here wasn’t much time given between tales.  The Fiddler played more vivaciously and our hearts began pounding with each stroke of his fiddle.  We all felt as if though we were shoved by some force.  The fiddler made direct eye contact with one of us, and that man took a step forward.

ith shyness he spoke.  "I’m Jonthar Ocksforde.  I was working in the mines near Falkreath with four of my friends.  The day started out very nice and we were told that our shift was producing the most ore and as a reward, the mining company was going to give us a reward—paid vacation for a month.

e would be able to spend some much needed make up time with our families.  Man, life is so short.  I have 2 boys and my little girl.  I have been digging in that mine for close to two years.  Before that, I mined for a year and half near Markarth.  It is a ways away from home and unfortunately the job demands long hours. 

remember when my children would come greet me at the door when I was finally able to return home.  They would make their mother so mad since they disobeyed her and didn’t stay in bed.  But she let them love on their dad and I loved on them back.  I’d tuck them all in and promise to make their favorite sausage and egg breakfast in the morning.  When the time came to tell them I needed to leave off to work again, they knew I wouldn’t be returning for a long time.  I left them with tears swelling up in their eyes.  That always tore at my heart.  I had missed so much of their life……   I wanted to make it up so badly.

y crew was called in to Falkreath since that mine ran deeper than most and we were known for our speedy extractions.  I had been working the lower part of the mine for close to a month when a damn beam wasn’t reinforced enough and cracked under the weight of the shaft’s ceiling.  The entire mine shaft was filled with the terrifying sound of destruction collapsing in all around us.  I ducked under a boulder that was bulging out of a wall for cover. 

t seemed to work; I lived.  It was so dark though.  In fact, it was pitch black.  I couldn’t see any rays of light anywhere.  I didn’t know whether I was looking up or down.  I was completely thrown into a black, archaic chamber of hopelessness.  Worse, I couldn’t hear my crew, which I was responsible for.  "Did they make it out?" I asked my self.  Or maybe they were trapped like me?  I feared the worse of course—maybe they were crushed in the cave-in.  I couldn’t hear any moaning or screaming.  It’s possible we were all packed in so tight that sound couldn’t go anywhere.  I just didn’t know.

s I started to use my hands to dig out from the rubble, I uncovered a lantern near a small knife.  I was so grateful to find it and light it up and see my surroundings.  I was covered with rocks, but there was a small area that wasn’t pummeled.  I was able to learn my whereabouts and I knew which way to start heading.  I started once again digging towards the front, hoping that the stairs were still intact.  Otherwise, my death would be of dehydration and starvation--not really how I preferred to leave this world.  That thought stuck with me and the fear motivated me to continue digging forward.  Plus, I couldn't stand the fact of leaving my family behind.

was making little progress when I felt something crawl over my ankle.  I was in a very claustrophobic inducing, confined area and barely had enough room to roll around and look to see what I felt.  I saw a terrible looking spider with hook like legs, large teeth and a strange marking on its back; the creature was about the size of my fist.  Ah!  Damn I hate spiders.  I tried to scrape it off, but the confined area was so tight that I couldn’t quite get to it.  I had to rub my legs together to try to get the little fellow to flee.  But I guess I scared him and he ended up biting my leg.  I could feel his eight tiny legs lightly pierce into my skin as he continued working his way up from my calf.

ut of the corner of my eye, I saw another one crawling pass me.  I quickly looked toward that direction, but didn’t see anything.  I rolled over again and continued scraping away at the rubble.  Right then, I felt a piercing pain in the center of my back.  I couldn’t roll over, so I tilted my head over my shoulder to see what happened, and there another one came crawling across my torso.  I cussed at it and within seconds felt hooked legs crawling over my right hand.   I looked down quickly and sure enough there was another.  Where the heck were these things coming from?!?!

shook my hand wildly trying to get it away.  I grabbed the little dagger with my left hand and took a swipe at it.  It ran away and revealed a bloody trickle.  These blasted things could bite hard.  I felt more uncomfortable sensations of legs crawling on my torso and tried swiping the blade there too. I didn’t see anything, but I had a tiny gash in my shirt.  It must have bit me.  I felt another one on my back, so I shifted quickly to be able to roll over and squish it.  I didn’t feel a crunch, so I looked around and didn’t see anything, again.  As I lay on my back in that confined space, I wondered what I was going to do.  Right then,  I felt another one crawling over my neck.  I quickly punched it and heard it scatter away.  Was this the same one? 

felt another one on my shoulder, so I quickly jabbed at it with the blade.  All I could feel was the sharp piercing of its teeth entering into me.  Just moments later, I felt another one at my ankle.  I looked at the nasty beast and it was just staring at me.  I tried kicking it off and saw another one crawl over my stomach.  I shouted out to the gods, and swiped at it.  This time I cut it and it let out a screech.   It ran down my side and up to my shoulder.  I was trying to wiggle it off, but to no avail.   It vanished in the darkness.  Another one bit at me from my left side.  I looked and immediately felt another bite my shoulder.  I tried to hit it with my head, but didn’t feel anything. The one at my calf worked his way up to my thigh and was within reaching distance so I struck my blade at it.  I felt it bite me as the blade was near, but didn’t see where it went.  Was I going mad?  

nother sharp stinging sensation was felt from the right side, which was quickly followed by a swipe of the blade as well.  More tiny legs were felt on my left shoulder so I quickly tried pushing it away with my head and once again, I felt crawling across my neck.  There were so many surrounding me.  I felt it place its icy claw like legs on my right cheek.  I quickly reacted and smashed my face on a nearby boulder.  Ha!  Little jerk wouldn’t like that.  I hit my head so hard; I could feel it instantly bruise.  I reached up and felt blood seeping out of a wound.  The tiny monsters didn’t let up though and I felt another on my thigh; I quickly swiped the blade at it and I felt another piercing bite penetrate the skin.

nce more, I felt legs on the back of my head.  I slammed my head down as hard and as quickly as I could against the rocky ground under me.  I felt an immense amount of pain, but it didn’t matter.  I must have gotten him.  More arachnoid legs came crawling up and I looked to see them.  I didn’t see anything, but I felt them.  I looked over and down my side and saw more spiders appear.  I madly slashed at any shadow that moved.  I experienced quick and sharp, intense bursts of pain all over followed by more legs crawling over me.  I kept looking about and saw more spiders appear out from behind other spiders.   I saw spiders manifest from the darkness.  I kept cutting and more seemed to appear.  I saw spiders eating each other.  My knife was covered in gore and my body had multiple puncture wounds, which were profusely bleeding.  I could feel the weakening from blood loss starting.

ore spiders formed from the darkness and began crawling up to my face.  I was rocking my head back and fourth and attempted to smash my skull against anything hard to kill them.  I felt them biting at me, all over.  I saw their faces change from furry spider type faces into demonic monstrosities.  Their fangs grew longer and their mouths were full of jagged teeth.  Every time I looked, I saw more biting me.  I saw them carry away pieces of me, such as a finger or piece of bone.; many were carrying large chunks of my flesh.  In horror I glanced over and saw I was slowly being eaten away at.

couldn’t handle this.  Their eyes become blacker and in them, I saw reflections of my torn body.  I reached up out of desperation and gouged my thumbs into my own eyes.  I had to make the horrific visions stop.  I kept pushing deeper in and could feel their tiny legs crawl over my lips and bite inside at my tongue.  As I kept pushing further, I experienced pain so unimaginable and as a reaction I squinted so hard I could feel a vacuum forming around my thumbs.  I reached a point that I could no longer handle it and pulled back out.  I heard an awkward popping sound from the pressure that was instantly released; I was laying in a coffin of darkness and I could still feel the spiders eating away at me.  I felt one slowly work its way up my body and over my chest.  It stopped right over my heart.  I slowly pulled up the dagger and jabbed it down into the spider!  He wouldn’t get away.  "I was going to kill this one" I remember thinking.  But I must have been too late.  He bit me, and instantly I could feel something was wrong.  I froze for a moment and let my arms slowly slide down.  I was gasping for air.  His bite was hard, and it went in deep.  The intensity of pain that I felt prevented me from catching my breath.

y body went into a state of shock and I coughed up what must have been blood.  My leg jerked and shortly after, I could feel an extreme amount of heat.  Shadows danced inside of my mind.  I felt the heat at my lower leg and the burning sensation quickly covered my whole body.  The deafening, wicked crackling sound blocked out my screams to the darkness.  I recalled the lantern near my feat.  I knew what happened—I kicked it over.  I knew it was the end for me.  I recall thinking that I would end up with the last laugh though.  Those damn spiders would soon start screaming in pain too.  I was going to take every last one out with me.

hortly after, I recall looking down at myself.  It was a strange experience.  I felt no pain.  I saw myself being eaten by an angry flame.  My head had multiple areas covered in blood.  I looked at my chest and was confused to not see any spiders, but rather a single dagger perfectly piercing my heart.  I had cut wounds and gashes all over.  I was being pulled back into the darkness as I was suspended in air and quickly surveyed the scene one last time.  There I saw a single spider aflame in the corner next to my ankle.  As I was quickly pulled further back, the scene of my death became smaller and smaller.  But it was illuminated, like a beacon.

he darkness brushed past in a flurry of shadows whistling by and I could sense a breeze.  Soon after, I felt many blades of grass brushing against my legs.  I looked down and I saw tall strands of grass gently waiving back and fourth.  I looked up and saw I was standing in a field.  I heard music playing and in a confused state, it seemed to make sense to follow it".

he fiddler continued his melody and we all enclosed around him making room for more. I looked around and saw so many coming from all surrounding areas.  The fiddler looked around at each of us and had a reassuring and confident smile.  He turned his back on us and began marching forward.  Without hesitation, we willingly followed.  We didn’t know where the new destination he was leading us to would be, but we would obediently follow him.  For better or worse, we would follow . . .

Continue. . .