private That Shrinking Feeling

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

"You see, this is exactly why Riley is lucky to be a Pegasus. That doesn't sound like something he wouldn't try," commented Anala.

 

"Anyway, about my story. I was just a filly at the time. I saw one of those bullies edging in closer to Riley. And I just instinctively went over and punched the bully in the face. So, Riley asked if there was anything he could do to return the favour. So I said he could watch me do a certain trick with a soccer ball. But it was a trick I'd never done before, and the ball hit me right in the mouth."

 

She blinked. "That story seemed more about Riley than the actual incident, didn't it?"

Edited July 6, 2014 by Green Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

"You see, this is exactly why Riley is lucky to be a Pegasus. That doesn't sound like something he wouldn't try,"

 

"Try telling that to a 10-year old earth-pony self." chuckled Blaze. He listened to Anala regaling how she met her friends, and winced at the notion of a soccer ball in the mouth. He winced again at how bluntly Anala would've preferred to have a tooth out.

 

"That story seemed more about Riley than the actual incident, didn't it?"

 

"Didn't really seem to be the focus, it seemed to me." replied Blaze. "Why do you ask? Somepony have a little crush?"

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Blue,

 

 

"Why do you ask? Somepony have a little crush?"

 

"No, I don't have a crush," said Anala as bluntly as possible while keeping a straight face to ensure that the others knew that she was telling the truth. "But then again, Riley does act sort of... weird around me, and I'm not exactly sure what it points to. But then again, it does come in handy sometimes." She recalled a trip to Walt Disneigh World.

 

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The carriage pulled up next to the arrangement of theme parks. Gosh, that's a lot of unpacking to do, thought Anala, looking at the bags. She then had an idea. She placed her hat on the seat, and followed Riley to the hotel.

 

"Hey, I left my hat on the train. While I go get it, can you unpack my bags?" Anala asked, putting on a sweet voice. And of course, Riley agreed.

 

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[Scribblegroove 565]

Scribblegroove slowly moved towards the group. Everypony was suddendly talking between themselves. He had probably missed out on something, but this wasn't what they were supposed to be doing. At least, that was what he thought. He looked at what seemed to be a little tea-party. Did they have time for a break?

 

He looked each of them in the eyes... Maybe a short intermission would do well. He felt exhausted, and they were only... halfway? He didn't really know, and right now he didn't really care. He sat down on one of the rocks and sighed. "I'm glad none of us got squished..." He said softly. He looked at Kay. "Though it was a pretty close call."

 

He leaned back and tried to relax a little. Regain some energy... Some confidence perhaps. "It still suprises me how this happened. Who drops a magical lens in a random field?" Adressing nopony in particular. He was just pondering, and trying to distract himself from the fact that they still had a bunch of obstacles to cross after this one.

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

Number Cruncher  was feeling ready to open up to the others about his own story of pain.

"One time when I was little, I was climbing a tree.. a very tall one too, I was trying to make it to the top.

 

"It was tough but I was an ambitious little fella. I made it halfway after much effort but bumped into a bee hive. Suddenly, a swarm of bees flew out of the hive and began making their way towards me. I foolishly tried to swat them off and many of them proceeded to sting me. I fell off the tree. Thankfully, I didn't break any bones, but I had a lot of bee stings.. my body was red for a whole week.. hell of an experience.

 

 

"Now those bees are probably bigger than me", Number Cruncher said with a shudder.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

"It's a giant wheel that-- well, not a giant wheel like that train-- you ride it. It's a kind of fun-ride, where there are chairs mounted to the outside that turn with the wheel. You see it at fairs and amusement parks."

 

"That sounds, ummm... Well, I guess I'd have to see one first hoof," Kay said, her imagination conjuring some interesting interpretations of what Blaze had attempted to describe. Most of them involved a large wheel with chairs stuck to the outside careening down a hillside. "I've not been to a fairground in, well... recent memory. A pony I met a while back has a hot air balloon I've ridden in before, though. That thing is marvellous. At least you learned something enjoyable while you were at home injured."

 

Kay had to control the giggles that descended upon her at Blaze's attempt to tease Anala, and her straight faced rebuttal. Laughing hurt, but it wasn't all that easy to just stop, either. 'Poor Anala... If I ever meet this Riley pony, I'll have to tell him that subtlety certainly won't work on her,' she thought. Listening to Number Cruncher's story, she shuddered at the thought of giant bees. "I like bees, usually," she said. "They're cute and fuzzy and honey is the best thing in the world when you have a tired voice. I've only ever been stung once, as a filly, and that was because I tried to sneak honey right from the hive without the farmer noticing me. It probably served me right! I don't fancy being stung by a bee the same size as me, though."

 

Kay Dreamer looked up at Scribblegroove as he approached the group.

 

"I'm glad none of us got squished..." He said softly. He looked at Kay. "Though it was a pretty close call."

 

She nodded, with a somewhat sheepish half-smile. 'He must have seen me run along the track,' she thought, embarrassed. He changed the topic of conversation to the enchanted lens fairly quickly though, and she latched onto the new direction. "Who knows?" She said. "Perhaps somepony is missing it? Perhaps it belongs to Princess Twilight herself, and once she un-shrinks us she'll make us all royal knights for finding it's location!" She began to make a mock bow, before another twinge along her ribs made her think better of it. She settled for a gentle flourish with her sore hoof. "Though I think as recompense, we should all be allowed to eat a giant buffet of deserts - while shrunk. That would make this all worthwhile."

Edited May 24, 2014 by Kay Dreamer

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

"Though I think as recompense, we should all be allowed to eat a giant buffet of deserts - while shrunk. That would make this all worthwhile."

 

Kay's mention made Blaze realize that he hadn't eaten lunch. I left a sandwich and lemonade on my desk back at my flat! Absent-mindedly, he looked around the track and noticed a weed growing on the interior side of the rail nearest Ponyville. A stubby excuse for a clover hinted out of the chunky rocks beside a sleeper.

"Well, it won't be hard to consider that wish granted!" said Blaze, trotting nearer. He gave the flower of the clover a sniff. Yeech! he snarled. "It smells like tar." He gave the flower a rather disappointed stare, his eyes following down the stem. "..I like clover, but only when it's fresh... ...Hey!" Blaze pushed the weak little stem, roughly the thickness of his leg. The root was disturbed easily, pulling against some of the gravel of the rail ballast. He bit the stem, pulling at the little plant. Yuck! This thing tastes like spoiled garlic! With a yank, the weed and a large portion of its root popped out, opening a small gap in the gravel, that weakened a patch beside the rail. It was a small enough gap that he could probably fit his hoof under with a good shove. He spat the weed out, tossing it to the side. Yehhch! he spat a couple times more.

"Hey guys, I think i found a way out", pointing to the tiny gap. He pushed some more of the gravel out of the way, opening enough space for an average pony to wiggle through. Probably not enough for himself, but Blaze wasn't thinking about his well-being as much at that point. "..I think."

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

"Though I think as recompense, we should all be allowed to eat a giant buffet of deserts - while shrunk. That would make this all worthwhile."

 

Anala chuckled. They had almost gotten killed just a few minutes ago, and now everyone was being light-hearted.

 

"Well, it won't be hard to consider that wish granted!"

 

Anala scrunched up her face as she realised Blaze was about to eat the flower. Well, at least he's taking survival into account, she thought.

 

"Hey, guys, I think I found a way out."

 

Anala saw that Blaze had made a gap by pulling out the plant. "Convenient. But it doesn't look big enough for you, Blaze." Her eyes widened. "Not calling you fat! Totally not calling you fat!"

Edited July 6, 2014 by Green Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

"I am not fat, I am big-boned." said Blaze, with an air of restoring his dignity. He pushed another large rock out of the way, widening the gap. He pried at the gravel at the base of the gap and made it a little bit deeper. Large enough to accommodate a regular pony, but still a bit of a squeeze for himself. He looked up at the sky, trying to spot how close the sun might be to the horizon. "We should keep moving. I don't want to end up stuck tiny overnight, and we still need to find Princess Twilight at the Library."

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

Number Cruncher was watching Blaze pull the weed for the gap to open. Cruncher found it ironic that the worry was going to be whether they would be too big to go through the hole.

"Nice work, Blaze! Maybe if we can break through the gravel, we could make the hole bigger so all of us could get out without any injuries that would hinder anypony on our quest to Twilight's library. It would need to be a team effort if we want to break it up quickly." 

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Kay Dreamer pulled a face as Blaze tugged at the root with his mouth, but that soon turned into a hopeful expression as he began to clear away a small passage under the rail. 'Oh, that's a relief...' she thought. 'I don't think I'm up to another climb like the last one.' She limped over to the rail as gracefully as she could manage.

 

"I could fit through there," she said, moving closer before Anala blocked her path. "Nuh-uh. I'm going first," Anala said bluntly. "You're hurt, and if you get stuck down there you might need somepony on the other side to pull you out."

Kay frowned, but didn't argue. Anala had a point. Anala stuck her head cautiously in the passage, before calling over her shoulder to the others. "I'm going in!"

 

Anala had to crouch to fit in the little passage, and she found her route impended by a rock stuck in the earth just above her. Giving it a tough shove with her shoulder, it came loose, spilling a cascade of stones and shale over her head and back. For one heart-stopping moment, it seemed like the whole tunnel would simply collapse, but when the dust cleared she found she could stand comfortably. Coughing, she shook the dirt loose from her mane and walked the rest of the way out into the sunlight on the other side. Performing a large stretch once she was out, she turned shouted back through the passage. "Hey, I'm through!"

 

Kay heard Anala's voice reverberate through the passage opening, and glanced at the others. "I guess I'll go now..." she said. Carefully, she ducked her head into the tunnel and limped inside, paying close attention to any stones jutting from the edges. She didn't want anything colliding with her sore chest. She bit her lip as the confined space forced her to put more weight on her twisted ankle than she'd have liked, but it wasn't unbearable. Emerging on the other side, she took a gentle breath of air and called back to the others. "I'm through! There should be enough room in there for everypony else as long as you go one at a time."

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

Blaze looked at the others with slight apprehension. He inhaled sharply, feigning a feeling of bravado. "Well don't all go at once." He said, sarcastically.

The thickest part of him was the barrel of his torso, but he managed snugly. Rgh.. This is tighter than a vanilla bean in a still-pipe. He found himself pinched, with his head sticking out facing beyond the rail. He paused as he took in the sight.

 

2: Into Town

Location: East Ponyville

 

Ponyville is a simple little town to the average eye, but to Blaze it opened up like an awesome mountain range, criss-crossed with titans walking between its grand valleys. It was a distance not much larger than from one side of the pond to the other, that separated the edge of the track bed to the nearest houses. Beyond the first row, Blaze could recognize one of the streets he usually walked through to get to the town market. He looked up. The sky was much clearer and sun was starting to shine-- from what little he could see of it between the bottom lip of the rail, and yonder thatched roof. With a buck of his legs he shoved himself through the rest of the way. He gave a glance at Kay before looking out at the hugeness of all the buildings before them.

 

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

Number Cruncher was a little wary about the hole but if Blaze could fit in, he should too.

 

Number sighed and made his way into the hole. Better away from the tracks than on them. The claustrophobic feelings set in which was ironic given how small he was now. He made it to the other side and could see what the others have seen: Ppnyville

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

Anala looked at the village of the giants... well, giants to the group, anyway.

 

"Whelp, there it is!" she commented. "I hope you guys have an idea of how we're going to reach Princess Twilight without getting squished." She looked at the bow and arrows in her sheath. Hundreds of possibilities of the pranks she could play in this form flooded into her head.

[Scribblegroove 565]

Scribblegroove looked at the hole a bit anxiously. He didn't really feel like crawling through a tight, filthy and dark place like that, but he guessed they didn't really have a choice. He waited as all the others passed through the hole in front of him. He felt slightly more comfortable after seeing blaze crawl through. If the big one could push himself through, so could he.

 

"Hold on, I'm coming!" He yelled through the entrance of the hole. A bit redundant, seeing that they would wait for him anyway. He went through his legs and pushed himself it. He took a deep breath as well. The moment he was in he felt the urge cough. The stale and moldy smell was something he could barely stand. He crawled through quickly, and gasped when his head popped out of the other end. "Ugh, I hate... dirt..." He said while pulling himself out of the ground, coughing throughout. "First the pollen, then this. When am I not going to be covered in some kind of muck..." He complained.

 

Then he became a little more lighthearted. "At least we made it... Fairly safe and sound." He sighed as he looked at Kay. "Are you ok? If you can't take it then you should say so. Blaze and I should be able to carry you if it's nescesary..." He stepped a little closer to the others, casting a glare at the gargantuan ponies in the distance. "I'm not sure if we should try to attract someponies attention to us or not. We could try to sneak our way to the library, but we could also ask somepony else for help... We need some medical attention for Kay as quickly as possible anyway..."

Edited June 12, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[DukeofCanterlot 158]

How are we going to attract any pony's attention without them thinking we're bugs, thought Number Cruncher.

Well they fought a snake and managed to survive a near-death experience on the train tracks.

 

"Looks like we can either take the direct route through the bustling town square where there are a lot of ponies or a longer route which bypasses the town square but decreases our chances of getting squished", said Number Cruncher.

 

He noticed Anala's arrows...hmmmm , hopefully they can help us somehow.

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

Anala noticed Number Cruncher glancing at her bow and arrows. "I can tell what you're thinking. These will probably help us out... somehow."

 

Forget the pranks, Anala. You never know when these could be important.

 

"My bow and arrow and I go back quite a while. Perhaps I can tell you some more life stories!" she said to the group.

Edited June 12, 2014 by Blue Eclipse

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Kay Dreamer drew in a long slow breath as she took in the vista which stretched before her. She never imagined her first look at Ponyville would be from such a... unique vantage point. The scenery before her was surreal. Whereas before she'd been surrounded by plants and grass, which were somewhat sheltering and not unlike a colourful, dense forest, she now felt exposed, vulnerable, and very, very small. The streets spread into the distance like vast open plains, and giants walked them. Kay gulped. Whatever dangers the grass contained, at least she felt comforted by the tall stems and multiple hiding spots. There would be no such comfort here.

 

She turned her head toward Scribblegroove as he emerged from the tunnel, grumbling about dirt and pollen. She looked down at her own coat to find it in a similar state. Dirt from the tunnel clung everywhere, obscuring the natural glimmer of her coat. She glanced back up as Scribble spoke directly to her, asking her if she was okay. "Oh, I, um... I don't think it's anything too serious," she said, carefully testing her right forehoof against the ground once more. "My right ankle hurts, and my chest hurts, but if anything were broken I doubt I'd be moving at all." She smiled at him, extremely grateful for his concern. "I'll try to keep up on my own, but if I fall behind or I'm in a lot of pain, I'll say something." She privately hoped it wouldn't come to that. Kay could be impractically proud at times, and being carried would be terribly embarrassing.

 

Kay heard the other ponies discussing possible ways to the library. She immediately chimed in with her own opinion. "I like the idea of making our way there through quieter back streets," she said quickly. "Even if somepony did notice us, who's to say they wouldn't simply capture us and display is in a circus side show as a rare curiosity!? They could sew wings to us and claim we were Breezies." If that sounded absurd to anypony else, Kay Dreamer was oblivious. Such a thing would not have been unthinkable one thousand years ago, and Crystal Ponies were considered 'unusual' enough at a regular size, even now.

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Kay Dreamer,

 

"Even if somepony did notice us, who's to say they wouldn't simply capture us and display is in a circus side show as a rare curiosity!? They could sew wings to us and claim we were Breezies."

 

Anala winced at the notion. She then put on a determined face. "If they try doing that to me or any of you guys..." To demonstrate, he picked up a clod of dirt, threw it high into the air, and shot an arrow right through it.

 

She looked at her sheath. "Whoops, down to eleven." She began searching the grass for the miniature arrow.

 

(OOC: What's the colour code for Kay's text colour?)

Edited June 13, 2014 by Blue Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

"Even if somepony did notice us, who's to say they wouldn't simply capture us and display is in a circus side show as a rare curiosity!? They could sew wings to us and claim we were Breezies."

 

"Well who's to say they would?" said Blaze optimistically. "The best I can hope for is if somepony picks us up, we can explain who we are and where we want to go. Maybe somepony can help us if they notice us. But we'll never get noticed if we don't go where the ponies are. C'mon."

 

The bank on the Ponyville side of the train tracks was not as steep as the other side, and fine sandy dirt filled the gaps between the rocks, making the traverse much easier. Thin groupings of weedy buckwheat and horsetail grew out from small spaces, and from one edge of a house a group of ants worked diligently to carry largish pieces of what looked like it used to be a sugar cube. Blaze walked slowly, in awe of the row nearest houses. Friendly as they were to the regular eye, the plaster and wood walls crowned with golden straw-thatch looked as bold and stoic as any kingdom wall to the little little ponies. His eyes adjusted as he crossed through the cast shadow, and started towards an alleyway-like space between two buildings.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Blue

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

Scrounging around the grass, which she once trod on without a second thought, but now they were perfect to get lost in, Anala picked up her arrow. "Found it!" She placed it back in her sheath and rejoined the group. "I won't be doing that again in a hurry. Gotta save them for the right times!" She gazed at the gargantuan village before them, her mind skimming through the dozens of risks and hazards.

 

"Riley would think of this as fun. And to be honest, I can't really disagree. That whole flower incident actually set us up for some awesome adventures. Sure, we almost got killed twice, but I can overlook that. 'Cause this day has been epic!" She threw her hoof into the air.

Edited June 13, 2014 by Blue Eclipse

[Scribblegroove 565]

Scribblegroove smiled lightly at Anala's description of how their day had been. Somehow he felt like she was a little right. Of course he'd prefer to be in some cosy place enjoying some good music, but not everypony gets a chance to have an adventure like this. The adrenalin infused moments he had experienced today would suffice for plenty of stories to tell.

 

On the other hand, calling a series of dangerous encounters ‘epic’ was a little bit exaggerated for him. "Well Anala, you might be glad to know that the day is not over yet at all..." He murmured softly as he followed Blaze and the others to the entrance of a small gap in-between two buildings.

 

He set a few steps further into the alleyway, not really thinking about where he was going and just following Blaze. But the sudden shift of humidity, temperature and illumination made him look up. It was suddenly a lot colder, since at first they had been walking in the sun, on a surface that had been heated by it all day. Now this alleyway had an almost basement like atmosphere, with its mouldiness and cold darkness. He shrugged lightly. He looked up to see the bright sky peeking through the crack of the two buildings towering out above them. The size of it all made him shiver even more.

 

"I'm not sure if I want to be here..." Scribblegroove said. The place felt ominous. Alien even. It was as if they were walking through a giant canyon that could collapse on them any moment. "It doesn't feel very safe." Scribblegroove knew that this was just superstition, since these buildings were more than solid enough to keep them safe in there. "Can't we go to someplace more... Open?" He asked with a slight crack in his voice.

 

He looked to both left and right to see another way to get to the other side of these houses and closer to the town centre, but it would mean taking a huge detour. The walls of the buildings stretched out so far that he had trouble seeing the end of them. "Nevermind…" he mumbled as he started to follow Blaze further into the alleyway.

Edited June 15, 2014 by Scribblegroove

[Rainbow Eclipse 3,927]

@@Blue,

 

@@Scribblegroove,

 

"Well Anala, you might be glad to know that the day is not over yet at all..."

 

"Don't assume I didn't hear that," commented Anala with a smirk.

 

She followed the two stallions into the alleyway-esque gap between the two buildings.

 

"It doesn't feel very safe."

 

"As far as I know, these buildings are perfectly secure, so if we're dead before we reach Twilight's, I doubt it'll be for avalanche reasons."

 

She gazed around. Whenever she had visited Ponyville in the past, she had been her regular size. She had just passed these gaps without a second thought, often not even noticing them. And here she was, trekking through one of them. To her in her current state, it was not unlike any normal alleyway - only much, much taller. She had to lie down on her back to even see where the roofs were on these buildings that now loomed over her like her gryphon teacher back in school.

 

"Golly, this brings me back," she commented. "Nightmare Night when I was a kid. Riley and I would go trick-or-treating together, and if somepony didn't hoof over any candy, we'd wrap their houses in toilet paper. We would never egg a house, that's uncool. It would be excrutiating to clean off, and could cause damage. So we just used toilet paper, and sometimes shaving cream. The mess would be easy to get rid of. Most of the time, we didn't get away with it. The owner would stick their head out the window and scream at us. So we had to gallop off and hide in an alleyway."

Edited June 15, 2014 by Blue Eclipse

[I used to be a stranger 7,994]

Though he stood behind, Blaze caught Scribblegoove's mood. Something about the alleyway seemed eerie... All around were small bits of junk and evidence of an easily ignored place. On the south side of the alley, a small pile of wood timbers, milk crates, boxes, a garbage can, a broken pogo stick beside a pile of bricks, and on the right side, a box full of corks, hinges, doodads, and various other small left-behinds, a bent grate vent into somepony's basement, and a mouse's hole in the wall. Wind whistled briefly over the gap between the house roofs above them. ...But I'm not scared. Blaze thought to himself.

He listened for the wind again, but instead he heard a soft patta-pat. It was regular and fast, but with an odd check he was sure it wasn't his heart beat. At the same time he realized the sound, he was presented with the source. Two colts sped around the corner, jumping against the wall and suddenly hushing up. The rapid appearance of two such giants scared Blaze and he jumped backwards, nearly falling over. The two unicorn colts were breathing hard from their running, and tried to keep silent while snickering to themselves. Each of them were holding large clear glass jars aloft by magic. From inside the glass, a flicker of movement showed there were living things inside the glass. The one of them Blaze could see clearly, held a small furry brown tarantula, probably a little bigger than his own size.

 

"Hee hee hee, that was great, Snails!" said the shorter, stout colt. "That pegasus didn't even see it coming! Where do you find all these great little creepy-crawlies?" His voice, still quieted, was more than loud enough for Blaze to hear.

 

"Snips my old pal, you just gotta know where to look." said the taller of the two colts.

 

A dawning realization made Blaze's eyes go wide, as he suddenly frantically picked himself up to turn around.

 

~~~~~Turn 8~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Player Actions

 

Hide!!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

"Check if the coast is clear." whispered the colt called Snails. Blaze wasn't looking to see how they checked around the corner, as he fled away from that end of the Alleyway.

[Kay Dreamer 884]

Limping into the dank little alleyway along with the others, Kay Dreamer felt very ill-at-ease. The alley was cold and sunless, and smelled of mildew. The rain from earlier clung to the shadowed pavement and hung heavy in the air, making the suffocating aroma a great deal worse. Kay was trying her very best to keep up with the group, but the pain in her forehoof and chest was making that more difficult than she'd admit. She hung slightly toward the back, hobbling as quickly as she could bear. Focusing on the conversation of the other ponies ahead of her, she tried to clear her mind of the stench of the alley and the sharp twinges of her injuries.

 

Kay's ears perked forward as Alana referenced something she'd never heard of. "Night Mare Night?" she asked, curious. "I've not heard of that. What an odd thing... What do nightmares have to do with candy?" She winced as she jarred her sore chest with a particularly ambitious hop-skip-limp in an attempt to catch up. "And... ow... why would anypony want to celebrate nightmares anyway? That's a strange custom." She giggled as an amusing thought occurred to her. "Was it named because 'nightmares' like yourself would run around covering houses in toiletries?"

 

So focused was Kay on keeping up with the group while teasing Anala, she didn't notice the sound of the impending colts until they rounded the corner into the alleyway. Her eyes fixed on the jar they held as Blaze went racing past her. Breathless with terror, her earlier comments came back to her, echoing through her thoughts. 'Who's to say they wouldn't simply capture us and display us in a circus sideshow...'

 

Kay gasped, the action sending a jolt of pain across her sore ribs. She cringed as she looked around wildly for a place to hide. A pile of timber caught her eye and she made for a small opening in the bottom, wincing with every jarring limp she took. 'Oh by the aurora, please oh please don't let me be too slow,' she thought desperately, drawing closer and closer to the little gap in the wood and the sanctuary it promised.