Sincerely, Jennifer x

The flames baked the air. I could barely breathe. There seemed to be no way out, and I stared ahead with terror trembling in my heart. The hallway seemed endless, a long grey tunnel, barely lit, but becoming unbearably bright as the flamethrowers in the wall activated every few seconds.

I glanced behind me, gulping at the sight of the shadowy scene I’d left behind. I could no longer see them, but I could hear the shuffles of their feet and the endless whine of their war cry.

I shuddered, fixing my eyes again on what lay before me.

“It’s fine.” I whispered, my fingernails digging into my hands as I urged myself to step forward, but found my legs unwilling. “It’s fine.”

It wasn’t fine. The flames lit up the chamber again and I could hear the crackle of the fire atop the footsteps of my tormentors behind me. There was no way out but forward.

“It’s fine.” My words started as a whisper but worked their way into an echo. “It’s fine.” My voice shook, no matter how defiant I pleaded with it to be, as I finally found the strength to step forward.

I tried to recall how I’d ended up trapped to keep my mind off of the danger just up ahead. It had started out so simple. I was just going to help out some friends. It wouldn’t take too long. It would be so easy.

Nothing is ever easy, but I could never have imagined how horrific they could become.

At the beginning, it felt so easy. I felt like a hero as I approached the palace, my smile as bright as the sun that bore down on me. It wasn’t long before I started to realise how stupid I’d been. Lost in the lair of a mad King, I wandered, helpless through dark tunnels and trap filled caverns, but none of them could compare to the room filled with fire. An endless, merciless room filled with flames and the echoed laughter of their master.

This was truly the playground of a despicable tyrant, determined to see me die, and no matter how much I wanted to turn back, I was quietly, and perhaps naively determined to deny him that.

“It’s fine.” I could see him up ahead every few seconds, lit up by the intermittent flames before falling back into the darkness, the glittering axe that lay on the wall behind him seemed to shine brighter with every step I took .

“You’ll never take her from me.” He bellowed, the flames shooting erratically through the air as I weaved and dodged their searing grasp. “The Princess is mine.” He crowed, the bridge he stood on shaking as he let out a hearty laugh.

“Everything is absolutely fine.” I hissed, ducking to the floor to avoid more flames that burst from the walls.

“This whole kingdom is mine.” I kept my eyes on him, waiting for the fire to simmer before I dashed towards him. My legs felt heavier with every step and my heart pounded against my ribs, but I closed my eyes and just ran.

“It’s fine!” I screamed, pushing through my fear as I barrelled past him, reaching for the glittering axe and slamming it down against the ropes of the bridge behind me. He turned to me, shooting me a panicked stare as the bridge gave way, and he toppled down, his anguished screams echoing through the chamber as he descended down into the abyss.

“It’s fine.”