Chapter Four - THE Cave of Darkness

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  Joshua and Hiccup stood before the entrance to the Cave of Darkness and peered into the inky blackness. They could see nothing. From out of its depths a cold, clammy wind moaned as it swept over the two small figures, causing them to shiver; as much out of fear as from the cold.

       "Oh dear! I do not like this at all! Not one, little bit!" whispered Hiccup. His eyes were wide with fear, changing color faster than ever.

            "We have to go through it. According to your rhyme there is no other way to get to the Valley of Dead Clocks."

            I--I know. Its just that I cannot stop thinking about that part of the rhyme that describes what we will find in the Cave of Darkness." replied Hiccup. He began to repeat the rhyme:


"Within its dark and dripping walls

        unseen creatures creep'n crawl.

        With hateful eyes they watch to snare

timely feasts of Sec'nds all."


            "...timely feasts of Sec'nds all." muttered Joshua after Hiccup had finished. 

"It  doesn't say anything about timely feasts of boys, does it?"

            "There never have been any boys on this side of time so, I suppose, it wasn't necessary to include them in the rhyme." 

            "Do--do you think those unseen creatures would--would be interested in catching a boy and--and eating him?"

            "Oh dear. I have no way of knowing that but--"

            "But? But--what?"

            "But, it would not surprise me one little bit that--that--"

            "That--that what?" Joshua broke in.

            "...that whatever creatures there are in this cave, if--"

            "If?"

            "If they are hungry enough, I suppose it would not make much difference to them if they ate a Second-Past or a boy."

            "I was afraid of that." gulped Joshua.

            "Well, that makes two of us." said Hiccup, lowering his voice.

            "My flashlight will give us light to see by. Maybe it will scare away those creatures." Joshua said, hopefully.

            "Oh dear. I hope so. I really hope so."

            They stepped, cautiously, into the cave of darkness. The flashlight's powerful beam bore a tunnel of light through the blinding blackness. A wide, high ceiling passageway snaked through the cave, twisting and turning until, after some distance, they could no longer see the light from the entrance.  

            After, slowly, feeling their way through the cave for almost an hour, they stopped to rest. Joshua shone his flashlight's beam on one of the cave walls. Foul smelling water seeped from jagged cracks and crevices in the glistening, ebony wall that rose up high over where they stood, small and frightened. Up, up went the circle of light until it found the ceiling, hung with steely, dagger-like stalactites that dripped rancid drops of water down upon them.

            "There are living things covering the ceiling!" gasped Joshua.

            "Bats-of-eyes! They are bats-of-eyes!" Hiccup exclaimed.

            "What--what are bats-of-eyes?"

            "There is another rhyme that we Seconds-Past had to learn which explains these bats-of-eyes better than I can. It is called Silly Humans and goes like this":


"They close their eyes to problems

  whose presence they deny. 

                                  Hoping they will go away

                                        with the batting of an eye.


                                  They, never, ever solve them

                                        when to themselves they lie

                                  that problems really solve themselves

                                         with the batting of an eye.


                                   All the time that they are wasting

                                          is time that should not die.

                                  For the Wicked~Witch~Watch steals it

                                          with the batting of an eye.


                                  Silly humans, listen well!  

                                          More time you cannot buy!

                                   Your time-packs are empt'ing

                                           with the batting of an eye.      


                                    Should you make your Seconds count,

                                           you'll slow the time that flies.

                                    It'll help you solve your problems--

                                          without those bats-of-eyes!"


            "Do you think they can hurt us?" Joshua asked, anxiously.

            "The rhyme does not say anything about bats-of-eyes being dangerous. So, I suppose not."

            "All the same, they make me feel uncomfortable." replied Joshua.

            Despite a shared feeling of dread, they continued on, following the flashlight's beam of light that led them further and further into the Cave of Darkness. Now, the passageway led down, taking them deeper and deeper into the very depths of the dismal cavern. After what seemed like a very long time, they came to a narrow stairway. Slippery stones came from out of one of the cave's walls, winding down and around. They disappeared into the forbidding darkness beyond the point where the flashlight's beam ended. On the other side of the descending steps there was nothing but dark, emptiness. One wrong step or hop and they would fall, hurtling down into an abyss of inky nothingness.

            "Do we have to go down those steps?" Hiccup asked with a shudder.

            "I--I can't see any other way for us to go. Stay as close to the wall as you can. One slip and we will fall into that black, empty space."

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            Joshua went first, lighting the way with his flashlight. Hiccup hopped close behind his human friend. There seemed to be no end to those stone steps which led Joshua and Hiccup deeper into the unknown darkness.They kept as close to the wall as they could. Drafts of cold, dank air rose up from out of the lightness void, reminding them of the terrible fate that awaited them if they should trip or slip. At last, they stopped to rest.

            Something slithered out of a dark crevice in the rocky wall just over Joshua's head. Each of its two, green-glowing eyes were on the ends of long stalks that projected out of the top of its gummy-covered head. Those stalky orbs probed the darkness until both pointed downward towards Joshua where he stood resting.

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            It slipped slowly down the wall, slithering on a film of sticky goo that oozed from its thick, gray-green body. The giant, subterranean slug slid silently towards Joshua where he stood with his back pressed against the cavern wall. Its sticky tongue--longer than Joshua was tall--darted in and out of two thick plates that formed its jaws; jaws strong enough to crush rocks. In just a few seconds it would be close enough to reach out and snare Joshua with its sticky tongue. Then, it would slowly draw him into its waiting mouth where he would be crushed by those terrible jaws.   

            "I have the strangest feeling." Joshua called back to Hiccup who was standing one step above him.

            "I know what you mean. I have been thinking about that part of the rhyme dealing with the cave of darkness."

            "Which part?"

            "The part that goes:


Within its dark and dripping walls

                                      unseen creatures creep'n crawl.

                                 With hateful eyes they wait to snare

                                      timely feasts of Sec'nds all!"


            "I know what you mean. I feel as if there is danger very close by. Let's get going." urged Joshua.

            The giant slug was now close enough to Joshua. Just one more, lightening dart of its long, tacky tongue and the small human would be drawn into those crushing jaws. Its two, green glowing eyes gauged the distance and then--

            Once again, one second made the difference!

            The deadly tongue struck empty space where its intended victim had stood only one second before.

            Joshua had stepped down on to the next stone step.  CAARRUMP! It gave way beneath his weight and plunged down into the black, bottomless depths. Joshua followed, dropping like a shot as that streaking, sticky coil of a tongue missed the top of his head by one inch. The flashlight bounced down three steps and stayed, sending its beam into the lightless space.

            Hiccup almost tumbled through the hole where the stone step had been just a moment before. He hopped higher and further, barely in time, landing two steps down and just above the lit flashlight.

            "Joshua!" Hiccup shouted out in despair. His shout was greeted by a deathly silence. Even the giant slug was startled and withdrew to its crevice in the rocky wall above.

            Hiccup hopped down to the next step and picked up the flashlight with a curled end of his cap. It was with great difficulty he turned about on the narrow, stone step and nearly lost his balance. Then, hopping hopping up the two stone steps, Hiccup aimed the flashlight down through the gaping hole where Joshua had fallen through. The light fell upon Joshua's frightened features. He had managed to grab hold of the lower step and now clung to it by his fingertips, his body dangling above the abyss. Too frightened to call out, Joshua could only hang on for dear life.

            "Joshua!" Hiccup cried out with relief. "You didn't fall all the way through after all! Are you all right? Say something!"

            "Help!"

            "Oh dear! You do need help, don't you! I must do something quickly! But what?" Hiccup leaned over to where Joshua struggled to maintain his grip on the stone step. "Do you have any ideas?"

            "Help!"

            "Of course you need help! Hold on! I will think of something!"

            Hiccup thought harder than he had ever thought in all of his 563 years as a Second-Past. An idea popped into his cap. He placed the lit flashlight down on the step and then, ever so carefully, hooked the bottom of his stem on the next step down. Then, he leaned over the empty space where Joshua dangled. Hiccup curled an end of his cap over one of Joshua's wrists and began to pull with all of his might.

            Although his arms and fingers ached, Joshua--with Hiccup's help--found renewed strength and slowly began to pull himself up toward the top of the step. Inch by painful inch he drew himself upward.

            "Pull harder!" Joshua managed to cry out as he neared the top step.

            "I am trying! I am really trying!" grunted Hiccup as he pulled as hard as he could.

            Now, Joshua was able to bring his leg up over the top of the stone step. A moment later he lay panting for breath, safely draped over the lower three steps.

            "You saved my life! My fingers were slipping off the step when you took hold of my wrist. I--I would have dropped all the way down--"

            "I was so happy to do it." replied Hiccup, blushing seven different colors.

            After resting a while longer, Joshua took the flashlight and, again, led the way down the narrowly, winding, stone steps. Down and around they wound with Joshua testing each step before placing his weight upon it. It took them 3600 Seconds (one hour in Joshua's time) before they reached the bottom.

            They found themselves standing in a great, domed cavern. Dull, gray light filtered down from somewhere up above them. There was enough light to see by without the need of the flashlight.

            Gingerly, they pushed on, relieved to be off those dreadful, stone, steps. Before them were tall columns of stalagmites that rose up from the floor of the cavern. Some of them had fallen over as if pushed by the hands of a giant force. On and on they struggled until they arrived at the edge of a deep pit which blocked their way. It reached from one wall of the cavern to the other with no way around it.     

            Joshua and Hiccup moved cautiously to  its very edge and peered down into its water-filled bottom, far below.

            "There are things moving in the water!" Joshua whispered.

            Eels! Monstrous, slimy-green eels wriggled and crawled over each other just below the surface of the murky water that seeped into the pit from the Swamp of Slime. Then--they saw Joshua and Hiccup! A thousand ugly heads glared up at them with hungry, gaping mouths lined with rows of needle-like teeth.

            Joshua and Hiccup were still leaning over the edge of the pit when a huge, scaly, lizard crept out from behind the base of one of those cone-shaped stalagmites. It opened its fearsome mouth, flicking out its forked tongue which sensed Joshua and Hiccup before its weak, beady eyes could see them. Now, it lowered its scale, covered body, balancing itself with its long, twitching tail as it prepared to spring.

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            It was Hiccup who sensed the danger.

            "Look out!" he shouted. Hiccup rolled against Joshua, pushing him to one side just as the huge lizard landed where they both had been just one second before.

            They watched in horror as the lizard lost its balance and tumbled into the pit with a great splash. The eels had their meal. Within seconds the lizard was completely eaten, scales and all.

            "How are we going to get across this pit?" Hiccup wondered aloud, still shaking from their near escape.

            "If only we had a board or even a tree trunk we would be able to put it across the pit and cross over on it." replied Joshua, searching the vast floor of the cavern with his eyes.

            "It is not very likely that we could find either of those things down here." sighed Hiccup.

            Joshua's eyes fell upon a large stalagmite that had been toppled over and lay not far from the pit. He walked over to examine it.

            "Maybe, we could push this across the pit."

            Together, they managed to roll the stalagmite to the very edge of the pit. Next, they turned it so the narrower end pointed across the the pit's wide opening. This being done, they began shoving against the other end. Inch by inch the stalagmite moved, ever so slowly across the gap. It had reached almost all the way across. Then, it stopped just three feet short of the pit's far side. No matter how hard they pushed, it would go no further.

            "It's no use!" panted Joshua.

            "Oh dear! Now what do we do?"

            Joshua studied their problem.

            "The heavy end is on our side." he said at last.

            "But the other end does not reach across!" exclaimed Hiccup.

            "We can still cross on it." Joshua replied.

            "How?"

            "We will walk--in your case, hop--across the stalagmite and--"

            "And what?" Hiccup broke in.

            "It's about an easy three foot jump from where the stalagmites ends from the far edge of the pit." said Joshua, nervously.

            "And you expect me to jump over that open space?"

            "You can do it Hiccup!"

            "I cannot jump!"

            "You can hop!"

            "Oh dear! I do no know if I can hop that far."

            "Yes you can!" Joshua replied, assuringly.

            Reluctantly, Hiccup went first. He took tiny hops across the narrowing cone of the stalagmite. Upon reaching the middle he stopped.

            "Keep going!" Joshua called out softly, not wanting to startle his little friend. "Why are you stopping?"

            "I just looked down!" cried out Hiccup "I am afraid that I might fall into the pit with those awful eels!"

            "Don't look down! Just keep hopping or you will fall in!" Joshua warned.

            Hiccup gathered up his courage and took one, very small hop and then another until he reached the end of the stalagmite.  He stared, wide-eyed at the gap that separated him from the far edge of the pit and he began to teeter; tilting to one side and then the other, almost falling in. 

            "Jump! I mean--hop!" yelled Joshua.

            Hiccup was so startled that he took a big hop, landing safely on the far side of the pit. The stalagmite dipped downward, ever so slightly and came up again.

            "I did it! Now, it is your turn!"

            Joshua reminded himself not to look down as he stepped out on the narrow, shaky column. He spread his arms out to his sides like a tightrope walker and began one nervous step after another. He was over the middle of the pit when he heard violent splashing and thrashing coming from deep below. Despite the warning he had given himself, Joshua looked down and immediately wished he hadn't.

            Hundreds of green, slimy heads were looking up at him from out of the murky water. Joshua swallowed hard and forced himself to keep moving ahead. He was almost to the end of the stalagmite when it began to tip downward under his weight.

            "It is going to fall in!" came Hiccup's warning cry.

            Joshua made a desperate leap just as the stalagmite went hurtling down, striking the water with a thunderous splash. He landed with his toes on the very edge while his heels hung over the pit. There he wavered with his arms flailing in the air for balance. It was Hiccup, pulling on his belt that kept Joshua from falling backward into the pit.

            They rested a short while before moving on through the Cave of Darkness. The gray light still filtered down making it easy for them to see their way. They continued to pick their way through the forest of stalagmites for almost an hour until they arrived at a place where the large cavern divided in two, smaller, identical tunnels. Upon the wall, between the two tunnels, hung a dust-covered sign.

            Joshua went up to the sign and blew the dust away in a cloud of swirling, gray particles.

            "What does it say?" asked Hiccup.

            Joshua read it aloud:


"If you have lived to read this sign

                                       your luck has been quite good.

                                  But--lest you think that all is fine,

                                       let this be understood...

                                  Two tunnels await, but hesitate--

                                        Only one leads safely out!

                                   A deadly sandbox is your fate

                                        if you choose the other route!"


            "A  deadly sandbox? what do you think is meant by that?" questioned Hiccup, anxiously.

            "I don't know but whatever it is, I don't like the sound of it."

            "Oh dear! I do suppose we must choose one of the tunnels. Which one shall it be, left or right?"

            Joshua studied both tunnels, hoping that he might discover some clue by which he could determine which one would give them safe passage. There were no clues. Both looked exactly alike. At least they weren't dark. That same, dull-gray light appeared to light both tunnels.

            "Why don't you decide." Joshua said, turning to Hiccup. "I just can't make up my mind."

            "Oh dear! I do not feel lucky. Not one little bit. I am sure that I would pick the tunnel with the deadly sandbox."

            "I don't know what could be so deadly about a sandbox." mused Joshua.

            "Then, you choose." insisted Hiccup

            "I have a better idea. I'll spin my flashlight around and whichever tunnel it points to, that will be the one we will take."

            Joshua placed his flashlight upon a small rock and spun it. It turned round and round and when it stopped it pointed to the left tunnel.

            The left tunnel was narrow with a high ceiling. The walls were of the same ebony rock as the main cave. It glistened from water oozing out from many cracks and crevices.

            They moved through the tunnel at a very slow pace, keeping their eyes open for anything that might look like a deadly sandbox. The floor of the tunnel was smooth and flat and soon they felt safe enough to move along at a faster pace. It was when their path took a sharp turn that they felt the first gusts of cold, whistling wind at their backs. The strong, gusty wind would come and go, growing stronger as they made their way further through the tunnel. 

            "Help!" Hiccup cried out as a powerful gust of wind lifted him up into the air. He bumped his cap on the ceiling. When the wind stopped he floated down several yards beyond where Joshua was standing.

            "Your cap acts like a parachute! Keep it bent down into the wind or you will go flying up again." Joshua instructed Hiccup as he trotted up to join his friend.

            Another strong gust of wind came before Hiccup could follow Joshua's advice. Up he went again. Joshua reached up and grabbed Hiccup's stem, trying to hold him down. Instead, he went up too. Again, Hiccup bumped his cap on the ceiling. When the wind stopped, they both floated down several yards beyond where they had been standing.

            "Oh my poor cap!" moaned Hiccup. The next time the wind blew Hiccup remembered to keep his cap down and it kept him from flying up.

            Joshua saw it first. It wasn't until Hiccup dared to lift up is cap, between gusts of wind, that he saw it too. The sandbox! Actually, it was just a round, sandy, funnel-shaped hole that was not very deep. It took up most of the tunnel floor except for a narrow ledge between one wall and the sandbox.

            "It doesn't look very deadly to me." remarked Joshua as he studied the shallow, sandy hole.

            "Just the same, I think we should go around it." said Hiccup, nervously.

            Joshua and Hiccup circled around the sandy hole and moved along the narrow ledge that ran between it and the tunnel wall. Without warning, the ledge gave way beneath them and they tumbled down to the small funnel-shaped bottom. When Joshua stood up he could see over the top of the hole.

            "Let's get out of here!" Joshua had an uneasy feeling as he helped Hiccup up.

            "It is not very deep, is it." commented Hiccup.

            When they tried to climb out, the sandy sides of the hole crumbled beneath them, causing them to fall back to the bottom. They tried again and again and each time the same thing happened. There was no way they could climb out without the sides of the hole giving way.

            They were standing to one side of the very bottom when the sand began to move behind them. Two, long, razor-sharp pincer jaws  appeared out of the sandy bottom. Then came a pair of amber eyes. They studied its two victims. The monstrous ant lion's round, hairy body was pushed to the surface by six. great legs. There it stood, ready to feast. 

            Joshua and Hiccup sensed their danger at the same moment, spinning about to face it. Terrified, they back up against the side of the hole only to slide down toward those snapping, scimitar-like pincers. There was no escape! Only a few feet separated them from a terrible end. The monster took its time, knowing that its victims could not get away. Its pincers opened wide as it slowly crept towards its hapless quarry just as another strong gust of wind blew sand about them.

            "Quick, Hiccup! Lift up your cap!" Joshua shouted in a last second of desperate inspiration.

            Hiccup obeyed without thinking. Up he went with Joshua hanging on to his stem just as those deadly pincers snapped shut where his two victims had stood only one second before.

            The strong gust of wind bore them up until Hiccup bumped his cap on the ceiling of the tunnel. When the wind stopped, they floated down, several yards beyond the deadly sandbox, out of reach of the monstrous aunt lion.   

            They hurried on, anxious to be out of this terrible Cave of Darkness. Their path turned , gradually upward. They climbed higher and higher and with their ascent came the end of the winds.

            It was when they felt they could go no further that they saw the small circle of light.

            "Look!" shouted Joshua.

            "At what?" asked Hiccup. He was so tired he could barely move.

            "I can see the end of the tunnel! We made it! We got through the Cave of Darkness!" Joshua pulled Hiccup up on his stem. The promise of the escape from the Cave of Darkness gave them renewed strength. At last they were out into the light!

            Before them lay a stony path that led up to the crest of a low, barren hill. Using the last of their strength they struggled to the hilltop. There, before them rose a high, rocky gate with rocky walls that stretched between two, dark, craggy mountains. 

            As if in a trance, Hiccup began to repeat:


  "If through this cave you make your way--

                                   Behold, the Gate of Rocks!

                              It hides that terrible, dark place--

                                   The Valley of Dead Clocks!"


***


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