The Cavern

A Story by meltingtuba

So there I was, in a deep, dark cavern, miles beneath the ground. A tall man had been chasing me for a reason that I can’t quite figure out and as I scrambled frantically to get away I lost my footing and suddenly I was falling, deeper and deeper, away from the grass and flowers and all that I held dear. I was sure that when I hit the ground I would break all of the bones in my body. I hugged my knees to my chest, closed my eyes and braced myself for the end.

Then with a splash I landed in a pool of water, I plunged deeper and deeper, unable to stop myself. Then, when I thought I was going to pop from the pressure I shot up and out of the water like a cork from a bottle. Gasping, I dragged myself out of the water and on to the dusty rocks surrounding the pool. Then, when I thought I could relax for just one moment a rough hand grabbed me by my collar, whisking me into darkness again. I was carried into a room with no light but from a derisory fire, resting on it was a large, black pot. The rough hands held me tightly, tying me to a boulder with a coarse rope. A match was struck and I was able to make out a shadowing figure, hunched over the pot, it threw the match under the pot and the fire grew enormously. My capturer was a dumpy woman wearing a towel around her torso.

“I’m ‘ungry, I am,” said she. “You’ll taste mighty nice with a bit ‘o paprika here and there.”

I wriggled in the ropes. What could I do? Where could I go? The lady pulled a spoon out of a wrinkle in the towel and sampled the mixture in the pot. I knew that I had to delay her long enough to think of a way out. “Do you live here?” I asked.

“O’ ‘course I live ‘ere. Shut your pie hole!” She yelled, in a gravely voice. I shrank back, the woman pulled a series of containers from her towel and grumbled; “now where did I put the allspice?”

I frantically rubbed the rope around my hands against a piece of sharp rock. The rope wore down slowly, too slowly. The hag would cook me! I tugged and struggled and twisted back and forth, gradually the ropes slipped off, and I sat still for a minute. “Hey lookee!” I yelled and stared pointedly at the stone wall to the left of me. The hag averted her eyes for a moment. Just long enough for me to barrel foreword. I grabbed her by the towel and pushed her into the pot.

“Aaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggghhhhhhhh!!!!” She shrieked. Then she sunk under the grayish liquid. I beamed, triumphant, momentarily forgetting that I was still in quite a predicament.

I set out to search for some way to get out of the cavern. Luck was with me; I found a tunnel going straight up, just big enough for one person to comfortably squeeze through. Light streamed down from far above, I was pretty tired though. I hitched up my pants, adjusted my headband and hoisted myself up into the hole.

This was going to be no easy feat; my flip-flops simply weren’t made for climbing. Twice I almost fell all the way back down. Slowly but surely I eased my way up. Hours passed, sweat waterfalled down my face. I could see the light, just a few yards above. Struggling, I heaved my body out of the hole and onto some grass. I yawned, laid down and fell fast asleep.

The End