Adventure

We walk for a bit longer, and stumble across a wooden bridge. Shankhe bravely walks up to it, peering over the sides of the bridge, seeing what’s below and then walking back to us.

“I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s like a purple liquid. Definitely corrupted.” He says. “You wouldn’t want to fall into it.” Just as I’m looking around, I notice a tablet on the side of the doorway leading to the bridge area. I walk up to it, and the boys stare at me with curiosity.

“This reads, ‘Cross the bridge and do not fall, meet the hag, and do not fear, travel a road that none shall see, and find a sheep that none can shear.’” I squint my eyes, trying to read the stone carving that has worn away over the years, sure that the last part is a lie, or something I misread. I look over to the others. “You get any of that?” I ask, confused and absolutely baffled by the nonsense on that tablet.

Taegan is thinking hard, before he says. “I think the first bit may refer to the bridge, and how we have to stay on it. That’s obvious, but the second bit is probably another trial after the bridge, likely a nightmare hag judging by the description. Although the rest is a mystery to me, especially the sheep.” I nervously pipe up. “S-should we cross the bridge then?” I ask quietly. Taegan thinks.

“I’m a bit cautious of the nightmare hag, as they’re dangerous, but I think proceeding is the best idea for now.” He says.

Shankhe hesitantly puts a foot onto the bridge. Nothing happens. He starts to step across, but just as he starts, he looks across to see several purple cows looking over one side of the bridge. It starts to wobble. Cleverly, he pulls his feet away from the bridge, as it tips to one side and desposites the cows into the corrupted liquid below.

Their moo’s of desperation are hilarious to Shankhe, as he sees one cow literally fall onto another both whacking their skulls together. The disoriented moos crack me up, and Shankhe and I go down laughing.

Taegan shakes his head at us in a sort of ‘really?’ way, until he sees a corrupted bird fly off the side of the bridge, seemingly innocent, until a cow literally tried to copy it, launching itself off the bridge, and its friends that had stepped onto the bridge with it as they all moo out to the stupid cow with its legs spread wide, expecting to fly as they almost comprehendingly say- “Damn you Gerald.” Yes, it sounded like Gerald.

Taegan tried to not burst into laughter as he cracked a smile, then a small chuckle escaped him, before he was bending down laughing with me and Shankhe.

Finally, after quite some time, we recovered, and sat down for a strategy meeting. Taegan peered over the edge, looking at the bridge that had no rails, trying to find any helpful info, only to find rope about 1 and a half metres long ending in a knot about 10 cm all around, a decent hanging off the side of the bridge, 2 metres apart from each other.

He thought for a minute before saying. “If we hold onto each other, and trust each other enough, we could get across.” He started. “See, if I hold hands with Shankhe, and he steps on my foot, if I reach out, he should be able to grab the rope. We do this a couple times, and manage to get across.” I nod, understanding his plan. He turns to Shankhe.

“Are you good with that plan?” He asks, making sure everyone agrees. Shankhe also agreed with the plan, and Taegan went onto the bridge, climbing onto the rope. It was a bit short for him, but he managed, just as a cow tipped over the edge. Luckily, it was the side that Taegan was already on, so he was safe.

Slowly Shankhe lowered himself onto the same knot as Taegan, being extremely careful not to knock him off. It looked easy to me, but I don’t know until I try I guess, as they both looked to be struggling. They manage to go with the plan, and Shankhe gets to the next rope. I then look onto the bridge, no cows yet, and start to lower myself onto the first rope.

It feels incredibly nerve racking, as I power my legs onto nothing, Taegans hands guiding me as I slowly get down. My hands are sweaty, and I can feel how they slip, even if only a few millimetres.

After a couple of nervous moments, I get onto the knot. I sigh in relief, a big breath I’ve been holding from nerves. Shankhe holds his hand and holds it out. “Whose first?” He asks. “Dalyva can go middle.” Taegan says. “You good with that Dalyva?” He asked me.

I nod, as I start to reach out my hand. The rope wobbles below me, and I look down in fear. Bad idea. I swallow, take a deep breath to calm myself and reach out my hand again. His grip is tight on my arm, as I put out my foot onto his, more confident now. He uses his muscles to pull me across, and in the few seconds I’m hanging over the corruption liquid as I’ve come to call it, I see the whole bridge tip. He manages to pull me onto the rope just as the bridge wobbles after the tip violently. I shake, having felt how close I was to death in the moment.

We wait till the wobbling has ceased before continuing. I wrap my leg and arm around the rope, and grab onto Shankhe hand, him putting his foot onto mine. I reach out, and as my muscles struggle, he manages to hold onto the next rope. I then, once confident he’s not going to fall, and he confirmed it, let him go.

I then switch which arm and leg is wrapped around the rope as I lean out to Taegan with my arm and leg. He grabs my hand, and steps onto my leg with confidence I don’t know how he gets. My muscles, once again, as they’re incredibly weak, struggle, but I push through and manage to get him onto my rope.

We repeat this a lot, until my muscles are positively dying, and manage to get across.