The Cave - Volume III

It was supposed to be a harmless adventure - a camping trip deep in the mountain forests outside town. My friend Jenny and I were bored teens looking to escape our dull hometown for a weekend. We should have turned back when we saw the narrow crack veiled by hanging vines. But never could we have imagined the sinister secrets it concealed.

The cave opening was so slim we had to slide through sideways, squeezing between the jagged rocks. But soon it opened into an expansive cavern unlike any formation we’d seen before. The walls and pillars were perfectly smooth, as if expertly carved by skilled hands.

Pressing deeper into the tunnel, we found the walls adorned with elaborate symbols and glyphs of an unknown language. Some sections were singed black, with piles of ash on the floor below. This ancient place whispered of ritual and mystery.

Turning a corner, we gasped as a massive chamber unfurled before us. Strange relics were carved into the dark stone - sinister idols, lunar discs, immense circular symbols. This was clearly a ceremonial temple of some kind, but built by whom and for what dark purpose?

Despite an uneasy feeling settling upon us, we were compelled to explore further. I noticed Jenny’s face turn ashen as she studied the central dais - a blackened stone altar that looked disconcertingly like it could bind something - or someone.

I turned to suggest leaving but froze at the sight of a shadowy figure creeping down the far wall. Jenny saw it too and stifled a scream. My chest tightened as I tried to make sense of the humanoid shape seemingly detaching itself from the very stone.

The dark being glided swiftly around the perimeter of the chamber, as if patrolling the sanctuary. Jenny and I crouched trembling behind pillars at opposite ends of the vast room, praying the shadow creature wouldn’t detect us.

After several agonizing minutes, it paused, scanning slowly around the chamber as if suddenly alerted to an intrusion. A faint unearthly moan emanated from where its mouth should be, and the temperature dropped sharply. Then it dissolved back into the wall and faded from view.

Jenny and I wasted no time fleeing for the entrance, nearly crawling over each other in desperation. Finally, we tumbled out of the narrow crack back into daylight, wheezing and sobbing with relief.

We swore to never speak of the terrifying temple or its phantom guardian we had witnessed. The locals clearly knew ancient evils dwelled in these hills. No search party came looking for us - they had the wisdom to stay far away from that cursed mountain and its secrets.

In the years since, I’ve learned sometimes forbidden boundaries exist for a reason. Ancient places hold primeval powers beyond our grasp. And just because you discover the door to darkness, you do not have to turn the key. You can walk away. But for some doors, once opened, the shadows will seep out and follow forevermore.

"The Cave" by Oscar Mendieta Bravo