Interlude: The Tenth

June, 1940 – England

They always left me behind. I was the youngest, so when we went exploring, I was always the one who was running to catch up with the rest. As the unofficial leader, Joseph had decided to have one last adventure before school started and Joyce, Lois and Leroy were shipped off to boarding school. So, he chose to go off into the woods to the South instead.

“But we always go to the North forest. Why are we in the South today?” I called out as I scrambled over a rock. I had to work the hardest to keep up with the rest, because at eleven, I was still the smallest. Joseph, who was thirteen and in the front, looked back at me with a cheeky grin.

“Because, it’s good to try new things. Besides, it’s the last time the ten of us will do anything together until the next holiday.” He called out, before scampering around a tree.

Leroy called out to me as we went back to the run. “Don’t worry Rosie, the wolves haven’t come this close to the town from the South in absolute ages!” I smiled to myself. Leroy could always make me feel better. I followed the other nine deeper into the forest.

It was a short walk. I listened at the back of the group while the others chatted and gossiped. Lois and Leroy argued, like usual. The next youngest, Helen K, had started ignoring me recently. I think she likes Joseph and wants to smooch him. I giggled to myself.

“Hey! Look what I found over here!” Dale called from my right. I followed Eddie and Grace over to him. There was a pile of moss covered rocks, boulders really. They were grey and weathered, and looked very old. Dale had his torso wedged in a small hole in between the stones.

Helen P. hopped off a stump to the side and peered over Dale’s shoulder. “What’cha got in there?” She asked him.

“It’s a really big cave!” Dale’s voice echoed back to us. He sounded excited. Joseph pushed Dale further into the opening. We all followed in behind them. I hesitated slightly before ducking in as well.

The cave had a weird smell, very damp and moldy. Everyone was oddly silent, the only noise was some echoing footsteps. Light streamed in through the small entrance, enough to illuminate the cave. We reached an unspoken agreement, and began to push deeper into the cave. It twisted once to the left after a sharp descent. Still, nobody said anything as we went down a small passage.

The cave had gotten noticeably colder, the wet smell had receded. In it’s place was something musty and dry. Dust covered the rough walls and the ground, only moving as we passed single file. My excitement and curiosity grew with each passing step. What is this place?

The narrow passage opened up into a small chamber. I could stand tall, but some of the others had to stoop. “Is that a sundial?” Leroy asked. In the middle of the room was a stone circle and a rough triangle that jutted out. The light in here was nearly nonexistent; I had to squint to make out anything.

We gathered around the circle, peering closer at the rough engravings. “How old do you think it is?” Wondered Lois. I reached out to touch it. The triangle was cold, with odd bumps on it’s surface. As I pulled my hand away, the dial began to glow. It emitted a soft grey color, the color of stormy clouds and pebbles. Nobody said anything, we all just stared in wonder.

The dial began to brighten into a shining white. The air in the cave swirled and moved, a wind whipped through my hair. Our shadows lined the wall of the cave. I tore my eyes away from the fluorescent dial and looked behind the others. Their shadows grew before my gaze. They got older, becoming tall and full. Eventually, the shadows became stooped and shrank. They collapsed on the ground, and became still. Did our shadows just grow old and die?? I started to panic, but didn’t want to break the silence.

I gazed back into the dial, whose light was starting to fade. Eventually, all the light in the cave was extinguished and the dial grew dark. I closed my eyes, and focused on my breathing. Oh no, oh no, oh no. Please God, let me live.

June, 2010 – California

I opened my eyes.