The rim of green soon turned to a lush forest surrounding me. The shade of the trees was at first a relief from the dusty plain, but I soon began to feel an uneasy, sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach. The shadows here had an unnaturally deep quality – as if within them I was looking out into empty, starless night sky.

I came to a small brook and drank deeply. The water was cold and sweet. I pictured the vast ice capped mountain range I had seen earlier in the day on the horizon and imagined the water flowing down from those great heights into the valley. The refreshment lightened my mood, but I couldn’t help but continue my darting glances at those uneasy shadows.

Back on the path I moved onward. Ever deeper into the forest – the path grew narrower and the trees blacker.

After a time the trees finally opened up to a large clearing bathed in a shaft of sunlight. In the middle was planted a small wooden sign, which by the looks of it had been their as long as this ancient forest itself.