Tom Pawlik: Beckon

Ben studied the cliff, his eyes squinting against the bright sky. “That would be my guess. It almost looks big enough to squeeze inside.”

Jack drew up beside him. “Whattaya think?”

“Looks like there’s some kind of ledge up there,” Ben said. “But the trick will be getting to it.”

They proceeded to check their gear. Ben had brought plenty of rope and climbing hardware, while Jack had brought flashlights, a couple boxes of glowsticks, and a package of flares. Their food consisted mostly of beef jerky, nuts, protein bars, and plenty of water. In addition to the supplies, Ben had also brought along a large hunting knife in a leather sheath, strapped around his waist.

“You never know what you might run into,” he had said with a wink.

He took a moment to go over some safety instructions, warning Jack and Rudy of the dangers of unexplored cave systems. “Remember, when we get inside, the most important thing is to stick together. Don’t go wandering off alone,” he said as he adjusted his gear. “I’ll climb up first and let down a safety line.”

Jack could feel his heart racing as he wondered if this was the very path his father had taken during his last expedition. Running Bear had not recalled speaking with him twelve years ago, but Jack felt a sense of certainty that he was on the right trail. He was eager to find out just what kind of cave system was under this mountain.

At length Ben found a suitable area along the cliff to attempt an ascent, and he scrambled up the mountainside like a squirrel up a tree.

Jack chuckled. “Wow, he moves pretty good for an older guy.”

Rudy shook his head and grunted. “Army Ranger.”

Within ten minutes, Ben had scaled the cliff and pulled himself onto the narrow ledge. He scooted along until he came to the opening and slowly climbed inside. He disappeared from view for a minute and then reappeared, waving at them.

“It looks big enough to fit inside,” he called. “It’s maybe three or four feet wide and extends up into the cliff at about a thirty-degree angle.”

“How far up does it go?” Jack said.

Ben glanced back. “I didn’t see the end.”

They tied their packs one by one to the rope, and Ben pulled them up. Next, Rudy and then Jack attempted the fifty-foot climb while connected to the safety line. The climb was steep and laborious, but forty minutes later they had both managed to reach the ledge.

Jack gazed out as he caught his breath. The cliff dropped off right at their feet, straight down into the forest below. From this vantage point, Jack could see the foamy creek tumbling back down the slope through the woods and into a rough meadow beyond. The entire countryside below him was lit beneath the blazing sun.

Rudy stood beside him, flipped open his minicam, and panned across the vista. “Nice view, huh?”

“I’ll say.”

Rudy shut off the camera. “So… you still think your dad came this way?”

“I know I can’t explain it,” Jack said, “but I’m almost positive he did. I have to believe it.” He turned to Ben. “So what do we do now?”

“We follow the same procedure heading up into the tunnel,” Ben said. “I’ll go in first and set an anchor. Then you guys follow me up.”

Ben pounded an anchor into the base of the ledge to secure a safety line. Then he climbed up into the crevice over the stream of water, bracing himself against the sides. Jack peered in and watched as Ben disappeared into the darkness, trailing the rope behind him.

They waited outside for several minutes until Ben appeared again in the mouth of the opening.

“Okay, the tunnel opens into a larger chamber about ten yards up,” he explained. “There’s a big pool that’s feeding the waterfall, maybe twenty or thirty feet across. And it looks like there’s a couple other passages leading off the main room.”

Jack rubbed his hands. “Let’s go.”

They secured themselves to the line and pulled themselves up the incline, keeping their feet to either side of the gushing water. At one point the passage grew so narrow, Jack could barely squeeze through. He had no idea how Ben had managed to get his larger frame past it.

But the passage leveled off and opened into a large, rounded chamber just as Ben had described. Jack stood in the mud and rocks at the edge of the pool, ankle-deep in water. A narrow glint of daylight filtered up the passage and illumined part of the room, but they explored the rest of it with flashlights. The chamber was wide and low, so they had to stand slightly hunched, and a steady stream of water poured down from overhead through a number of cracks and crevices.

Rudy had unpacked his minicam again and filmed the chamber.

“Caves are very delicate ecosystems,” Ben was saying, “so we need to make sure we minimize our impact. There’s an old saying: ‘Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, and kill nothing but time.’”

“Yeah, well, we’re having an impact just by our presence,” Rudy said. “We’re producing carbon dioxide and perspiration, leaving epithelial cells, and introducing new bacteria. Even our footprints could have a butterfly effect in this place.”

As they talked, Jack searched the walls for evidence of the N’watu or some of the writing Running Bear’s grandfather had supposedly seen. He waded around the edges, shining his flashlight along the walls, but found nothing.

Ben inspected the ceiling with his flashlight. “I’m guessing that during the spring thaw this whole chamber gets flooded.”

“Is this the tunnel you were talking about?” Rudy pointed out an opening off to one side, where a trail of water trickled down and disappeared into the darkness.

“That’s one of them.” Ben shouldered his pack. “There’s one on the other side that leads up.”

He pointed his flashlight across the room to a smaller crevice. Jack could see Rudy shudder at that prospect. It did look like a tight fit. The one leading down was wide by comparison. And probably an easier climb.

“Well—” Jack swiveled his flashlight between the two options—“I vote for the lower one. It looks more promising.”

“All right,” Ben said. “Let me take a look around first.”

He crouched to squeeze himself through the opening and crawled a few yards down the passage. “Looks like it goes on a ways.”

He continued on until his light disappeared altogether. A minute later, his voice echoed back up the passage. “Okay, come on down. It looks like a pretty easy tunnel.”

Jack motioned for Rudy to follow. “I’ll bring up the rear,” he said.

“Great,” Rudy grunted as he crawled into the passage.

Jack watched him go and followed a few moments later. While he had to hunch to get through the opening, he found that he was nearly able to stand upright just a few feet into the tunnel. It led downward at a steeper angle than the waterfall shaft outside but was also rougher. The trail of water at his feet had obviously not been enough to wear the rock smooth.

Soon the passage tapered considerably and the incline grew steeper. Moreover, the ground was becoming slippery with mud as the water flow seemed to have increased, dripping down from the ceiling.

Ben signaled them to stop. “It’s getting pretty steep here,” he said. “And slick. I think we should keep ourselves spaced out and link up.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Link up?”

Ben produced the rope they had used earlier and tied it to his belt harness, then to Rudy’s, and finally to Jack’s. “You’re the anchor.”

“Great.”

“Keep a good ten to fifteen feet between us,” Ben said. “Just in case.”

They continued on, weaving between sharp outcroppings. In the meantime, the floor was growing increasingly slippery. Jack found his boots losing traction repeatedly.