You gulp one more time then pop the entire wriggling creature into your mouth and bite down. It's not as bad as you expect, crunchy with a gooey center and tastes kind of earthy. Not even in the running for top one thousand favorite foods but you could live off them for a few days if necessary.

"Awesome," says the woman and you can hear the grin on her face in that single word. "I'm Anne-Marie and you're lost." You laugh at obvious statement and eyeball the juicy berries on the bush at your elbow.

"Go ahead, they're not poisonous either," she informs you and you pause before plucking them from the bush.

"How can you see me? It's pitch black in this forest." There's the sound of a pop and a fizzle, like a fuse exploding.

"Darn," the woman mumbles. "Lasted longer than last time." There's the sound of stone scraping and sparks flash nearby. One lands on something flammable. In a few moments the spark spreads to a glow and illuminates the latern than contains it. Now you can make out the face of a woman. It's smudged with dirt but underneath is carefully applied makeup, eyeliner, mascara, lipstick. The eye shawdow sparkles in the light. "Magic," she finally answers. "But it breaks a lot around me. When did you fall?"

"This morning," you answer remembering the rather usual trip off the front porch. "But I have no idea where I landed. I swear I saw troll and dwarf back there." She nods.

"But you didn't speak to them or you wouldn't be here eating bugs. You'd be in a dungeon consuming your last meal of water and gruel." You pick some berrires and pop them in your mouth. They taste a lot better than gruel. "You're either smart or lucky so I will help you. Teach you."

"Teach me?" you question. "Teach me what?"

"About plants mostly. Such as those nightshade berries you're eating." It takes a moment for the words to sink in but son you're spitting the masticated berries onto the forest floor. She laughes. "And I'll teach you what it means to be a fallen in this hellish place. Fill your belly, you'l be fine."



Congratulation! You lived!
Come back later to find out what all Anne-Marie has to teach you.