The Stone Rings on The Mountains

Helena stared up at a mountain whose peaks she couldn't see. The rumors of the dreaded mountain spiked her interest. "Those who go up never come down." Her father, however, clarified that she wasn't aware of any missing person concerning the Eldritch mountain in all her years.

Still, no one dared climbed the mountain. It was shrouded in fog all round and no one could see what the full mountain looked like. Only the base of the mountain could be seen, and it was a grotesque sight. Scabby rocks that seemed to glow in a positively, evil manner. Once in a while, the people claimed to hear horrific shrieks from the mountain. The king pronounced the Eldritch Mountain cursed. The villagers spun untrue stories. But it did not scare her.

Helena and her friends had their theories about why the mountain was what it was. In school, there were old legends that were never completed, lost in time. Helena and Augustus believed that the mountain was the meeting place of the extinct druids. Luna believed otherwise. It was time to find out.

"Be careful Helena!" Luna whisper-screamed. She still didn't approve of Helena's adventures and her face showed it.

"Hush scaredy-cat or we'll be caught." Augustus chided harshly and looked around cautiously. The trees and bush wavered slightly with the breeze, the movement of squirrels and insects unnerved him. He was starting to get scared.

"Maybe we can do this tomorrow. The weather isn't promising." Luna pleaded, holding on to Helena's taut arms.

Helena frowned at her imploring eyes. "You said that yesterday and the day before. We can not put this off any longer." She smoothed out her clothes and gear once more, checking for any corrections. Then she patted her sister on the head and reassured gently. "I will be back before you know it okay princess. Don't worry. Augustus take care of her, or I'll chop off your little finger."

"There won't be any need for that if you turn around and go home like you've been doing all week!" came the scornful reply.

Helena rolled her eyes, hugged her sister again. Without another word, she unlocked her gears and started to climb, leaving small glowing rocks in her trail. As she scaled the visible three feet of the mountain, the fog swallowed her.

Helena's whole body ached as she scaled the mountain. Heavy sweat poured down her body. She stopped occasionally to catch her breath. With the heavy fog that covered her, she couldn't tell the time that passed. When she grew hungry, she ate food and drank water from her little sash.

For Helena, victory couldn't come soon enough. She appeared at the top of the mountain, surprised that she was at the top. However, what she saw astonished her beyond imagination. She stood at the edge, reeking of dried sweat, afraid to go any further. Paranoid, she called out to anyone on the mountain. She checked herself immediately, surmising that the exhaustion had gotten to her. Slowly, she walked closer to the enigma, horrified and amazed.

In the heart of the mystical mountain lay a series of gnarled, stone rings. Each were curled
next to the other, and some inside the holes the other stones formed. Helena had never seen anything like this before. Massive stone structures bent around like metal. Where did it come from? Who made it?

As she pondered on the stone ring's existence, Helena never imagined the threat waiting for her at the base of the mountain. Neither did she imagine the stone's next movement.