Exclusive first look: IT'S NOT SLANDER IF IT'S TRUE

This summer, Thunderground’s Editor-in-Chief will publish a book of 15 short essays. Each will be an honest look into the life of someone who has felt the most intense happiness and the most extreme pain.

“Breaking Away”

When I started my journey, I knew the path would be long. I wasn’t expecting it to be straight and easy, and I honestly hoped it wouldn’t be. On the adventure that brought me to this place, I came to a fork in the road, and I decided to turn. It was a tough decision, but I realized there was no shame in changing my path.

And deciding to turn was the best decision I’ve ever made.

So when it was time to start the next chapter of my life, I wanted to continue down the challenging road. I hit the ground running, joining a caravan of like-minded people who wanted to pursue the same goals. The path soon meandered toward the mountains, and they were liberating.

I spent so much time enjoying myself that I didn’t see my surroundings. I noticed the snow-capped summits, but I overlooked the cliffs that plummeted thousands of feet. I saw the deer grazing in open pastures, but l failed to notice the wolves lurking in the tree line. I heard the songs of chirping birds, but I missed the earth-shaking rumble of something sinister brewing.

What seemed like an innocent mountain turned out to be an active and unstable volcano. Continuing forward on the path was easy enough in theory. All we had to do was run forward and avoid the lava being hurled at us from every direction. And not get engulfed by a pyroclastic flow. And run through the molten earth that was literally covering the whole path. Like I said: easy.

Continuing forward, we knew that we couldn’t follow the path that so many previous leaders had made. When the eruptions finally calmed, we no longer had to constantly fight for our lives. However, we lost many members of the caravan. Some didn’t like the small changes to the path and voluntarily left. Others were poisoned by the polluted air the volcano had created.

We found our way down the mountain, across a forest plagued by storm, and eventually, came to the edge of the trees.

For the first time, I felt relieved. Although we still had a bit to travel, I could see a kingdom across a desert.

It took a few days, but we eventually reached the castle. I couldn’t believe that made it through. Despite the twists and turns, mountains and valleys, pouring rain and blistering heat, we not only survived, but we thrived.

In a corridor, I came across an older woman. We began talking, and I learned that she had also led a caravan through the mountains. She told me something, however, that I had not expected. According to her, it was okay to stop. After making it here, and seeing what was ahead, she decided to stay.

Oddly enough, this flooded me with relief. But it also filled me with sorrow. I didn’t want to go on, but I didn’t want to get stuck here.

A few days after arriving, the caravan left the castle. It didn’t take too long before we reached the top of a hill, and I saw what we would have to traverse.

The road was visibly rocky, and miles away, a volcano rumbled. It seemed unstable, as if it was plotting something evil. The jagged peaks of the mountains looked much worse than before.

Seeing that my life would get even more painful if I went forward, I looked to my left at a beautiful beach. It went on for a while before rolling hills began.

In this moment, I decided to make my own path. I might not have known exactly what to expect from it, but it was a place I wanted to go.

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Sunlight splashed on my face as the breeze blew my hair around. The waves lapped against my ankles and washed the sand from between my toes. Even without the others I once considered family, I was happy once again.

With a smile on my face, I gazed ahead. As the beach came to an end, grass-covered hills rose from the earth. I could have stayed on the shore and stared at them forever, but something caught my eye.

One of the nearest hills had a cave. It didn’t look natural, as if someone has drilled it out of the side of the cliff. I walked toward it, and although I didn’t know where it will lead, I knew it would take me underground.