Kingston set a plate full of food in front of her at the table and Raleigh added a gallon container of orange juice and three glasses.
“I’m sorry we forgot to feed you yesterday but we worked straight through the day and well into the evening,” Raleigh said.
“Eat now, we’ve got a busy day ahead of us,” added Master Kingston.
“Thank you,” she said, picking up her fork and trying to eat slowly and savor every bite, instead of gulp it down as she wanted to do.
“We thought we’d take you to the Monster Caves today and show you around,” said Kingston.
“The Monster Caves?” she asked.
“There’s a rock formation inside that looks very much like a monster,” Raleigh explained.
Nothing else was said until their plates were empty and cups of coffee drunk. Then Raleigh showed her the coveralls and other things she needed to put on, and they left the building. This time they walked at right angles from the way she’d arrived, and almost seemed to disappear off the side of the cliff. The mountain was deceptive though because although the slope was steep, it was walkable.
It was at least fifteen minutes of brisk walking later when they rounded a lot of fallen rock, that Andorra saw what must be the entry to the cave. It was a person-sized hole in the side of the cliff, covered by a heavy metal gate that was locked.
Master Kingston unlocked the door and after they’d all passed though he locked it again from the inside. She wondered how many people had keys and if they’d meet others inside here, but didn’t want to ask any questions.
Raleigh showed her how to switch the light clipped to her helmet on, and both he and Master Kingston picked up folding metal ladders which were stacked on a hook by the entry.
“This is not a public cave so there are no guard rails or anything like that. Watch where I walk and follow me closely,” said Master Kingston, swinging the ladder over his shoulder.
At first there was enough light from the opening in the cave to see where they were going, but gradually she realized she was relying more on the light on her helmet, and the reflected light from Master Kingston in front of her and Master Raleigh behind her, to see. They marched downhill for quite a while, until she thought they must be a long way underground, then the cave opened much wider and the floor was dirt rather than rock.
“You can look around here,” said Raleigh.
Carefully she walked around the walls, looking up at the various rock formations. There were some amazing shapes, but nothing more surprising or beautiful than those she’d seen on the climb up the mountain. It was just that these ones were special because they were inside the mountain..
Again they hiked down a long passageway, which opened into a second large cave. This time the men stopped right in the doorway.
“Walk forward three or four paces then look up,” said Raleigh.
She did as instructed and gasped. There was the monster, much bigger than a person, with stocky legs, long arms hanging almost to the ground, a round body, and a big head. His eyes were deep holes high up under his forehead and he had a long nose and wide grin. Andorra walked closer to him and saw his mouth was a strip of darker colored rock, and his eyes were dips in the rock. “Are his eyes caves?” she asked.
“We’re about to show you.”
The men put the first folding metal ladder on the ground then somehow snapped the two ladders together, making them reach up to the monster’s shoulder. Kingston climbed the ladder and beckoned to her. She followed more slowly and carefully, but the ladder was perfectly sturdy and didn’t even wobble. She watched carefully as Kingston held onto the monster while sliding his booted feet along the monster’s shoulder then pulled himself up into the nearest eye.
She wasn’t sure how she’d manage but found plenty of places on the rocky surface of the monster’s face to grip onto as she crossed his shoulder. Holding onto his nose tightly with her right hand, she rested her left knee on the edge of his eye and slid through the hole. As soon as she did she could see this was another much smaller cave and that the other eye led here as well. She crossed the cave and looked out of the second eye as Raleigh climbed up the ladder and joined them.
“This’s amazing. Imagine being inside the monster’s head.” Andorra stared all around the larger cave from inside the monster, getting quite a different appreciation for the dimensions of it from right up here. She was likely fifteen feet above the ground, and the roof of the outer cave was well above the monster’s head. The rock formations looked larger and more dramatic from up here, too, possibly because she was closer to them.
She watched carefully to see how Kingston exited from the inner cave, copying him exactly, until she was safe on the ground again. Raleigh and Kingston unlocked the two ladders but left them on the ground as they turned and kept walking.