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The Caves (5) : To any explorers visiting the new Reservoir, they may find that just a bit away from the sandy water are a set of caves. Some of these connect back to the lake, but others rapidly plunge into darkness. It wouldn't be hard to get lost in here, but thankfully there are some very odd lights to help guide you out. If you turn off your light down some of these dark paths, you may find yourself surrounded by glowing pastel lights. A closer inspection reveals that you seem to be looking at some sort of glowing caterpillars. An internet search will reveal that Destiny City scientists have been researching the strange, unnamed creatures, but the articles are very limited. If you take them out of the cave they seem to shrivel up almost immediately. They're neat, but clearly meant to be stay in their natural habitat.
WC: 518
After having looked into the lantern information that she set loose the other night. Labradorite was curious about the caterpillars used in the production of the floating lanterns. So she took off to the caves in order to explore and study the little caterpillars in their natural habitat. Honestly she was hoping these little creatures would inspire her poetry too as she entered the cave carefully looking around.
She had a rucksack and some supplies. She didn't know what to expect really so as she walked in she was hoping she wouldn't get lost. The cave system seemed complex as she approached a fork. There were three options and she looked at each pondering which way to take and she was looking at the foot prints that had been left behind by others.
She decided to take the proverbial road less traveled and headed down the one that looked like it should've had the less traffic. As she walked it felt like the tunnel kept getting darker and suddenly she found she was descending faster than anticipated. "I wonder if this is how Alice felt."
Labradorite didn't expect to feel as if she was falling while walking but the sense of darkness almost made it feel like she was. The lieutenant decided to turn off her flashlight for a moment to see if she could locate any of the little caterpillars that the scientist had reported lived in this cave. Sure enough she found a faint glow, there were some pastel colors and then something that looked almost like faint sunlight at the end of the tunnel.
She ignored the light for now and was looking at the little caterpillars softly reaching out to pick one up. It was such an interesting creature. It looked very much like a normal caterpillar that lived outside but it had such a neat bioluminescent glow. It made her feel like the little creature could lead the way and she'd follow. Almost like a moth to the flame.
The one she had was pink, but soon she found a soft purple one, and a blue one, there was a green and yellow. Labradorite felt like she found all the colors of the rainbow even if they were all pastel. The more she gathered the brighter they seemed. She was placing them into a little cage that left them room to move around. "I'll put you back before I leave the cave."
She promised softly. She was curious and wondered softly through the cave system passing a small pond of water she stopped to admire it and realized there were more caterpillars here, the cave here was dancing with them. The water reflected them like little pastel stars in the sky and the lieutenant sighed, "I could sit here all night and watch this."
She did eventually find herself a rock to set upon that didn't have caterpillars resting on it and she pulled out her book scratching out ideas for a poem.
Pastel stars dance over the water
Your search beings and don't falter
What is present isn't what it seems
Day or night there's no difference scenes
Cool darkness wraps comfort around
Look up and the sky it won't be found
But they still light the night up
Labradorite stopped and looked at what she scratched down and wrinkled her nose a bit. It wasn't great. It needed work honestly but it could be worse. She sighed softly as she took her little make shift lantern and opened the door so the little caterpillars could escape turning it softly on it's side to help them out.
When they had escaped to safety Labradorite stood up and brushed off her uniform. "Guess I'll continue this at home. Maybe I can fix it so it sounds better, right now it's just meh."
Labs didn't like to deal much with free verse but that might be the best for what she was writing. While she might've started with free verse she often went back and tried to form it into more of a limerick, a sonnet or used iambic pentameter to make the poem feel more powerful. She wasn't sure what she was going to do with this one but surely she could turn it into something meaningful.
She continued her journey through the caves, after all she needed to back out so she could go home and work on her poem. She figured all the paths should lead back out somewhere. She followed the light that glowed softly knowing worse case she could go back the way she came, it wasn't that difficult she didn't think. Even though she paused at another fork in the road. Thinking softly as she stood there looking to see what the two paths offered. One had a light at the end it seemed, the other she couldn't see a light per say but more soft pastel glows of the worms.
The lieutenant looked thoughtful, she could see what else kinds of environments these glow worms lived in or she could try and exit out of the cave system. She looked back towards the light before walking down the dark path. Surely it wouldn't be difficult to get back from the underground wonderland she'd stumbled upon. The next small pocket she entered felt like awe striking as she looked around, plants grew here that the little caterpillars seemed to love. Labs took out her note book again.
Hidden underground forest
Soft glow of the caterpillar
Munching on the translucent leaves
There is no cares about the outside
Soft patter of the water keeps time
She tapped the side of her notebook with her pen looking at the words on the page so far and contemplated how well the worked together. Perhaps she could fix it when she went to refine it later. There was a pause as she noticed a caterpillar had landed on her book. Soft purple she chuckled lightly and softly picked it up placing it back on one of the strange plants that grew here.
She was looking, once again for the light to follow out of the tunnel. Finding it after a moment she took her leave of the room, humming softly and thinking about the poem she was writing as she walked. Perhaps she could use this next poetry night and get some feed back on it.
The folks there were often useful, there was a pause for a moment as she pulled back out the book.
Do these little lights stay grounded
Or do they sprout wings and take flight
Are they forever a beacon trapped
Doomed to shrivel and crumble if they wonder
Or does growth and perseverance over come
Can they leave their underground prison
Labradorite paused again and looked at the words she wrote. She had read they turn to powder if they leave but why? What kept them here alive but the moment they leave they cease to exist?
Could it be a metaphor for life in general? The lieutenant didn't realize she'd made her way to the exit while in her thoughts. Having followed the light she saw, there was a pause as she looked around and took a deep breath of the fresh air. She could smell the scent of rain that was coming and she gave a soft nod. Perhaps it was time to go home and mule over her poem instead of wondering around.
Labradorite plopped her notebook into her rucksack since she didn't want to drop it into her subspace and stretched. Thinking about life just trapped in a small area not able to leave and how large the outside world had her deep in thought as she stretched walking away from the reservoir.
This trip wasn't meant to be that deep but it seemed to her, that it turned into a
Schrodinger's cat scenario. Could you be both alive and dead? Granted these little guys don't even make it out alive. So while it half worked it failed at the end of the tunnel.
The journey home was filled with what ifs and how she could make the poem better. Perhaps up lifting but the fact if they theoretically came out of the box they died was leaving her stumped.
She pulled out her book again.
To leave is to ascertain death, to stay is to live
Life is complicated for which choice is right
To venture out and experience new things can be scary
To stay in the familiar is safe, secure
But who's to say the familiar is correct
Labradorite eventually decided she would sleep on it. After all it was the best she could do.
And that's just what she did, powering down closer to her van Sable got cleaned up. After a shower she picked out a quick snack of milk and cookies and then she retired for the night.
The night was filled with colorful dreams of softly glowing caterpillars living their best life while having tea and cookies with her. It might not have been the ideal end to the day but it was an ending.
