Cave Dwellers (13 page)

  
“Of course not. I can’t imagine how you came up with such an idea.” She splashed water on her face, using the motion to hide a slight smile.

   He bent down beside her and started washing his face, and splashed water over his hair to help smooth down any parts that might be sticking up.

  Ramira waited for him to finish. “I’m going to gather a few things to eat.”

   “I might as well go with you. There isn’t anything else pressing at the moment.”

   Together they started toward the vegetables. She got a couple of carrots and headed for the waterfall where the kale and lettuce were located. After picking a couple of leaves from each, she walked to the edge of the lake and washed them off. They returned to the cave where she had Zaac hold them. She got a couple of bowls, a tomato, and a cucumber, placing them on the platter. She tore the lettuce and kale apart, putting some into each bowl. She tore a couple of leaves from the cabbage and ripped those into the bowls as well.

   “May I borrow your knife?” she asked.

   Zaac handed it to her. He watched as she opened it and cut off small sections of tomato, placing them in the bowls. She peeled the cucumber and cut it into slices adding it to the other. Last she scraped peeled the carrots and cut them into small sections, placing them on top.

   Taking a bowl, she handed it to Zaac. “Your breakfast is served.”

   “Wow. You’re just the regular homemaker.”

   “I’ve had plenty of practice helping mom out when she needed it. Sometimes I even surprise them and cook dinner.” She blushed slightly.

   They ate their salad and talked about their plans for the day.

   “I was thinking about our possibilities,” Ramira started. “The way I see it we have two choices. We can put some vegetables in our packs and start off, hoping that we’ll choose the right tunnel and find a way out of here. Or we can plan for a longer stay down here, making excursions out until we do locate a way out. More than likely the old exit is blocked or the people who were here would have kept visiting over the years. People love exploring caves. If there was an easy way to get down here, this would be a major tourist attraction. What do you think?”

   “I think you’re right. So what do you suggest we do?”

   “I think it would be best to play it smart. We can pack some vegetables away, try one tunnel and see what we find. We could even plan on staying a night or two. If we hit a dead end or feel like it is taking us nowhere, we can turn around and come back. Then we can plan for the second choice—staying down here longer.”

   “Which tunnel should we choose? The first one had the high wall. I don’t think the people climbed up and down that to come in and out. We went about three hours into the one with the animals that I scared. That’s a possibility. We have two under the falls and one past the bones. The bones are out as far as I’m concerned.”

   Zaac couldn’t see the people walking past the bones of their friends and family every time they entered. Surely they would have chosen an unused tunnel for a burial place.

   “Let’s try the one with the animals. Maybe they aren’t stuck down here and know a way out. We’ll call it tunnel number two. With all of the tunnels, they might get confusing.”

   “Tunnel
number two it is.”

   They got their backpacks and emptied them. Zaac placed a mixture of small and large chunks of coal in his for a fire. He put the water bottles on top, along with his fire starter kit. He got the small limestone rock they had used to mark the tunnels and put it in a side pouch for easy access. They took Ramira’s pack down to the vegetables and filled it with lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, a head of cabbage and some tomatoes.

   Going back to where number-two tunnel was located, they started off on their first long expedition from the cavern.

   All of a sudden Zaac stopped. “Wait a minute. I just about forgot the most important thing next to our food.”

   Ramira stopped, too, and gave him a questioning look.

  
“Our light. You might be able to see in the dark in an odd sort of way but I like seeing where I’m going without being led.”

   In a short time, Zaac had the moss on the plates and they were ready to go. They traveled much faster with the moss for lighting. It had taken them an hour the first time to reach the place where they found the animals. They covered the distance in half that time today. Finally they reached the spot where their footprints were visible, along with the tracks from whatever animals Ramira had seen.

   “Do you want to take a small water break?” Zaac asked.

   “Sure,” Ramira said. She sat down against the wall.

   Zaac took a bottle of water out of his pack and passed it to her. Taking another one, he opened it and took a few swallows. He did not fear running short on water any more. If they were worried about running out, all they had to do was turn around and head back to the lake.

   After their water break, their progress through the tunnel was fairly easy and brought them to another, smaller tunnel that went under the wall on the right. It was only around two feet high and a little over two feet wide and animal tracks went in and out of the opening.

   “I think we found where the critters live.” Zaac bent to take a closer look at their tiny footprints.

   Ramira knelt beside him. “With luck we might see them again. If someone doesn’t scare them away, that is.”

   “Hmmmm. That someone isn’t likely to scare them if someone else doesn’t make all kind of funny gestures and faces, causing him to laugh.” He laughed again, remembering.

   “I don’t think they were that funny.”

   “You would have if you were in my shoes. Here, let me show you.” He said as he started to mimic her.

   “You want me to whop you again?” She asked as she clinched her fist preparing to pop him on his arm.

   “Is that a rhetorical question?” He took off up the tunnel.

   Ramira was left with her fist up in the air speechless. She murmured, “Boys!” under her breath as she quickly chased after him.

   They had traveled another hour when they entered a cavern, no larger than a bedroom, filled with stalactite and stalagmite formations. They were spectacular, lit by the luminescent glow of moss along the walls. At the base of one stalactite, a small globe of stone looked like a drop that was getting ready to fall. It seemed that if you put your hand under it, your hand would get wet. The drop glistened, just like a moisture drop. It was stunning.

   Zaac and Ramira decided to have lunch and enjoy the view. They ate a cucumber, some leaves off the cabbage, split a tomato and finished off with a carrot each.

   After their meal, Zaac chose a tunnel to the right, pulled out the limestone and marked it, along with the tunnel they had used to enter the cavern. An hour in, their way through the tunnel was just about blocked by a rock pile. The rocks had fallen through a chimney, which was now filled. A narrow section was passable, but Zaac had to remove his pack to squeeze through. Ramira followed him after passing the plates with the moss and then the packs.

   Forty minutes later, they came to a fork in the tunnel. Picking the left branch, Zaac marked it with the limestone.

   Going another couple of hours brought them to a section where three tunnels branched off in different directions. They stopped, undecided which way to go. Zaac got a couple of bottles of water out while they contemplated what to do.

  
“Which way?” Zaac asked.

   “I’m starting to wonder if these tunnels only take us deeper underground with no exit.”

   The same thoughts had occurred to Zaac.

   Something didn’t add up. Ramira sat there quietly trying to figure out what it was. All of a sudden, the realization hit her. She looked down at the floor.
There were their footprints. There were no others. There wasn’t even a suggestion that anyone had used this tunnel, even in years gone by.

   Ramira turned to Zaac, “If the people who came here years ago travelled through a certain tunnel, would they not leave footprints of some kind behind?”

   Zaac considered her question, “Unless water flooded through and washed them away.”

   She let out a sigh. “Oh. So we know the tunnels were made millions of years ago, and that allowed the people who were here to use the caves in the first place. There are no signs that water runs through these tunnels now, but I guess it could have in the past.
If the people even used these tunnels.”

   “Are you suggesting that we turn around and go back to the cavern?”

   “I don’t know. I just have a feeling that this tunnel will lead us nowhere.”

   Zaac sat for a few minutes. He was starting to get the same feeling. As to the footprints, they could still be here, but a long time had passed since the people made any footprints. Something like the earthquake and flooding that brought Zaac and Ramira to the caves could have occurred, washing away any evidence of previous people.

   “I think you’re right,” he said. “I don’t want to end up further into nowhere. So we turn around?”

   “Yes. Let’s go back.”

   It took them two and a half hours to reach the rock pile, and another hour to reach the small cavern with the stalactites. It had been a long day and they were both exhausted and hungry.

   They ate their fill of vegetables and turned in for the night. Lying down beside one another, it was not long until both were fast asleep. Sometime during the night, Ramira turned over in her sleep laying her head on Zaac’s shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her nestling her close.

13

   In the morning, Ramira snuggled in closer, wrapping one arm around Zaac. Roused from sleep, he took a moment to adjust to what was happening. He smiled and pulled her in closer. She moaned in response to the affection, even in her sleep.

   ‘What
a way to wake up—with the girl you love in your arms,’ Zaac thought. Then it dawned on him what had just crossed his mind. ‘The girl you love?’ It was true. He was falling in love with her.

   The realization sent
a warmth through his body. His heart beat faster. His breathing became more rapid and shallow. His stomach felt queasy.

   He had never been in love before. Were his feelings normal? He had no idea. None of his friends had fallen in love, or at least none of them had admitted it. His body might be acting strangely all of a sudden, but for some reason it felt right. Somehow he knew that she was the one for him.

   Suddenly fear swept across him. What if she didn’t feel the same way? What if she didn’t love him? He knew they were in the same predicament. Fate had thrown them into each other’s path for a time. Then he thought back to the night they almost kissed. She looked like she was ready. What if she was just caught up in the moment? It seemed right at the time. Well, even if she didn’t love him, he thought, she liked him. Maybe she would come to care for him.

   He had no idea that her feelings were even stronger than his. She had long since come to the conclusion that she loved him.

   He lay there enjoying the moment, caught up in the rapture of having her in his arms. They were surrounded by spectacular rock formations. Green-blue light from the moss glistened off the white of the stalactites and stalagmites. The shapes and curvatures produced strange reflections. Man could not produce such a magnificent display of color.

   Zaac adjusted his body slightly, awakening Ramira. It took her a moment to adjust. Realizing
she was nestled in Zaac’s arms startled her, and she drew away. He was the young man she loved, but she didn’t want to be too forward about it.

   “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I had rolled over into you. I must have done it in my sleep.” She blushed and lowered her head.

   “It’s okay. I didn’t mind it at all.” Realizing what he had said, he added, “I mean, … I rather enjoyed you lying in my arms.” He, too, began to look slightly uncomfortable.

   Then it dawned on Ramira what he had said.

   “You did?” she asked, glancing up at him from under her eyelashes.

   Now Zaac was definitely uncomfortable. He hated to let her know his true feelings. He dreaded rejection. He decided to play it safe without setting himself up for a fall. “You seemed like you needed a pillow. You must be use to sleeping with pillows and curling up with them. I was glad to be a substitute.” 

   “You’re mighty lumpy to serve as a pillow. Do you know what I do when I have lumps in my pillow? I usually fluff them or knock them out,” she said hitting him on his shoulder.

   “Ouch. I’m afraid that you might not be able to knock out these lumps.” He rubbed his arm in supposed injury.

   Raising her hand again, she replied, “I can certainly try.”

   “I’d rather you didn’t.” He drew away from her. “Why is it that I was starting to have a good morning until you woke up?”

   “You were? Why is that?”

   “You were lying in my arms and it felt so…” He realized what he was saying and stopped suddenly, trying frantically to think of something else to say.

   “So you enjoyed me lying in your arms?” she asked. She started to lay her head on his shoulder again. “I could lie there again if you want.”

   Zaac knew that she was being playful. His heart was beating faster and faster, pounding on his ribcage.

   Suddenly he stood up. “Is it hot in here? I feel like I need some air.”

  Ramira laughed. She had a girl’s intuition of the sensation she was causing in him. “I’m fine. It feels nice and comfortable. We have some water in the bottles. Would you like to splash some on your face?”

   “Yes. I could use some water to cool my face off and to drink.” He took the bottle she offered him and drank a few swallows. Pouring some in his hand, he splashed it on his face and drank the remainder.

   “Would you like some food with your water?” She didn’t want to have too much fun at his expense. “I’m starting to get a little hungry.”

   “Sure. We might as well eat and get back to the cavern.”

   They ate their breakfast of vegetables, got their packs and started toward the cavern. They were nearing the small tunnel when Ramira stopped, holding up her hand. She leaned over and whispered in Zaac’s ear. “There are a bunch of bugs just ahead. The animals are out eating. If we’re quiet, we might catch a glimpse of them.”

   Zaac put a finger to his lips in agreement. A slight bend in the tunnel separated the animals from them. They started silently forward. As they got closer, they went on tiptoe. When they reached the corner, Ramira peeped around the edge and then Zaac did the same.

   There were the creatures, both about two feet long and close to twenty pounds in weight. They had dark brown hair, almost black, that looked to be about two to three inches long. Their snouts were long for the size of their heads and they had piercing black eyes. Small pointy ears flicked back and forth. Their tails were short and stubby. They resembled groundhogs.

   In fact, they were underground mastegan, a rodent which belonged to the family Sciuridae. Its diet consisted mainly of insects and worms.

   Ramira and Zaac watched the animals snatch bugs off the wall and eat them. She moved to adjust her pack and it brushed against the rock. The slight noise brought the mastegans around sharply and in a flash they were gone, scurrying into their tunnel.

   Zaac stepped away and punched Ramira playfully on the arm. “Now why did you go and scare them away? I was just about to grab our dinner.”

   “I didn’t mean to. I can’t help that my pack scraped the wall.” She hoped to escape his disapproval, but there was no denying that she had given him a hard time before for scaring them.

   He remembered that occasion, too, and he was not going to let her off easily, even though it would be in fun. “I don’t know. We finally get this close, they are within our reach and poof, they’re gone. I believe we could have caught one.”

   “It probably would have bitten you. It might have given you rabies.” She was laughing.

   “I wouldn’t have let it bite me.” His voice didn’t sound exactly convinced. The thought of teeth sinking into his hand was not appealing.

   “When you look at it like that, I might have saved your life. You should be thanking me.” She felt like
she might turn the conversation to her advantage. She walked on ahead leaving him dumbfounded.

   Why was it, Zaac wondered, that any time they got into a debate or discussion, she always came out on top? Not this time. He was not going to let her get the best of him. Rushing up behind her, he quickly matched the momentum of her stride.

   He mentally juggled options for the proper response as they passed the small tunnel where the mastegan disappeared. But in the end, at a loss for words, he walked in silence beside her. She smiled to herself at his dilemma. She knew that Zaac was smart but she also thought she would be able to give him a run for his money when he tried to match wits with her.

   They soon reached the large cavern and went straight to their cave. It felt like home—home away from home.

   “What would you like to do now?” Zaac asked.

   “Let’s go and load up on some more vegetables. Then we can try one more tunnel. I’d like to take a closer look at the ones under the falls.”

   “I’ll let you get the vegetables while I plant some fresh moss. Take the jagged rock for digging the potatoes.”

   “Meet you back here,” she said, grabbing the rock and heading to the lake.

   Zaac did his planting and returned just as Ramira came back with the vegetables. She grabbed a couple of bottles of water and borrowed his knife to peel the carrots. Then she cut up a tomato and a head of cabbage. They ate in silence and, after a rest, started out on their second expedition.

  Going to the tunnel under the falls and around to the other side, they had two passageways to choose from. They could see their own tracks from when they had gone to the other side. In the first tunnel, which branched off to the left, they could see other footprints, indicating that people had used the tunnel before.

   They had finally found the tunnel used in years gone by! They set off, hoping for an exit. Before long, they encountered a steep incline that disappeared to the right. What looked like the top turned out to be only another turn to the right that kept on ascending. It took them forty minutes of arduous climbing to finally reach the top.

   “Whoever used this tunnel definitely had good lungs,” Ramira said breathing heavily.

   “Tell me about it. They must have been in excellent shape.” Zaac flopped down against the wall.

   They sat until their breathing became more even and steady. Zaac got a couple of bottles of water
and they chugged them. Finally they decided to continue.

   Another hour of travel brought them to a dead end. The tunnel was completely blocked by a mass of boulders. It looked as though the mountain had collapsed, obliterating any passage.

   “It would take major equipment to remove all of this,” Zaac said.

   “I guess this isn’t our means of escape,” Ramira responded with a sigh.

   “One of the tunnels off that cavern will get us out of here. We just have to find the right one.”

   “There is one thing that’s positive.”

   “What’s that?”

   “The way back is downhill.”

   The return journey took half the time, but they arrived home exhausted. They ate a quick bite, turned in for the night and before long, both were fast asleep.

14

   The next morning Zaac and Ramira awoke still physically drained. Zaac lay there for a moment while Ramira went down to the lake to wash.

   “What are the plans for today?” he asked when she returned.

   “I don’t think I’ll do a lot. We need to make sure that we don’t run out of food.” Ramira gestured toward the vegetables growing by the lake. “Most of those plants have pods. I was thinking about
gathering them and extracting the seeds. Then we can lay out some more rows and plant them.”

   “Good idea. They all seem to be intermingled. Don’t they grow better grouped together, something about cross pollination?”

   “Yes, they need to cross pollinate to reproduce. Were you not taught about the birds and the bees?” She grinned at him.

   “Yes. I was taught about the birds and the bees.” He wished he could control his defensive tone of voice.

   “Do you remember me telling you about the gourd plant that scared me one night?” Zaac nodded. “That type of gourd only flowers at night so it often isn’t pollinated. When it flowered, my dad would go out with a feather and do the bird and bee thing himself.”

   Zaac laughed. “He was out in the dark with his little feather, brushing each flower? Well I guess a man has to do what a man has to do.”

   “Do you want to help me with the gardening? I promise no feathers are involved.”

   “I think I’ll gather whatever loose coal is in the tunnel. If we’re down here for any length of time, we’ll probably need a good supply.”

   “Do you mind if I borrow your knife while you’re gone?”

   He passed it to her.

   Just as they were going their separate ways, they heard a squawk and turned to watch the megapetomeinon fly off of the ledge. The birds went about catching fish, the two younger ones landing on Zaac and Ramira’s side, as usual, to eat.

   “I think it might be best to wait a few minutes until these two get done,” Zaac suggested.

   “Yeah,” Ramira said. “I don’t want to be chased again by angry parents.”

   They went into the cave and waited for the younger birds to eat and play their daily game of tag. While they were waiting, they talked about their friends and their school life.

   “I have three friends that I mainly hang out with,” Ramira said. “Karlie is the one that I was with when we saw you at work. She is boy crazy. She usually comes when we have a sleepover but she had a date the night we were planning to get together, the night the earthquake hit.”