Oranges And Lemons And The Tunnel Never Ends

Oranges And Lemons And The Tunnel Never Ends
Photo by Martin Brechtl / Unsplash

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Prompt from DailyPrompt.com

In the semi-darkness the pebbles looked like coffee beans. The dirt crumbled underfoot like rich dark sugar. The water dripping down the walls could be chocolate.
No, it was too orangey. Well maybe there was orangey chocolate. Or it could be coffee with syrups added?
I sighed. The illusion was slipping. Let me try again.
Pebbles… small, dark, crunching under my feet, gleaming gently in the feeble flashlight beam. Let them be chocolates. A jumble of chocolate sweets. The dirt… yes, sugar worked for that. The water…
I tried not to dwell on the water. While the ceiling of the tunnel was moist and oozing the floor was dry. The walls seemed dry too, except where the water was currently flowing. It was as if the moisture had just reached the point of starting its descent. But it’d been like this since I entered the tunnel. Which was…
Days days days no couldn’t have been days.
My snacks were long gone. The last hoarded sips of water sloshed in my flask, an unceasing reminder that sooner or later I was going to have to taste the liquid which drip drip dripped around me.
I blinked back tears. Admonished my body that we couldn’t afford to waste fluid.
Ok, ok. Let me try again. Maybe… the dirt, the rich dark dirt which felt dry to the touch and crumbles to leave clear footsteps proving I haven’t been here in this spot before. It could be breadcrumbs. And the pebbles scattered across it, they could be nuts. And then the water is gravy. Citrusy gravy, that explains the yellow-orange undertones.
Yeah. Ok. Hold onto that. That nice safe mental image.
Just keep walking. And keep pretending. And pray that when I do break down and try that water it tastes of lemon and orange.

Prompt was “In the semi-darkness, the pebbles looked like coffee beans.”

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