An overgrown maze

Crunch! My lumbering footstep heavily stepped on one of the many dry, shrivelled leaves that bestrewed the forest floor. Unaware of how I landed in a primeval, desolate forest, I continue to trudge along the murky ground hoping for an escape from this dense labyrinth. Skeletal trees spring upward, piercing the dimming sky, reaching out the brittle bone-like boughs littered with deep sage-green crisps. Glacial gales swooping through the canopy rustle the delicate leaves like pieces of paper. Some leaves which can no longer hold onto their branches swoop down and gently kiss my face.

My sliding feet propel the dust and soot from the dirt track into the meagre, frigid air as cheeky zephyrs carry it away, leaving back a pungent stench- redolent of mildew. Rocks clatter and crumble along the road as a spontaneous, growl echoes through the woods. The deep, low grumble briefly shakes the plants and excites the winds which begin to howl. I approach a black river slicing through the desolate landscape reflecting the ebony firmament. Clumps of wispy billow drift across the sky like steam- briefly obscuring the pinpricks of bright light. The stars glisten and twinkle gleefully, creating a rhythm that cannot be heard- but only seen. An incandescent ball of light hangs in the tinged-black sky, illuminating the envious darkness with its touch of silver.

As I quickly dart across the placid rivulets, ripples form, blurring the perfectly spherical glow of the moon as its reflection dissolves in the waters like a bioluminescent dye. Loud burbles and gurgles from the stream fade away as I scuttle towards a tumbledown structure consumed by the spirits of the earth. The derelict structure sits idle- sunken into the ground; its walls bespattered with crud and mud. Grime encrusted the weak, craggy foundation made of mossy stone bricks wafts a putrid odour up my nose. Cracks run wild throughout the crumbling structure weakening the already weary building.

Mysterious scriptures were engraved into the pallor-stricken walls of this temple. Weeds, shrubs and brush had taken over the house of Gods and made it their own. Shamrock vines crept like slithering snakes all around the overgrown pile of ruins. I could faintly hear termites gnawing incessantly at the wooden beams soaked with moisture. Crickets chirped back at the termites and the sporadic croaks of frogs interrupted their endless conversation. A fallen log coated with layers of soot assumed the role of a bench for my limp noodle-like legs. The white noise of the mellifluous breeze and swaying trees were soporific and filled my weakened body with a pleasant languor.

I sought refuge from this isolated woodland in the sky as the gentle, warm glow of the harvest moon put me to sleep in the middle of an overgrown maze.