Ambush

The river did not quicken to throw them over a cliff. The cave broadened and the river slowed. The twins plied their oars for speed. Gerhardt, carving a name for their vessel into its hull, looked down and realized he had spelled “Mycelium” wrong.

“Hey,” he said, “there’s light.”

Ahead across the broad, flat water was a slit of blinding light, so welcome that the children stared into it until they had to close their eyes against it, and then saw the bright red impression of it against their closed eyelids.

They cheered and rowed toward it.

The cave mouth was low and they all had to lie down in the mushroom cap to pass through. With the yeti lying in there as well there was not enough room, so Claire and Adolphus jumped into the cold water and clung to the back of the boat, kicking to propel them back into the light.

Their mushroom boat passed under the cave mouth with mere inches to spare. Vines hung over the cave mouth, trailing in the water. As they passed underneath the vines fell into the boat and over the children. The vines felt warm on their skin after the chill of the cave. They seemed to be everywhere at once, and Bettina pulled an exploring tendril out of her nose with an angry shout.

Then they were through, blinking in the light. And what light it was! Bright, painfully bright after so long under ground. Adolphus blinked up at the sky, trying to find the sun to get his bearings. He could not find it. The sky glowed evenly with violet light. He squeezed his eyes shut, counted to five, and looked again. Tall trees overhung the river with deep green branches, and above them the sky swirled a milky purple.

“I say,” he said, “look at the sky!”

“Ew!” Claire exclaimed at the same instant. “Something’s got my leg!”

She kicked, trying to swim away. She took one hand off the mushroom boat and ducked under water, feeling for whatever had caught her up. In a burst of bubbles, she disappeared.

Adolphus dove after her. She hadn’t gone far down and he managed to pull her to the surface. They clung to the edge of the boat to catch their breath.

“You two had better get in here,” Gerhardt said. He reached for his sister’s hands but found himself flying. The mushroom boat flipped into the air, scattering the children into the water. The yeti tipped out and sank, tiny bubbles the only trace of his massive presence.

Gerhardt saw Adolphus and Claire sailing to the opposite bank in a wave of spray. He flailed about searching for Bettina and the twins, but then it had him. It grabbed his ankle and yanked him to the nearest bank. It was thin and whip-like and had both his legs. It was fast. As he slammed into the tangle of vines at the river’s edge he saw Bettina already held fast there, wrapped in vines and pulled inexorably into the mud. Her legs were already buried.

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This story began with On Grandmothers. The previous episode is Mushroom Trip and the next is The Variegated Strangler.

Photo credit Stan Shebs.