We made our way back to the picture of the fleeing stick figures.
“So everyone is running away,” Luke said, staring at the painting again, his voice echoing eerily. “Let’s go see where they end up!” He grinned at me, his teeth glowing pale in the light from the torch. “Are you ready for what we might find?” he asked, his tone mischievous. I nodded mutely, not wanting my voice to betray my sense of dread.
We edged our way carefully along the side of the cave following the figures. After about ten paces their numbers dwindled until eventually only one person was left.
“This must have been their leader,” said Josh, shining his torch on the figure.
I stared at the painting, allowing my imagination to recreate the scene. What character this person must have had to lead so many desperate people into the cave. What tenacity and leadership! I wondered at how any person could move so many to follow them. I was picturing the strength, the determination it must have taken, and I must admit that I was picturing a man when Luke’s voice cut through my thoughts.
“It’s a girl!” he said.
“What?” exclaimed Josh, disbelieving.
Surprised by his statement I stared at the image.
“The leader is a woman,” Luke repeated.
Josh shone his torch on the picture of the exodus leader.
“Why do you think that?” he asked.
Luke looked a little sheepish as he stepped forward and pointed to the relevant bits of anatomy.
“That’s impossible,” Josh said. “Everything we’ve learnt at school and everything my grandfather has told me says that they would never allow a woman to lead.”
“Well, if it’s not a woman then it must be a transvestite, Josh, because I don’t see what those… bits would be aside from the obvious.” Luke’s exasperation was tainted with embarrassment.
“I don’t get it.” Josh was adamant
“Why don’t we carry on down the side of the cave and see if we can find anything else” I suggested, cutting Josh off before the argument I felt brewing could erupt.
A few paces later was a picture so detailed that even with the primitive painting equipment it was impossible not to recognise the beautiful valley just outside the cave.
The next picture showed the waterfall and the cave behind it. Great effort had been made in depicting the shape of the cave, almost as if the artist were drawing a map.
A couple of paces later was a completely abstract picture, so much so that after a few moments of staring at it, I turned to look at Luke and Josh only to find them with their heads tilted to the side examining the picture with the same confusion playing across their faces as I was feeling.
The dominant feature of the picture was a large funnel-shaped object in the centre. The artist had drawn dozens and dozens of comma shaped stripes above the funnel and dancing people below it.
“Any ideas?” I prodded Josh.
He snorted a laugh. “Alien abduction is about all I can make of that!”
I giggled, surprised by the sound and my ability to feel even vaguely cheerful given the fear that sharpened every sound and produced eerie shadows with murderous intent, as the torchlight bounced around the cave.
“Luke?”
“Well, it looks as though something goes into the funnel, and that is cause for celebration.” Luke’s voice had taken on a knowing tone emphasising the obvious bluff – he had no idea either.
Josh and I looked at each other and started giggling, our laughter echoing off the cave walls.
“What?” Luke asked looking grumpy. “At least my explanation is more feasible than alien abduction!”
He started stomping off in the direction of the cave opening, muttering about logical explanations and fairy tales.
Chapter 7
Falling
It had taken us a surprisingly short amount of time to explore the cave, probably only about an hour or so. Morning still hung fragrant and slightly misty over the valley, wrapping the plants in a delicate fabric of dew drops.
“So? What do you think?” I asked the boys.
“It’s definitely a picture of the missing tribe,” Josh replied.
Luke rolled his eyes as he started packing up the campsite. Josh and I joined him as we discussed what to do next.
“Let’s explore the valley a bit more,” I suggested, the tingling sensation of the unexplored still rippling through my veins.
There was magic here; the trees, the water, everything about this place pulsed with intrigue. The story in the cave paintings was more than enough to convince me that something strange had happened here, something that modern day science couldn’t quite explain. Those people had survived a terrible battle, and they hadn’t survived without some sort of outside help.
The images of the dancing people below the funnel bore testament to that.
The boys weren’t as convinced.
“The cave stick figures left this place,” Luke argued. “Surely we should look upriver? Maybe that funnel was a passageway of some sort, you know like a…” He searched for the right description. “A cave tunnel.”
Josh and I looked at each other and then back at Luke doubtfully.
“Yeah, I watched a documentary on caves, and tunnels like that one are common,” he continued, getting excited now. “I know there are more cave paintings at the lower Injisuthi cave upriver, maybe the story continues there.”
Josh was nodding. “That’s a great idea, Luke, these people obviously liked to depict what was going on. It makes sense that they would carry on drawing wherever they ended up.”
Even though their argument made sense, I didn’t want to leave the valley. I walked over to the turquoise pool while the boys planned our route to lower Injisuthi cave, watching as the sunlight danced through the crystal-clear water creating patterns.
The dream from the night before kept pushing its way into daylight. The pool looked as inviting and beautiful as it had when I’d been skipping and playing in it in my dream the night before.
I was too afraid to swim though, the breathlessness and weight of the water as it engulfed me, those arms pulling me under, too vivid to ignore.
Instead I satisfied the desire to get into the water by trailing my fingers through it instead, half listening to the boys as I did so.
Halfway through their conversation, at the edge of my consciousness, I thought I heard the faintest of whispers, as if a few people were discussing something very far away. I couldn’t make out specific words, and the more I concentrated on it the fainter it became.
“Guys, can you hear that?” I interrupted them, wiping my hand on my shorts.
They stopped talking and listened. There was nothing.
“What was it, Alex?” Luke asked.
“I… I thought I heard talking,” I replied, beginning to doubt myself as the absence of human sound reverberated loudly around the valley. “Sorry, must have been an echo,” I amended as the boys went back to their planning.
I began trailing my fingers in the water again, playing with a dead leaf that was floating on the surface.
A few minutes later the whispered voices returned. A little more distinct this time, although I still couldn’t make out any words.
“Come