The Chest of the Lost

Chapter 4: The Cave

We walked for awhile before we came to a big rock wall at the other end of the forest. I looked up and shielded my eyes from the blinding sun, my eyes searching for the top of what looked like an endless cliff. I finally saw that it extended upwards for about 200 feet and I desperately hoped that we weren't about to climb it.

I looked over at Griffin. "This is great," I told him, my voice filled with sarcasm. "But I'm pretty sure this won't protect us from, well, anything."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously? I'm not that dumb. Follow me."

"Ugh." I threw my head back and reluctantly followed. He walked slowly along the wall, his hand dragging on the hard rock surface, as if he were feeling for something. Then he stopped.

"Ah, here it is," he said, staring at a long crack that extended up to the top of the rock wall. "Um, but I need you to...go get a long stick."

"A long stick?" I repeated, my words drowning in sarcasm.

"Yes." He kept his eyes on the wall, examining the break.

"Why?"

"Just because," he answered. "Now go." He gestured back to the forest and I sighed, turning away from the wall. I examined the ground and trunks of trees for loose branches as I walked back in the direction in which we had come. After about five minutes, I finally found a low hanging branch and tore it off the tree where it hung, dragging it back to the wall. But by the time I got there, the break in the wall was now a lot bigger and Griffin was nowhere in sight. I set the branch down and glanced around.

"Griffin?" I called. I jumped back in surprise as he emerged from the crack.

"Come on in." He grinned, then disappeared back inside. Reluctantly, I ducked inside after him.

I had expected the crack to get maybe a little wider, but not much. To my surprise, the break in the wall grew into a large cave, probably about 20 by 20 feet. Griffin was sitting on the ground and had already started building a fire out of branches and twigs he had gotten from outside.

"So, what was the point of me getting a long stick? And how did this suddenly turn into a cave? The entrance was definitely not this big before." I examined the now large crack- it looked as though it had been weathered away.

"Oh, I found a big stick near me and scratched away at the rock till it was big enough to fit through."

"And this cave? This definitely wasn't here before."

He looked up at me. "What's with all your doubt in me? You think everything I say is a lie."

"No I don't, this story is just a little unbelievable," I responded.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Fine, whatever you want to say to make your boat float," he replied annoyed and turned back to the fire.

"Um, for your information, my boat is already floating," I said, as I went over next to him. He rolled his eyes and tried to hide a smile, to no avail. I looked down at the bright orange flames that began rising from the burning wood. Over the fire lay a long, thin stick hanging horizontally, propped on top of two 'Y' shaped sticks. Something large and oddly shaped was wedged onto the horizontal stick.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Food," he replied. "You hungry?" My stomach growled in reply and I noticed for the first time since I had left home that I was hungry.

"Starving," I said as I sat down across from him, in front of the fire.

* * *

After we ate- I think it was a cooked rabbit- Griffin stood up.