In Charlotte's Eyes

The First Road Bump

Parker and Charlotte were alone today. Even though they didn't work at the same job, it wasn't going to stop them from hanging out together! Charlotte took the day off to spend time with him. They planned on going spelunking again, as it became their shared hobby, but instead of aimlessly wandering and exploring like they usually did, they were going to a cave that was renowned for a special area that tourists often visited. It was dubbed "The Echo Room." It was a staggeringly big room, and the pair hoped to find something in there that they could bring home together. Furthermore, the pair would check out another big area: "The Bridge Room." There, they would share a snack and a picture together. Assuming everything went to plan, of course.

It was still pretty early in the morning, the sun beginning to make its way overhead. The air was cool and clear, morning dew soaking into their boots. The pair of spelunkers didn't say that much to each other on the way to the cave entrance. Mostly small talk about what they could find inside the cave. Once they made their way to the entrance, Parker and Charlotte made sure they had everything ready.

"Yup.." Parker muttered to himself, zipping up his backpack. "Got everything I need. You ready, Charlotte?" He asked, looking over at her.

"Yes, sir." Charlotte smiled confidently, clenching her fist in front of her face. "Let's conquer this cave."

Parker adjusted the helmet on his head. He chuckled. "Yes, let's." He followed her inside the cave. Light began waning as they began getting deeper. Parker turned on his headlight. Charlotte pulled out a flashlight. This made him raise a brow. "Charlotte?" He started, catching her attention.

She didn't miss a beat, still keeping up the same pace. "Yeah? What's up?" She asked positively.

"..Why did you bring a flashlight?" He asked. "Wouldn't you rather use a headlight? Keep your hand free?"

Charlotte slowed a little. "Well.." She awkwardly started, pondering how to continue.

"Wait." Parker noticed that she wasn't even wearing a helmet at all! "You forgot your helmet?!" He exclaimed, stopping in his tracks.

She noticed him stop, and turned on her heels to face him. "No, I didn't forget." She stated. "I didn't bring it. On purpose."

"Charlotte, are you crazy?" He half-shouted.

"What? It's not that big of a deal." She crossed her arms.

"Charlotte, we have to crawl through a long and thin passage." He pointed out. "What if you accidentally hurt yourself?"

"I'll be fine." Charlotte nonchalantly waved her free hand towards him. "I can take care of myself."

There was a pause, an awkward pause. Parker stifled a scoff. "Charlotte, I care about your safety. It just doesn't make sense to not wear a helmet! It doubles as a flashlight, anyway. What are you gonna do if you need to climb something in the dark?"

"I'll manage." Charlotte annoyedly responded. "Don't worry about it. You sound like my dad." She muttered, turning away from him. "Come on, let's just hurry up and get to the stupid room."

Parker followed her, still disgruntled. "Charlotte," He paused. "You need to wear a helmet." He repeated. "It's especially important for a more fragile object like you."

For whatever reason, that point pushed a button inside of her. She turned, stopping him in his tracks. "F-Fragile?" She argued, putting a finger on his chest. He put his hands up defensively. "Who do you think I am?"

"W-" He was taken aback. "I didn't mean anything by that! It's just true! You're a fragile object!" He put his hands on himself. "I am too! We can't be reckless!"

"I don't care, Parker! You are being so annoying right now, you prick!" She stomped, turning around again. She continued walking, Parker following awkwardly. "I know I can keep myself safe. So stop pushing me, asshole."

Parker grunted. Was there any use in arguing? He didn't want to lose his only spelunking buddy over something like this. "Charlotte- Nnh.."

"I don't care." She coldly responded. "Forget about it. If you worry about my safety so much, then just watch my back." Things went quiet, except for the dripping of water and crunching of pebbles under their boots. They eventually got to the entrance of the long passage leading to The Echo Room. Charlotte got onto her knees, looking back at Parker. Her expression was stern, but had traces of guilt on it. “Come on.” Her voice took a softer, awkward tone. “Let’s go.” She began crawling ahead. Parker did the same quietly.

The crawl was similarly quiet. They both grunted, moving past the thin rock formations. During the way, Charlotte commented on a centipede. It sat still and watched the duo crawl past it. Parker didn’t stare too long, more focused on the path ahead. A few times, Charlotte dropped her flashlight. She usually was able to retrieve it without slowing down much, although one time Parker had to grab it for her, as it rolled behind her, out of reach. She thanked him for that.

They finally made their way to The Echo Room. Charlotte was able to crawl out into the large, open space first, before kneeling down to the entrance to help pull Parker inside too. They both smiled lightly, taking in the space. This area was lit up with a few lights, so Charlotte stashed her flashlight in her backpack, and Parker turned off his headlight. “This is sick.” Charlotte commented, in awe.

“It is.” Parker agreed. “Look at those gigantic stalactites.” He pointed up at the ceiling.

“They’re huge.” She smirked. “Hold on, let me test something.” She quietly said, before shouting, “HELLO!” Her voice began reverberating off the walls, echoing many times. She chuckled. “It lives up to its name.” She looked at him.

He chuckled the same. This was good to keep their minds off their earlier argument. “It does. Now, let’s find something. I bet this place has treasure just waiting to be found.”

“I bet I can find something valuable before you can.” She bet.

He laughed mischievously, taking on the challenge. “You’re on.”

…