Escape from the volcano
1055 Words
The hidden chamber shook violently.
BOOM!
A deafening roar echoed through the mountain as cracks spread across the ceiling.
Large chunks of black volcanic rock crashed onto the ground, sending clouds of ash into the air.
The volcano was collapsing.
Astera looked up sharply.
"...We have to leave."
The tiny dragon, curled against her shoulder, tilted its head before letting out a soft chirp.
Another tremor shook the cavern.
A massive boulder broke free from the ceiling and plummeted toward them.
Astera's eyes widened.
Without thinking, she lunged forward and wrapped both arms around the little dragon.
CRASH!
The boulder slammed into the ground behind them, missing them by only a few inches.
Fragments of hot stone struck her back.
She winced but didn't let go.
The hatchling trembled in her arms.
Astera slowly looked down at it.
"...You're safe."
The tiny dragon blinked before pressing itself closer to her.
Astera sighed quietly.
"I suppose you're staying with me."
There was no time to argue anymore.
The mountain groaned again.
Rivers of magma surged through new cracks, swallowing the chamber inch by inch.
Astera quickly slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"If there's a way out..."
"...we're going to find it."
She hurried back into the crystal tunnel.
The little dragon followed so closely that it almost stepped on her heels.
After only a few steps, another explosion echoed through the passage.
The tunnel ceiling collapsed ahead of them, sealing the path with enormous rocks.
Astera stopped.
"...Of course."
She looked around calmly.
Panic wouldn't help.
Her mother had always taught her the same lesson.
Think first. Fear later.
Taking a slow breath, she unzipped one of the hidden pockets of her backpack.
Inside lay dozens of carefully crafted inventions.
Most people saw an ordinary travel bag.
Astera carried years of experiments.
Her fingers closed around a silver bracelet engraved with tiny gears and moon-shaped patterns.
She fastened it around her wrist.
A faint click echoed.
The bracelet came to life.
Hidden sections unfolded, revealing a compact mechanical launcher built into the underside.
Astera smiled faintly.
"I was hoping I wouldn't need you."
She aimed toward a rocky ledge high above.
A small switch clicked beneath her thumb.
THUNK!
A steel cable shot forward with incredible speed.
The hooked tip buried itself deep into solid stone.
Astera tugged once.
Secure.
She wrapped the cable around her wrist and activated the retraction mechanism.
The bracelet pulled her upward with surprising force.
She climbed swiftly while using the rocky wall for support.
Below them...
Fresh magma burst through the tunnel floor.
The heat rose instantly.
The little dragon scrambled onto her shoulder, burying itself beneath her hair.
"Hold on."
She reached the ledge just as molten lava flooded the ground where she had been standing only moments before.
The cable retracted smoothly back into the bracelet.
Astera couldn't help feeling relieved.
"Still works."
The tunnel stretched onward, but every few minutes another collapse blocked their path.
Each obstacle demanded a different solution.
One passage narrowed beneath fallen stone.
She retrieved a compact vibration cutter from her bag.
The palm-sized device hummed softly before releasing rapid pulses into the cracked rock.
Instead of smashing the blockage apart, it weakened the stone along its natural fault lines.
Within seconds...
The largest slabs crumbled away, creating just enough space to crawl through.
Astera switched it off immediately.
"No wasted energy."
The dragon watched every movement with wide, fascinated eyes.
Soon, thick clouds of volcanic gas began filling the tunnel.
Breathing became difficult.
Astera coughed.
She immediately pulled a lightweight breathing mask from another compartment of her backpack.
After securing it over her face, she looked at the little dragon.
"...That won't help you."
Thinking quickly, she removed a spare filter and folded it into a tiny hood using a strip of cloth.
It wasn't perfect.
But it covered the hatchling's nose and mouth well enough.
"There."
"It should work for a while."
The dragon blinked at her before chirping softly in approval.
For the first time since finding it...
Astera almost smiled.
Almost.
The volcano gave another violent roar.
The tunnel suddenly ended.
Ahead lay a deep chasm filled with boiling lava.
The stone bridge that had once crossed it had collapsed long ago.
Only scattered fragments remained.
Astera measured the distance with her eyes.
"...Too far to jump."
She looked upward.
A narrow rock pillar stretched across the gap.
Close enough.
She aimed her bracelet again.
THUNK!
The grappling hook struck the pillar and locked firmly into place.
Astera wrapped both hands around the cable.
"Don't let go."
The little dragon tightened its grip on her shoulder.
She stepped off the edge.
For one breathtaking moment, they swung over the blazing river below.
Heat rushed upward.
The lava hissed beneath them.
Then...
Their boots struck the opposite ledge.
Astera immediately detached the cable and continued running.
The air grew cooler.
The tunnel gradually sloped upward.
A faint breeze brushed against her face.
Fresh air.
She stopped.
"...We're close."
The dragon chirped excitedly.
Hope stirred inside her for the first time since she had been thrown into the volcano.
She quickened her pace.
At last...
A blinding light appeared ahead.
Astera shielded her eyes as she climbed the final stretch.
One final push...
One final step...
She emerged from the mouth of the volcano.
Cool mountain wind rushed over her face.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, she inhaled clean air.
Behind her, the volcano erupted with a deafening roar.
Flames and ash burst into the sky as the tunnel collapsed forever.
Astera stood silently at the edge of the cliff, watching the mountain that had almost become her grave.
The little dragon climbed onto her shoulder and looked at the vast world stretching before them.
Endless forests.
Snow-covered peaks.
Crystal rivers.
Freedom.
Astera tightened the straps of her backpack.
She looked once at the volcano behind her.
Then turned toward the unknown path ahead.
"I survived."
Her voice was quiet.
Steady.
"They wanted this mountain to become my grave."
She took her first step forward.
"It didn't."
Without another glance back, Astera began walking into a world that believed she was already dead, while the tiny dragon padded faithfully beside her, unaware that its journey with the girl it had chosen had only just begun.
- Writer
