Surviving the Cave

Natalie stood shivering at the mouth of a great mossy cave. Her clothing was gone and the hot sun was peeling away at her scalded skin. A cool, damp air breathed out from the cave and licked her blistered body. The cave promised sweet shelter from the elements and beckoned her inside.

Natalie followed a cool path until her passageway became significantly narrow. She pushed on senselessly becoming entirely compelled by a soft buzzing sensation emanating from deep within. Was it just her imagination? The further she pursued the noise, the louder it became. It entered her brain and massaged it's contours and crevasses. It felt too good. She began crouching in order to continue her chosen route, until she was forced on to her hands and knees by the unforgiving ceiling.

The sharp rocks and stalagmites proved to be difficult obstacles in her small crawl space and soon, there was no room to turn around in. The young woman squirmed, bending and twisting around the obstructions, offering sighs of frustration and discontented grunts as the walls of the cave further mangled her soft, bleeding exterior.

Soon, all light had faded and she could no longer see her hands in front of her. The only sounds she could hear were her labored breathing, the drip drops of water from deep within the cave and this immensely satisfying buzzing from all around her.

She paused to catch her breath and the floor beneath her gave way.

She clawed helplessly for a ledge and sent out a quick silent prayer for something to catch her but nothing did and she dropped like a stone. Plummeting down an endless sharp chute of mud and rock, she shrieked with terror.

Natalie's screams echoed through the chamber and filled her ears, vibrating through the cave walls and through her brain and body the same way the humming sound did. She heard her sharp squeals even when she wasn't screaming.

Her shrieks quickly turned into gurgles as she splashed into a deep dark pool of salt water. It shot into her eyes, up her nose and down her lungs as she kicked and thrashed to the surface, not really knowing which way was up or down.

She sobbed when she emerged from the salt bath. Everything stung. Everywhere, inside and out burned and fizzled until she felt entirely paralyzed by the pain. She drifted on her back, still sobbing, and gulping in the stale, stagnant air. Her body was now drained of all it's precious resources. With her last ounce of strength, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

A white upon white light filled her vision and fully enveloped her. She felt like she could see herself in the distance, effortlessly floating naked in a bright puffy cloud, emitting the same white light from all her orifices. She made her way over and hovering directly above herself, she touched her soft face and kissed her forehead. "Wake the fuck up", she whispered into her ear through gritted teeth and her eyes snapped open.

Something was in the water with her. Something large and rough and ancient and hungry. Unable to see, and still paralyzed by the pain and the fear, she could only bear witness to the sensation of this creature sliding underneath her and pushing her coarsely through the water. A large fin emerged somewhere close to her head, and slapped the surface as the creature rolled onto Natalie, sinking her under again. She grasped at the shark and hugged his underside, not knowing how to save herself or what to do. The shark thrashed about, whirling through the dark stinging waters while Natalie clung to him with all her might.

Her back soon scraped rock and she realized she was rolling with the creature in the shallows of her salt pool. She wailed with grave fierceness, scratched at his eyes, scrambled up and kicked the creature before he could pierce her with his razor teeth. He flailed away, blind and defeated and Natalie quickly followed the rock embankment up to the shore of the cavern pool.

She fumbled in the darkness, steering clear of the water, hugging the hard walls of her hole.

"Heeellllp Meeeeee!!!!" She shouted, knowing full well there wasn't a soul nearby to help. Her voice again echoed through the vast cavern and caused the Earth to shake around her. She could feel the walls tremble and hear rocks tumbling into the salt pool. Suddenly, there was light, as pieces of the ceiling came plunging down and breaking apart, making way for her escape.

Natalie cradled her head against the wall, fearing she would be squashed. The rumbling stopped and she could see the green canopy of the forest above her.

Natalie slowly climbed her way out, using hanging vines, tree roots, and the jagged rock wall of the cave to help her. She was never so glad to see the light of day.

She kissed the ground and lay for a long time, with her ear pressed against it. From somewhere deep down, she again heard the buzzing sensation. Intrigued, she shut her eyes to listen closely.

"Wake the fuck up," she heard and snapped her eyes open. It was 6am. The kids were awake and hungry. It was time to start the day.