The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 6 - A Visit for Matt

            Greg looked at him curiously when he saw what he was looking at.

            "Zack told me you found this in here," Matt commented.

            "Yes, we did," Greg told him.

            Matt nodded. "I thought you said this cave was sealed. That you guys were the first ones in here."

            "It had been sealed for a long time," Greg said. "But we were not the first ones to come inside. During our initial exploration of the cave, we discovered evidence it once had a natural, narrow opening to the outside, facing the upper valley where we planned to build. We also found evidence it had been buried by a massive mudslide, probably during a rain storm, which covered the original entrance to the cave."

            "Where was the stuff when you found it?" Matt asked curiously.

            "At the back of the chamber we've reopened. It had been partually buried by the mudflow," Greg explained. "We believe the owner of the tent was camped just inside the original cave entrance when it occurred, approximately one hundred twenty years ago."

            "I suppose it would be drier to camp inside the mouth of a cave if it was raining," Matt said reasonably.

            "Probably," Greg said..

            "How do you know when it happened?"

            "We found some letters and a journal amongst the owner's personal effects," Greg told him. "The most recent postmark on the letters was 1883, so we know it was sometime after that."

            Matt nodded. "That makes sense. So who was this guy, do you know?"

            "We know from the letters his name was Maxwell Tabor, but we don't know much about  him aside from that. If you are curious, I could show you the letters when we get back to the house ... provided you don't show them to your mother," Greg said.

            "You don't want Mom to know about Max?"

            "I don't want her to know about the cave and we would have great difficulty in explaining where the letters came from without also telling her where they were found," Greg explained. "They are rather old."

            "Oh, okay," Matt agreed. "I won't say anything," he promised as he pushed the old canvas back where it was being stored. "But I would like to see the letters, if that's okay."

            "Certainly," Greg agreed. "Shall we figure out where Zackary got off to?"

            "I'm in here, Greg," Zackary called from the bottom of the newly accessible shaft.

            "This is going to be okay," Zackary said as Greg and his brother joined him. "It doen't look that bad where they made it bigger."

            "I do think it's coming along nicely, although it's obvious they're not finished with it yet," Greg said. "Let's go through the passage to the grotto."

            "Okay," Zackary agreed and he once again led the way.

            They went through a narrow opening that connected the two largest chambers of the cave.  In the second one, the whole side opposite to where they entered was open to the outside and Matt stopped.

            "Is this where you found the tent?" he asked Greg.

            "Yes. This entire opening was covered by top soil that flowed in from above in the form of mud. It was sloped up towards the ceiling on this side, but didn't fill it completely. The tent and the belongings we found were here, just a few feet from this ledge buried along the edges of it." Greg indicated the place from where he stood. "The floor of the cave was much shallower back then than it is now as part of it had been filled in over time with soil from the outside. We also suspect the opening was significantly narrower. Mr. Thompson's crew has dug most of the top soil away to expose the rock, which is the reason it is so much wider and deeper now."