Squirming through the narrow tube, he smelled the cold walls and a felt a cool breeze on his face. He was on his stomach inching forward and rising in the cave to push himself over a smooth rock. He knocked the roof and left strands of hair and scalp. A trickle of blood flowed past his ear. He winced. The girl broke out in a nervous laugh. This was the third time he banged his head on the confining space.
“Not much further,” his brother said. If this had been a sanctioned tour he would be wearing a helmet. This was a last minute idea. “Let’s go see the underground stalagmites!” There hadn’t been much discussion. His brother parked the car, and the four of them went spelunking.
The two children ran ahead to the cave entrance; no more than a hole between lava boulders. They had been here before and knew where to look. He dropped after the kids and his brother went in last. If anything happened at least someone could go for help.
The lava tube opened up to a large cavern full of glittering geodes covering the floor and huge stalagmites reaching above the crystals to form a union with stalactites hanging from the roof. His brother flooded the cave with his flashlight and crystals sparkled in blues, purples, and white. Luminescence in the crystals made them shine when his brother extinguished the light. An eerie light show flooded the cave.
He stood at marveled at the cave room and shuddered.
“Pretty exciting, right?” said his brother.
“Yes, definitely worth banging my head.”
© 2019, Michael Shawn Sommermeyer. All rights reserved.
Haiku
It was in southern
Oregon at the bottom
Of a lava tube.