Martin is
in an unusually good mood today. He’s usually in a good mood, but today is
different. The old man is walking like he’s twenty years younger, humming songs
from his youth and trying to talk to small woodland animals. I keep sharing
concerned looks with the boys, hoping he doesn’t go completely insane out here.
Either he hasn’t noticed our concern, or he doesn’t care at all.
Once we
clear the trees we’re staring at a large hill with a small cave. The boys and I
pause to look around, deep down knowing we’re going to enter into this cave.
Yeah, Martin has gone off the deep end and we’re all going to be murdered by
him here tonight. I don’t even have a connection to the Nexus out here, and the
boys don’t have wrist comps or implants as far as I can tell. We wouldn’t even
be able to call for help if he went crazy now.
“Let’s go
boys,” Martin chuckles, “and man,” he heads into the cave with no hesitation.
I reach for
my wrist comp to activate the light as the boys reach for flashlights. Martin
puts a stop to that and forces us to all hold hands as he leads us through the
darkness, still singing his song and acting as if this is normal.
As we go
deeper into the cave we’re greeting by an ever-growing amount of light. It
seems that there are plants in this cave that output light of their own. I
don’t think I’ve ever seen any above the land that do this.
“The plants
are giving off light,” Jacob yells out with joy.
“No, there
has to be a light source that they’re reflecting. Plants simply can’t produce
light,” Phillip responds but equally excited.
“Relax
boys,” I sound like Martin as the words come from my mouth.
There’s
more light the further we go, but the cave is also becoming tighter. Martin
leads us through tunnel after tunnel as if he’s done this a thousand times
before. As the blue and green light surrounds us I can’t help but feel a sense
of euphoria washing over me. I’ve heard about plants that can give this
sensation to people, I suppose these plants are no different. Perhaps some kind
of psychoactive spore.
“Alright
boys, you might need to suck it in, especially you Jacob,” Martin jokes as he
squeezes through a small crack in the wall.
“Are we
doing this,” David asks as he’s next in line.
“Are we
doing this Mr. Efrem,” Phillip asks with a sense of respect I’ve never heard
from him.
I think for
a moment, “we’re going to trust Martin on this, but I won’t let anything happen
to you. Any of you.”
My words
must carry some weight with the boys now. Nobody signs, curses or moans. David
just takes a deep breath and follows Martin through the crack. Jacob is next,
and does indeed need to suck it in. He also needs a little push from Phillip
and I. Phillip gives me a concerned glance, and I reassure him with a nod as he
passes through. I take a deep breath and make my way into the crack. It’s a
tight space, in parts the rocks and glowing plants scratch across my nose. My
prosthetic breaks off a small chunk of the wall and for the first time ever I
felt claustrophobic. I keep inching towards the light until I’m free.
Outside the
cave and I’m standing on sand, staring at a small ocean, lake, I’m not sure.
The sand and the water here are nothing I’ve ever seen before. The sand is
filled with all kinds of different colors. I’ve seen white sand, brown sand,
red sand and so on, but this sand is so many different colors, almost as if
crystals were broken down until they were sand. The water is no different, changing
colors every time the light hits it at a different angle. Martin is sitting on
the sand running it through his hands as the boys run around amazed at what
they’re witnessing. It’s nothing that any of us had ever seen.
“What is
this place,” I take a seat next to Martin.
“Well, this
lake is the hidden jewel here on Asase Ya, most people know it’s here because
of the maps, but have no idea how to get here. Discovered it years ago when I
came here to do some soul searching. You boys and Pauline, only people I ever
showed. I’m sure other people know, but they keep their mouths closed too.”
“How are
the sand and water able to change colors.”
“I imagine
minerals from all the different environments manage to run into the waters
here, but I’m not a scientist.”
“This place
is amazing.”
“I used to
come once a month, then I got old and once a month turned to once a year, then
not at all. Haven’t actually been here in almost a decade. Glad it’s still the
same.”
“Well I’m
glad you brought us here.”
