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would be able to recall what it was.
    By now, Ben had taken an interest in the proceedings, and as Nan moved away, disinterestedly, Ben moved in closer.
    ‘What are you up to now?’ he asked quietly, ‘perhaps I can help. I know my way around these caves quite well, and I’ve been in some that no one else seems to know about, deep below us. There is a limit, below which you die. I’ve not been that far, but someone did a long time ago, and never came back, or so the story goes.’
    ‘We’ll sort that problem out if and when we come to it. Don’t forget, there’s much superstition attached to most stories in your history. Oh, and we’ll have to find some way of making light if we are going outside the range of the gas lamps, so start thinking about that.’ said Sandy, as they began assembling for the evening meal.
    Mop looked very pleased with herself when she came in with her steaming cauldron, and liberally splashed several members of the party as she dished out the foul smelling brew. Luckily, it tasted better than it smelt, as usual.
    With the meal over, the group slowly dispersed with the occasional ill concealed belch, leaving Ben, Sandy, and Nan still sitting at the table. Mop collected up the bowls and dumped them into the cauldron, wiped up the few remaining puddles of spilt stew, and giving Sandy a slight nudge as she passed by, swept out of the cavern with a look of triumph on her face.
    ‘That was the best meal she has produced yet.’ Nan said, picking a few vagrant particles from his beard and eating them. ‘I only hope she can keep up this new standard for a while.’ He sat back, leaning against the wall of the cavern, and looked expectantly at the other two.
    ‘Can I ask a few more questions about this place?’ asked Sandy hesitantly, knowing that Nan could easily be upset.
    He nodded, his face taking on a furrowed and serious look.
    ‘Tell me about the sands, and the creatures who live in them.’ Sandy began, aware that Ben was showing interest.
    ‘We’ve never seen them, only suffered from their attacks. They only come to the surface when it’s not too cold or too hot, so we are free to walk on the sands between these times.
    ‘Early morning and late evening, if your feet are well covered, are safe times, although that can’t be guaranteed. Whatever they are, they’re very quick, those caught by them just disappear into the sand, only having time to give a yell. Do you have something in mind?’ he asked.
    ‘Just thought they might be a source of meat, that’s if we can catch ’em. If we could, they would be a good trading material, but we would have to keep the whole thing to ourselves, or we’ll lose the trading value.’
    Nan looked surprised at the idea, and then asked what ‘meat’ was, as it was not on Mop’s menu as far as he knew, and he had forgotten the meaning of the word.
    Sandy did his best to explain that it was a high protein food, although he wasn’t quite sure what that meant, except that it was a desirable thing to have available, and then went on to elaborate on a possible and safe method of capture.
    ‘If we bait a long rope with something edible on the end, and throw it out onto the sands as they are warming up, whatever is down there should grab it, and then we can haul in the rope a little, and leave the sun’s heat to kill it.’
    Nan didn’t say anything for a while, but Ben was almost too keen to get on with the project. It was decided in the end to work out all the finer points of the capture, and then put it to the rest of the group to see how they felt about eating meat, and if they thought the risk was worth taking.
    It was obvious that Nan wanted to change the subject, so Sandy took the offered chance, and brought up the Great Lights for discussion. It was then even more obvious that Nan would have preferred to have stuck with the creatures of the sands until all were ready for bed.
    ‘Just what are these lights?’ asked Sandy, feigning