[ IP ] Discovering Ruins of the Future

His heart pounded audibly in his chest. This was it, he was about to take a step into the unknown. Tales of giants and man eaters had kept anyone from breaching the tree line in over a hundred years. He had spent countless nights debating this decision. Tossing and turning through the twilight hours he argued with himself; giants are not real he concluded, yet there must be some truth to the tales. The fear was tangible in the village. It was deeply embedded into the villagers for whenever he tried to entertain a discussion about crossing the line he received the same reaction – bemusement followed by an abrupt end to conversation. 
 
 He gripped the edges of his cloak, nervously pulling it tight around him in search of some comfort. He looked back across the field. Chest high grasses obscured his vision but he could still make out the tops of the village huts in the distance. There was no shame in turning back, the boy was sure no one else in the village had even contemplated such an action as remotely possible. It was as if they were all hard wired to believe that the tree line constituted some imaginary line between life and death. Not this boy though, he had always possessed an innate curiosity about what lay beyond and he was determined to find out. 
 
 A meter was all that stood between the boy and the threshold of the forest. Here the trees stood straight and tall as sentinels standing guard. Here the thick canopy of the forest created a stark boundary between the brightness of the open field and the darkness confined within its trees. His mind was made; the boy held his pack tight under one arm and took a step forward. He was on a mission yet still he became paralyzed by anxiety a mere step from making the breach. He nervously grabbed at his pack, and looked over his shoulder towards the village as if searching, rather hoping, for some reason to turn back. There was none. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves, closed his eyes and took a leaping step forward. 
 
 The boy's body became rigid as his feet hit the ground. He could feel the brush against his legs, fern leaves tickling his hands, but he stood paralyzed. Cautiously he opened a single eye, only to a squint, fearing to see what was before him. Relieved that there was no giant waiting, no sudden apparition of death, he relaxed and opened his other eye. The view a meter inside the tree line was nigh the same as that from outside and accepting this, the boy let out a nervous laugh. He could feel the tension release from his shoulders. After a moment he took a step, followed by another and accepting that two meters in the forest was little different than one he continued walking. 
 
 As he pressed forward, the forest reached out its limbs to poke and prod, seemingly as curious as he. Sinewy branches extended their fragile fingers to grab at the passing boy ’ s cloak, nettles brushed along his boots. He swept aside curious vines from his path, gaining confidence in his safety with each additional step. He did not know where he was going but he did know that he would not stop until he was there. Satisfied that he was in no real danger his curiosity drove him on. 
 
 A few hours must have passed, the sun was beginning to fall from its midday crest and the forest was changing. He could sense the landscape around him growing older as he penetrated deeper into the trees. Trunks grew to unimaginable sizes; the branches not lost in the thickness of the canopy must have been several meters wide. The presence of the wilderness pressed in upon the boy and a sense of claustrophobia soon overcame his confidence. Vines as thick as arms seemed alive as he worked through their entanglement, protruding roots obstructed his every step and a forest floor alive with hungry plant life appeared to be anxiously awaiting his inevitable fall. The boy was no longer sure of his safety. 
 
 Some sort of glimmer caught the boy ’ s eye and his head snapped to attention. A hundred meters or so further there appeared to be a break in the trees. He could see rays of sunlight making their way through the canopy. Sensing relief from the encroaching presence of the forest he urgently pressed on. He walked briskly, anxiously in search of some relief from the enormity all around him. He sensed a clearing just beyond and used both arms to push through the neck high ferns and vines that hampered his view when suddenly he emerged. 
 
 He stood in awe for a moment and then his heart began to race as he took in the scenery before him. Anxiety and fear boiled in his chest. Before him stood unimaginable structures; stones piled high towards the treetops, brick and mortar intertwined with vines and leaves to make walls twenty meters tall. Directly before him stood what appeared to be a monument, tall and mighty as the trees around it, reaching for the skies. The boy was panicked for he was sure he had stumbled into the realm of giants. He turned back and forth unsure of what to do, the gargantuan structures around him told his legs to run but their overgrown state and his curiosity told him to stay and explore. He had come this far, he decided he could go a little farther. 
 
 Off to the right the clearing grew wider. The brightness of the sun was clear as if a field lay just beyond the next corner. He made for the sun light, keeping close to the tree line for he suddenly felt some safety in its confines. He reached a large trunk that seemed to mark the corner of the forest and the open field beyond. Hesitantly he crept along the trunk, his back pressed against it as he feared what may lie on the opposite side. He kept with the curvature of the tree and began to turn towards the open knoll when suddenly he froze. 
 
 He had to look away. The glint from the sunlight reflecting off of their skin temporarily blinded him. He looked towards the forest seeking refuge from the brightness but was compelled to look back. As his eyesight adjusted he found himself staring at two giants. It looked as if they were kneeling, exhausted after prolonged battle amongst themselves. He pressed his back against the tree and closed his eyes, praying silently to himself that the beasts had not spotted him. How could he be so stupid? How could he be so dumb? Of course they were real! He reprimanded himself for deciding to come out here and was convinced he would not live to make it back. He had to try. He counted silently to himself and upon reaching three pushed off from the tree heading in the direction from which he came. He peered over his shoulder in search of pursuers when he was suddenly interrupted. 
 
 The impact caused him to momentarily black out. In his haste he realized he had probably ran into a tree. He rose to his knees shaking his head to regain focus. He rubbed his face in search of injury and in search of clarity. He suddenly remembered the predicament he was in and his heart fluttered to life, pounding as if to escape his chest. The boy, driven by instinct, began to crawl. He slowly raised his head and noticed the robed figures standing before him. There stood perhaps a dozen tall men draped in deep brown cowls. Relief flooded the boy ’ s senses as he reached both hands towards his would be rescuers but confusion superseded all as he tried to understand what was happening. Who were these men? Where was he? He looked to the hooded figure before him for reassurance when he a saw the swift motion in the corner of his eye. It was too late to react; impact had rendered him speechless. Why had he crossed the line? What was it that he had expected to find? The giants were real! His mind raced feverishly in the instant before losing consciousness. He fell to his side and wondered if he would ever see his village again.
