Ch. 1
A young man of dark complexions sat down in his chair, a frown on his pale face. He was in a vast, dark, and damp-smelling room. He was staring intensly at two ancient large stone boulders that were in front of him. A small crack ran down the side of it, emitting the only light in the whole cavern. The man's shoulders were stiff and his gaze was intense. After staring at the small crack of light in front of him for a long time, his shoulders suddenly straightened and his face relaxed. He began laughing, his dark and booming voice echoing in the eerie room. His laugh faded into an soft cackle as he sat staring at the light in front of him, the small light he had been staring at for centuries.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The cool wind blew in Sakura's face as she stared out at the beautiful landscape that was rushing by her. It was springtime and Sakura and her class were on a field trip to the mountains. Sakura admired the rolling hills and beautiful plants outside the bus while her friends conversed together about the field trip. She was only vaguely concentrated in on the conversation but after a while, she got enough of the scenery and turned around to listen to what her friends were saying. Sitting next to her was Tomoyo and in the row in front of her sat Rika, Chiharu, and Naoko. Sakura soon realized she had chosen a terrible time to join her friends.
"I can't wait till we get there", said Chiharu excitedly. "Mr. Terada told me we're going to go on a full day hiking trip on a mountain!"
"Which mountain are we going to?" asked Tomoyo.
"I think its called the Dancing Mountains. They called it that because of all the earthquakes and volcano tremurs that go on near there. I've also heard its a really beautiful place with lots of flowers and sunshine," Rika replied.
"Really? I think I've read about that mountain before." said Naoko, excitedly. "I've even heard this story that was told about that place..."
"NOOOOO!!" Sakura moaned, all too aware what Naoko was about to say. She fearfully grabbed hold of Tomoyo in hopes of comfort as Naoko started in on one of her stories.
"A long time ago..." Naoko began. "A small family lived on the foothills of what used to be called Birdsong Mountain. It was a peaceful family, with a father, a mother, and two little children. The family lived their life there on the mountain happily raising crops and caring for livestock. Suddenly one day..."
"Eeeeeeeek..."Sakura tightened her grip on Tomoyo in apprehension. Tomoyo herself was wide-eyed and Rika and Chiharu quickly inhaled, sounding almost like a stifled gasp.
" On a dark and stormy night, a wandering travelar came stumbling through the family's door, drenched and tired. He had been trying to reach a nearby town but had caught a fever along the way. As he was plodding away, he was lucky to spot the lights of the family's house. The famliy, being generous, let him in and took good care of him. For three days, the travelar fought his fever. The family tried as hard as they could to help him but the travelar's temperature soared higher and higher. Then one day, he could not take the agony any longer and died. The family buried him in a small grave in a cave on the Birdsong Mountainside."
"Oh! How sad!!" cried Rika. "Does this story get any worse?"
"It did get worse," replied Naoko. "Soon after the travelar died, the family found out that their children had also contracted this strange illness from the traveler. The parents tried to called in docters from all over hoping to find a cure for this sickness. They worked long and hard but no cure was found, and the two children died of the sickness on the third day too. The family could not bear this new tragedy. A few days later, the parents, the only ones left in the once-happy family, found out they had caught the sickness too. Instead of resisting the illness and grieving over this new misfortune, they were happy that they would finally be reunited with their children in heaven. After they had all died, the travelar's spirit could not rest peacefully in his grave. His spirit lies to this day sealed in the cave unable to repay the family and undo the badness he had done to their world. They say now that whenever there is an earthquake in this part of the area, it is the travelar, trying to force his way out of his own grave."
"So the travelar is still there right now?" Tomoyo asked.
"Wow!" said Chiharu. "Maybe we could find his grave and free him."
"Go in the cave??" cried Sakura. "No way! ...And also...since he died, *gulp* that makes the traveler...a a gh-gh-ghost right?" Sakura already knew the answer to THAT question.
"I know what you mean! Wouldn't it just be so cool to see a real ghost?," asked Naoko. "And anyways, I'm pretty sure we won't be allowed to go search for the cave, let alone be able to find it. Others have tried before us and they all failed.
"Well," suggested Chiharu. "Maybe if we asked Mr. Terada for permission, we MIGHT be able to go on a scavenger hunt and-"
"Look!" cried Sakura, panicking all of a sudden. She pointed out the window at the abruptly rising land. "We're here!"
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Okay, not much, I know, but this is my first fic! Well? Tell me what you think and if you find any typos or something. Thanks a lot!