The Cave
The cave is a cool and protective place. To those who have been invited it’s a sanctuary, hidden high above the river, up on Holy Cross Mountain. Kendall can see people as they walk on the various paths around the river. Often they will stop and cool their feet in the river, but they cannot see beyond what is in front of them or above them. Kendall is not sure how she has been granted access to this paradise but she is grateful for a place to hide from the world. She has found her secret spot where the entrance to the cave is smooth and there is a spot that cradles her body perfectly so she can fall into a deep sleep.
Kendall is restless today and wants to explore more of the cave. The last few times she swears that she has heard voices echoing from deep within the cave. She thought maybe she was hearing things but today she wants to explore.
Kendall grabs her backpack and walks slowly into the cave. It starts out as cool from the summer sun and dark, she reaches into her backpack for the flashlight she brought. Clicks it on when she can no longer see where she is going. She is amazed that the walls are so smooth, like a torrid of water rushes through there to pound down the walls. There is nothing in the cave which is odd, no sticks or debris, no creatures who normally hide in a cave, it’s like the whole place has been whipped clean.
Just then she hears the echo of voices again and stops. Her heart is beating so loudly it drowns out the sound of the voices. She takes a couple of deep breaths to slow her heart so she can hear. She reaches out to touch the wall of the cave steady herself and is surprised it’s warm. OUt of instinct she pulls her hand away in case it’s hot. Why would it be hot she says to herself? She touches it again and in act it’s just warm. She stands there for another moment trying to hear the voices again but there is nothing. She looks around, tentatively wondering if she should continue her journey. She points her flashlight forward, further into the cave and continues.
As she continues there is a faint smell of sulfur, like you smell when you are sitting in the hot springs. Wouldn’t it be great if she found a hidden hot spring. Chances are it’s not hidden, someone knows about this. She reaches for the wall again to test the temperature and it’s still warm. As she continues through the cave she notices that it’s moving from dark black to a little bit more illuminated. If this continues she will be able to turn off the light. With a quiet click she turns off the light and stands still, she hears the voices again. She is convinced that she will come across a hidden local hot spring. Her instincts tell her to keep walking that she is safe in here and in what she will encounter. The temperature is getting warmer as she moves through it which is interesting so it must be the hot spring. She steps forward and now she can hear water rushing, it seems to be moving above her head, she looks up confused, there is no water dripping or seeping through the walls. This experience is getting stranger by the step. Her mind is now creating all kinds of explosive thoughts about what she will discover. She always did have a creative imagination. Something about this cave is very familiar to her, she has a deep feeling that she has been here before but her mind definitely says no, but still she has an overwhelming feeling of peace, happiness and passion. She stops suddenly because she is tingling all over and is almost giddy, with a wide smile overtaking her face, now it becomes flush with excitement. What in the world is happening to her? She loves this feeling and needs to continue, she picks up the pace and no she smells a spicy cologne smell. This gets all of her senses humming ad flashes of a mans face keeps fading in and out of focus. When she can see his face her heart beats a bit faster and when it fade she stops walking. She does not recognize his face but it does seem familiar to her.
She can still hear the water and it feels as if it’s still above her. The cave is getting lighter and lighter. Then the cave above her disappears and she can see straight to the sky. Amazing the sun is high and the ski is as blue as ever. She has the most euphoric feeling as she looks up, and the mixed scents of jasmine, evergreen and lavender cover her face and surround her. She smiles and sniffs as if this is the greatest moment of her life. She fades back to the moment at looks just ahead of her and there is a pool of water with water more clear than she has ever seen water. She reaches down to touch it and the sandy bottom sparkles and shimmers like a hidden treasure, she blinks thinking there is something wonderful toxic in this cave making her see and feel things. She feels as if she has found a secret paradise hidden deep in the mountain of Holy Cross. She has always had an attraction to this area and this cave is something even more amazing. The water is hot like true hot springs but it does not smell of sulfur. The water is so inviting and she starts to get flashes of frolicking around in this water with a group of other people.
Euphoria is engulfing Kendall and she becomes concerned that there is something affecting her. Her rational mind is telling her to her head back out of the cave but she cannot get herself to leave. She wants to throw down her towel and take a nap or step into the pool of glitter and swim. Just then she begins to hear the voices again and looks around. Where are they coming from, she begins to walk around the pool to see if there is a hidden entrance she is not seeing as she steps back into the dark behind the cave, she runs her hand along the wall until she feels an opening. It’s so dark that she reaches for her flashlight , clicks it on and immediately sees the ladder. Just then she hears the voices, this saddens Kendall because she knows this place is somehow not a secret. It’s a hidden gem to her but a most likely a place of reflection for someone else. She closes her eyes to imprint her experience so she can find these feelings of harmony when she is surrounded by the presence of others.
The ladder is a series of steps carved into the wall of the cave. She secures her backpack puts the light between her teeth and makes her way up the ladder. She begins this small journey with sadness but as that spicy smells hits her again it brings her back to a happy place, a place she is not sure where or why. As she ascends the carved ladder she can see shards of light coming from up above but no direct light. She keeps making her way up the ladder, she is getting to the source of the slivers of light. When she is able to touch the cover above her it’s rough like branches tied together, she delicately runs her fingers across and gently pushes it upward. It’s light and not connected so she pushes it to the side. She steps further upwards an peeks around. She strains to look behind her position and see’s no one. She grabs onto two rocks jutting out from the ground to pull herself up out of the cave. She takes the final step off the ladder, straddles a rock wall and comes to the edge of the pool.
A bit of sun is sneaking through the canopy of vines and making the water sparkle. It’s heavenly, a dream oasis. She can feel the energy rippling through her bubbling with hope. She looks around is pleasant shock, this is not like the Rocky Mountains it’s more like a tropical paradise. Vibrant pink azaleas dotted with a splash of yellow lillies, Vines encircling the evergreens and Aspens. It’s a hodgepodge of growth and it’s enveloped several pools of water. Just behind the last pool a moderate distance from where she stands Kendall get’s a glimpse of the waterfall. This waterfall sparks another memory of a man diving into the pool below the flowing water, he pulls himself up on the rock ledge on the edge of the pool with no effort at all. He is lean, defined, darkly tanned with shimmering long black hair. He wipes the water from his face and runs his hand over his head and squeezes the water from his hair. Kendall steps back to hide from the waterfall, thumping in her ears and heat on her face.
She begins to hear voices but it sounds more like singing. A deep male voice seems to echo out from the cave below, so rich and melodic it’s mesmerizing. ‘I have heard this song before, I know this voice” she says to herself. For a moment, it’s as if she can picture this man in her mind. The words are sung with intense passion, he is singing in the words of his people, asking the gods to protect their Well of Life and that the stranger that sits among them, will guide the others to protect the sacred. How does she know this, she is not familiar with the language. He continues “the sacred is their future and the future of so many, depends on her. She is a stranger in this vision but she is there seeing and feeling it but this is only a dream. She feels as if she has dreamt this dream many times before after wandering around of Cross Creek. It seems so real, and her heart aches for him- the man who holds her soul but exists only in dreams. “What is wrong with you Kendall, have you lost her mind as she banishes these thoughts and images.” She is making up a life that does not exist, could not exist.
Kendall steps toward the pool and dips her hand into cool water. She looks around for any sign real sign of people but the place looks untouched. She stares down at her reflection and wonders what she is doing wandering around in a cave and the woods on her own. She has been very restless these past few months, getting the sense that something is going to happen, there is an uneasiness in the air. The socail butterfly has been hiding out and she is not sure why. These mountains have always been a place of reflection for her but what she is finding is that she is being drawn here like an addiction instead of a peaceful choice. She sits down on the edge of the pool, the water warm and she takes off her hiking shoes and dips her feet into the clear deep pool.
They had seen this women wandering around Holy Cross before but had never given her too much thought. They just thought she was an avid hiker. They were sitting at the base of the waterfall when they caught a scent of someone entering the cave, their scent and their sounds coming closer the well of life pools. They saw her head pop up from the cave and to their surprise she was not one of their tribe. They stood stock still not knowing what to do and waited till she made herself known to them. They were surprise when she looked toward the waterfall, looked surpised and confused and then stepped out of sight. They couldn’t be sure if she saw them so inched closer. That would be incredible because there are only a few chosen people who can find their way to this hidden, mystical area. This area is hidden even from the satellites that pass overhead.
