and blew past us with a great force. We came out into a very large internal cavern. The path we were on moved along the edge of a wide shaft, downward in spirals until it met with water one hundred feet below. The water was lit from within. Iridescent fish shimmered inside. I could see down into the depths of the water. There was no bottom visible. The light from the fish was sufficient to see by. Ramonia put out the lantern.
“Ever hear of anything like this?” I asked in awe.
“No.” She said plainly, not stopping to take in the sight.
I couldn’t take my eyes off the water. I had to be careful not to step off of the thin ramp we were on. We continued down towards the water. Ramonia kept looking around, attempting to find a way out.
“There should be a way out.” She said quietly, her voice echoing around the large open space.
“It might be down in the water.” I suggested.
“That’s what I fear.”
We came to the bottom of the ramp. There was no place left to go except for back up or in the water. I could see something deep down that looked like the mouth of another tunnel.
“Do you see that down there?” I pointed to it.
“Where, oh, that might be it.”
“Do you know how to swim?” I asked hopefully.
“Of course I do.” She snapped.
“Alright, I never saw any water where you lived.”
She gave me a dirty look and I dropped the matter.
She placed the lantern on the edge and stepped into the water. The fish immediately swam out of view, darkening the cavern.
“What was that about?” She said, annoyed.
“I don’t know. Perhaps they saw you as a predator.”
“Well I wish they would come back and light the way. Do you remember where you saw it?”
“Yes, I think so.” I’ll swim down and see.”
She nodded. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I jumped into the water. It was cold. “You ready?”
“I am.”
I took a deep breath and dipped below the surface of the lake. I could no longer hear or see if she was behind me. I had to maintain my course and hoped she was following. I swam down towards where I thought I had seen the opening. For a while it was quiet and still. I swam through the water with no fear of drowning. My lungs filled and deflated just as they did when I was swimming towards the swamp. And then I heard something. It wasn’t a garbled sound I expected to hear underwater, but a faint and very clear sound. A rhythmic and continuous note came to my ears. I was swimming to the right side of the cavern and it was coming from the left, somewhere below me. I slowed my pace. Something hit my legs. It was Ramonia, surprised by my slow down. I could feel her hitting me to continue, but I didn’t want to. I wanted to know what was making that sound. It rose and fell as if singing. It called to me. I started towards it. Ramonia caught my leg and pulled me back on course. I nodded, though I knew she couldn’t see it, and tried my best to find that opening.
The sound grew louder, more urgent. I couldn’t help but look in the direction it came in. The longer I heard it the more I wanted to race over there as fast as I could and see what it was. Ramonia held onto my leg so I wouldn’t. I kept my head in that direction but felt around for the hole at the same time. Finally I found it. At that same moment the sound came louder than ever. I could no longer resist it. I kicked Ramonia away and swam to the source. My body wasn’t fast enough; I needed to get there faster than possible.
Two large lights appeared near the lake’s wall. I stopped swimming and simply floated, staring at them. It didn’t take long for me to see that they were not ordinary lights, but eyes. Beyond the brightness I could make out a bluish body. All my want to know the source of the sound vanished. I turned and swam quickly back to Ramonia, who I could see near the hole.
The monster released a new sound. This one was evil and warped. I fell for the trap and now it had me where it wanted me. I tried to push on, to get back to Ramonia before the worst could happen. My arms swung in wide circles and my feet kicked as fast and hard as possible but it wasn’t enough. The giant lake monster was on me instantly. I felt a push on my feet and then a sudden warmth as it opened its mouth. I was never going to get to the small tunnel. The light from the eyes lit the hole and I could see a path just small enough for me and Ramonia to slip through. Instead I was forced up and away from the only clear refuge. My eyes found the beast below me. It smacked its jaw closed with such vigor that Ramonia was driven into the tunnel. The monster looked up and the lights blinded me. I came to the surface with spots in my eyes. I climbed onto the ramp and started to run up the thin path we had just come down.
The monster shot thirty feet into the air. It was a giant fish with tiny fins all over it. Its head was as big as the whole rest of its body. It opened its mouth and emitted an earsplitting screech. I saw several rows of very sharp teeth.
I knew the window of opportunity was almost nonexistent but I took my chances and dove back into the water. I swam down towards the tunnel. The whole lake lit up and I knew the fish was coming back down. It hit the water and its weight sent me straight to the bottom faster than I ever could have managed. I readjusted myself and went for the opening. The light grew brighter and brighter. This was it. Who would win out? The water grew warm and I knew my time was up. I gave one final push and closed my eyes. The beast’s mouth clamped shut and I was propelled into the tunnel. It had just missed.
I ran into Ramonia and we wasted no time. The light remained to help us see where we were going. It went out for a moment and then came back on, the monster blinked. It watched us the whole way through.
In a minute we came out into another lake, this one much smaller. The glowing fish were swimming all around. I could see the surface and kicked for it. The fish suddenly disappeared again leaving us wanting for light. My head came out into the air and I paddled over to a small strip of land. I fell onto it and breathed a sigh of relief.
“We made it.” I moaned, so happy to feel safe ground.
Ramonia sat down beside me. “I’m not sure.”
“Not this again.” I complained. I was really tired of her pessimism now. “We survived that fish monster, you should be happy.”
“I would be,” she said slowly in the dark, “but how did it appear if there was no other visible way into that lake except for the tunnel that was much too small for it?”
I didn’t know and I didn’t care. “It was probably hiding somehow.”
“Or it can just appear places.”
This was getting ridiculous. I wanted to sit and feel relieved and she kept making me paranoid. “Or it knows this place better than we do and had a way to sneak in.”
“I’m still not sure.” She said.
My ears picked up the smallest of noises. I strained to listen. It was the continuous note I heard before.
“Do you hear that?” I asked, growing scared.
“I do.” She stood up and backed away from the edge.
I stood up as well.
Very slowly two large round lights emerged from the water. The noise grew to the warbled and evil tone of the monster as predator. Its body rose higher and higher into the air until it floated above the surface.
My feet stumbled backwards and I fell. I turned and crawled up to where Ramonia was against the wall. There was nowhere else to go. No tunnel to escape into this time.
The creature opened its mouth and I could smell the horrific stench that came along with it. Ramonia pointed up at something above our heads on the wall of the cavern. Thin roots hung down from a plant on a ledge a good distance above us. The roots ended five feet above my head. I knew what to do. I linked my fingers together and I launched Ramonia up to the roots. She grabbed on and began to climb. I jumped up and grabbed onto her legs. She seemed to be strong enough to climb even with me hanging on.
The
monster suddenly came straight at us, mouth open wide. I lifted up my feet and it crashed into the wall. The force caused Ramonia to let go of the roots. We tumbled down onto the creature’s back. I hung onto a spike protruding out of its head but she slipped right off onto the ground.
The thing twisted and shook its head trying to get me off. I held on as best I could. It grew tired of this and fell back into the water. Still I hung on. This cavern was much smaller and it couldn’t swim around as it could in the other. Instead it spun around very fast hoping I would fall off. I did not. When it was tired of that it went to the bottom of the lake. I thought it was going to wait until I drowned or got tired, but it had other ideas. It sprang up with a great swiftness and exploded out of the water. It flew up faster and farther than it did before. It went up so high I began to wonder if it was actually flying. It continued up and up until I could see the ceiling of the cavern coming up fast. I shut my eyes and heard the greatest of bangs. I could not help but look.
The monster had jumped straight through the ceiling and we were now outside. We were in the clouds. Rain hit me like little needles and the lightning flashed before my eyes, the thunder erupting around us. I felt my hands slipping, giving up to the storm. I could do nothing as I fell through the air except look at the giant fish monster that continued higher and higher. Soon it was enveloped by the clouds.
I turned to see the hole in the ceiling pass by
A Translation of Inspiration Page 8
