Stay Out of the Water.
"Fine," says the man when you thank him. "Just don't do it again."
He sets you ashore on the bank of the river, human and clothed, if somewhat sore around the mouth. It's only when he pulls away and starts to row downstream that you realize you're on the wrong bank.
You hate to bother the fisherman again, but there are no bridges in sight, and there's no way you're going back in that cursed river. You yell to the fisherman, who comes back and listens impatiently as you explain that, while you're really very grateful that he saved your life, he did it in the wrong direction.
"...So if it isn't too much trouble, could you take me to the other side of the river? Please?"
He shakes his head. "It doesn't work that way. Now that you've started down this path, you can't just go back. You've got to follow it to the end. Of course, you could just stay here, but you'd probably starve to death if you stayed human."
You're not sure which part of that speech is the least encouraging.
"Your mistake before was in stopping." The fisherman starts rowing away from the shore. "Keep going forward, and you'll keep your mind. Your body... Well, I'm not making any promises."
With that, he floats away again, leaving you alone with nothing but the clothes on your back and a fishy taste in your mouth. It's just you and countless miles of trackless wilderness. (Well, there's one track, but it hasn't led you very well so far.) Your choices are somewhat limited. There's the path, the trees to the left of the path, and the trees to the right of the path. All three look pretty much the same. You might as well pick one and get going... before you turn into something else.
Written by Chrysalis on 31 December 2009
The end (for now)