I gaze inside, and feel a twitch of uncertainty. I am in a strange place, with a strange man, being asked to walk inside a dark cavern. It goes against everything I have learned after years of living in the city.
“It’s okay,” he says, encouragingly, “the tide is coming in, but it won’t trap us. I can tell we have a while yet.”
That hadn’t even been on my mind, but now it is.
“How do you know so much about tide patterns? I thought you said you grew up in the Midlands?”
“I did,” he replies, clambering over some loose rocks at the cave mouth, “but I’m a very quick learner!”
Larry has no qualms about following, scampering over sand and pebble and disappearing after Jake – which means, of course, that I now have to go in. Can’t have Mama’s Little Soldier left all alone.
I take a quick last look at the sea, at the way the moonlight paints it an otherworldly shade of silver, and follow on.
The ground is rough but easy enough to make my way over, especially when Jake shines the beam of the torch down to light my path. I soon catch up with him, see a child-like grin on his face, realise that he is excited to be sharing this with me. The breeze has ruffled his hair, and he looks suddenly younger – more alive.
“Okay,” I say, as I stand next to him, “here we are. In a cave. It’s all very mysterious, but…”
He lifts the torch up, and shines its beam on the roof of the cave. All I can do is gasp at what I see.
We are completely surrounded by rock that shines and glitters, sparkling in shades of silver and gold, green and blue, deep tones of purple and iridescent black. It is as though someone has studded the whole place with gems.
He slowly moves the torch around, and I see that the walls are the same – a mass of glowing rock that twinkles hypnotically beneath the light. I feel my eyes widen, and I reach out to touch the side of the cave. It feels damp, rough, ordinary – like any other cave. But the way it looks…it’s as though I’ve fallen into a kaleidoscope.
“Oh my God…” I mutter, transfixed by the sight, by the vibrancy, by the unreal gleam of the place. “It’s like it’s made of multi-coloured diamonds…”
“I know,” he replies warmly. “I still remember the first time I saw this. It was…well, it was special. And I hope this is special for you, too.”
I meet his gaze, and nod. “It is. Thank you. It’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. What is it?”
He continues to move the torch around, highlighting different sections of the cave, each one completely distinct from the last.
“I don’t know. I’ve heard some people mention mica, or silica, or calcite. Lots of stuff that sounds like it comes from a geology textbook. But on this one, I’m with the locals – I just think it’s magic.”
I stand still, drinking in the glow, the ethereal shimmer. I can hear the waves creeping in and out on the shoreline, and still hear that owl, and smell the fresh tang of salt. I might be a scientist, but on this occasion all my qualifications count for nothing – I have to agree. It’s magic.
Jake is quiet for a few minutes more, seeming to understand my need to drink it all in, to lose myself in the sense of wonder.
“On the right night,” he says eventually, “it’s even better. When the moon is at the right angle, and shines straight in, when the stars are all aligned, you don’t even need a torch. The whole place just…comes to life.”
I nod, and think that I’d like to see that. That I will come back here, one day, when the time is as right as the angle of the moon, and I will stand here and come to life myself, among it all.
For now, I have this – this perfect memory, this perfect image, stored in my mind in a room I know I will visit over and over again.
The image of the night I stood with Jake, wrapped up in a blanket of starshine.
ChapterNine
I wake up the next morning to glorious sunlight flooding through the window, and a dog sitting on my chest, licking my face.
I have slept well, deeply, free of the distressing dreams that I usually battle at night. You know, those ones where you’re trying to find a certain door, but when you do it has no handle, or where you need to call someone urgently but your fingers turn into cooked spaghetti as you try to dial?
I stroke Larry to show him I am conscious, and allow myself a few moments of peace, remembering the shimmering lights of the cave. A dream I had while I was wide awake.
I drag myself out of bed, and open one of the dog food sachets for my hungry friend. Then I pull on clothes, check my phone and see that it is after 9. I can’t recall the last time I stayed in bed for so long.
I make my way downstairs, see the bar area busy with people eating breakfast, and head outside with Larry. I spot a ridiculously tall teenager loitering by the fire escape; his hair is parted in the centre, with one half bright green and the other half black, like an alt version of Cruella de Vil. He has a vape in his hand, and as soon as he sees me he tries to hide it. Rebellious enough for the hair and the vape, not rebellious enough to want me to see it.
I feel words of warning spring to my lips, but remind myself that he is not my patient, and this is none of my business. He crouches down to play with Larry, and looks about 12 when he grins.
