Chapter 5: First Interaction

After what felt like forever, Erica woke up and rubbed her eyes. Her head was pounding and hurting her a lot. She had never experienced such an extreme and painful headache, the back of her head, the back of her neck, everything was hurting her. She tried to get up but she couldn’t, so she lay in her position and tried opening her eyes slowly, as she try to adjust her eyes to the bright light. She saw a silhouette of someone, “Father?” she asked but she didn’t have any response.

The person was looking at her, she knew that much, and her instincts told her that it was not her father either, but she didn’t wanted to believe that.  “Father? What is wrong with me?”  She asked again and received a low dog like growl in response. “Who is it?” Her eyes have opened but she only saw a bright light, she couldn’t see anything around her just a bright light and silhouette of someone standing in front of her. “Who are you and what have you done to my vision?” she asked again, to say she was scared would be an understatement, she was terrified to death.  She didn’t receive an answer again either. At this point she was angry also, and being scared along with angry is never a good combination of emotions.

“Who are you? Why won’t you answer me!” She asked angrily this time and in a very loud voice, the other person roared loudly, and Erica was frozen in her spot. ‘That can’t be a person, or a human being,’ she thought to herself. “You first made my stag sick, then entered my territory, and who the hell do you think you are to question me?” The person definitely sounded male and a lot more human now. Maybe he had a dog or maybe a lion as a pet who initially roared at Erica. But sick stag, territory, she didn’t understood a word he was saying.

“I don’t know what you are talking about, I didn’t made any stag sick, and I don’t know that what territory you are talking about either,” she said as she bit her lip, an old habit she did unconsciously when she was tensed and frightened. “Don’t lie to me! You fed your filthy fruit to Erebus and now he is sick, and then came into my territory without my permission. You are not worthy of your vision at all, so I had it taken from you,” he said with pride lacing his voice.

It was all a lot for Erica to digest and take in, and then the realization hit her, she had fed the black stag an apple, ‘Is he talking about the black stag?’ “Are you by any chance, talking about the black stag? I am sorry if it is sick, it was never my intention to make it sick, I only fed him an apple and he only took one bite, she didn’t even ate it whole,” Erica tried explaining, she really was feeling guilty for making that stag sick and ill. There was silence for a few moments and then the other person said angrily, “why did you ride him?” Erica was too stunned by his question, “It offered me, and I found him very beautiful and strong so I couldn’t resist the temptation, please let me go, I have to go back to my father. He must be worried sick right now looking everywhere for me, please let me go,”

She didn’t know how to save herself from such a situation; she only knew that she wanted to go home. She covered her face with her hands as the tears of regret started pooling in her eyes if only she would have listened to her mother’s advice and never came out farther away in the woods. She thought to herself, and more and more tears started coming out of her eyes, and she had started sobbing and crying hysterically. When she opened her eyes, she saw her hands. Her vision was back, she immediately looked up and saw no one in the room with her, ‘she has been all alone, and talking to herself all this time?’ she thought.

Then her eyes searched for the door, the door was situated at the left corner of the room, Erica quickly got up and rushed towards the door, she tried opening it but it just wouldn’t budge. She tried several times and the realization hit her that it was locked; she had been locked in this room. “Please, please, let me out, I have to go back, please, anyone? Is someone out there? Please help me, please let me out,” She said as she was now scared as well as terrified.

She sat down by the door, still banging softly and crying. She curled her knees up to her chest and placed her head on her knees and cried her heart out. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' Erica thought and she thought about her father and how upset and worried he would be right now if she didn't returned home on time. She looked up and tried to find another way to escape the room. Her eyes fell on the drapes on the right side of the bed, 'Maybe there is a window, and I can escape from there,' she thought as she rushed by the window and tried moving the drapes, but they were so heavy and she couldn't possibly move them.

They were like heavy metal door, Erica tried for few seconds but all her efforts were in vain. She looked for some other way to exit the room and she saw another door by the left side of the bed, she rushed to open it, and it opened without any protest. As she opened the door it was dark inside, she looked for a source of light and found a candle, she picked up the candle by the side of bed and went back to look where that door leads to, and she was shocked.