The Escapist (12 page)

“A keyhole!” Announced Vergil triumphantly.  And with that, he darted into the thicket of leaves and through the gap, his thin, pink tail soon the only indicator of his location.  Moments passed as nothing happened, before the two trees either side of the wall began to shake.  In a second, the whole area came alive with the creaky sound of moving timber, slow and reluctant.  And before Oscar’s eyes the branched wall retracted to reveal a tunnel leading on behind.  Like the natural walls that had sprung up through the forest, the tunnel was a corridor formed from contorted tree trunks and branches.  However, since the canopy overhead was no longer visible, luminous fungi sat uniformly along the roof.  Oscar could not help but wonder whether this feature had occurred naturally of through the design of yet unknown inhabitants.

“Stay close Oscar” Vergil said in a hushed voice, then turned to set the pace.  “It’s easy to get lost.”  Oscar cast his eyes around, anxious to ensure the cat was still with them.  He needn’t have worried though, as she hovered just behind his shoulder.

Up until now Oscar had managed to maintain a good sense of his direction relative to the Institute.  But the tunnels were hard to follow.  They wound in all directions forming twists and spirals of misdirection, so that it was not long until he felt completely disorientated.  At one point the tunnel dived far into the ground, facilitated by sculpted wooden stairs which again gave Oscar reason to ponder upon their origin.  As they descended, Oscar felt the temperature drop significantly and the air gained a slightly stale quality. 

Every now and then they would pass different exits, but Vergil – who Oscar had been growing ever more confident in – simply stood on his haunches turning to sniff the air along every path before deciding upon the way.  As they passed by the various off-shoots Oscar was startled to realise they were not alone.  Peering down the other avenues he could sometimes catch a glimpse of a figure just out of view, or of reflective eyes that stared from beyond the darkness.  With his curiosity piqued, Oscar stealthily crept to the corner of every junction they approached, before darting out in an attempt to see their followers.  But he was too slow and it was no use -he only ever caught a glimpse of blurred figures moving out of sight.

“I don’t think we are alone Vergil.” Oscar called out, following his most recent failure to catch one the figures.

“I agree.  But then we were bound to encounter others” Vergil said in a rather blasé manner.  “Do not bother with them Oscar, they have enough right to be here.”

But Oscar could not help but be curious of this creature who so clearly didn’t wish to be seen, and Vergil’s blunt replies only fuelled his curiosity.  As they came to a large junction with many exits, Vergil once again set about sniffing the air at each one to determine the best route ahead.  Oscar seized his chance, and dashed down a short corridor after one of the elusive figures, just managing to catch sight of a waist-high creature before it ran down a new path.  Pacing with all his might Oscar gave chase.  As he closed the distance between them he could see it more clearly.  It looked like a small green child with brown curly hair and pointed ears.  Stopping abruptly the sprite appeared to be cornered: he had reached a dead end.  Oscar approached cautiously.  Finally confronted with the source of his curiosity he found himself unsure of what to say.

“I’m sorry if I scared you.” Oscar eventually murmured, as though trying to placate the feral creature that was watching him warily.  “I just wanted to see you.”

The sprite turned to Oscar and he could see that his first impression had been correct.  It looked just like a little green child.  But although it now smiled at Oscar, the expression was not pleasant.  There was a hint of devilishness to the child’s look, with pure white teeth and deep walnut eyes.  The creature merely raised its hand, made a sarcastic wave and vanished into the branches.

“Huh, why did..?”  Perplexed, Oscar thought aloud.  But he was cut violently short as the floor gave way beneath his feet. “Verrrggill!” Oscar bellowed as he plummeted through the organic shaft.

Vines lashed at him, whipping painfully at his sides as he fell, yet at the same time they impeded his descent.  The slower he fell, the more the vines snagged, catching at his limbs until his fall was completely broken.  He drew a breath of relief as he came to rest and the sharp pain receded.  Yet before he could think as to how he had come to be in a stationary state the vines began to move again, winding round and tangling him up so that he was held in a tight green crib.  The vines crept around his body, ensnaring his arms and legs until he was bound firmly in place.

Failing in his initial attempts to fight the vines, Oscar quickly grasped at the only tactic left to him.

“Vergil…err…Cat.  Someone, help!”  He shouted back up the shaft.  To his relief it was not long until two tiny faces peered over the cleft, though their concern was not quite as he had anticipated.

“Seems like you have yourself in a bit of a tangle, young Oscar.” Vergil chuckled.  “Now you know why I told you to stay close.  The forest senses you are not native and seems to be reacting accordingly.”

Oscar rolled his eyes.  Typical –
now
the rat decides to start volunteering explanations, just when he has more important things to think about.   Biting back a desire to voice this observation, he instead called out.

“Okay, okay, just help me out would you?” 

“Yes, yes. I suppose I should.  After all, you do look a bit of a fool.  I’d better come down there.” Vergil answered, vanishing in a puff of mist. 

But almost instantly, as if in defence, a whole series of vines streaked out barely a metre above him.  They twined tightly together forming a tangled wall over Oscar’s head.  Through the slim gaps in between, Oscar watched as Vergil reappeared in the same spot from which he had vanished.  Only then did the wall of vines overhead retract.  Looking rather offended, the rat twitched his nose before speaking again.  “Well I never.  No use Oscar, we’ll have to find another way to get you out I’m afraid.  It seems that the forest is blocking me for some reason.”

The cat mewed a cry of sympathy, circling around the rim of the pit where Oscar lay helplessly trapped, but there was nothing she could do.  Turning his head with difficulty, Oscar was surprised to see that the vine tapestry below wasn’t actually a dead end.  There was a tunnel beneath him, leading off from the base of the pit.  Calling up, he relayed this fact to Vergil who looked down again with a renewed determination.

“Aha, well, that gives us another option.  If only we can find the path.  Come Cat, let us search!”  And with that, the two heads retreated from the rim of the pit.  The only thing Oscar heard as their voices receded into the distance was Vergil’s voice, quipping with amusement. 

“Hang in there, Oscar!”

Left alone again Oscar turned his attention back to the vines.  He lay still for a moment readying himself, then twisted suddenly to try and apply pressure to the vines in all places at once.  But it was no good; every time he struggled, the creeping green tendrils just pulled tighter.  He tried and tried, seeing if his strength could best the restraints but his successes were few.  When occasionally he succeeded in snapping a few of the thinner vine fingers, he was dismayed to see more come forth from the shaft to replace those that had failed.

Through what seemed like hours of lying in suspension, Oscar came to notice that as his body relaxed, the vines loosened their grip ever so slightly.  Yet when he reacted or moved again they would immediately tighten.  Carefully and very slowly he contorted his thin frame in an attempt to disentangle his limbs from the vines.  It was agonising work; his muscles ached and his joints cracked as he stretched his body, contorting it in every feasible way.  But alas it was no use.  His limbs could not bend far enough, at least not without becoming dislocated from their sockets.

Stuck in limbo Oscar’s mind raced.  If he was just flexible enough he could surely ease himself out.  It was then that the thought struck –Vergil had mentioned he was ‘but a mind’s perception’ here and that this was not his body, for his body remained in the other world.  It might be difficult to change who he really was, but surely it would be easier to just bend the rules slightly?  His first attempt hadn't come to much, but then he hadn't tried particularly hard.   Besides what else was he going to do?  It might well take hours for Vergil to find him. 

Straining his mind, with his eyelids shut tight, Oscar tried to convince himself that his right arm was made of rubber.  Thinking over and over to reinforce the idea, he flooded his mind with nothing but the thought and perception of his wish.  He imagined what it might feel like and how he would be physically changed.  As he lay there concentrating, a peculiar sensation crept over him.  It started from a tiny seed deep down inside, but grew steadily, sending waves of sensation through his limbs. He could still feel his right arm, though not nearly so well as before.  In fact, it felt much more fluid, as though the joints and bones of his body were no longer an obstacle. 

Opening his eyes, Oscar stared in amazement.  The vines were weaving rapidly around his arm in an attempt to gain purchase, to the extent that Oscar could hardly see it.  Twisting slightly he could just make out a movement below, something draped along the floor of the pit.  With a shock, Oscar recognised the shape – it was his hand!  After a moment of pure panic for the lost body part, he was relieved to see it was actually still attached.  Upon closer inspection the arm to which it belonged appeared stretched beyond all recognition, drooping down from the mess of vines which held him. 

Reeling with the shock of the situation, Oscar couldn’t believe it was actually happening: he was manipulating his physical state purely by thinking about it.  Continuing to focus on the fluidity of his body Oscar naturally began to untangle from the vines.  It was an unusual and quite nauseating experience to see his limbs turning to this jelly-like state.  It was working though; eventually the vines were forced to relinquish their grip and Oscar was dropped the remaining distance down the shaft.

Surprisingly the fall did not hurt, which on reflection Oscar supposed made sense.  After all, he was now entirely rubbery.   Strewn loosely across the floor as though he were a rope which had been dropped, Oscar soon became aware of a new problem, the unintended consequence of his previous predicament.  He now had the difficult task of rethinking his body back to its default setting.  Reaching out a limp arm, he attempted to grab a nearby rock but with little effect; the hand felt as though it were attached by a rope and in fact he ended up slapping the ground.  Focusing more intently he tried to think ‘solid’ thoughts whilst staring at his arm.  Gradually, but very slowly, it tightened up, re-forming until it was once more a solid thing.  Using this arm to support himself, he managed to slither, bob and pull his way along the tunnel, all the while focusing on re-forming the rest of his body. The transition was quicker in reverse but it still took a while before he was back to his normal, solid state.  Shaking his body slightly he could swear this was the most limber he had ever felt in his life.

“Vergil, Vergil, I’m free.  It’s okay.” he cried, in case the rat was still within earshot.  But there was no response.  Looking up towards the vines, which were still grasping wildly in search of their missing captive, Oscar considered his options.  As the tunnel appeared to only lead in one direction, Oscar concluded that Vergil would have to come along it from the other end.  If he were to set off now at this end, at least they would be reunited sooner.  After all, there was no point in standing around waiting at the bottom of the pit.  Not least in case the vines managed to relocate him and entwine him in their green-fingered grasp once again.  So setting off, Oscar decided he could wait for his companions at the next junction.

As he traversed the tunnel Oscar could not help but dwell on the sprite he had encountered earlier.  It felt as though he had been intentionally lured into a trap, though it was unclear if this was a harmless act of mischief or intentional retribution for Oscar having given chase.  Either way, it seemed unfair given that he hadn’t caused any harm to the creature.  Unsure as to what other traps might lie in wait for him, Oscar proceeded with caution.

The tunnel extended for quite some distance with no junction or turning at any point.  Occasionally twigs or small vines would lash at his heels, causing Oscar to break into a brisk jog.  The sooner he could find Vergil the better.  It was only after a while that he realised the natural increase in lighting he had taken for granted was due to him breaking through to the surface once more.  He had made it through, though Vergil and the cat were nowhere to be seen as yet.

Oscar emerged into a circular clearing in the forest.  He could see the night sky above him for the first time in what felt like ages.  If the luminous lights in the forest tunnels had seemed magnificent, then Oscar was awestruck at the sight that was now overhead.  A sheer brilliance of light emanated from the midnight canvas.  Clouds of interstellar dust hung across the inky sky adorned with spiralling galaxies and twinkling stars.  It felt as though he were actually adrift in space, humble in his very existence.  The moon hung like a giant bulb in the sky; the craters and valleys of its face visible in infinite detail.  So huge was it in fact, that Oscar felt as though by climbing to the top of a tree he could almost touch it.

Star struck at the panorama arrayed before him, Oscar stood there at the tunnel exit until his legs grew tired.  Eventually coming to, he realised Vergil and the cat were nowhere to be seen.  He felt as though he should wait at the tunnel-mouth for them to arrive but he longed to lie in the middle of the circular clearing and just drink in the wonder of the sky.  Contemplating this, his gaze alighted upon a solitary tree which stood in the centre of the clearing, glowing white in the light reflected from the moon.  Drawn to it Oscar decided to go over and wait for them there.  Yet as he approached the tree, a clear voice rang out from high above.