Page 20 of The Explorer
Indiana’s firm hand on my shoulder pulled me back to lie on top of his body while he ducked his head himself.
As the raft floated further into the cave, I felt exhilarated. I’d been in caves before, but this was new and with my eyes still adjusting to the dimmed light, I had no idea what to expect.
Indiana’s hand was still on my shoulder. Reaching up, I squeezed it to let him know how thrilled I was. He intertwined our fingers and squeezed my hand back. In that moment my irritation with him from this morning was gone. Getting to go on this adventure with one of my best friends truly enhanced the experience.
We floated long enough under the low ceiling that I began relaxing my head against Indiana’s stomach and smiled to myself. I would have so many stories to tell once I returned to the Northlands.
After a minute, the cave opened up enough for us to sit up again.
“Turn on your headlamps,” Banni instructed.
“How big is this cave?” I asked and tried to see to the other side.
“This is nothing. Wait until we get further in. Trust me, we’ve been to many caves, but this one is the king of them all. You’re lucky that you get to go here on your first expedition. We only come here twice a year.
“It’s better in the summer when the river is higher. Now, we’ll have to carry the raft over shallow parts, which sucks.”
“I can’t imagine how crazy the rafting is in the summer.”
“We have to time our visits according to the weather. We can’t go when the entrance is flooded and if we go during dry periods, we risk getting stuck on shallow parts all the time.”
It didn’t take long before we had to get out and carry the raft, which wasn’t hard since there were five of us.
For forty minutes, we sailed, walked, and climbed in a few places until we paddled into a cave so beautiful that it took my breath away.
We all shone light onto beautiful crystal formations that hung from the walls.
“Wow!” Indiana and I exclaimed at the same time. No matter where I shone my light, the cave was a wonder of geology at its finest.
“I’ve seen stalactites before, but these are spectacular,” he exclaimed as we took in the icicle-shaped formations hanging from the ceiling and walls.
I reached out to touch a petrified waterfall that looked as if it was defying gravity.
Once I was over my initial awestruck state, I began filming the cave to show my friends back home.
That night when we set up camp, I recorded a message for Sparrow telling her about our amazing day.
“Let me introduce you to our teammates, Alex, Val, and Banni.” I turned to Val and Alex, who were cleaning up after dinner. “Say hi to my best friend Sparrow.”
Alex and Val waved and made funny faces.
I flicked the camera back to me. “The last one is Banni, who is here somewhere. He’s our boss but also our friend.”
“No, he’s not,” Indiana protested and moved closer.
“Bye, Indiana,” I said as I walked away to avoid him and find Banni.
“Banni, where are you?” I called out and heard an answer from behind the drone. Walking around it, I found Banni naked from the waist up, with his green uniform half off. “What are you doing?”
“Checking on a wound.” His face was downturned, and his hands were applying something fluid to a scar on his right hip.
“You didn’t tell us you were injured.”
“I’m not. The wound is from two weeks ago. I wanted to make sure I didn’t tear it open today and I’m cleaning it for a safety measure.”
“Oh, okay, but anyway, I’m recording so I want you to say hi to my friend Sparrow.”
Banni raised a hand in greeting and broke into a greeting in French.
