The Only Avenue of Escape

The only avenue of escape was up the large stone staircase that led around and around the empty shell of the tower, towards the open-aired top of the castle.  I rushed up the first level and turned with my sword ready, well knowing its ineffectiveness against the 10-foot-tall metallic giant that was pursuing me.  It came lumbering up the stairs making a great crash with each footstep. I swung at it, hitting his sword and then ducked as it swung at me. I dealt him savage blow right to this chest, but my sword only rung in my hands.  I turned and proceeded following the staircase climbing level after level, not really knowing where it led, not that it mattered, for I was concentrating only on escape from this monster. I looked over the edge of the stairwell at the dizzying heights to which we had already climbed, then looked up to realize that there were only two levels left before I reached the top.  I turned back to the approaching giant and as he raised his sword I swung at it and knocked it from his grasp, sending it down the stairs to the previous level.  Then, to my great surprise, the giant stopped, turned and went down after it. While he did, I ran up the remaining two flights only to find a blank wall at the head of the stairs, and the long, long, drop down to the bottom of them. My mind was racing, trying to find an avenue of escape when once more the giant came up the stairs.  He didn’t even slow down when he saw me trapped, as if he had only one thing in his mind, indeed, if he had a mind at all, and that was to skewer me. Suddenly I conceived a plan, and knowing that it was my only chance, I grimly stood my ground, and waited for the coming onslaught. The giant was up the stairs now and raised his sword once more.  Before he swung I quickly lashed out with my sword, again striking his and to my relief, again knocking his from his grasp and sent it over the edge of the stairwell.  He rushed over to the edge swinging his arms widely, perhaps trying to stop the fallen sword, and as he looked down at it, I gave him a tremendous shove and sent him following.  I collapsed there, exhausted, and listened to the terrific crashing getting further and further away as the giant bounced off the sides of the stairwell and then … the hauntingly familiar laughter came from behind me as I blacked out.

When I awoke I couldn’t see clearly, but I know I was in the throne room once more.  How long ago it seemed since I had been there, when I was sentenced to die by a voice emanating from a black stone embedded in an otherwise empty throne.  But my thoughts were interrupted when I heard that same soft and yet coldly piercing laughter, only louder as I heard heavy footsteps approaching.  My eyesight was blurry and I rubbed my eyes but to no avail. Then, hearing the footsteps come to my right, I quickly rolled to my left and heard the sharp swish of my new adversary’s sword as it barely missed me.  I stood up and my eyesight returned just as a giant black-bearded man rushed at me with a hate in his eyes older than time.  I dodged his sword and saw mine lying where I had been.  I nimbly rushed over, picked it up and jumped up on a nearby table as the bearded giant missed his next swing at me. I jumped out to meet him, surprising him and with one swift hard blow I cut his head off, which fell to the floor, eyes, up still staring, still hating.  As his body sagged and fell I turned and ran right at the throne, it’s black carvings and evil designs once more writhing and moving as it had when I first looked upon it so long ago.  I saw my dark-haired Lynla whom the chair had seized, chained and standing near a wall off to one side.  I took my magic-touched sword and raised it high above my head and swung with all my might, shouting a plea to the Gods for help, and hit the dark jewel directly, shattering it and my sword in a burst of great light.  Deep claps of thunder echoed throughout the hall, as the throne burst into flames and crumbled.  I ran over and saw that Lynla’s chains had disintegrated so grabbed her hand, looking into her fiercely determined eyes, then we ran down the corridor as the castle shook and rumbled beneath out feet. I remembered where the massive iron door was and we scurried through the halls as they were crumbling and falling around us, staying just ahead of the effect. We got to the door, pushed one side open and ran out into sunlight. We reached the portcullis to find it a crumbled heap of rust.  As we passed through the archway the castle gave one last shudder, disintegrated to dust and was gone…

And so. As all that occurred many years ago, I'm not sure what I had eaten before I went to bed the night that I had those two separate-yet-connected dreams, but I'd be willing to have another helping. 

Pleasant dreams to you...