The Magic Underground

[Blop]

A blow struck Lucas in the side and he laughed it off. Naxis was so tense; Lucas felt it was his responsibility to loosen her up. The light problem posed a bit of a conundrum. Lucas was a bit stumped by that. “Well,” he started. He knew Naxis was already on edge about this whole operation, he couldn’t afford anymore whimsical leaps of faith. A dry tree on the mountainside posed a possible solution. “There,” Lucas pointed. “We could light a thick limb of that on fire and carry it like a torch. The branches will light easy, but the thicker trunk part will take a while to burn.” It was a probable solution, and Lucas was pretty proud of his quick wit. Another pause for a what do you think moment. “I’ll get it,” he said as he went to do such that. Gripping at the base of the branch and bouncing his weight on its weakened end produced some splintering. It finally gave way to the violence and was happy to settle for being a torch. Lucas presented it to Naxis, “here, light this.” It was perfect torch length. The end branches were a bit sticky, but they held dry leaves that were begging for fire. Lucas shaved off the dry branches from the whole limb and put them into a pile. He laid an end of the limb into the pile of sticks so that Naxis could light it. It would take a minute for the fire to run out of fuel from the sticks and wish to sit on the limb, but they would have a torch afterwards.

[deadlyfairy13]

It seemed this boy was starting to scare her. When he showed her the branch she knodded and watched as he broke it. He had a good idea it seemed so she pulled out her lighter from her bag and started it up as he said. At least they would be able to see in the cave. She held the lighter there for a moment till the branch lit then placed her lighter in her pocket.

"Ok lets go now," she reached out and pressed her hands against his back with a light push. It they got caught now Naxis would feel like a idiot. They had yet to even get into the cave. Getting caught now would make them look like weenies. Naxis held tight her bag before taking a gulp. This was it. Her eyes scanned the entrance. Might as well walk in now or never.

[Blop]

Lucas received a good luck push for encouragement as he went into the cave. The torch light from his hand lit up rocky walls and rough dirt path leading inward. The farther in they went, the rockier the terrain became. 100 yards in and there wasn’t much of a path anymore, but just all types of uneven rocks in the tunnel. The cave began to squeeze in, and open out. It twisted a bit, turned some, went up and down, and the entrance was squeaking away. Lucas looked back and there was no more light behind them. He gave a haunting chuckle, “we’re in it now Nax,” and Lucas continued on with adventurous vigor.

A hop, skip, and a jump later through the cave, Lucas and Naxis came to a natural opening. It was a pretty roomy space, not huge, but big. The path before them sank down, and the torch light bounced off the walls to reveal a couple different holes of path options. An echoing drip rang through the cave. Lucas looked down to see the culprit of the noise was a pool of water in the reservoir of this room. The water was black, and still. “That’s cool.” Lucas said while shining the torch about. There was a narrow edge they may have been able to sidle along to get to the first hole in the wall. Lucas started his balance act along the wall. At its midpoint the dirt broke away, Lucas slipped one leg down as rock and dirt tumbled into the water below. Lucas flailed about to catch himself, and in the hustle of the moment, the torch fell from his hand. It hissed angrily at Lucas as it splashed into the water and extinguished.

“Uh-Oh,” was all Lucas could really say at this point. There was complete darkness around them, and as the water calmed, there was total silence as well. It was a haunting serenity. Lucas looked to Nax, whom of course, couldn’t be seen, but Lucas could imagine her face. In this incredible darkness, Lucas’s imagination built a dim world for him. He could see Naxis figure slowly come into view, then the dark shape grew definable limbs, and a background behind it. In fact, Lucas started to slowly get a good look at Naxis; he started to see her familiar face. There’s no way he was just adjusting to the darkness, there was a faint glow in the room, and it was becoming more intense. Lucas looked about the now illuminated room. In the rock around them were small, turquoise crystals glowing dim light. The cavern was being lit by their faint glow. Lucas smiled to Naxis, got up, and invited her to come out on the ledge. Such luck, Lucas felt invincible.

[deadlyfairy13]

This cave was starting to get creepy for Naxis. Seeing as how it was very good at being full of rocks so that they could trip over and fall. It was a good thing that they had the torch or Naxis would be making Lucas carry her the whole way. It was menacing though, she wondered how long all of this would take. How many miles long was this cave anyways? It twisted and turned like a rollercoaster would and all the while Naxis kept her eyes peeled out for bats and other creatures that called such a place home. If she would spot one she would surely try to catch it or run depending on if the creature was a bug. Then, she would make Lucas kill it before she took another step into this hazerdous tunnel.

Once they got to an opening Naxis began to feel uneasy. They had more then one option for their adventure yet it seemed that they were going to have a hard time at this point. Plus, there was water bellow and now it seemd that they were going to have to try something new. "If we were watching this a s a movie yes but not now," she breathed when Lucas admired the cave. Was walking into the cave the easiest part? It seemed so when Lucas started to try his acrobatics and balance himself at a point. Naxis waited as Lucas did his best to slip his way against the wall for support. This was going to be a dilema for Naxis and her clumsy feet. Would she die after her first or second step? She kept her eyes on the boy as her heart began to race. Please let this knumb skull make it.

When he slipped Naxis almost jumped out of her skin with fear. "Lucas!!" she called with shock. She badly wanted to help but she was powerless. Seeing the torch fall from his grasp was not helping at all. If he fell she would only be able to hear his cry. Naxis quickly dug around her pocket for her lighter. Why didnt she bring a flashlight? Out of all the things they needed for this trip a flashlight would have beent the best. Even a rope would have done good on this trip. Ugh!!! Why did she have to be such a dunse? This was the time to pull out a flashlight and help Lucas find his way.

When Naxis was busy trying to make the lighter work she began to notice that she could see her fingers. A faided hint of them as they moved but it was not much so she kept trying to light the lighter and in her haste at it Naxis ignored the cave slowly lighting up. Once the lighter had sparked to life Naxis looked around for Lucas ready to show him but then she noticed that the room was already lit. It could not have had anything to do with the lighter since it was only three inches in height and the flame was so small. She scanned around and found the crystals as they iluminated the cave. So much for her miesilly lighter.

Naxis shoved the lighter in her pocket and noticed Lucas was beconing her to follow. She took a deep breathed and looked around. Oh crap, she was going to die. She slowly moved to the edge and grabbed hold of the wall while her eyes scanned about. Please let this not be their last adventure. Suddenly Naxis started to move her feet while she held dearly to the small crevacis of the wall for support.

[Blop]

Lucas was glad Naxis hadn’t chickened out right then and there; he had faith that she wouldn’t. Either way that was a close call. Lucas, now very carefully, sidled his way along the wall to a wider platform to support him. There was a hole in the wall there that the cave extended into, but it got pretty tight and Lucas didn’t think they would fit through there. There was another branch close by they could slip into, and it seemed it would be there best bet. Lucas stepped into the hole, he could fit by ducking his head. The faint glow of the crystals faded as the walls continued twisting and turning down that path. Looking to his friend for some input, Lucas asked Naxis, “Which way should we go? Here,” pointing down the path in front of him, “or that one!” He said with enthusiasm while pointing back across the water. There was another hole going into the wall but there was no path to get over to it. They would have to crawl on the wall using the sharp rocks as hand holds. The challenge excited Lucas, the hardest choice had to be the right choice.

[deadlyfairy13]

This was turning into the trip Naxis figured Lucas would take her on. More then one way to die and very little ways to stay alive. This boy needed a girlfriend. Seriously, this was going to be a trip that Naxis was not sure she would survive. She kept a slow pace as she carefully glided her feet across the rock. It was not easy at all trying to move without her weight affecting every step he took.

THis path was getting more crazy then expected. When soon a hole showed up Naxis moved in easily. Her height meant that she could slip her way in without having to adjust her body. More paths opened up before them which was starting to make Naxis a bit curious. Did they lead to different parts of the surface or did one lead back home? "Lets stick to the easier route," she breathed when given the option. "We could explore the other one another time,"

[Blop]

Another time? Lucas smiled when Naxis said that, it was a promise he would hold her too. He simply nodded his head and pressed on into the tunnel. There was left, then a right, twists and turns, and long narrow stretches. Some parts had a slight incline, while others had a definite hill to climb. It was certain that they were going upwards. The crystal glow showed the rocky belly of the tunnel start to soften into dirt. After a long stretch of tunnel, and lots of walking, the crystal glow started to fade away. They were getting closer to the surface. As the continuation of lights began to slow, Lucas began to slow too. There was something ahead though, in the darkness, a faint glow of orange light. It was very small at first, but it was different from the crystal glow. They had been going for a very long time, could this be the surface? Lucas pressed on, the ground became smoother, and the walls became wider. Like a bug being drawn in, Lucas lost all focus around him and moved toward the growing orange light. All around him was darkness and smooth walls. The ground was flat and level. Lucas reached a corner, a sharp defined corner in the wall. Turning into it, he found the source of the orange light. It was glowing bulb, attached to a wire that was strung along the smooth wall. Along the wire was another light, and another, and another. The cavern they were now in was a perfect square and it ran up with a slight curve left. They had found the mine shaft.

“Well, here we are.” Lucas said while looking about. “Up that way,” he pointed upward along the shaft, “is the surface.” The word held such magic and wonder; it was exciting just to say.

[deadlyfairy13]

Naxis followed Lucas as they kept going deeper. Many twisted turns along with stretchees they faced. Would they run into monsters that would want to eat them? They were pretty far in the cave so it was possible to meet such things. Creepy crawlies along the walls that had many legs and sharp teeth. The more Naxis thought about such things the more she got scared.

She quickly grasped Lucas's arm and stayed close while he led her. When they spotted the orange glow Naxis kept her eyes fixated on it. How far had they come? Was this the exit of this place? Would they see human streets soon? What were they like? How did they get around town? Questions kept arising the closer they got and when Lucas pointed out that they were nearing the surface a spring of shock seemed to fill her. "Alright," she choked and followed. She had mixed feelings on this idea but she had no choice but to keep walking straight.

[Blop]

Lucas hurried along the passage. It was dimly lit and empty. The rock was smooth and the pathway spiraled up and up. There weren’t any other openings, it just kept going up along in one even tunnel. The repetition made Lucas want the consistency to end, it hurried his footsteps and carried him along faster and faster so that he could see more and more of the same thing. The tunnel never changed, it kept going like they were running in a circle, and they were in fact running in a circle. If it weren’t for the slight incline they wouldn’t be going anywhere. “Come on Nax, hurry!” As if there was some reason to actually be in a hurry, Lucas was running now and was as tight with the wall as he could be, fueled by curiosity, excitement, and fear that there was no end.

There was an end. The air was becoming less musty, the smell of dirt was thinning and being replaced by a sweeter smell. It felt thinner and warmer, like they were breaking from a dirty cloud and into a clean bubble. Different colored light bled into the tunnel, starting at the far wall but growing along the tunnel as it curved more and more. The end, it could be the end! Lucas looked back to Naxis and grinned as he kept running forward. The round walls stopped curving, and behind a corner was a straight slope upward. Intense white light poured in from a large square whole up ahead. Lucas had to stop and squint to let his eyes adjust to the natural light outside the cave. This was it though, this was the surface. Lucas paused 50 feet away from the hole in front of him. It was big, it was scary, it was the unknown.

“Naxis,”Lucas uttered, slightly winded. His eyes were big and unwavering, staring at that hole ahead. Swallowing nervously, all the adventurous attitude, and haphazard undertaking him and Naxis had ever been through quelled in comparison to this moment before them. The surface was ahead.

[deadlyfairy13]

At a time or two this trip was getting tiring as they walked in what seemed to be circles. Naxis even debated if it was going to end. When Lucas started to speed up his pace she simply followed as fast as she could keeping her eyes on the tunnel. "Im coming," she called after him.

Lucas seemed a bit scared as he ran for a reason Naxis was not sure of. Once she caught whiff of the air becoming cleaner a small smile played at her lips. It was sweet for sure with mixes of many other alien things. She felt a tingle of hope and exitement with each step she took. Lucas was so fast in his quest to find the surface as he left Naxis behined but she did not slow down.

She kept moving and pushing herself in hopes of finding the surface finally. This trip was getting even more interesting. The sooner they got to the surface the sooner she would not have to worry about the tunnel caving in on them. The light was so bright as it shinned in her eyes making Naxis squint a bit. She started to slow down to catch her breathe. Yes, she did want to bask in what they called the sun but at the same time she was scared.

As she neared Lucas Naxis felt her nose suddenly start to tingle. Quickly she held her breath to force the sneeze to not happen but in the end she had no control over it. "Ok, I dont like the surface anymore," Naxis breathed after her loud sneeze. She looked up at Lucas as he seemed to be taking in the sight so well. Naxis picked up her feet and followed again. He would leave her in the dust if she did not move faster.