Chapter Text
He'd been here for hours. Weeks? Days. The tunnel had seemed like a fun adventure. It was only supposed to be a brief trip into the woods. He'd come home from school, trying to avoid homework as long as possible. Mom had given him that look. The one that says "I see what you're doing, but I'll allow it because you're cute". He'd been so excited to look through the trees, collect rocks, and maybe make a few sounds at the birds above.
One step after another, he'd skipped through the woods, pulling a little branch behind him to leave a path. It would do him no good to get lost, after all. Mama hated having to track him down. She always had this panicked look in her eyes when he was late to dinner.
"You're just so little, after all," she'd tut, wiping the dirt off his hands and face, "How would I know if something had happened to you?" He'd rolled his eyes at the time. It'd been so silly! He was old enough to pour his own cereal and sweep the floors. If he could do all of that, how different could a little adventure in the woods be?
The woods were different.
There was just a little opening to this cave. He had slid on a rock by the tilted trees, tumbling down the tiny groove in the earth. The opening was tangled up behind a few exposed roots, just wide enough for two of him side by side. Just a look. That's all he wanted. Just a peak.
But then he'd gone deeper. He could hear water running further in the cave. Surely it couldn't hurt to go a little further? There could be fish in it! He loved fish. They splashed and made bubbles and had such silly little fins. Just a little further. It was so close.
Hello?
There was a sound further ahead. A giggle? Whoever it was sounded about the same age as him, maybe a little younger. Maybe he could make a friend! A little forest friend who he could talk to Mama about. He followed the sound further, ignoring the way the light was disappearing behind him. After all, he could always turn around. And big boys are not scared of the dark. Not at all. Besides, if his new friend wasn't scared, there must be light ahead.... right?
The opening was getting narrower. He kept one hand to the wall, crawling on his knees down the tunnel. Maybe this is too much? Maybe he should turn back? No. No, there are friends to be made and fish to see. Besides, the noise of rushing water was practically flooding his ears. He couldn't hear anything else. Not even animals outside.
Not even the giggle.
It was so incredibly dark now. The sides of the caves touched his shoulders, digging tiny pebbles into his shirt. At least it was warm. Are caves supposed to be warm?
Doesn't matter. Something wet brushes against his finger tips. The water! He'd finally found the water. Just a little more crawling, careful around the wet edges of the pond, and the cave had opened back up again. He laughed in triumph. It sounded oddly like the giggle he'd heard before, light and airy and just a little younger than he was. His voice always got higher when he was scared. Not that he was scared. Big boys aren't afraid of the dark.
He splashed his feet into the water, rubbing pebbles off of his knees. They ached from crawling around in the cave, full of little cuts and dirt. Cupping his hands, he splashed the water on his face. Mama always washed his face for him before dinner. She'd be so proud that he'd done it himself this time.
.....was water supposed to feel so thick?
He stood from his spot by the pond, now just a little worried. That other kid was still in here after all. They could be lost, further in the cave. What a horrible thing! Their mom was going to get that worried look if they stayed out too long. He doesn't want his soon-to-be forest friend to miss dinner or get in trouble. He always hated getting in trouble. And being lost is a very scary thing.
He should have left them. He should have never come down. He should have let them miss every dinner. He misses his mama.
Walking further down the cave, he meets his first real conflict. The path had split into two separate openings. One seemed to go further upwards, the other was angled down. How was he going to decide? He tilted his head, trying to think like a lost kid. Up seemed like the right way, because the sky was up. Maybe he should follow that path? Just keep reaching for the sky until he finds the kid or gets out of here?
"Hey! Over here!"
Well that settles it. The voice had come from the down path, a little muffled by the cave walls. He made his way further, quietly wondering what his new friend could have possibly been thinking. There was barely enough light to see the two paths in the first place, but it should have been an easy choice. (There had been no light a second ago. Where had it come from? Definitely not the other path. It was pitch black.)
This path seemed even narrower than the first, but much taller. He stood sideways, scooting along the rough stone, ignoring how it dug in the places his shirt had ridden up. (Stone doesn't feel like this. It was hard, but not like stone. Teeth?) The stupid path never seemed to end and the other child did not speak up. The floor dropped beneath him.
It was a rough fall, but he was okay. His knees were already scratched, and his elbow was probably just bruised. Mama could fix it later with band-aids and kisses. Mama can fix anything. She's magical like that. All he had to do was find the other kid and get the heck out of here. It would be really helpful if his friend spoke up. He should have drank some of that water when he had the chance.
A sound like someone dragging something heavy sounded out above him. There must be an adult in here! He could be saved! He just had to yell and the adult would come and save him and his friend. All he had to do was let them know he was here. He balled his fist, puffed up his chest, and got ready to scream as loud as he could.
"Hey! Over here!" His eyes widened. Oh. Oh no. Oh god. Something wasn't right here. Something was horribly wrong. He bet that if he were standing outside the tunnel, he would sound just a little muffled. He sank down in horror, tiny hands trembling on his knees. There was no light. There was no sound. Just a little boy, stuck in a terrible cave, confused and afraid. He's not a big boy. He can't be a big boy. After all, big boys aren't afraid of the dark.