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Candles and Caves
I love caves. It's a completely different world down there. My family usually visits an open cave or cavern, like Carlsbad Cavern as a group, so we can all go, but what's even more fun is just exploring a cave. On one of are trips me and my dad took a candle tour, back then I was afraid of the dark, in fact I still am, but this is just one of those things you have to do, I never let my fears stop me from having fun. So we each got a bucket with a candle in it and headed down with some other people, it was great, but a big difference from using a flashlight. When you have a flashlight, you see what you point it at and you get a pretty good idea of what's around you, but with a candle, you know there is more and I wanted to see it all so bad, I was torn between knowing what was beyond the candle's glow and running off to see what the darkness held, what wonderful secret it had that the world above has never seen, and my fear of the dark and getting separated from the group and my dad. In caves, you can not simple call for help, for even though all will hear, the cave will grab that sound and drag it down every tunnel and hole so that soon it would sound as if you are everywhere, yet no where, making it impossible to find the source. Still, there was much to see in my little weak candles glow, are group headed deeper and deeper into the darkness till soon we approached a huge gap in the earth, so deep you couldn't see the bottom, or even the other side. Someone from are group dropped a large rock down this dark portal so we all waited and listened, for a minute, three, five, ten, fifteen minutes. Not a sound. We stood in awe at it's depth and looked down into it's darkness, a darkness to deep for any shade of black. We all stood near it's edge and blew out are candles froze as the darkness soon swept over us and engulfed us in it's mass, it seemed to rush at are poor little candles and suck all warmth that they ever held from them. This was a new kind of darkness, not the kind of darkness where there is light somewhere and if you wait your eyes will focus, or the kind that if you stumble around you will soon find the light switch and have light. This was pure darkness, this was the darkness that was here before humans had ever breathed, before light was ever made. This was the darkness that was before day and warmth, and thus at it's creation had hide deep withing the earth, miles from any speck of warmth or sun ray, where it breed and grew till it was pure and solid. There is no difference from open or closed eyes, none whatsoever what soever if your own hand is in front of your own face or not. You won't even know it's there unless you brush your face with it, and even then you are shocked at it and can't help but jump in shock. There is no light. None. Only that which is miles above you, through miles of solid rock. We stood there, not moving, for who can know how close they are to the edge of that great gab in the earth? Soon someone light a match and light his candle, passing it around till all are candles danced their little dance that seemed to fight off the dark, but not for far, for it stood there, within arm reach of use, waiting, hiding those ancient treasures of the earth from are eyes. Soon a young boy began to lead the way out, a little older then I was, we silently followed, to silent for even to give the cave a whisper for it to twist into a storm and channel it's rage at are trespassing onto us with. As we were climbing up a pile of fallen rocks, the young boys candle died, submitting to the darkness around, leaving him alone in the cold. I hesitated, for fear of a lack of light, but for a second, and quickly offered him my candle. He gratefully accepted with a look of relief on his face, maybe he was afraid of the dark too? I stood there, among the balls of light, the dark one, as if unprotected, and followed as he lead again. My dad, he saw and knew I was fighting my own battle against this fear, he waited till I won the death fear, and it was just a growing fear of insecurity and gave me his light. Soon we reached the surface. To light, the light was so strong, it seemed to overwhelm are little candles and soon a light breeze came and took are little guardians away to rest and recover from there long battle. Soon the wax grew cold and hard. We talked outside that great gaping maw about what had happened and how we felt till soon we drifted off to are cars and drove off, leaving it there, silent and waiting.
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