The River

Chapter 10

After Laura rested for a while, they packed all their stuff and went through the tunnel. Laura stepped in first. It was not hard for her to walk inside the cave, but Logan had to bend a little. Laura was carrying a small light that used fat as fuel. She has brought this lamp for dark places like this.

Inside the cave was dark and a little humid. It was weird for Laura that even she could feel the moist air. So she concluded that there should be a water source up ahead, it could not be the effect of the river, as Logan was putting it.

As they were walking, the tunnel was getting wider and taller, not long after they entered the tunnel, Logan could stand tall and walk normally again. They could no longer see the entrance of the cave nor see any light from it and there was nothing in front of them either. They just had their light as the only source of light in the cave.

The tunnel was not in a straight line, it was as complex as the labyrinth outside, but luckily it was just a one-way tunnel and all the intersections were blocked a little farther through them. As they proceeded forward, the tunnel was getting bigger and more straight.

They walked and walked, it seemed like the tunnel would never end. Suddenly Laura stopped to examine something on a corner of the cave. She gave the light to Logan and kneeled on the ground by the tunnel’s wall. There was a new kind of plant, a kind that they have never seen likes it before. It was a kind of mushroom. The first mushroom they have ever seen in their lives.

Laura cut a little bit of this new dark and weird shaped plant and tasted it. It had no thorn to injure her hand and was very soft. And the taste, it was delicious even without any other edible thing to accompany it. She gave a bite to Logan and he liked it a lot too.

Laura gathered all the mushrooms she could find on the way. She was looking at all the corners in the tunnel and would pick up as much mushroom as she could find.

After a long walk and mushroom picking inside the tunnel, they got tired and decided to rest for a bit. Laura laid down on the ground in the middle of the tunnel for a bit. Logan could not do that, he would be annoyed by the water, he just sat down on a corner to rest on the side of the river.

They had no idea of the time now. There was no sky visible to them to measure their time. It could be night time, or just minutes after entering the tunnel. Their tiredness was a sign that let them know it has been a long time since they entered the tunnel.

While resting Laura realized how dead silence the tunnel is. Logan could hear the water streaming but for Laura it was different. Now that they did not make any sound themselves, she felt haunted by the heavy silence that had filled the tunnel. It felt like doom to Laura and she didn’t take it as a good sign.

After some rest, Logan started to prepare something to eat, and Laura mixed some of the mushrooms she had found with parts of wolf’s fresh meat and some dried plants from before. It was one of the most delicious meals they have ever had.

Now it was time to check their wounds, Logan's hand was almost healed and though his shoulder didn't look so good, he didn’t feel much pain in it. Laura had lots of small scratches, but the main problem was her arm. The wolf’s teeth mark was still clearly visible. Logan tore a piece of his shirt and bandaged her arm.

They started walking in the cave after some time. Farther in the way, the cave got bigger, it was no longer just a narrow tunnel, now it was a big cave with water streaming in the middle. Laura could not see the water yet, although she felt that the air was more humid than before. They reached a place where Logan stopped and just looked at his feet for a moment. “What happened?” asked Laura, “Water is streaming out of the ground from here” answered Logan looking at his feet. They looked at each other and finally, Laura said, “So this is the source?” she was looking at the ground beneath Logan’s feet. Logan did not say anything and Laura asked again “Now what?” Logan looked at her again and said, “I don’t think this is the source, maybe we should go deeper into the cave” “Maybe we should sleep here for a while,” said Laura, “I think it is night time outside the cave and time to sleep,” “Yes,” answered Logan, “I’m pretty tired too, let’s sleep here.”

They put their bags in a corner and laid down beside the bags. Logan wanted to blow the light off but Laura stopped him, “No,” said Laura, “I don’t feel very good about this place, let’s let the light on,” “But we will be asleep,” said Logan, “And our fuel will be consumed,” Laura hesitated for a moment and picked up a candle from her bag, “Let me light this candle then,” said Laura while lighting the candle using their light, and then she blew it off.

After some hours Logan woke up to the open eyes of Laura looking at him, her eyes looked magical under the dim light of the almost finished candle. “How long have you been awake?” asked Logan, “Not long,” answered Laura, “I just woke up, but the question is what time is it now?” Logan looked around, “By the size of your candle,” said Logan and continued, “I’d say we have been asleep for half a day, but I have no idea when was it that we went to sleep,” “I wonder,” said Laura, “What we’ll see when we reach the end of the tunnel,” and after a long pause continued, “If there’s any end to this doomed darkness that we are walking in,” Logan did not say anything back to her.

They got up and ate something for breakfast and then prepared to continue their journey, “So,” said Laura, “Now we have to continue this path without a river in it,” “No difference for you,” said Logan, “But I think it’s natural, look at the ground here, it’s not the same soil as we have always seen, it’s like sand and it’s moist, water could run under it, I’m sure that up ahead there will be hard solid on the ground and water will stream on top again,” “And yet,” said Laura, “It will not make any difference for me,”

They started walking in the path, it did not take long until they reached a big natural dome inside the cave, there was a big water reservoir at the bottom just like the one they had in their village. Laura could see it too and she finally felt relieved, now she knew the humidity in the tunnel should have been caused by this big water reservoir, she was not going crazy.

With the humidity it made inside the cave, it was obvious that this water source was much bigger than theirs back at the village. And since there was no sign of any creatures walking inside the cave, they figured it has been preserved for years.

They wondered if there are any mermaids living here too. They sat by the side of the underground lake and Laura filled their water flasks. Logan was trying to see through the water if there’s anything in it or not. There was nothing that the eye could see.

When they stopped by the water and looked at its vastness, Logan could feel the deadly silence too. The water was so still and yet so fresh. Their little lamp couldn’t light up the whole cave, but as much as it was visible, there was water.

“Maybe,” said Logan, “Oceans were something like this,” “Maybe,” answered Laura in awe. They both have been hypnotized by the atmosphere of the cave.

Suddenly Logan started throwing some little rocks into the underground lake. “What are you doing?” asked Laura with a little shock in her voice, “I want to see if there’s anything in the water” answered Logan “Like a mermaid?” asked Laura, “Yes,” answered Logan as he was throwing a rock with all his energy, “What if there is a monster living in there?” asked Laura and Logan hesitated before throwing his last rock, but he did it anyway and said, “Even if there was one I think I made it awake now.”

Laura gave him a crooked smile but deep down she was afraid of what creatures might be here with them, not just in the water, but outside too. Since there is a big source of water here, it is very probable that some creatures live in the cave or at least visit here to get water.

The sound of rocks thrown in the water made a big echo that reverbed through the big cave for a long time after Logan threw the last one. When the sound finally stopped the doomed silence began again, it felt like something was going to happen soon.

Their heart rate increased and Laura started to sweat on her forehead. They stood there for a while in horror but after a while that nothing happened, they started to feel better, Logan said in a whisper, “I think it’s better to continue moving, there’s a way around the water and I think the cave continues that way, maybe we get out of it soon,” Laura whispered back “I’m afraid, maybe we should go back now,” Logan looked at her and smiled and said “I have a feeling that the way in front of us is much shorter than the one behind us,” “Have you considered,” said Laura, “That this vast body of underwater could be the source of the river you have been seeking?” Logan looked at the water and did not say anything, “No,” said Logan finally, “I will know the source when I see it.”

Laura shook her shoulders and started walking toward the direction Logan has shown earlier, Logan started walking in front, he felt that it was better to walk in front to make a kind of shield for Laura, it made him feel useful and affectionate towards her.

They passed the water reservoir after a long walk and continued walking in the cave, the cave was bigger than before, the ground was suspiciously flat like someone made it this way, it didn’t seem natural. A little up on the way Logan found the river again. There was a point where the river was absorbing to the sand on the ground and before that, there was water running on the surface again.

“Here,” said Logan pointing at the ground while there was a joy in his voice, “As I predicted, here the river goes under the ground,” “So,” said Laura, “You can see the river again?” “Yes, it’s streaming here and continues that way,” said Logan while pointing to the way with his hand.

They continued walking in silence when suddenly Laura stood still and also stopped Logan by taking his arm. Laura looked at him and said “I think I heard footsteps,” then she listened carefully, nothing could be heard, they started walking slowly and tried not to make any footstep sounds, Laura stopped again and listened carefully, there was nothing again, Laura whispered “I think something starts to walk and then stops just as we do, I can hear three footsteps, even more, but when we stop, there’s nothing,” Laura was afraid again, Logan couldn’t hear anything, but he could feel something is wrong, Laura felt that someone or something is watching them.

They started walking so slowly again, Logan was checking all the directions, but could not see anything, until suddenly he heard a very familiar voice. It was a roar, a very quiet but deep and powerful one, and it was the same sound as he heard in the mermaid's cave before.