Five-Star Cottage

I lit my phone long before the light from the surface disappeared. We moved slowly, carefully with one hand on the rough crystalline wall of a narrowing passage. Maybe we’d reach a dead-end soon and have to turn back. This thought, and the warmth of Jarrad’s touch, offered comfort in this unnerving place.

Before long, the passage widened into a small cavern, the air damp again but colder than before.

We silenced our breathing. He panned his light around. I did the same, hoping to spot what he was looking for, but around us was only rock surfaces glossy with moisture. In the silence, I heard again a water drop echo in the distance.

“Case, turn off your torch.”

“Uh, nope.”

“Just for a second. I have a feeling.”

“Isn’t that why I shouldn’t turn it off? Can we just go back?”

“It’s not a bad feeling. Trust me.” He tucked his phone into his pocket. I went dark too but kept mine firmly in hand.

“All right, it’s been a second.”

“Just wait.”

I clutched the sleeves of my jacket, anticipating all manner of earthly—or unearthly—terrors advancing upon us in this gravely quiet place.

“Can you see it, Case?” he said, putting an arm around me.

“I don’t see anything.”

“Just give it a sec.”

As my eyes adjusted, I saw them; faintly at first, and I clung to Jarrad’s body out of instinct, out of fear. My feet were ready to run, but he held me steady. I sensed from his posture and thick heartbeat that he wasn’t scared at all. He was mesmerised.

Lining the cavern was a web of blue glowing veins that intensified as my eyes adjusted. The intricate network covered every surface down here, fanning out into smaller branches. When I realised they also spanned the ground beneath our feet, I leapt into Jarrad’s arms. The hard body of his camera pressed into my ribs.

“What the fuck is this?”

He just laughed. “It’s just a type of mould. Isn’t it incredible?”

“Is it…poisonous?”

“It’s not like we’re gonna eat it.” He set me down, steady until I found my footing. “Looks like the tunnel runs deeper. I wonder if it’s like this all the way down.”

“Jarrad…”

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you go. We still gotta check out that meadow at the bottom of the hill. But just think, all this was underneath us the whole time. We could have gone the whole weekend not knowing it was here. Heck, I bet the people living around here don’t even know this place exists.”

“Yeah.” I chuckled, nervously. “Great.”

He tried the camera but got nothing in the preview. “Damn, too dark. I guess we’ll just have to remember this.”

We sat on the floor. It was dry, to my surprise. Jarrad cuddled me, sharing his warmth and a chocolate-covered nut bar that had half-melted in his pocket. We chewed as quietly as we could so as not to disrupt the tranquillity of the cavern.

I had to admit, I did find it beautiful by the end. Together, we discovered a wonder of nature, possibly thousands if not millions of years old, yet unspoiled by mankind and modern pollution and heavy-footed tourists.

I was even a little disappointed when we left. Why was I being such a wet blanket? Coming here was a fair compromise. It was peaceful, serene. And who was I to spoil it for the both of us?

As we surfaced and squinted against the daylight, I promised myself I’d keep an open mind about what the rest of this holiday could bring.

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