A sickening crack punctured the air as Chara’s body flooded with pain. Chara yelped and screamed unintelligibly at the bottom of the pit. Chara felt a gnawing pain throughout their bones, they could not move their arms. Chara wept loudly, their face had become an ugly mess of blood, mucus and tears. They cried out until their throat, tense and full with blood, refused to make any more sound of consolation for Chara. So they laid there, gurgling quietly. Waiting for the comfort of death.
As Chara’s vision faded, they saw what looked to be a boy, but with a head much like a goat walking towards them. “Haha.. ha… wow. My mind must be deceiving me. One last little joke. A goat boy. Haha…” Chara thought to themself. “Oh no. You’ve fallen down, haven’t you?” the boy said. Chara made some noise in response. “You’re really hurt…” The boy crouched down to pick up Chara, and it was as his arms lifted them up that they realized that the caprine youth was, in fact, real. Or maybe they were dead and just being carried off to heaven. Or hell. Maybe that’s why he was a goat. Chara was too tired and in too much pain to continue this train of thought. Chara closed their eyes and laid their head back down until they felt two soft hands picking them up. An ethereal warmth accompanied the sensation of the boy’s palms, making Chara’s pains feel numb and fuzzy. Chara squinted to see themselves being slowly walked deeper into the chasms of the mountain. “Where… are you taking me?” Chara coughed out. “Oh, you can speak!” the boy said. “I’m taking you to my house. My name’s Asriel, my mom and dad are gonna help take care of you, okay?” he replied. “Asriel…” Chara quietly muttered to themself.
The two trekked their way to the boy’s home. Asriel knocked on the front door. Before the house there was a small courtyard with trees which grew vibrant red leaves. It was a quaint scene. It comforted Chara in a strange way. The door opened, behind it, a tall man of the same species as Asriel. He had a lush golden beard and large, curved caprine horns on his head. He wore a pair of reading spectacles which he gingerly removed. He looked down at the pair, inquisitively at first, and then with concern. “Tori, honey! Please come quickly!” the man hollered into the house. “Asriel, what have you h-” “I found them under the hole of the ceiling dad. They’re badly hurt… I think they fell from the surface!” Asriel interjected. “I see…” his father replied. The tall goat man was joined by what looked to be his wife, and Asriel’s mother. She froze briefly when she saw Chara, showing a look of astonishment on her face. “Oh-” she gasped. “Gorey, let us take it inside and lay it on the spare bed in Asriel’s room.” The family led Chara down the hall of the house into Asriel’s room and set them down on a bed. The sheets were placed neatly. It looked like it had not been slept in for a long time. The mother placed her hand over Chara’s forehead and they lost consciousness.
