Rubatosis

The small mountain town of Kurleigh was in high gear, conversations of any kind can be heard from one's room. The morning sun crept into Emigdio's room, awakening him. He groaned while trying to block out the sun from his face. I should've closed my blinds. The young man threw his blanket off himself dramatically. He brushed his hair away from his eyes and looked over to the calendar that rested above his desk. Black Cat Day was circled in red. It was to celebrate black cats for good luck after years of being seen as a bad omen. Today would be his first time seeing the festival in person after a month of hearing it from his neighbors.

Emigdio got out of his bed and went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. “I need to go to the market today,” He reminded himself, grabbing his toothbrush out of its holder. After cleaning himself up and making himself look presentable, he walked back into his room. Emigdio yawned slightly as he walked to his dresser, he needed to figure out an outfit to wear as the seasons changed into a colder one. Emigdio hated the heat with a passion so he was more than willing to move into Kurleigh once he heard of their colder weather.

Anything’s better than Texas’s crazy weather. He thought, grabbing a black turtleneck and brown cargo pants to wear. Once he was dressed, Emigdio walked out of his home. Moving from the city to a small town was a big change for him, but one that he loved. It was calm and he didn’t have to worry about traffic. The town was being colored by the autumn leaves, covering the roads. The crunching of the leaves underneath his boots left a satisfying feeling in him, a sting of nostalgia ran through him. This weather always reminded him of his older brother, especially when it was cold enough to have the fireplace on and cuddle with a good book. The young man moved away from the city to get away from the pain of losing his older brother.

Emigdio sighed softly, rolling his shoulders back. Focus Emi, you need to go to the market. I need to find more crystals for them. He pulled on his left sleeve as he arrived at the market, feeling anxious. I need to get over my social anxiety. He shook his head, trying to build his confidence. The young man walked into the market, looking around at the well decorated shops and what they had to offer. One of these shops, which was one of the first ones he visited when he first arrived in town, was a trinket shop. The owner, Philip Burton, was carrying a box into his shop. The man was in his late 40s, but had a built physique, bright blue eyes, and peppered slick black hair. Emigdio walked towards the older male shop with a small smile. “Heya Philip,” he greeted the older man, who turned around to face him.

“Emigdio! It’s nice to see ya again, what brings you by?” Philip asked him, placing the box he was carrying onto the counter. “Just walkin’ around,” he answered, “Have you found anything new on your adventure?” Philip smiled at him. “Well, I did find new crystals that you’ll probably like,” He answered Emigdio, opening up the box he had placed on the counter. Philip grabbed a dirty white pouch from the box and untied the small string he had on it. He pulled out four medium crystals from the pouch. Oh wow… they’re so pretty!  Each crystal was beautiful and unique from each other.

The first one was a deep green in color, almost close to a phthalo green with a mixture of lighter shades of green. “This one I found in a river which is strange as these are known as South African Jade because they are only found in South Africa,” Philip explained to him, “They're called Buddstone.” He hummed, “What about this one?” Emigdio asked the elder man, pointing at the crystal next to the Buddstone. It was a mixture of a black, plum purple, and lavender. Phillip picked up the one he pointed at, “Ah, this one is a Kämmererite, which I found in the mountains of Turkey. Beautiful, isn't it?” He asked, letting the young man hold it.

“It is.. Wait, you went to Turkey?,” Emigdio looked up at Philip in shock. He let out a hearty laugh, “I did, it was nice but I prefer our mountains more.” He answered. Emigdio nodded, “These are found in a mine in those mountains. I got permission from the company that extracts these to take it back with me,” Philip added. The older man placed the Kämmererite down next to the Buddstone. He picked up the third crystal, it was a beautiful navy blue all around. It almost looked like a Lapis Lazuli, but much more vibrant in its color.

“You travel a lot,” Emigdio commented, grabbing the crystal Philip was handing him. He held the crystal up to his eye level, “I do but I get to travel with my family while I find things for the shop,” he explained to the young man. “Oh, and how is your husband and the kids?” Emigdio asked, looking at him with a smile. Philip chuckled as he placed his arms on the counter. “They’re good, he has the kids at the Big Big Tree at the moment,” He answered with a fond smile. “The Big Big Tree?” Emigdio asked with a tilt of his head.

“Oh right, you’re still new to the town,” He chuckled, “The Big Big Tree is the pride of our town. It's hidden deep in our mountains but you can easily follow the trail there.” Philip explained. I should make time to visit it then. “Have you heard about the abandoned mine?” he asked me. An abandoned mine? Now that sounds interesting. “No? There's an abandoned mine here?” Emigdio asked back, his curiosity piqued. Maybe I should explore it; see what lies in there. “Do you know where it is?” He questioned, placing the crystal back on the counter that he almost forgot he was holding onto.

Philip shook his head, “Unfortunately no, it was closed down decades ago and no one has a map to it.” He explained as he put the crystals back into the pouch he had them in. “Some people think it's a myth since not even the elders know where it is,” He added. Emigdio skerached the back of his neck. Well that's a problem… but exploring the forest would be a bad idea. “Well that's unfortunate… I have to go, I need to pick up some groceries. See ya Philip!” Emigdio quickly bid the elder man a goodbye, walking back to his house. He's going to find that abandoned mine, his curiosity ate at him.

Emigdio grinned, “This is definitely not a good idea,” He told himself, unlocking his front door. He went into one of his closets and grabbed an old backpack. It was a sage green but was used to the point that the green was more dull in color. “It's been such a long time since I've actually explored a forest…,” He mumbled, feeling slightly down as old memories reared their ugly head. He shook his head,’ “Nope, stop being sad. He wouldn't want you to be sad,” Emigdio told himself as he started to pack things he deemed necessary for a trip to the woods.  

Once he felt confident in the items he packed, he put them in his backpack. Time to go to the forest! He once again left his house, locking his front door. Emigdio went towards the trail, “If I'm not mistaken, the trail would be the best bet to hopefully find this mine,” He told himself. Maybe talking out loud to myself isn't a good look. Emigdio quickly ducked his head down, walking away from the marketplace. He followed the signs that pointed towards the trail that led to the Big Big Tree. He would leave the trail once he felt it would hopefully lead him to that abandoned mine. Who would know if this was a mistake or not?

The winds crashed into the trees, an unsaid warning. A shiver crawled down Emigdio's spine, who looked up at the trees. “I've never seen the winds be this angry…” He mumbled, fixing his backpack. He continued to walk deeper into the forest, climbing a small cliff. The male did not expect this trip to be taking this long. Is it already noon? Emigdio looked up to the sky again, the bright light from the sun caused him to squint. It is noon, I might miss the festival! Emigdio sighed, shaking his head, “Well there is always next year. My curiosity is too strong to back out now,” He told himself. With that, he walked forward into the woods. The woods looked like they were becoming denser, and darker. It felt like it was enclosing upon him, but he did not let that deter him.

Everything was starting to look the same, feeling like he was going in circles, he stopped waking. His heart felt like it was slamming against his chest. Don’t tell me I am lost. Emigdio looked around the forest, seemingly lost. I’m starting to regret my impulsive decision to do this. He walked forward, unsure of his surroundings. “All I wanted to see if this mine was real and here, I am, lost,” Emigdio whined, moving branches away from his face. He stopped once more, spinning in a circle slowly. The smell of the forest was calming yet unsettling to him. It made him feel unsure of his decisions in which direction to go. “I really am lost…!” He scolded himself, staring at the mossy floor. Is that a piece of paper? He noticed an old piece of paper was near him, under a bush. Emigdio walked over to it, crouching down to pick it up. The paper was dirty and crinkly, cold due to the moss. It was thankfully legible enough to read what was on it. He brushed off the dirt and moss off it, “A map?” He questioned, titling his head, “What is that doing here?”

The map was detailed, aware of where it was and where he was. I'm so paranoid to think that a map is aware of its surroundings! Emigdio shook his head again, taking in the map. It started at the market in town that detailed a path to the mine. Is this map really going to be my guide? He hesitated a bit, looking closely at the map. “It's not like I have any other choice,” he answered his own question, an uncertain expression laid on his face. Following the map as best he could, he ended up at an opening. Vines covered most of the right side of the opening, making it incredibly dark while looking into it.

This doesn't look safe… Emigdio thought to himself, pulling out a flashlight. He moved the vines to the side to walk into the cave. It's so dark here… He walked slowly, trying not to walk over any dynamite. Emigdio moved the light side to side, taking in the new environment he found himself in. Dust fell from the creaking wood that held up the mine, making it look like snow. Without paying attention, he pushed one of the beams that was unstable. A loud snap echoed throughout the mine which made him uneasy. Wait… No! He realized a second too late what that noise was. The ceiling of the mine collapsed onto him, entrapping him.