It was hours of crawling inside the unknown that gnawed on her, her mind whirling over the idea of getting lost and dying a slow death. Perhaps it wasn't much better of a way to go, but at least it was on her terms.
The tunnel began to narrow, Beatrice finding it harder and harder to contort and pull her body through the narrow passage... Only to find an opening enough to stretch her limbs and take a small break. But moving forward was bleak and at one point, near impossible. She had to turn around. She had to try another way. But moving backwards in such a confining space was near impossible, and at one point she slipped and got her foot stuck in a crack. Panicked, she writhed and cried,and choked and sobbed until,finally getting her ankle free. And somehow she managed to get back to her little resting spot, where she found herself sobbing yet again with little relief.
She would die here. And she was a fool, and the fear began to overwhelm her.
She wasnt sure how long she had stayed there, but the anxiety was too much to bear. She had little reason to,keep moving forward, but eventually she noticed a wide opening over head.
Shifting onto her knees, she lifted the orb to examine what was above. It seemed wide enough she could climb, and also... She could feel the subtle breeze she had been searching for.
Using all the strength she could,muster, Beatrice began her ascent, digging fingernails and toes into the craggy sides and pulling herself along. It was tiring work, and,more than a dozen times she had to,stopnand lean into the rocks for a rest, but eventually the cave did open, eventually she could see the open mouth ahead.
Quickly she crawled not without a care, using the rest of her energy to,pull herself from the narrow cave and into the wide open space where she let herself drop against the stalegmites to which she clung to and sobbed in her exhausting victory.