Publisher's Voice: Party in a cave

"Do you wanna come camping with us tonight?"

"Uh... yeah!"

Turn down an opportunity for camping? I think not! Not when I'd been trying for weeks to get a group together. Not when it was two gorgeous girls asking, either.

D and her sister, H, had flagged me down from H's white car to give me the invite. I had just started down the street, still looking sharp in the suit I had worn at an interview earlier that morning.

"So where are we camping?"

"There's this really cool cave behind a waterfall in the woods past the college. We're going to meet at the tree by the bike path at five and hike there," D explained the plan.

The tree she was talking about was down a path by the Hocking River. It grew in an arch over the path and was often a hangout for the college students to come and smoke pot. It was also the tree where D and I had first met.

As D and H were on their way wherever they had to be at the time, and I was going off for a walk, our contact was short and we bid each other adieu. Nothing was going to break my spirit now; warm weather in late winter and the prospect of spending the night beside a fire in some secluded location was all I needed to put me in a lasting, good mood.

I met up with another friend of mine to go walking with. We followed the bike path to Robbins Crossing, just past the college, and sat down at one of the tables outside some cabin. Robbins Crossing is a simulated historical village the college uses to teach life as it used to be. To my friend and I, it was just a beautiful place to relax. My friend set himself to work on a story he was developing, while I used my phone to turn on some tunes. Slow life in a fading town.

Eventually, we grew bored and decided to head back. I still had to prepare for the night ahead.

Getting ready didn't take long. I finally took off my suit in favor of some more casual attire, then rolled up my tent into my sleeping bag and fastened it to my backpack. All set. I called D to confirm the meeting location and happily set out once more.

I reached the tree a little early and decided to climb its arch to lay down while I waited.

"Chucke," I heard D call out to me.

I sat up in the tree and smiled wide. "Hey," I called back. "How have you been?"

"Good," she answered. We're actually out this way because we've got a bunch of heavy stuff to carry," she indicated the direction she was coming from.

I jumped from my perch in the tree and joined D. Her sister was further down the path, keeping an eye on the gear we were bringing along.

Once we met up with her, I sized up luggage. "Is that everything?"

"Yeah," M replied, "but it's heavier than it looks. Tent, beer, blankets. We're waiting on more people to help carry it all, if anyone else shows up."

"I bet I could get most of it. What would you like me to carry?"

"I'd feel so much better if I didn't have to haul that," D pointed to a tarp that contained the bulk of the weight, and all of the beer.

I picked up the tarp. It was heavy, but I was traveling lighter than normal and the extra weight was easy to take. I slipped my walking staff through the knot and slung the package onto my back.

"I guess we can head out, then," D announced.

The hike took us twenty or so minutes as we followed a combination of marked paths and game trails up the creek. The cave didn't go far back, but it was enough to provide some shelter. Still in late winter, the waterfall was a fractured wall of slowly melting ice. A fire pit sat in about the middle, while the walls of the cave had been graffitied with charcoal etchings. I was excited to be here.

We dropped the load we had been carrying and went to work setting up camp. My tent went up quick and easy. D and H didn't take much longer with theirs.

Once camp was ready, D piled the wood that was present into the fire pit and I got it started. Finally, we could all relax and open a beer.

My first beer gone, I figured I may as well gather some more firewood before night fell. I took off into the woods, rejuvenated and full of energy. After I had returned with the second bundle, we decided it was time to take a "safety" break and sent a bowl around.

To be honest, I kind of fancied D. Sitting beside the fire, I decided it was a perfect time to try and impress her. I recited my poem Breathless Whisper for her and her sister.

I'm just a breathless whisper

beneath the star-lit sky.

A simple spark of magic,

the feeling you could fly.

Wild through the woords, we ran;

living silver dreams,

laughing at the world,

and how siliy that it seems.

Carelessly, but passionate; 

spirited and free,

thinking of the future,

planning who we'll be.

Carried to another realm,

where everything is right,

to sit beside the fire,

all nestled in moonlight.

Both of them loved it. D even began to sing a song she wrote while I tended the fire. Her voice was lovely.

Darkness had descended and we saw someone with a flashlight approaching. We all let out howls and wild shouts at the newcomer's arrival. Suddenly, there was more beer and herb. Another bowl went around. 

Eventually, the newcomer's roommate arrived. Another group of campers later stopped by for a brief visit, as well. We drank and we smoked and reveled in the light of the fire until night became early morning. A "pow wow" in the tent turned into a cuddle puddle, and finally we got some sleep - my tent entirely unused.

Around six, D woke up and asked me for a lighter to get the fire going again. I joined shortly after deciding I wasn't getting any more sleep. 

The sunrise was beautiful and reflected off the cave walls with magnificent radiance. Once it was light enough, I gathered some more wood for the morning fire. A final bowl went around as we settled into the new day.

At last, we had to go. We took down camp and let out some final howls as we hiked our way back to civilization.

---

Charles Whaley 

Charles Whaley writes fiction and non-fiction alike with the goal of ascending to the heights of names like Lewis Carroll or Aldous Huxley. Charles believes that stories should be written every day both on and off the page; relishing the human experience of life by hiking, hitchhiking, camping and volunteering at festivals as often as possible. He edits for The Oddville Press, publishes The Adventurous Pen and is the author of Through Kaleidoscopes. 

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