The Ferlands

Chapter Four

"Right." Harper said. She reached into her pack and pulled out a stick, snapped it to get the glow started and then laid it down at the entrance to the left tunnel. The glow sticks had been found with the supplies in the downstairs closet, and after reading the brochure on cave exploring basics, they realized the glow sticks would be great trail markers.

They stepped into the left tunnel, and not five feet in, Eliana stumbled right into Harper. Luckily her friend kept her balance and steadied Eliana as well, keeping her from taking another fall.

"Girl, you need some balance lessons." Harper teased.

Eliana shrugged. "Not much good it will do. I'm just a clutz, what can I say."'

"Hashtag truth" Harper teased. She kept the lead, finding her way in the cave just ahead of Eliana.

As the space between ceiling and floor continued to shrink, Eliana felt a sense of panic rise. She felt a determination, however, and didn't let the panic take over. Instead, she decided to look at her surroundings, taking them in. The darkness was airy, the headlamps illuminating their way made the darkness melt away. On the edges of the beam of light, the cave walls seemed wet. As Eliana reached out to touch them, she was surprised to find these cave walls dry, but shiny.

As they followed the twists and turns of the main cave tunnel, bending slightly as the space tightened up, Eliana noticed a change in the cave walls, still illuminated by the headlamps.

"Can you see that?" Eliana called up to Harper.

"What?" Harper stopped and turned to ask.

"That. The sparkle in the cave." Eliana pointed to part of the wall where the sparkle was.

"I don't see any sparkles. It's probably just the angle of the lamp." Harper answered. "Besides, doesn't some rock contain that stuff. You know, the sparkly stuff?"

"You mean pyrite. Yeah, maybe that's it." Eliana agreed verbally, even though deep down she knew it wasn't pyrite. It was easier to just end the conversation rather than argue with Harper about minerals and rocks. That science class had been too long ago. Her current studies didn't include those elements.

"Right. Just keep moving, kay. We can go a little ways futher and then maybe we should head back to the entrance." Harper stated. "It's getting pretty tight in here."

"I feel that too. Almost too tight." Eliana was still trying to push the sense of panic away. Her emotions were conflicted. There was a strong pull to go through the cave, continue exploring. At the same time, her heart was pounding in her chest with nerves. She had started taking calming breaths, figuring her body was just responding to the stress of the situation. Although it didn't feel like stress, it felt more like a warning that something was about to happen.

Not three steps later, Eliana tripped again. Things began to move in slow motion this time. She felt her foot hit something in her path, then her body lurched forward, twisting as she started to fall. Eliana must have made some type of noise, or she cried out, because Harper turned suddenly, shock registering on her face. She seemed to lunge for Eliana, grabbing her by the arm as both girls started to fall.

Bodies twisting and turning, still with a sense of slow motion, as if time had stopped, the girls held on to whatever they could grab. Backpack straps, shirt collars, waistbands, their hands were frantically reaching out for some type of steadying hold. The thought ran through Eliana's mind, why haven't I hit the floor yet? Her body was still moving downward, but she was sure that they should have already come to a stop on the cave floor. The sensation was strange, as if the floor had suddenly disappeared. Her mind registered a sense of being pulled, as if a part deep inside of her was being yanked somewhere, although the feeling didn't hold a direction either.

Then the headlamps went out, and everything was dark.

〰🖤〰

Thanks so much for the reads, votes and comments! ❤️

So...thoughts? What do you think happened in that cave? And are the girls going to get out? Things won't be normal anymore, that's for sure.

I love the sound of Cool Kids, and somehow it seemed like a good match for this chapter. It's less about the words and more about the tone for me, to be honest...