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(Drawing was made by my AMAZING friend Gabi <3)
[This story was the final assignment in a recent seminar I took in college, where we made ourselves into a superhero, and explained our origins; I have not decided on if I want to expand this story any further, but enjoy anyway!]
I can still remember the first time papu brought me there.
I couldn't have been more than eight years old, old enough to think of myself as a "big kid," but still young enough that, when we arrived at the mouth of the cave I positioned myself behind papu, using him as a shield should anything happen to jump out of the shadows. The corridor was pitch black, I could only see the illuminated ground touched by the heavy flashlight in his hands and the small puffs of breath slipping out of my mouth. Everything else was bathed in shadowy ink, and the sounds of falling water echoed like thunder in the small space. Time, like the air, felt like it was frozen, and it was ages before we arrived at the carved wooden door, tucked away in an outcropping of stone. I remember papu giving me a warm smile before turning to face the large door.
Holding up both of his hands, he placed them on the worn carvings, and in a clear, steady voice, spoke one word, "Anoigó."
At the sound of his deep voice the door unbolted itself and slowly swung open. Turning back to me, papu gestured for me to follow him into the dark void behind the door. Looking back, I knew that I should have been afraid, but the brightness in his blue eyes seemed to reassure me, and against my better judgement, my younger self followed him into the dark. I wasn't long before my eyes adjusted to the shadows and I was able to see the faint lights coming from torches attached to the stone walls. A group of five people in evergreen robes stood on a raised platform in the center of the room. As we walked closer to them, I could see that they were older, a little more than papu was, and that two out of the five were men and the other three were women. When we came to the platform, one of the women stepped off to meet us. She was tall and slender, and although wrinkles sneaked at the edges of her face, her hazel eyes contained a youthful gleam. Her silvering hair was piled in an intricate bun on top of her head, and she greeted us with a small smile.
"Lena." Papu smiled back and kissed her on both of her cheeks. "It is good to see you."
The woman, Lena nodded. "Same to you Aristo, it has been too long."
Her hazel eyes drifted to meet my gray ones as I peeked out from behind papu's back. "And who is this little one?"
Papu placed his warm hand on my shoulder, and guided me around to the front of him. "This is Megara, my granddaughter."
Lena placed her hand on my head, and smoothed back my hair. "Lovely to meet you Megara."
Turning back to papu, her face melted into a serious expression. "While it is good to see you after all these years, why have you called us together? You know that it is still dangerous for us to meet. He might be watching."
