Wonder Caves rough draft

Wonder Caves

Cyndi walked to the edge of the cliff and looked into the darkness below. “Just imagine what could be down there Andrew.”

He walked up, just able to carry the bag of supplies in his hands. “Bats, snakes. Umm worms.”

She blew her dark bangs to the side. “Don’t be such a downer. There could be an entire city down there. No, riches from another age.” She shook her hands. “No, some undiscovered remains from our ancient ancestors.” Cyndi jumped up and down. “I can’t wait to get down there.”

Andrew set down the backpack and reached out a pale hand. “Whole calm down there. This terrain isn’t stable.”

She turned around and raised an eyebrow at him. “Hey I have been exploring caves like this for the last five years.” She looked down into the pit. “This will just be another fun jaunt though the darkness.” She smiled at him, her pearly whites shining in the morning sun.

“Still, be careful. People have been said to have vanished around here.” He looked around. “I still don’t feel combatable about this.”

Cyndi turned back around and took a step closer to the edge. “Oh stop worrying. We are here, out in the fresh air.” She extended out her arms. “Let’s have some fun.”

The ledge beneath her feet suddenly gave out and Cyndi tumbled downward, screaming into the darkness. Air whizzed past her as she fell and she knew that she didn’t have long before she hit the stone ground below. This is it.

Suddenly she landed, but not on a hard rough surface, but instead something soft and bouncy. Up she went, flailing her arms in the darkness before landing down again on the mysterious substance. Over and over she bounced until she came to a stop. She took deep breaths as sweat dripped down her neck. “I’m alive?” She pushed herself up, her hands slinking slightly into the surface below. “I can’t believe I survived that fall.”

Cyndi looked around. “But where am I?” She held her hand up to her face. “Nope. Can’t see myself.” She bounced her butt on the strange mushy surface that she was sitting on. “Wonder what I landed on? It feels so spongey. I wish I had a light or something to see down here.”

“Cyndi. Are you ok?”

She looked around. “Andrew. Where are you?”

“Up here.”

“Where is here? You sound like you are all around me. Make sense.”

“You sound so far away Cyndi. How are you alive?”

She maneuvered onto her knees. “Hey just tell me where you are at and get me out of here.”

“Hold on. Let me get the light and. . . Oh crap.”

There was a crashing sound for a few moments before something hard hit Cyndi in the head. “Oww. Andrew what did you just drop on my head?”

“The backpack full of supplies.”

She smiled and felt around for the bag. “I got it. I can get out of here.” Her hand found the flashlight and she illuminated her surroundings. “Wow this cave is amazing. Look at all the stalactites.” Cyndi looked down. “Wait. What in the world. Am I sitting on a giant mushroom?”

She put her hand on the mushy red and white surface. “This thing is massive.” She scratched her head. “Or am I small. That could be it.” Cyndi sighed. “This is so weird and cool.”

She raised the light and shinned it on the ceiling once more. “Andrew. I don’t see the way I came in. Very odd but the ceiling seems to be solid.”

“Then how can I hear you?”

“Wait.” She narrowed her eyes. “I see a tiny hole just above me.”

“Tiny? What are you talking about? You fell down a massive hole.”

She stood up on the mushroom. “It looks like a tiny gap to me. This is so odd.”

“Look can you just use the climbing gear in the pack and get out of there. You have squeezed though tight gabs before. This will be fine.”

She looked down at the pack and then rummaged though it. “There is nothing in here but. . .” She held her hand to her nose. “You lunch from yesterday, gross. Why can’t you throw your junk away?”

“Hey, you might need that. I told you saving our supplies would be good. Now you can have something while I go get help. Hold on Cyndi.”

“Andrew.” She blinked. “Andrew?” She slid off the mushroom. “How could he just leave me down here?” She spun around. “I don’t even see a way out. Great.” Cyndi blinked her eyes. “Phew. My eyes are so heavy. I need to rest.” She leaned against the mushroom. “So nice and soft.” She shook her head. “No. Come on girl. Stay away now.” Cyndi took a deep breath. “No sleeping.” Her eyes drooped. “No drifting. . .” She fell down next to the massive mushroom and drifted off into the darkness.

***

Cyndi stood up and stretched her arms. She was standing in a woodland with a sea of familiar fungi at her feet. She looked around. “I can’t make too much out with all this mist.”

A shadow danced on the edge of her vision. “Who is there?” She turned to see who it was but only mist greeted her. “Umm hello?”

The figure passed by again. “Hey.” She turned around. “Come out.” Cyndi hugged herself. “This is crazy. I have to be dreaming?”

“Good dreaming to you miss.”

She turned around and gasped. “Oh my.” Before her stood an odd looking man in a green jacket and blue pants. On his head stood a massive green hat with a 10/6th on the card. He outstretched his overly massive hand to her. “How is the young lady doing this fine morning?”

“Morning?” Cyndi looked around. “It is dark as can be.”

The strange man hit her on top of her head. “You are out like a light. How would know if it’s day or night.” He laughed.

She crossed her arms. “Very funny.” Her eyes dashed from one side to another. “Wait, how do you know this is a dream?”

He sat down on thin air. “I know a lot of things.” He pulled out a cup of tea.

Cyndi tried to copy the funny man by sitting on air. “Ouff.” She rubbed her rear end after falling to the ground.

The man in the hat poured a cup of tea. “Takes practice to sit like this.”

She looked up at him. “You could have told me.”

“Where is the fun in that?”

Cyndi giggled and stood up. “Ok, now can you explain some things?”

“Tea first, talking later.” He handed her the cup.

She took the cup. “Why thank you.” She gave the hatter a bow. Cyndi then took a sip of the tea. “Hey there is nothing in this.”

“What do you mean?” He took a massive gulp. “This is the finest tea I have had in the life.”

She set the cut down on the row of mushrooms. “Ok. You seem to know a lot about me and what is going on. Is there a way out of the cave that I am in?”

He jumped to his feet. “You are stand on the solution my dear.”

Cyndi blinked. “I don’t understand.” She looked down. “All I am standing on are a bunch of tiny little mushrooms.”

He laughed. “Why of course you are. Maybe if you try one you could be tiny too. Or maybe it was the other way around?” He walked over and tapped her on the forehead. “Now remember that while I fade.” He laughed.

She reached out to grab him but her hands went right though him. “Hey.”

All she heard was his laughter as the mist closed in.

***

Cyndi woke up and hit her head on the bottom of the mushroom. “Wow. What a strange dream.” She crawled over and grabbed her fading flashlight. “I can’t wait to tell Andrew about it. Ugh.” She grabbed the side of the mushroom and pulled herself up. “If I can ever get out of here.”

She pointed her flickering light up at the ceiling. “Welp the way out is still tiny. Andrew? Are you back yet?” She waited for a few moments but didn’t hear a response back. “Ugh. Well then.” She clamored up on top of the mushroom once more. “What shall I do now?”

Cyndi tapped her fingers on the mushy surface of the shroom. “Maybe if you try one you could be tiny too. Or maybe it was the other way around. Such strange advice.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I can’t believe myself right now. I am thinking about trusting something I heard in a dream. If I did everything I experienced while asleep I would have jumped off my roof years ago.” She giggled and looked down at the mushroom. “Still I don’t see how just trying this giant shoom could hurt. No more than Andrew’s stale bread.” She stuck out her tongue. “My stomach is rolling just thinking about it. Eww.”

She crawled to the edge of the mushroom. “I will just try a small piece first. Ugh.” She pulled off a sizable chunk. “Yes this will do nicely. I just hope you taste as swell as you look.” She threw the mushroom into her mouth. “Mhhm. That is really good.” Cyndi sat back, pulling her legs out so she sat crossed legged. “I wonder why I didn’t try munching on this thing before.” She laughed. “Oh ya, it saved my life.”

Cyndi suddenly shivered. “Whoh. I feel dizzy all of a sudden.” She put her hand to her head. “Maybe eating that mushroom wasn’t the best idea. It is making my skin crawl.”

She lowered her hand into her lap and looked at it. “Oh my. My skin is literally crawling.” She held her hand up. “My hand, it is pulsing like crazy. Big, small. Big, small.” She shook her hand. “Make up your mind.”

The pulsing suddenly stopped. “Finally. Huh?” She looked down at the mushroom. “Why are the spots getting larger?” Cyndi moved to her knees and gasped. “This thing is growing.” She looked up. “No it’s no.” She gulped. “I am shrinking.”

Cyndi jumped to her feet. “What am I going to do? What am I going to do? This mushroom was big enough. Now it is starting to look like a miniature roof. I thought eating this thing would help me get out of here.” She paced back and forth. “Instead it has made me into a tiny version of myself.” She scratched her chin. “Well maybe now I could crawl out of that tiny hole in the celing I saw before.” She looked upward. “If I could get up there.”

The light suddenly went out. “Hey.” She turned to see the flashlight, now up to her waist, rolling down the mushroom towards her. “Wait, stop.” She turned around on a dime. “Bad flashlight.” She ran for the edge of the shroom. “This is crazy. I can’t be afraid of a flashlight.” Cyndi turned her head back towards the growing flashlight. “Then again when they make them that massive I can be.”

She stopped at the edge of the mushroom. “Wow that is a huge fall now.” She wiped the sweat from her forehead. “I don’t want to have to. . .” She turned around. “Oh crap.”

The flashlight rammed into her, rolling over her and dragging her over the side. “Help!” Cyndi flung her arms about as she tumbled downward and landed in something soft. “Ugh. What in the world?” She felt around. “How did I not go splat on the ground? Is this plastic.” Her hand found a massive fold and she pulled. “Oh my.” She covered her nose. “I know where I am now.” She pushed the fold back down. “I landed on Andrews’s moldy sandwich. Yuck.”

She looked upward. “Well at least I can still see a light. If I can climb out of this backpack maybe there will be some hope.” She jumped up and grabbed onto the interior of the bag. “Wait until I tell Andrew about this. Ughh. Hey guess what happened to me down in the cave. Oh nothing too much. I just shrank down to the size of some rolled up quarters and fell into your back pack.” She slighed. “Wow I never thought I would say this but climbing out of this bag is not easy.”

Cyndi pulled herself up and out of the pack and looked out into the dim light. “Ok. At least I can still see the mushroom, or I should say the new roof of the cave. The massive fungi beaty.” She giggled. “Ok think. What do I do now?” She threw herself over the side of the backpack and lowered herself down. “Eating it made me shrink just like the strange man in the dream said. Ouff.” She dusted herself off after landing on the ground.

“But didn’t he also say it might make me grow.” She looked upward. “That is crazy but.” She outstretched her arms. “I did just become the size of a mouse. What more do I have to lose? Shrink so small that I am just a dust bunny?” She shrugged. “Well maybe I could fly out of here then.” She laughed.

Cyndi looked up. “But how do I get up onto that massive thing to take another bite. I am not munching on the stem. I would rather have Andrews’s moldy bread.” She walked up to the side of the mushroom. “Well there are small handles on the side of this thing.” Cyndi smiled. “I guess I get to go rock climbing after all.” She pulled herself up. “Ugh, or in this case fungi climbing. Look at me, Cyndi the amazing shrinking mushroom climber.”

Up and up she went, soon reaching the bottom of the mushroom cap. “Ok now how do I get up there?” She pushed her hand into the soft spongey suface. “Hey I can dig my hands in. Maybe.” Cyndi pushed her hand deep into the mushroom and then let go of the stem. She screamed as she swung but her arm held firm in the fungi. “Well that was exciting.” She turned her head forward. “Onward to the size altering food.”

She worked her way over to the rim of the mushroom. “I wish that someone was here to see all of this. No one is going to belive me when I get out of here.” Cyndi stopped at the rim of the shoom. “Ok. One shot. Here I go.” She began to swing back and forth until her feet came level with the rim. On the next swing she slid her hands out of the fungi but kept a grip on the edge so she swung around ontop of the mushroom. “Oww.” She pushed herself to her feet. “It worked, but I had to land so hard on my face.”

Cyndi slowly pushed herself away from the cliff side. “Let’s get away from the massive fall shall we.” Once she was on safe bouncy ground she turned around. “I just wish I could see up here. The shroom is blocking the light so I can’t see what I am standing on.”

She looked down at her feet. “I guess that means I will just have to take a bite from where I am standing.” She fell to her knees and dug in. “At least this thing is tasty.”

Cyndi’s entire body began to vibrate. “Whoh. This is new. Hey, the mushroom is sliding beneath my hands. What is going on?” She felt her feet slide off the back of the mushroom. “Hey.” Cyndi crawled ahead. “I wish I knew what was going on, but it is too dark to see.”

Suddenly she reached the other side of the shoom. “What the?” Before she could stop herself she fell over the edge. “Oh no.” She outstretched her arm and her hand landed on the ground. She didn’t even move the rest of her body. “Huh?” Cyndi blinked as she heard a cracking sound. “That isn’t good.”

Suddenly the mushroom collapsed under her and she fell to the cave floor. “Oww.” She turned around for the flashlight. “Damn thing broke. Huh?” She found the flashlight but it was now tiny. Cyndi reached down and picked it up, holding it between her fingers. “How did you shrin? Wait if you are small, that means.”

She graoned as her head hit the ceiling. “I am the one growing.” Salagtites fell around her. “And I am getting too big. Oh my, that shoom works to well.” She put her hands on the roof of the cave. “If I keep growing I will be smushed. I need to push.”

The rocks above her began to give way as she was forced into a crouching postion. “Come on Cyndi. You can do it. Ughhhh.” A massive bolder fell in front of her. “Almost out and into the open fresh air. Just a bit more.”

She suddenly broke free, standing straight up. She looked out over the landsape, able to see for miles. “Wow I am so big.”

“Cyndi?” She looked down to see Andrew in a jeep with a massive coil of rope in the back. “I was just coming to save you.”

She smiled at him. “I found my own way out. Itsn’t it amazing?”

He scratched at his head. “Myabe. What happened to you? You are huge.”

“I had a mushroom. It made me grow.”

“Ohhh.” He looked at his hands. “I am not high am I?”

She laughed. “No this is real. Now let’s go home shall we?”

He pointed at her waist. “If you can get out.”

She looked down to see the walls of the cave firmly fastned around her giant body. She raised a finger to her companion. “Just a second.” She tried to push herself out. “Ugh.” Cyndi put her hands down on the earth. “Come on.”

“I don’t think you are going to get out. You are stuck.”

“I just need a moment.” Cyndi suddenly popped out and flew upward. “Whohhh.” She landed back down in front of Andrew, sending his jeep flying. She caught him in her hands. “Got you.”

He looked around frantactily. “What just happened?”

She smiled and bounced her head. “Oh we went for a ride silly.” She started to walk. “Now lets go home. I am tired. Chaning size like this has made me work up an appatie. I think when we get back to town we are going to need to order up a hundred hamburgers or something.”