Chapter 374

This world seemed to burst with life and color. Massive trees formed a perimeter around the opening. The deep green canopy above was magnificent. The plants were bright and exotic.

I breathed in the fresh air outside the tunnel and it smelled of wilderness. It wasn’t the crisp pine scent of the forests on Earth. The sweet tang of flowers mixed with the natural odor of the trees and the leaves here. I could smell the rich aroma of the soil and, all mixed together, it was unlike anything I’d experienced before on this world.

Taking a huge breath I almost thought I smelled jasmine in the air. I remembered the vines that had clung to my grandmother’s mailbox. Looking around I didn’t see any, but when the breeze drifted by, I smelled it again. I wondered how much out here would be familiar to me.

A branch to the right moved and I watched a small green animal run to the tree’s trunk. Noises all around us told me this area was brimming with animals. There were sounds like