Wordle Fiction...Cave

Wordle  from Sunday Whirl

I tracked through woods hill and dale
What I would find I could not tell
Science held a fascination to me
I explored until I fell

Cracks and crevice unseen by me
Seemed to evoke a lost memory
Saintly angels appeared on cue
Watching my attempts to wrestle free

I was stuck. What should I do?
No one knew where I had gotten to
I acted as if this was on purpose
And studied the sky of blue

I was a little nervous
pebbles covered the entire surface
I climbed feeling lucky and worthless
The empty cave held no serpents

Although this wasn't fair
my ignorance had landed me there
the empty cave pulled my hair
As I climbed toward the fresh air

Although I used Sunday Whirl's words this was another attempt at Frost's form. I added an extra verse.  One of these days I might conquer this form.  Where ever you are I hope you're warm.

Six Sentence Story for Two Shoes

She told no one she was walking the same path she had traveled with her father while he talked of cave safety and the history of it.  Today she walked alone returning to the massive flat mouthed cave that used to shelter Native Americans.

Reaching the entrance she remembered to look at the ceiling to see if there were fresh rock falls and used her light sparingly even though she had another.  During her previous visit she had spotted the entrance of another room but her father pointed out some fallen rock and said it was not safe to go further.

Reaching the opening in the back she crawled deeper as her flashlight illuminated drawings on the wall possibly not seen for hundreds or thousands of years.  Admiring the art and traveling farther than she had gone before the cave rumbled dropping rocks behind her and she knew she was never going home.

For Two Shoes in Texas Six Sentence Stories...Home.  Thanks for the challenge.

The Cave

The cave lay close to the top of a dry creek that cut through the mountain side.    The solid rock bed held perfect circles where grind stones had been cut and removed long ago.  Traveling for at least a quarter mile up to the left the cave became visible.

No one knows how long this cave has existed nor how long it has been used.  No one tried to guess. It has been known longer than my father's grandfather knew.

It was an outing for the family to screen for artifacts along the strong creek bank, picnic in the grass, explore the cave shelter and even swim.

On a school day when I was not allowed to go Dad and Uncle Bill decided to explore.  In the cave they moved a large flat rock thinking maybe it had fallen from the ceiling.  They soon discovered it was a carefully placed stone covering a lone burial spot where a man sat upright with arms around knees that hugged his chest. They carefully respectfully replaced the stone, notified an archaeological department within a college and guided the archaeologist to the site.

Dad's only request was a report of what they discovered.  He only wanted the knowledge of the time, the tribe, the man.

No word ever came.  We never visited the cave again since it seemed disrespectful to do so.  The days along the creek ended and our knowledge of what lay above the beauty gave us pause to visit.

I shall not name the cave, nor the creek, nor the road.  The land has been purchased by a company that gobbles land like cookies, crumples the empty bag of what once was and abandons it with no regard for what they have destroyed for gain.

I may be the last to know where the rocks turn toward the cave, the last to know what once was.  I will not tell.   May the memory be buried with time since the place may already be covered with sand.  To the one we disturbed, forgive us.  To the one who removed him, may the kept knowledge rot your brain.  To the ones who raped the land, may you know the feeling of being stripped and exposed to the world.

When we are gone and the land has healed may someone discover my secret and honor the past as we have done.  May you listen with an open heart and discover the story the lone member of some forgotten tribe tried to tell us.

The Legend And The Sink Hole..Continues

I sent the boys, the terriers, in to check out the hole, as I lay in the opening shining the light.  No one knew I was  here or what my mysterious project was.  They would just ask, where ya goin' and I would answer, diggin'. Since the whole family was explorers, that was the only answer needed, they knew I would tell...when I was ready.

The boys snuffled and checked each nook and cranny, they even did some digging in soil that had washed through during the last rain.  They looked at me as if to say, so where's the varmints, Mom.  Knowing it was safe and not a hidden snake den, I pushed the light ahead of me.  A spare was in my canvas shoulder pack I always carried, along with a camera, a folded GI shovel, my water and twenty feet of good rope.

For just a minute, I considered going to the house and telling them where I was but I didn't.  I had left a jacket at the edge of the dig and knew if something happened, they could find me.

I was excited, not thinking of treasure, but only of the limestone cave.  I had sworn for years there was a cave on this place and, by golly, I had finally found it. 

It was a tight squeeze for me to enter but after that it opened up, oh, not enough to stand in but enough that I didn't feel the earth was smothering me...I really don't like close places but this was too good to pass up!!!  The area was small but I tasted the triumph that past cave explorers had experienced. 

I reached for my camera and began to take photos, fanning out from my point of entry.  The flash revealed more than my flashlight had and it was unbelievable.  Stalactites and stalagmites of  magnificent beauty showed in the camera's light. 

I moved forward slowly, being able to crawl onto my knees now, I knew the cavern size was increasing.  The boys were up ahead, I could hear them snuffling and knew there was no danger.

The walls of the cave reflected light like cut diamonds, smooth, slick with moisture and still growing.  Man, oh, man, was this ever good!!!

I had no idea how far I had crawled but the ceiling had risen above me.  I looked back to see my entrance and it was only a pin prick of daylight, just a dot in the distance.  I was so involved in my exploration, the measurment of both time and distance eluded me.

I heard water running.  Since the whole valley is spring fed, it did not surprise me.   I was still headed East, there had been no major turns, forks or drops big enough to mention.  I was in my element!  I kept looking for signs of human visits but saw none.

I could not believe my luck, this cave had been under the farm all this time.  Then I began thinking, how big is it?? 

The sound of water was louder.  I was still taking pictures with each step...I was on an explorer's high and I think, maybe about this time, my good sense left me..