The uneven paths were hard on the ankles. Stones and roots stuck out of the ground. One misstep, and one could tumble into thorny shrubs, with only tree trunks to break the fall. I looked back to admire the early morning view. The trees were tall and thin, their crowns forming an even canopy far overhead. A freckled face blocked my view.
“My neck is so sore from looking out for cow dung back there.”
“You shouldn’t have worn your good trainers. I can step on anything I want with these.” I raised my leg to show the manure-smeared sole of my five-year-old hiking boots.
“Don’t put that in my face!” Dasha laughed. I turned to beat a path through some light shrubbery.
“Where are you going?” She turned around.
“Just follow me. It’s not too far.” The bushes rustled behind me, and after a few minutes of silent off-trail navigation, we encountered a steep rocky wall. I walked close to the bare wall, soon coming across what I was looking for. A crack in the wall, just wide enough to fit a person. I dropped my backpack and took out my safety helmet and flashlight.
Dasha stared at me dumbfounded as my helmet buckle clicked. “I’ve scouted it beforehand and it’s totally safe and easy. There’s some cool stuff inside. You’ll love it.” I held out a helmet with a handheld flashlight inside. After glancing back and forth between the crack and me, she took them off my hand.
“There better not be spiders.” Her hands quickly secured the helmet in place. I clicked my flashlight on before stepping into the cave. The light reflected off the slippery stones. Above, I could make out small stalactite formations that were lighter in colour compared to the rest of the stone.
“So, how did you even find this place?” Dasha asked.
“I was in the area when it started pouring like crazy. I could tell on my map that there was a cliff nearby and was hoping that it would maybe protect me from the wind-driven rain. Instead, I stumbled upon this cave. I didn’t expect it to be as deep as it ended up being.”
“You saw that tiny crack and decided it was a good idea to step inside? Especially when there was a risk of flooding? Kind of a stupid decision.“ And I didn’t want to explain myself yet. Without saying anything, we went on.
My back was hurting from crouching to make sure that my helmet wouldn’t scrape the ceiling. Soon enough, the walls had widened enough that we could comfortably walk beside each other. The light from the entrance had totally vanished, and the stalactite and stalagmite formations had become more pronounced. The farther we went, the chillier it got. The air felt stale. There were probably not many ways for air to come in besides the entrance.
“What the hell?” Dasha turned her flashlight off. I did the same, although I really wanted to look at her amazed face. The wall across us was sparkling weakly.
We drew nearer and Dasha must have noticed by then that the glowing was only present in rounded patterns on the stone’s surface, similar to fingerprints.
“I told you it was worth it. Here, feel it.” I put her hand on the stone.
“It’s like the patterns are carved in the stone!” She tugged on my sleeve like I wasn’t already paying attention. “But why just this stone?” Her face was illuminated by the light of her phone screen as she started taking lots of pictures. “Is this someone’s artwork?”
“Weird place for artwork, don’t you think?”
“Then it’s all natural?” She zipped her phone back in her pocket.
“There are a few explanations.” I mumbled as Dasha looked at the patterns in silence.
“You don’t know what it is? It could be radioactive or something.” The glow faintly outlined her features.
“I touched it months ago and I’m fine.” I also lowered my voice. I couldn’t see her face well, only her furrowed eyebrows.
“You know that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Trust me, it will be fine. You’re too negative.” I put my hands on her shoulder.
“Again with this. I can’t afford not to be cautious. You’re consistently reckless. I have my own shit, and I can’t deal with yours right now.” She attempted to escape my grip.
“Whoa, what’s that supposed to mean?” I took my hands off of her.
“Oh god, I can barely breathe here.” The stale air was getting to me too. “Why do you keep doing this to me, sis? We’re each other’s only family.”
“Hey, what do you mean by that? It’s just some stone.” I earnestly asked. Dasha sighed and started massaging her nose bridge. Then she turned her back on me and turned her flashlight on. I noticed my little pile of burnt wood and ashes from last time I was here under her beam.
“It’s not just some stone. I’m trusting you with my safety by following you here, but you can’t even bother to make sure of that.” Her silhouette stood motionlessly by the cinder.
“Sis, you know that I’m there for you no matter what. I wanted to give you a nice break because you told me how stressful work has been. I’m sorry if this is making things worse. I just wanted to have a good time with you.” I tried to close the distance but am suddenly blinded.
“This trip isn’t really about me, is it now?” She accused me. I buried my eyes in my elbow to stall my response. “Why did you start a fire by the glowing rock?” She turned off the flashlight. I could finally stretch my head up straight, but it took me a couple of seconds until I retained my composure. I didn’t want to tell her after all, but I had been backed into a corner.
“Truth is, I haven’t been doing well. Things have been tough for me too, you know. Last time I was here, I didn’t intend to walk back out.” I couldn’t quite see her expression.
“Yeah, you seem to have totally lost your mind. Find a therapist or something. You always get me involved in your stupid shit.” I felt something unpleasant building up in my stomach.
“If I’m so stupid then fuck off!” The tunnel walls amplified my yell to a deafening degree, to the point where it felt like the ground was shaking.
“Who are you to yell at me?” Her voice only slightly overcame the ongoing reverberations. I wanted to apologize, but it could not quite jump off my tongue. Her flashlight suddenly blinded me again, and I hear a roar. Dasha’s scream pierced my ears, my ribcage crushed by a sudden weight. I was forced on the floor, and my limbs wouldn’t move at all. Filling my lungs with air took all of the effort that I had in me. I couldn’t cough out the dust. I looked for Dasha, and she was standing in the same spot she was before. A long shadow obscured her face. For a few minutes, I watched her pace back and forth, but she ultimately walked away. The stone, glowing brighter than before, gave me the same warmth and comfort I felt months ago, but then, even that was gone.
I steadied my breath. My face was in my knees. When I looked up, the stone wasn’t glowing anymore. I flashed it a few times and noticed that I was surrounded by rubble. The place where I was sitting was a little clearing in the middle of the cave-in.
“Dasha!” I cried, but only my echoes answered. I quickly made my way to the entrance, but she wasn’t there. I figured that she had walked home back from where we came from. Worried, I started running. The sun was already setting. How long had it been? My body was aching and burning. I needed my sister, my anchor. I needed to make sure that she was okay. That we were okay. I carelessly passed the trees, the shrubs, the cow dung, the foxgloves, the little cottages that led to our family house. My legs and lungs were on fire, and my ears were blocked from blood rushing into my head. I could finally see her. Dasha was on the veranda, enjoying a cup of tea while working on her laptop.
“Dasha! I’m sorry!” I cried. Her head slowly turned. I had not seen the expression she was making before. “Please talk to me.” I folded over, out of breath.
I heard a shattering sound. The grass beneath me was dotted by drops of blood. My fingers touched my face, but I couldn’t feel anything. When I looked up, I couldn’t find Dasha. Only a flight of swallows that got startled by the noise.
“Dasha!” I screamed her name once again, but she had left me. I glanced over at the broken shards, at my bloody hands, at the orange sunset. I could barely control my breath. Exhausted, I fell to my knees. I hear a car engine far ahead. Its sound fades, and soon I could only hear the crickets.