This story was originally posted on my, now closed, story site and it was written for one of Kellie Elmore’s Free Write Friday prompts and the prompt was…

You are in the woods and you stumble across a tin box sticking up out of the ground. You dig it up to find…

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Stumble across is perhaps a mild term for how I came across that flipping idiotic tin! I went flying and bashed my nose on those tree’s roots, yes those roots I had already seen and was ready to avoid. But no, this damn tin had something else planned for me. OK it may not have planned for me to bash my nose but it certainly wanted my attention.

And it got it!

I tried to dig it up, I kicked it, pulled it, kicked it again and again till it was free then I gave it one heck of a booting and watched it fly into the brambles and land without so much as a squeak or a scrape, it just landed and was silent in its new home.

So there you have it: one rusty silent tin, one bloody tree (and nose) and a hole in the earth.

End of story and I’m not going to tell you what I found in the hole either, so there!

…except it wasn’t so much a hole as an opening and the air was sort of going into it or rather it was being sucked into it along with leaves and twigs and I guess that’s how that blasted tin got stuck there. Anyhow, I reached in and what I found was… no you’ll never believe me.

…except the hole sort of, held my hand and gently eased it down into the belly of the thing and before I knew it I was drinking tree sap from the tree root which bashed my nose and then my nose was good and clean and, well, not bashed anymore. Next thing I knew was this suction was sort of cuddling me all over and moving me so gently towards… I know you really won’t trust a word I’m saying.

…except right there in front of me was what I can only describe as a village clock made from all the stuff that was sucked down the hole. It was a good clock too, like those ancient stone ones in the centre of villages. It ticked and I was lucky enough to be there on the hour when it chimed and my my my what a delicious sound that clock made. It made a sound that filled your belly with food, yes that’s the only way I can describe it. With every dong I felt a wonderful pleasure inside me and I felt so rich with smiles and when it stopped its chimes I was picked up again and taken to… no sorry I really cannot relate to you what happened next.

…except this wonderful cuddle took me to a chamber, and believe me it was a huge chamber where thousands of tree roots were dangling and on the end of each root’s tip there sat a being. The one nearest to me smiled and I cried right there in front of everyone and they all smiled too. I was taken to each one in turn and was kissed by each one with a smile till I could stand it no more and I closed my eyes. I could hear their giggles and whispers and then something unutterably wonderful happened… and I don’t know how to tell you or even if I should.

…except they all began to sing. Each one of them sang a different note, can you imagine thousands of different notes being sang. My head nearly exploded with trying to comprehend how wonderful it all was until suddenly they stopped and turned their heads to listen to the echoes and would you believe it, the echoes themselves began to paint the chamber in such beautiful colours; more colours than a mere rainbow. Such vibrancy, such hues, such delicate strokes, such colours my eyes could hardly stand to look at, it was so incredibly vivid so I shut them again only to find myself once more in the arms of a cuddle till I reached… but I can’t tell you, they asked me not to tell you. They said if I tell anyone, all these lovely beings would die and I cried at the thought of this. So I’m sorry I can’t tell you anymore.

…except they said I could tell you all one thing. They said I could tell you this… “We are waiting for you all to understand, we are waiting for you all to see, we are waiting for you all to know. We are waiting for you.” I’m not sure what that means so that’s as far as this true tale goes.

…except that sometimes I cry for no reason whatsoever when I see a sunrise.