Open your eyes

The Immortality GeneSuddenly, she felt a jolt as she bumped into someone and lost her balance. Her feet, which had maintained the delicate balance of friction between the ground and her, slipped and she was about to fall when a pair of hands held her by her shoulders and steadied her.?Easy there!? said a jovial, male voice.She recoiled from his touch, pulling away from the contact. It felt almost foreign to be touched by a real, living being, as she was unused to it for so long.He noticed her shirking away from his touch. ?Sorry, but you really should watch where you?re going,? he intoned cheerfully.She looked him over. He had sandy, choppy hair followed by sunny blue eyes and a firm mouth, his posture was confident and erect and his long legs betrayed his height; but his joviality was beginning to annoy her. She was about to be on her way when he paused.He looked concerned. ?Well, what are you doing here, it?s raining heavily!?The Return of the VoyagerShe dejectedly sat down and asked for a mug of ale.?And what brings such a treasure to our tavern?? asked a man next to her.He was handsome, with the face of a Greek god and slight blonde beard, complete with a toned body.It was turning into another bright dawn. It had been ten nights since she had met Jack. She looked at the ceiling of her cabin, lying in her hammock. He was snoring peacefully beside her, and although he had never stopped being polite or being shocked at her feats, she missed something.The Potion MakerThe next man in line shuffled forward as she handed him a small bottle of a clear, purple liquid. He took it and unscrewed the bottle cap. He whiffed it cautiously and beamed at her. ?Perfect!? he said excitedly. She merely nodded her head in acknowledgement, as if she was used to it being perfect and always hearing that. The man left the line and headed towards his destination to deliver the potion.She sighed, and called ?Next!? monotonously stirring the next potion.After a few hours of the same cycle of handing potions and receiving compliments, she handed over the last potion, didn?t even wait for the ?perfect? stamp, and headed home. She already knew it was perfect, as usual.She unlocked her door with a small, intricately carved key and pushed through exhaustedly. She walked to her kitchen and made herself a sandwich. Suddenly, something caught her attention, a large book on her countertop.It looked ancient, considering the puff of dust clouds that rose up as she blew on the cover. The title that was at first hidden by the dust now revealed itself??Book of Potions? it read. She turned her attention back to her sandwich. She had read too many of those and memorized each and every recipe. She even knew the recipes in all the books in the Royal Library by heart.She was going to continue chewing on her sandwich from where she had left off when a small voice in her head said, ?We are bored anyways, what harm can it do to check out the book?? She hated that voice, but it was also her best friend, rather, her only friend.A Light at the End of the TunnelAbruptly, a bright light that seemed to emanate from the very walls of the cave itself started glowing blindingly. She shielded her eyes with her arms, shocked by the sudden glare of the harsh brightness. The light around her dimmed to a dull throb like a heartbeat and she hesitantly dropped her arms.Now that she could see, she found two paths on each side. One was to the right, and the other to the left. There was no path behind her, but she could see the faint outline of a tunnel, and a light at the end of the left path. A soft but clear voice spoke.?The right path is recommended by the Cave Maker himself. The left is not. Choose!? it commanded.She desperately wanted to get out of this place. She wanted to go to the left, where she could almost see the end, but the Cave Maker had recommended the right. She sighed; she wouldn?t lose much if she went right.