Under the Moss

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Logan mumbled to himself as he wrinkled his nose. He wiped the water from his face.

“Hm?” the cowboy asked. He slowly fluttered his eyes open. All Logan could see was darkness. He groaned as he rubbed his forehead.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” a voice said over his head. Logan narrowed his eyes as he looked up. Jack sat over him, looking down.

“Huh?” the cowboy asked. The Forest King drummed on his cheek with his fingers.

“You okay?” he asked. Logan pushed himself to sit up.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“The underground,” Jack said.

“Huh?” the cowboy asked. Drip. Logan looked up as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. Little clusters of crystals stuck to the roof of the cave. Little drops of water fell upon them.

“How did we get here?” Logan asked.

“Well,” Jack said. “We were all flying in my air ship and it crashed.” He sounded so bitter on that last part. Logan’s brain started to piece together the past few hours.

“Where is everyone?” he asked.

“No idea,” Jack said.

“Hm…” Logan said.

“Are you okay?” the Forest King asked.

“Yeah,” Logan said. He rubbed the back of his head. “How do we get out of here?” Jack sat back and took a moment to think. Logan tilted his head. Jack finally shrugged.

“No idea,” he said. The cowboy gave him a disappointed look.

“Huh?!” he asked. The Forest King held up his hands.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” he said. “I can at least get us above ground.” The cowboy stared at him wide-eyed.

“How do--?” he started to ask. Jack held up his hand.

“Don’t speak,” he said. “Just follow me.” Jack turned and hopped through the darkness. Logan stared on at first. He shrugged and crawled after the little man.

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Drip. Drip. Drip.

They relied on sound. Logan had to listen for Jack’s breathing.

“You’re not injured, are you?” the Forest King asked.

“No,” Logan said.

“Good,” Jack said. Drip. Drip. Drip. Only the crystals on the walls were providing dim lighting. It almost like the underground was pulsing. The path felt like it was getting smaller. Jack listened above. Drip. Drip. Drip.

The Forest King held out his hand.

“Stop,” he said. Logan stopped behind him.

“What?” the cowboy whispered.

“Shhh,” Jack said. The boys stayed silent. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Water. A small stream flowed by. Jack nodded to himself.

“It’s up ahead,” he said.

“You sure?” Logan asked.

“Shhh,” Jack whispered. The cowboy went quiet. The Forest King didn’t turn around.

“Yes,” he said. “We need to keep going straight. Stay by me, okay?” Logan nodded once.

“Yes,” he said. A small hand grabbed his shirt. Logan about jumped.

“Stay by me, lad,” Jack said. “This will be a tight squeeze.”

“Alright,” the cowboy said. The Forest King led him further down the path. Logan had to duck down to walk. His knees came to his chest. Drip. Drip. Drip…

The dripping faded into with the stream. When did the crystals turn so blue? Logan’s eyes glazed over.

“Oh…”

His fingertips inched towards one of the bigger clusters on the wall in front. So blue… So beautiful… Logan could hear his heart against his chest as his hand moved closer. Closer… Closer…

“Oi!” Jack shouted. Logan jerked his head upwards.

“Huh?!” he asked. The cowboy about stumbled backwards. Jack used his weight to keep himself from falling over. The Forest King hissed.

“Don’t touch the crystals!” he barked. “Stay focused! You want to get back to the surface, don’t you?” Logan blinked at his back.

“Yes…” he said. Jack groaned.

“If you touch a crystal, you will be trapped down here forever,” he said. “Do you understand?”

“Yes,” the cowboy said in a low voice. The Forest King took a breath.

“Good,” he said. “Now let’s go.” Jack grabbed Logan’s shirt again. This time, the cowboy focused on his back. This was going to be a long walk, wasn’t it?