Lizzy Disappears

Date: 8/19/2023

My childhood friend, some high school friends, and I were all on a bus for something like a field trip. All of my friends were sitting in the very front row and I was one behind them on the right side of the bus (looking out). My childhood friend, Lizzy, was on the left with Emma and Catelyn. Colin, Logen, and Tom were on the right, directly in front of me. I sat by myself, or at least didn’t notice anyone else beside me. I also didn’t notice anyone else on the bus at all (except for the bus driver) at this point. Everyone was chatting and having a good time as we rolled to our field trip spot. It was supposed to be a sort of dirt clearing before a massive cave with an unusual feature to it of which we didn’t know yet. Lizzy was telling us things I’d rather not hear—that she intended to not make it back to the bus. She wanted to be left at the field trip spot and die. I don’t remember anyone else listening as intently as I, but I took her seriously and intended to stick by her side at all times. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to her, and I wasn’t just going to let her leave like that. The bus came to a stop and let everyone off. There magically seemed to appear the rest of my CASEE peers. I didn’t pay close enough attention to recognize anyone other than who I already noticed on the bus. The bus got off front-to-back, so we all got to get off first. Lizzy was ahead of me as she got off first with Emma and Catelyn. Then followed Colin, Logen, and Tom. And then there was the seat next to me, as THEN me. By the time I got out there and surveyed the area, Lizzy was already gone. I looked around frantically and saw a shadow disappearing into the cave, and I knew it was Lizzy. She had ran to the cave immediately. I followed her, but I couldn’t see her, calling out her name the entire way. I told her that I wanted to help her, and that I didn’t want to be without her, but there was no response. I ventured into the cave a little bit to discover that it was a gigantic unlit, manmade maze. There was no way I was going to get her out, but I looked anyway. The unnaturally flat walls of the maze rubbed me the wrong way in the organic cave. The ninety degree edges of the maze felt wrong. I slid my hands across them as I walked, feeling the unusually cold stone on my hands. I took only a couple turns, still calling out Lizzy’s name, hoping she was maybe hiding just a few feet away. Unfortunately, I still got no answer. Everyone else was back at the bus still, preparing to visit the cave. I knew they wouldn’t help, but I still needed to get back to them, for my own safety. With an empty heart, I followed my short trail back out of the pitch-black maze, knowing I’d never see Lizzy again.