impatiently. If he had had a watch on, he would have been glancing at it. But Dante was just feet from him now and his presence seemed entirely unnecessary. That was until he realized that the landing platform wasn’t directly beneath him. He got to eye level with the old guy and started feeling for the ground. His legs were flailing around and he soon found out why. The old guy grabbed the rope and pulled him over. Finally, he felt solid ground. His body understood he was safe now and his breathing deepened.
“Release that and watch your fingers,” the old guy said calmly.
Dante stood up straight letting his legs take his weight. His eyes were obeying him now. But what he saw wasn’t magical or breathtaking or any other positive adjective. It was endless grey masses of rock. He moved closer to the edge of the platform and saw the pool of colorless water below. Wholly unappealing and, he imagined, exceptionally cold. He stayed for a few seconds trying his hardest to see beneath the unmoving waters. He had never seen anything like it. The water looked solid, like one giant pane of glass. He knew monsters lurked beneath, but at this moment in time it seem impossible. He knew that eels moved slowly and with purpose and in this environment they would surely make the surface ripple. But that was not his main concern right now. Right then he was most concerned about what was laying directly behind him. It was the only thing in the cave that looked completely out of place. There were several rows of yellow rubber rings stacked against the wall, just like at a waterpark. It was bizarre, yet slightly comforting. It was something he recognized in a dark world where everything was unfamiliar.
“Grab one and sit on it over there for now,” the old guy insisted.
He did as he was told. He picked a spot close to the edge so he could keep an eye on the water. As he sat and watched his fellow passengers descend from the light one by one he listened to the sounds around him. Every movement, every squeak of the carabinier, every word echoed loudly. If he listened carefully he could even hear the faint rush of running water in the distance. It was so incredibly quiet that any sound, any sound at all rang throughout the cave like an airplane taking off. But that slowly changed as each passenger’s feet hit the platform. Dante had been sure that Asmir had wanted to go second but there were seven people on the platform now and he was yet to appear. After the fifteenth had joined them Dante was starting to get concerned that Asmir had chickened out. There were only sixteen of them who had opted to do black water rafting, mostly guys as the girls had chosen to walk through the glowworm caves in a different area. But the more adventurous of them had come, including their current hostel neighbors who he was sure would become friends.
Sure enough, Asmir was the last to arrive. He wasn’t arriving gracefully either. He seemed to have forgotten the technique entirely. He was falling a foot then coming to a complete stop. It was comical. He did this all the way down. Unlike the others he clearly wasn’t enjoying it. The look on his face when he reached the platform was that of pure joy. He unclipped himself and looked about ready to kiss the ground beneath his feet but held back.
He didn’t have long to compose himself because within seconds of him landing the old guy was running through the ground rules. In most of the caves the water was up to his chest so he could walk along dragging the rubber ring train behind him. They were told to jump in and grab on to one handle of the rubber ring in front of them. This was to form a giant floating snake. It all made sense in theory but in practice they had to contend with the dim wits of people like Viktor.
Viktor was the first to take the plunge. He jumped in and landed on the ring. The sound rippled throughout caves. He fell under and for a moment there was silence. The glassy water finally
“Release that and watch your fingers,” the old guy said calmly.
Dante stood up straight letting his legs take his weight. His eyes were obeying him now. But what he saw wasn’t magical or breathtaking or any other positive adjective. It was endless grey masses of rock. He moved closer to the edge of the platform and saw the pool of colorless water below. Wholly unappealing and, he imagined, exceptionally cold. He stayed for a few seconds trying his hardest to see beneath the unmoving waters. He had never seen anything like it. The water looked solid, like one giant pane of glass. He knew monsters lurked beneath, but at this moment in time it seem impossible. He knew that eels moved slowly and with purpose and in this environment they would surely make the surface ripple. But that was not his main concern right now. Right then he was most concerned about what was laying directly behind him. It was the only thing in the cave that looked completely out of place. There were several rows of yellow rubber rings stacked against the wall, just like at a waterpark. It was bizarre, yet slightly comforting. It was something he recognized in a dark world where everything was unfamiliar.
“Grab one and sit on it over there for now,” the old guy insisted.
He did as he was told. He picked a spot close to the edge so he could keep an eye on the water. As he sat and watched his fellow passengers descend from the light one by one he listened to the sounds around him. Every movement, every squeak of the carabinier, every word echoed loudly. If he listened carefully he could even hear the faint rush of running water in the distance. It was so incredibly quiet that any sound, any sound at all rang throughout the cave like an airplane taking off. But that slowly changed as each passenger’s feet hit the platform. Dante had been sure that Asmir had wanted to go second but there were seven people on the platform now and he was yet to appear. After the fifteenth had joined them Dante was starting to get concerned that Asmir had chickened out. There were only sixteen of them who had opted to do black water rafting, mostly guys as the girls had chosen to walk through the glowworm caves in a different area. But the more adventurous of them had come, including their current hostel neighbors who he was sure would become friends.
Sure enough, Asmir was the last to arrive. He wasn’t arriving gracefully either. He seemed to have forgotten the technique entirely. He was falling a foot then coming to a complete stop. It was comical. He did this all the way down. Unlike the others he clearly wasn’t enjoying it. The look on his face when he reached the platform was that of pure joy. He unclipped himself and looked about ready to kiss the ground beneath his feet but held back.
He didn’t have long to compose himself because within seconds of him landing the old guy was running through the ground rules. In most of the caves the water was up to his chest so he could walk along dragging the rubber ring train behind him. They were told to jump in and grab on to one handle of the rubber ring in front of them. This was to form a giant floating snake. It all made sense in theory but in practice they had to contend with the dim wits of people like Viktor.
Viktor was the first to take the plunge. He jumped in and landed on the ring. The sound rippled throughout caves. He fell under and for a moment there was silence. The glassy water finally
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