The Abyss

 The darkness lightened only a little as they entered a large cave. The air was different here. It was colder and it didn’t taste of dust anymore, but there was a hint of something else that Paltar couldn’t place. Somewhere, the wind was howling, but Paltar couldn’t say from where the sound came. He tried not to think about it too hard – the wailing made him uneasy.

Nanna, close to his knees, seemed to feel the same.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” she asked.

He didn’t know. But that didn’t help them now, did it?

“Let’s have a look around,” he said instead.

At least, he could neither see nor hear another living being. The threads around them belonged to the mountain itself, as if nothing had stepped inside this cave for a long time. It was comforting.

Then he saw the abyss.

“Watch out,” he said and stepped in front of Nanna.

“Huh?”
She waddled closer to the edge of the chasm.

“You know I can fly, right?”

With that, she spread her wings and flew into the air. And in one blink of the eye, she landed safely on the other side.

“See?” She yelled at him. “It’s no problem!”

“But...”

He hesitated. As far as he could see, there was nothing dangerous on the other side, so he had no reason to worry. Too bad that his gut wasn’t convinced by his brain. In the darkness, Nanna was like a beacon of light, her white feathers catching all the light as she craned her neck toward him.

“I think here is an exit,” she called.

“Really?” he shouted back.

Then they were on the right track. Paltar felt a surge of relief. Now, all he had to do was find a way to cross the abyss himself. He walked along the edge, searching for a structure that would help him cross. There had to be some kind of bridge, right? Or was this Reod’s idea of a joke?

“Don’t go exploring,” he said. “Let me find a way to get to you first.”

“You don’t have to protect me,” Nanna hissed back. “I can take care of myself, thank you.”

“I know,” Paltar replied. “But...”

But that didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about her. And he could hear in her voice that she wasn’t feeling quite as brave as she was trying to act in the dark. She mirrored his steps on the other side, staying as close to him as she could. That calmed him a bit.

“Do you see anything?”

“No, nothing,” he replied.

His worries grew the longer they were in here. The cave, as big as it was, felt oppressive. Paltar never liked places like these, dark and underground. That’s why he never agreed to go cave climbing with Satsuki, who loved the thrill of it all. Just the thought made him shudder.

Why is it that every thought of her was associated with something bad?

“How about now?” Nanna asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Nothing...” He blinked. “Wait, there is something ahead.”

“I can see something too!”

Paltar hurried to whatever the silhouette in the darkness was. It had to be a bridge, judging by the shapes. Finally! He could cross it and then they could leave this dreaded place behind.

“Uh, Paltar...”

Nanna apparently had her doubts.

“What is it?” he asked.

“The bridge… it’s...”

She didn’t have to say more. He could see it, too. While the structure was a bridge, yes, it had been destroyed long ago. He could see the frayed ropes hanging down into the abyss. He stared at it, even when he could hear Nanna fly over to him.

“What do we do now?” She sounded defeated.

“I’m not sure,” he answered, his voice wavering, “but we will find a way.”

They had to. After all, they had come this far and he wouldn’t give up now. Paltar sat down, his legs dangling over the edge.

“Stop that! It’s dangerous,” Nanna hissed.

He let out a small laugh.

“Are you worried about me?”

“Well, unlike me, you can’t fly,” she grumbled.

He laughed again. It was very sweet of her. Nanna might be a bit rude, but she really had a heart of gold. It’s a shame she doesn’t show it properly, he thought. Absentmindedly, he reached out and patted her on the head.

“We’ll figure something out,” he said.

“Hey! Careful, I don’t want to lose my bow,” she hissed.

“Ah, right. Right.”

He quickly pulled his hand back. It felt like it was burning, same as his head. This was one of those moments again, wasn’t it? When he had mistaken Nanna for a bird. No, that wasn’t quite right. He knew she was human and he treated her… differently. He couldn’t say how or why. But now that he was aware of it, his heart beat faster.

“Why are you staring at me?” she snapped. “I hope you have some idea how we’re going to leave this place, or else...”

“I’m thinking, Your Highness.”

That was a lie. But as he idly looked at the remains of the bridge, he wondered what they could do. The ropes dangling beside him were badly frayed, the edges stained brown-black from years of being left like that. Gently, he traced them, feeling the strong threads under his fingers.

Threads…

He blinked, and looked closer. These were threads, literally. As he focused on the bridge, he saw a fine thread, stretched as thin as it could be, that still connected the rope on this side to the bridge on the other. If he could somehow strengthen that bond…

He reached out.

“Stop that!”

Nanna bit his finger, and Paltar stumbled back. His back hurt as she bit down on his clothes, trying to drag him away from the edge.

“Ow! What was that for?” he complained.

“What were you doing?” she hissed back. “Do you have a death wish, tailor?”

“No, I...”

But he could see why she jumped to that conclusion. Hopefully, he hadn’t scared her too much. He gave her an apologetic smile. It was good to know that she worried about him.

“Sorry. I was thinking of a way to get across.”

“Tell me, then.”

Paltar nodded. After all, he wasn’t alone in this.

“See that bridge?” He pointed at it. “I think I can fix it, if I strengthen the threads, but...”

“Of course there had to be a ‘but’,” she said, rolling her eyes.

She was smart.

“But I think the other side is too far away,” he concluded. “You saw what happened when I reached out, right?”

“Yes, that was stupid,” she agreed.

For a moment, she looked at the bridge in deep contemplation. Then, she shook her feathers, and with a little exhale, turned around.

“Take off my dress,” she demanded.

“Huh?”

“What are you thinking?” she snapped. “I don’t want it to get dirty.”

“But...”

He didn’t even know why he wanted to argue. But imagining Nanna without the dress just seemed wrong.

“Hmph.” She glared at him, as if she could read his thoughts. “I’ll get the rope. So help me with the dress. If I see even one stain on it afterwards, you will have to make me a hundred more.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” he sighed.

But it was the best idea they had. Carefully, he opened the ribbons that held the dress and placed it, along with her head bow, in his bag.

“Are you ready, then?” He tried not to look at her too closely.

“Yes,” she murmured. “This feels… strange.”

“I can imagine,” he replied, watching the rope as if he had never seen one before.

This was embarrassing, for both of them.

“Just tell me if I need to do something,” he said.

“Ah. Yes. Of course.”

Quickly, she fluttered up, and soon was more of a white dot in his vision than anything else. Her thread, connected to him, glowed strongly in contrast. Paltar crouched on his knees and picked up the ropes on this side. Threads winding around threads, some physical, some not, spun in his hand. He gave them a gentle squeeze and they seemed to come to life.
This could really work.

In the background, Nanna was working hard, fluttering and groaning. Finally, she reached him, the ropes in her beak.

“Take them,” she panted.

He took them, and twisted the thread that held the pieces together, folding it until the thin string in his mind grew stronger and stronger. The rope under his hands felt like a living thing – he could feel the threads bending, breaking, reaching out to find their counterparts. Meticulously, he joined the strands together until they all found their counterparts again. He was sweating, and his vision blurred as he focused on fixing it all. Finally, he saw the bridge in front of him, hanging strong over the abyss.

“It’s done.” He smiled, and fell onto his back.

“Hey! This is no time for a break! You have to help me with the dress again!”

He let out a small laugh that echoed through the cave.