The Light in Aquala

Lena and Mara were shaking and had seen and heard enough!

This was beyond anything that they were expecting and instinctively, both of them knew they weren't equipped to handle something of this magnitude. Even Mara, with all of her scientific training, was overwhelmed at what to do about the light behind the waterfall.

It was still growing bigger, and those nerve-wracking sounds were nothing either of them had ever experienced before, and they never wanted to hear them again. It couldn’t be anything good that was coming their way.

Mara had spent years studying the Neon and had filled notebooks with measurements, recorded subtle changes in vegetation, watched insects emerge a bit earlier or later depending upon the Season. She documented the way certain plants changed color in response to shifts in temperature, moisture and sunlight and had learned to recognize tiny variations that most people would never notice.

But all of this was completely different, and way out of her realm of expertise. She knew there would be new Season changes at Aquala, there always were, but this was unprecedented.

Lena stood beside her with her arms hanging at her sides, her hands clenched while staring through the veil of falling water. The usual excitement that came whenever they discovered something unexpected was still there, but it had been pushed beneath her fear. The orange Neon on her face was moving faster and faster in swirls and flames that jumped all over.

It wasn't unusual for their colors to become more active when they were excited or nervous, but tonight their glows were brighter and faster than they had ever been.

The frightening sounds came again, this time it seemed closer and louder, and they couldn’t figure out what direction they were coming from. One moment they seemed to come from somewhere beyond the waterfall, the next moment they sounded like they were coming from the jungle behind them.

They looked at each other and quickly turned their heads towards the jungle, unsure what direction to go in now. They looked back again to Aquala, as the thunderous waterfall kept creating a mist that was reflecting infinite colors of Neon, surrounding them like a blanket. And through it all the strange light kept getting brighter.

Behind them, the dense vegetation of the jungle was already sinking into evening darkness. Leaves overlapped leaves, creating layers of shadow beneath the towering trees. Slightly glowing water droplets were occasionally falling from the canopy, striking broad leaves making irregular, eerie tapping sounds.

Mara shifted her weight. "I think we should leave here right away."

Lena looked at her thankfully. "I agree. We can come back when we have others with us, and then together we can figure out what we are dealing with."

That was not the answer Mara had expected. Lena was the one who had spent half her life following trails simply because she wondered where they led to and she thrived on danger. She had explored unfamiliar regions by herself and returned to the village with countless stories of hidden rivers that were crystal clear, flowing around unusual plants and towards forgotten villages. Her instinct had always been to run towards the unknown rather than away from it.

They started retreating one step at a time, keeping their eyes on the expanding light in the waterfall. Their boots pressed into the damp earth, sinking slightly into the moss and grasses. When they arrived at the edge of the jungle, Lena reached out and caught a hanging vine to steady herself, barely stopping herself from tripping on the multitude of roots from the jungle trees.

Neither woman took her eyes from Aquala, and the strange light continued to move back and forth, growing in size and glowing brighter.

It wasn’t following them, but it wasn’t leaving either.

Finally the sisters turned and started sprinting into the jungle. As they ran, the jungle lit up and Mara grabbed Lena's arm. They turned to look back at Aquala as the incredible blue, silver and gold colors were coming towards them like waves, then moving past them and illuminating the jungle.

Suddenly, an explosion erupted from the huge light in the middle of the waterfall and the waves of vibrant blue, silver and brilliant gold colors shattered into a million pieces. A cold blast of air hit them with a force so strong they were knocked to the ground. After it passed, the sisters looked up to see the blue, gold and silver fragments being whisked into the air, tumbling and twirling as they went higher and higher, being carried off by the wind.

The jungle immediately seemed to close around them since the strange light was completely gone. The jungle trees rose into a canopy so dense that only small glimpses of the night sky were visible. The last golden light of evening had long ago finished filtering through the canopy and they were alone in the darkness, with the only light left being their Neon glows.

The sisters scrambled to get up and quickly began descending along the path they took to Aquala. The swirling Neon glows on each of their faces were moving incredibly fast, further frightening them when they glanced at each other. They continued, as quickly as they could, down the steep slopes and along the barely visible jungle paths, hoping they would never hear those spine-chilling sounds again and running as fast as possible now.