SURVIVORS
Chaptre 30. The Luminous Cave
"Oohh, so you found the mouth of the cave with a bright light?" Indra and the other colleagues at the shelter looked so excited.
"Grotto mouth that glows whitish. Maybe it was a bright light from the outside of the cave." Toni is very excited.
This morning they moved breakfast near the cave pit where Dean and Widuri were. Put up a warm fireplace, then eat while listening to Dean's discovery story. There was a glimmer of hope to go down the mountain through the cave.
"Yes, but I haven't investigated. The place looks bigger than this room. It's just lower. There's a rocky downhill road there. I'm off because I'm afraid it's hard to climb again while Widuri doesn't know I'm there yet." Dean explained why.
"Maybe it takes a rope to get up and down" Alan said.
"I think so too. There must be a handle in order to safely go up and down." Dean thought to Alan.
"Then what about the notebook you found? Is it finished reading?" Nastiti wants to know.
"Yes. There might be a hint there," Silvia added with great hope.
"I've only read half a page. The night is not bright enough to read. But from what is written here, they came from Bordeaux, down the river Gironde to the bay of Biscay in the Atlantic ocean with the calculation of the longest journey of 15 days round trip, just for honeymoon. They also didn't know why they could be in this place, and didn't know which country it was in," Dean opened the book he was holding.
"From the atlantic ocean is stranded here. We from Indonesia are also stranded here. How come?" Leon doesn't believe it.
"That's how it is written. They boarded a small yacht with another older couple along with the skipper and ship worker, totalling 10 people. But when he woke up in this forest, only 7 people remained. I just read this part." Dean shows the marked page with pine twigs.
"Well, you keep reading that book. While we're done having breakfast. We better start making rope." Indra.
"Do you know how to make a rope?" Dewi asked Indra who was reciprocated with a sledgehammer.
"don't know. Anyone know how to make a rope?" Indra smiled as he scratched his head that had been unwashed for 2 weeks.
Everything there was helpless. How not easy. For a moment there seemed to be a light of hope, but a dim moment because even how to make rope they did not know. Those lethargic faces made Indra think hard, 'not until they lose hope' Indra's inner self.
"That's it. Some of us do other things first. Collect food first. If we decide to go down, won't it be hard to go up and find food here? So it must be collected enough first to be safe." Indra's suggestion was approved by Alan and Gilang who quickly nodded.
"Rubber, it's better that way. After all, it should be team 3 to this day. Maybe Robert has a way to get us downstairs." Angel added. The others agreed with a nod.
"So that's it, Dean. You finish the book while we prepare and gather supplies here. We also need to prepare an additional shelter for team 3. Before we go, do you guys need anything else, Dean?" ask Indra.
Dean turned to Widuri, asking through his gaze. "No. Our food was enough until the afternoon. It may take additional snow for drinking water and wood alone later in the afternoon." Widuri finally answered.
"Okay, we go first." Indra stood up from his seat and walked away followed by another colleague. But there was Marianne still standing there. She hesitantly shouted at Dean.
"Dean, what do you think of making rope out of scissored fabrics?"
"Well Dean, Widuri. I'm going first. You guys are fine there." Marianne waved her hand and left.
"Yes, thank you Marianne," Widuri replied. Now they both live there. Dean is engrossed in the book while Widuri is confused about not knowing what to do.
"Dean, how about you show me the cave where the crystal mine is" Widuri's voice broke the silence.
Dean stopped reading the book and turned to Widuri.
"Take the crystal as a path light. You just go into the hallway, when you meet the intersection choose the left lane. Then you walk again. Shortly after you reach the wall full of light, you will meet the intersection again. Right direction to mine, left direction to where they stay. You're not gonna get lost." Dean lowered his head and began to read again, he was not interested in wasting time just showing the cave path that was not many branches.
'As long as he follows my words, he will be safe and will not get lost.' In Dean's view, finishing this book is much more important to everyone.
Widuri was flabbergasted with Dean's cold demeanor. 'Is he still upset with me?' thought.
"Okay, I'll take a look around first." Widuri held her sling bag, inserted a bottle filled with water, picked up the dimly glowing purple crystal and a pointed spear then walked into the passageway.
It's better not to rub Dean's cold demeanor, or he'll get emotional and say spicy words again. They are just the two, it would not be nice if they could not get along. 'This cave will feel narrow if inhabited by people who hate each other. So be patient Widuri..' Widuri let out a long breath wasting her annoyance.
After several meters of stepping, the light on the crystal seemed to get stronger. It was enough to illuminate the way of Widuri so as not to be tripped by some rocks sticking out and uneven. Long enough to walk towards the first intersection. Widuri followed Dean's lead and chose the left direction to reach the second intersection. Shortly afterwards he was amazed to see the cave hall in front of him look bright with a purplish pink light. Widuri approached the place and watched closely. 'Yes, the crystal stones here are arranged in such a way as a substitute for lights. That's grand.'
Widuri continued her steps and then chose the right path to the purple crystal mine cave. He did not feel tired because his heart was filled with great curiosity, what sort of cavernous appearance was the entire wall, floor and roof made of light crystals? Definitely amazing. Just imagining it, he felt very excited.
Before long he saw a purple light growing stronger from the front. 'Wahh, it's close.' Widuri half ran towards that light. Just arrived at the mouth of the cave, his mouth open.. "Wow.amazing," Widuri spoke to herself. His feet came in and walked carefully so that no crystal would break from being stepped on by him. He walked to and fro observing each crystal. All brightly glowing.
'This place is so beautiful. I have to immortalize it.' Widuri pulled the phone out of the pocket of the bag that he never switched on since he last tried to find a signal at the site of the wreckage of the plane. It was called a cell phone and took a photo of the cave. And make a selfie photo of himself against the background of the cave. He saw the photo on the phone. 'Excellent,' his mind was amazed. Then turn off the phone and put it again in the pocket of the bag.
Widuri walked in the other direction. He found some protruding crystals. He used a spear to bring the crystal out of another crystal pile. "It's not so easy, it's appropriate that Dean told me to mine it himself if I wanted to" Widuri muttered.
'Ahh, try to slow down. Hopefully it doesn't break apart' he thought. Then he directed the wooden spear shaft to the bottom of the stuck crystal. Smacked slowly.. Tukkp.. Krakk.. The crystal broke half its original size and fell near Widuri's leg. He picked it up and weighed it with his hands. The palm-sized crystal did not feel heavy for him.
Viduri vigorously searched for another crystal that could be taken. A while later he had already collected quite a lot of purple crystals and stored them in a bag. 'It's enough here. I want to see the room where they live.'
Widuri exited the mine and followed the original path to meet the intersection and then turned right to the room where they were staying. There was nothing that caught his attention. The room was almost empty. There were only food and drink containers made from wood.
"It seems to be still usable. Just bring it." he thought.
Soon Widuri was there and went out and walked back to where Dean was. He's tired now. The curiosity that gave him extra energy was gone, so his body had to face reality. Walking very far down the cave passage, must have felt tired.
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