A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 12

Konobeev comfortably settled in a corner of a big cave and strong fell asleep under howl of wind and noise of a rain. And Vanyushka could not sleep. The typhoon affected it excitingly as a thunder-storm, as the fire as all outstanding. To it it was terrible and cheerful. There was a wish to sing, shout, move. It was necessary to think up something, to allow to be discharged to nervous tension. Outside you will not look out – will carry away as a tent. And what if to go to examine a cave? Vanyushka offered Guzik. But that already plunged into the contemplate nirvana, long answered inattentively, yet did not understand what from it is demanded, and rather intelligibly answered:

– Do not disturb, I consider!

Volkov also refused. Konobeev slept. Vanyushka discontentedly grunted.

– In that case I will go one.

He put on a back a satchel with the accumulator and tied a lamp to the head. Having thought a little, also the nanosnik with points put on.

The lamp brightly flashed, having lit the dark greenish arches of a cave.

– Farewell, I go! – Vanyushka told and walked in depth.

Under the arches the silence reigned. Ears were free from earphones, and Vanyushka heard how the echo threw noise of steps from a wall to a wall. Strange echo! As though it not one went in a cave, and several people walked ahead, behind, from sides… Here in such situation legends of spirits, doubles, ghosts arose. Vanyushka did not trust all this and still felt a chill in a back when, having shouted, heard a many-voiced echo: the cave played sounds, throwing them as a ball.

– Oh! – Vanyushka shouted.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!” – the cave moaned.

Vanyushka forcedly laughed, the cave picked up his laughter, carrying away peals it is farther and farther until they stood somewhere away…

It is good that Vanyushka has such strong lamp! At bright light it is not terrible.

The further Vanyushk moved forward, the cave walls became more elegant, richer, more beautiful. Fantastic laces stalactites went down from a ceiling. From a cave bottom towards to them edges of stalagmites rose. Here and there stalactites met stalagmites, forming the elaborate columns reminding the Chinese carving on ivory.

The cave was narrowed, extended. Its arches sometimes hung so low that Vanyushke was necessary to bend the head, and then unexpectedly rose highly up, as in the Gothic temple. In extensive and high halls the dark entrance failures dispersing in different directions corridors gaped. Vanyushka, not to get lost, decided to turn always in extreme left pass. Several times he came into deadlocks, got out of them and again turned to the left. At last reached a big cave which walls were covered with greenish, pink and red crystals. Here and there these crystals burned as blood drops, in other places shone an emerald of a young grass. Vanyushka admired an unprecedented show.

“Perhaps, they are gemstones. Here take wealth, foot!” – Vanyushka thought, slowly directing light of a lamp to one, to other party. Having lit the soil under legs, it uvidat stony descent, otly running down. In depth, in a wall there was a dark opening. “Underpass!” – Vanyushka thought. He safely moved down and suddenly screamed from surprise. Legs touched absolutely invisible cold water or something like that cold as water. Cold gas? Vanyushka kicked – and the fountain the sparkling splashes flew up. Yes, it is water! Never before in Vanyushke’s life it was necessary to see such pure, transparent water. It was more transparent than the best glass. The bottom of the underground lake was visible throughout to the slightest pebble. From this cave there was only one exit – back, except for a dark opening under water, the leader under the earth somewhere. And what if to go forward, to this dark opening?

Vanyushka once again tried water. It is cold! But he got used to bathing. It is necessary to plunge only at once!

Vanyushka attached a nanosnik, connected tubes to the device producing oxygen and plunged into the water. Water immediately filled the tank in a satchel, and the device began to emit oxygen.

Water was so cold that Vanyushka nearly ran out on the coast, but constrained effort of will itself and forced to move ahead.

The entrance to the underground tunnel was quite low. Vanyushke was necessary to be bent. The lamp lit granite walls which contracted more and more closely. Vanyushka floated, grabbled. In one place there was fear that it will not be possible to creep further. But when this bottleneck was overcome, the tunnel began to extend quickly. Walls were moved apart, the arch rose above water level. Vanyushka emerged on a surface and uvidat that he is in the huge cave filled with water. The stalactites which were hanging down from a ceiling of a cave reminded strange monsters. Monsters reached for water and were reflected in it; the bottom from a gray-green stone was visible absolutely distinctly. The great number of fishes swam in this underground lake where there was no vegetation. What these fishes, besides a consuming similar ate? Vanyushka hooked a hand one fish of a strange look – prickly, dry, nonflexible – and was convinced that it was absolutely blind. Instead of eyes it had only small deepenings. All fishes of this lake never seeing light were blind! Vanyushka surveyed cave walls under water and was convinced that they have several side channels through which fishes incessantly swam in and came up. Perhaps, in the neighbourhood there were reservoirs which contained all necessary for maintenance of life of this blind kingdom.

Having crossed the lake, Vanyushka came to the coast and went on huge, all to the narrowed tunnel. And suddenly he shuddered and stopped, to something attentively listening. No, everything is silent. Seemed to it. These are probably echo whims. Unless there can be people here? Vanyushka took some more steps forward and again stopped. This time the human voices muffled by distance – as though men’s and women’s – about something arguing rather distinctly reached it. Who are they, these people and where they are? How could make the way here? Vanyushki’s curiosity was excited excessively. He decided to creep with unnoticed and to observe unknown. Closed a palm lamp light, having left only a small ray, and, carefully going, went aside from where voices reached.

Voices were distributed more and more clearly, closer and closer, and before Vanyushka there were only fruitless, dead arches of a cave. Ahead the stone ridge which was not reaching cave top was seen. Behind cover of this ridge of Vanyushk could approach unnoticed on a short distance. It was now possible to sort separate words.

– Look, Boris Grigoryevich what strange whitish reflected light on the cave arch! – told a female voice.

Vanyushka involuntarily raised the head up and uvidat that one beam of the lamp covered with a hand gives a small reflection On the cave arch. This reflection was also noticed by someone, being on other side of a stone ridge. Vanyushka hurried to extinguish a lamp. At the same time he noticed the fluctuating, amplifying, growing dim reddish light on the cave arches. Such light could proceed only from a fire.

– It seemed to you – the male deep voice answered. – Shadow play… Yes, so I also speak – continued a male voice after a small pause. – Me as Chekhovian Epikhodov, twenty two misfortunes pursue…

Vanyushka heard not only human voices, but also reaching from where a buzzing, wind noise, storm howl… Everything spoke simply; Vanyushka, having made an arch, wrapped all the time on the left, had to leave to edge of a mountain chain in which there were caves. In mountains, obviously, was available several caves connected with each other by internal transitions. People also came into one of these caves, taking cover from a storm as well as Vanyushkina friends. But what people are?! Vanyushka crept to the edge of a rocky ridge and glanced, taking cover between stones.