Toss a coin, make a wish

M  A   E    A I talked to God to no avail Said, "If you won't save me, please don't waste my time." It was dark. And damp. Echoes of dripping water and her own muffled footsteps reverberated all throughout the passage. Maea was careful about where she placed her feet. The ground was slippery, craggy in places and definitely not inviting to sit on. Or indeed fall headlong onto. In fact, nothing about this place so far struck her as very pleasant, and she cursed herself for a fool for going down here. Pausing to straighten her back and breathe for a moment, she held the lantern up to survey the walls. It seemed natural to her eyes, carved from wind or water or perhaps the restless churning of the earth. Not that she was an expert on such matters. All she knew of the earth was concerned with soil, and growing crops, and which ground was better suited for grazing sheep. Perhaps a little better than she knew how to read the soft tread of animals over forest ground. Decidedly better than she could read. Or swing a sword. Biting her teeth together, she pushed the bitterness back. She was not here to feel sorry for herself. Had she not decided to work on her flaws instead of whining about them? Facing her fears was the first step, and being alone down here in a place where no one would hear her scream was definitely among the top three on that list. Setting the lantern down, she took a moment to pull the hair back from her eyes and braided it quickly, all the while listening to the drip, drip of water all around. Then she tensed. A different sound had reached her ears, something... like footsteps. She held her breath, strainging the ears to catch... Yes! there it was again. Swallowing hard, the white-haired girl leaned down, picked up the lantern and waited, thoughts racing. What did she do now? Go back? Wait? Run head over heels? But that... would be giving up. Gritting her teeth, she tried to ignore the prickle of fear down the back of her neck, and began to inch her way onwards. Toward the sound.