Corey pushed himself to stand but soon realized he was trapped. There was no way out of the deep cistern.
Corey tried in vain to scale the dirt walls but found nothing to hold on to. Each time he made an effort to pull himself up, chunks of dirt came loose, sending him back to the bottom of the well.
He sat down and stared up at the sky. Tiny droplets of water began to land on his face. The great storm was coming. And, given his current situation, Corey figured that the floodwater would eventually fill the giant hole, thereby lifting Corey out. There was nothing to worry about. Just wait. And wait some more.
Not much time passed before an animal’s face appeared over the edge of the cistern. It belonged to a massive cat. Even in the fading light, Corey could make out the light brown fur and white mouth. A cougar.
He knew these animals from schoolbooks, but Corey felt like he had been connected to them for a long time. Even though it had only been hours since he arrived in this alternate world, Corey came to think of the animals as good friends.
A second animal came into view next to the cougar. Corey knew this animal was a lynx by its large pointed ears that had black tufts of fur sticking out.
A third cat appeared. This one looked like a bobcat. Corey saw the long whiskers and the fur on the face resembling a beard.
A fourth was a cheetah.
Next came a regal tiger.
Then a puma.
Seventh, and last to join the ring of animals that were watching over Corey, was a beautiful creature with gray-and-tan fur and hypnotizing green eyes. A snow leopard. This last cat turned to grab something with its powerful jaws. When the cat lifted its head back over the cistern, Corey noticed that it was holding a thick stick in its mouth.
The cat flicked its head up and let go of the stick. When it dropped to Corey, he didn’t know whether to feel joy or sadness. The stick was actually a staff. Shem’s to be exact. Corey could tell from the markings on the hook.
No sooner did Corey feel relief from having the staff as a connection to Shem and the brothers than a new wave of darkness came. The seven animals scattered. Their heads disappeared from view and were replaced by a black cloak blending with the night.
Elizar.
No words were spoken. As fast as the dark one appeared, he vanished. In his place came one of the giants carrying a large wooden grate. The monster-human dropped it across the hole, trapping Corey deep inside.
When the flood comes, I won’t be able to get out.
No more animals came. No more people. No more giants.
The only thing that came was more darkness. Waves and waves of darkness crashing over Corey as he fell into a fitful sleep.