Beyond The Bridge [ONC 2023] // Longlisted

Chapter Six

We plunge into darkness. At least in the woods there was enough light to guide us through the trees. The cave is shrouded in black. Large rock walls loom overhead with water slowly dripping from the ceiling onto the stones below. I listen to the dripping and the slight trickle of water from the stream. Water seeps into my hoes and it splashes up our legs with every slight movement. If Levi wants a dry place to sit and eat, he'll have a hard time finding one.

Levi's hand finds mine, squeezing it lightly as we stand in the only light the cave seems fit to offer us. He looks at me, awe and amazement on his face. Neither of us dreamed that the woods held such a secret; a cave to the unknown at the end of an ordinary stream. Cold water drips onto my shoulder and I shiver as it seeps through the fabric of my dress.

"We should go," I say. "We're not going to find a dry place to sit unless we venture further in and it's pitch-black in here."

"Once again, my ingenuity proves I am, in fact, a genius."

I stare at him. "What do you mean?"

"I planned for all eventualities. There's a candle and some matches at the very bottom of my satchel."

"No. I followed you this far, but I am not stepping any further into this care. We know where the stream ends. Let's just go back outside and have a picnic on the grass."

"The stream continues into the cave. This isn't where it stops. If you want to go back, then go. I came here to see where the stream goes and I intended to do just that."

His tone suggests he has made up his mind and nothing I say or do is going to change it. He drops my hand and opens his satchel once more and begins searching for the candle and matches that he buried under the food. I watch him, wondering why he is so determined to find out what sat at the end of the stream. He took it far too seriously.

This trip was supposed to be fun, a journey into the unknown to see what secrets the stream might hold. Levi's determination takes all the fun away from it and twists it into something potentially dangerous. No one knows where we are, so we'll be on our own if we find ourselves in danger. His recklessness could kill him.

After about a minute of searching, Levi pulls out a candle, a metal holder, and a small box of matches. He swings his satchel back onto his shoulder and places the candle in the holder. I can't help but wonder why he would bring the candle along when we both thought the trip to be a simple one. Why had he thought we would still be out in the dark?

"Are you coming or not?" Levi asks as he lights the candle, shaking the match to extinguish it.

"Do you have a death wish or something?"

"Where is your sense of adventure, Grace? Not everything is out to kill us." He shakes his head. "Stop worrying and come with me, or you can go back and walk through the woods on your own."

"And if something happens? What if we get trapped? There's no one to find us!"

"Nothing will happen. I have already given you my word that I will look out for you, and I mean it. If it gets too dangerous, we'll turn around."

He looks at me and I know he intends to stay true to his word. Still, there are too many things that could go wrong, too many unknowns. We could get lost and never find our way out. One of us could get injured, or both. Levi has had some ridiculous ideas, such as the time when he thought he could slide down the bannister and ended up with a small scar on his forehead, but this is a new level of insanity.

Despite my reservations, I also don't want to walk through the woods on my own. Levi's proposition has me trapped, and I cannot see another way out of it unless I go with him. Perhaps it won't be so bad. I hope it isn't.

"Alright, fine." I sigh. "Only because you shouldn't go down there alone, and I don't think we should split up."

Levi grins. "I didn't know you cared about me, Grace."

"Don't get used to it."

"Let's see what this cave has to offer us."

He holds his hand out to me, either to make sure I didn't try to leave or so that we might help each other over the damp, rocky terrain. With the candle offering us a small glow of light, we step further into the darkness of the cave.

The ground remains slick from the dripping water and we both struggle to stay upright, Levi more than me. Even with the candle, the darkness remains impenetrable. I can barely see my hand in front of my face and I know that Levi is having the same trouble. I listen to the sound of the stream beside us, allowing the gentle sounds to calm my rising nerves. Levi's grip on my hand tightens a little.

In the silence, I can almost hear his heart beating in his chest and my own heart drums against my ribcage. A shiver goes down my spine as the temperature drops and water continues to drip from above.

"Perhaps we should turn back," Levi's voice cuts through the silence and echoes off the walls that have us trapped.

"I agree. I cannot see a thing and it is getting colder."

"Very well. This is where our adventure ends."

In the glow of the candle, I can see the disappointment on his face at not reaching the very end of the stream. Despite his obvious determination, even he can see that this trip must end. The candle offers us no light and we cannot see the dangers ahead of us. Even the ground becomes harder to navigate. It's not as if the trip is a total loss. We still uncovered the cave.

We turn and attempt to meander our back over the slippery rocks. Levi keeps hold of my hand, helping me across the more tricky terrain. He takes a different route back, stepping on small patches of mud that lie just off to the side of the rocks. I follow, stepping where he steps and keeping as close to him as possible. The entrance to the cave glows in front of us.

Levi reaches a foot out, placing it on a patch of mud. He moves his other leg, certain that the ground underneath his feet is secure. I follow him and step onto the same patch of mud, but the moment my body weight is on it, the ground shifts beneath us.

Before we can move, the ground opens up and swallows us whole.

~~~

The Mechanical Muse by FranklinBarnes

 Lara Croft, archaeologist and brazen tomb-raider, unearths her latest, greatest discovery: a golden apple capable of giving its bearer anything they desire. Except that everyone else seeks the apple's power, from corrupt tech companies to supernatural beings. To complicate things, the golden apple has inexplicably transported a furious Diana, queen of the Amazons, from the Olympian Realm into Lara's world. And she is beautiful when furious.

First Published - March 9th, 2023