The first few meters weren’t so scary—ordinary stone walls covered in moss and moisture. But the deeper he went, the stranger the sensations became. The lantern tied to his belt swayed and cast trembling shadows on the walls, but these shadows behaved之前的 behaved wrongly. They moved out of sync with the light, as if living their own life. Sometimes James thought faces flashed in the shadows—distorted, full of pain, begging for help.
The stones became more slippery. What seemed like moisture was some kind of slime—warm, almost hot, and pulsing under his fingers, as if alive. James tried not to think what it could be.
The smell changed too. Staleness and dampness gave way to a sweetish, nauseating aroma, like rotting flowers and something chemical. The deeper he descended, the stronger the smell, mixed with a metallic tang of blood and something unidentifiable.
The well’s walls were unusual too. At about ten meters, the stones changed—more ancient, covered with the same mysterious symbols he saw above. But here they were sharper, deeper, as if carved with force. And they glowed—barely, with a dim greenish light.
James stopped to examine a symbol closer. In the lantern light, it looked like a spiral surrounded by strange signs resembling runes. When he touched it, the stone was warm, and a vibration ran along the wall. “Where are you?” he shouted down.
“Very close! I see your light! It’s so bright! I haven’t seen light for so long!” The voice became clearer, but new tones appeared—desperate, yet somehow hungry, as if craving more than help.
James continued descending and found the well widened into a cave-like space. The air was denser, almost material, making breathing harder. His foot touched something solid—the bottom.
But it wasn’t an ordinary well bottom. Underfoot squelched a viscous, warm liquid—almost black, with iridescent streaks, emanating that sweetish smell. He looked around. The cave was larger than expected, walls receding into darkness beyond the lantern’s light, the ceiling lost above. Glowing symbols formed complex patterns on the walls.
In a semicircular niche sat a girl—young, about 20, in a simple white dress. Long blonde hair, pale but beautiful face. She hugged her knees and looked at him with gratitude that ached his heart.
But as James approached, details made him wary. Her dress was wet, as if she’d just emerged from water, but no drops fell. Her skin was almost transparent, with bluish veins visible. And her eyes—too large, too bright, with no pupils.
“You came!” she whispered, her voice echoing through the cave. “I’ve waited so long! Called so long!”
James approached, holding the lantern forward. The light revealed more oddities. Her shadow on the wall was wrong—too large, with something animal-like. Her movements were too smooth, as if underwater.
“What’s your name? What happened?” he asked, trying to stay calm, though every instinct screamed to run. “Sarah!” she answered, her voice sounding normal for the first time. “My name is Sarah Thompson. I… I fell here! A long time ago, and can’t get out! The walls are too slippery, and I’m so weak.”
She tried to stand, and James saw her feet didn’t touch the ground—she floated a few centimeters high. She noticed his gaze and quickly lowered, touching the surface. “Sorry,” she said, embarrassed. “Here… everything is different. Sometimes I forget how to stand.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll get out now,” James said, hiding his fear. “I have a rope.” Sarah smiled, and that smile made him step back.
Her smile had too many teeth, too sharp. But in a moment, it became normal—an ordinary grateful smile. “You’re so kind,” she said. “Not many would dare descend here. Most just listen from above and leave. But you came!”
“Of course I came. Can’t leave a person in trouble.” “A person…” she repeated thoughtfully. “Yes, I was a person. Once.”
Those words sounded ominous, and James felt his hair stand on end. But he forced himself to stay calm. Perhaps she’d been alone too long and gone a bit mad. “How long have you been here?” he asked, untangling the rope.
“Time goes differently here,” Sarah answered, watching his movements with unhealthy interest. “Sometimes it seems like eternity, sometimes like I just fell. But by feel… very long. And how did you survive? Without food, without water?”