6 Chapter 6: A Voice and A Cave

Opening my eyes slowly, I realized my mistake. We weren't on a cliff; it seems we were on top of ravine. It was deep, and I almost fell down there. It was so long and so thin that it was unnoticeable unless you take a good and long look. The entire ravine seemed to be surrounded by this cliff we're standing on and a way smaller, built wall. Sad part is that my sketchpad seemed to have fallen.

"Woooah there! You good, bro?" Cyrus asks.

I turned around to them not realizing they hadn't said anything once we came here, "Yeah, that was close."

"Your sketchpad fell down." Says Mr. Obvious, "You'll have to get that."

"How? Call superman? He can't just jump down there." Argued Ms. Obvious.

"I don't know! A ladder or something."

I rolled my eyes not wanting to hear them argue so I walk around even if I can still hear them. I tried to regain my composure after facing literal death and continued staring on my sketchpad.

"A what? Where are we gonna find a 50-feet ladder, genius?" Cyrus says.

"How about you ask your imaginary friend if he can teach you sarcasm?" Theo says.

I go farther to the right of the cliff it was all just bushes and trees, but I did notice some sort of hidden board. It took some time to shove the leaves to clear it out, but it was a sign pointing down that says the word "staircase". What the hell?

"That doesn't even make any sense!"

"Like your imaginary friend!"

Getting more curious, I pushed all the mess on the area of the sign and further was something totally coincidental. It's a—an actual staircase? It was a natural stone staircase and it leads down to the bottom of the trench. That's something you don't see every day. But very convenient, indeed.

"I don't have an imaginary friend. You are a literal kid."

"What? Did you say something? Oh, you're talking to him right now?"

I went back out of the bushy area and shout, "Guys!"

They both go silent and quickly look at me still in their angry faces, as if I disturbed them from their kissing session.

"I'll be right back." I say.

They both still say silent until Cyrus gets mad again, "I don't freaking have one!"

"Yeah, you don't have a brain."

"That's not what I mean!"

Yes, we have been friends for the longest time ever. Yes, they argue genuinely almost every single day.

I walk to the stairs and face down on it. It felt like an open trapdoor and something was waiting for me down there. I shake my head. Nope, I am not that same boy who faked his resilience, because I'm way stronger now. I purse my lips and start walking down the stairs so I could stop hearing their annoying voices. It was somewhat a long staircase and I think I'm going down 50 feet deep. It was getting darker by every step, but I kept going. It was half-dim by the time I hit the ground, but I can see enough and started searching for it.

Nothing seemed to be here so I wonder where it could have gone. Again, it was long and not wide, so the only directions I can look was left and right. I looked at the right and it was a dead end. I started going to the only direction left. It was mostly filled with a lot of dust and small rocks and pebbles, kind of like an empty canyon.

As I roam around below the cliff, I heard singing, a mellifluous melody. What the hell? There were no words, just vocals. The song sort of had a sorrowful vibe to it, but at the same time it was mysterious. It's like the singer was saying that they're sad, but no one knows why.

I was curious if anyone else was here and looked around. No way it can be Cyrus and Theo because I already stopped hearing them a few steps back. I picked up where it was coming from and went nearer to the source of it as the singing became louder.

As I continued walking, I discovered a small cave.

The source seems to be from inside the cave, which I didn't notice this entire time, and I know someone must be inside there, singing. On the right side outside the cave I see a big stone sculpture of a girl. On top of her had a carved word 'cyrtenes' On the other side, there was a boy sculpture. It also had a word carved on top of it but this one says 'wifrnyne'. They both don't look familiar. That fastened my heartbeat and filled my face with confusion.

The tone of the tune changed which made me lose my sanity for a second and decide to go inside to check what it is.

I grabbed my phone and texted the group chat:

RhysInPeace: I found something weird. If I don't go back by 20 minutes, assume I'm dead.

I gulped and stared at the cave with hesitation before finally going in. The entrance was dark, and it seemed continuous. But the voice was becoming louder and louder, so my feet just wouldn't stopped. I sensed I was close to the person singing anyway. Can't back down now. After a few seconds, the darkness was gone.

And at the end, I spot a girl sitting inside the cave with her barefoot on water.

She stopped singing in shock and for a moment, our eyes were just interlocked in each other's, as if everything stopped. She looks beautiful. It's as if she was a Hollywood actress. She had a long, wavy, hazelnut brown hair, crystal blue eyes and very pale skin. Her purple long-sleeve dress looked very medieval and there were flowers all around the lower, puffy part. She also wore a purple flower crown. Those kind of look like that singular purple flower from Gran's garden.

Suddenly, it just hit me—It was the same girl from the sculpture! My brain was too fixated on her visuals that I later just realized that the girl was just staring at me while I gazed back not knowing who she is or what to do.

"Uh, hi?"

The pale girl seemed to snap out of it. She also didn't know what to say so responded with a bland, "H-hello."

I noticed that she was holding my sketchpad and went through the pages. I cleared my voice, "I notice that you are holding my sketchpad and are flipping through the pages." And now I'm suddenly speaking like someone from a century ago because of the way she looks.

"Sketchpad?" she says as her head tilts to the side.

"Yes, sketchpad." I reply and she stares at me again for a moment not getting what I mean, "Can I have it back?"

"I have heard of that once. Wait." She stands up and goes to the hidden back of the cave to get something: A dictionary. She flips through it saying, "Sketchpad, noun, a pad or book of drawing paper for sketching on. Oh, so this is what it looks like!"

I look in her in disbelief. This must be some sort of joke. "And that pad of drawing paper belongs to me."

"I've seen a 'paper' and a 'notebook' before, but this is advanced." She responds, but still not getting what I mean. Well, I don't understand her neither. I sigh, giving up on talking. So, I just walk to get it, but she stops me. "Hold on! Can I borrow it, please?"

"I need it for school. So, just give it ba—"

"School?" She interrupts me. Where are her manners, honestly? "Wait, I remember that! Let me assume." She massages her glabella, "is it an institution for proper education?"

Whatever type of game she's playing with me, I'm not having it. Any of it. "Give. It. Back."

"Look, I have never seen a 'sketchpad' before. I want to know what it is. So, can you please let me borrow it just this once? For a little while?" she asks with puppy eyes. I don't know what it is about puppy eyes, but anyone who pleads in front of me and does it, I might as well give in. Well, now that I think about it, I need to know what she's on about so might as well do give in anyway.

"Fine. But only for 5 minutes. And, I am going to ask you some questions." I demanded.

She laughed.

I raise a brow, "What's so funny?"

"You will see."

I ignored that and took a seat on a small boulder near the exit of the cave. I'm still not sure what's going on unless I actually fell down, bumped my head which made me unconscious and I'm dreaming like Alice. Or I'm on the verge of death. Either way, why not?

I looked at the small girl smiling whilst looking at my drawings. She's staring at the pages as if she's never seen anything like it before. This may also serve as an ego boost, I suppose. Theo wasn't completely wrong after all.

Feeling the sound of silence, it just hit me that we don't know each other's names, "I'm Rhys, by the way. And you are?"

Not looking up she quickly responses, "Malinda."

"Okay, Malinda. Tell me why you are barefoot, relaxing on a pond inside a cave and acting like a kid?" I interrogate.

"Well, I am barefoot because I am relaxing on a pond inside a cave, and I am not acting like a goat!"

"What?"

"Ooh, who is this girl?" She shows me my unfinished drawing of Jessica.

"That's Jessica, someone really special to me." I answer.

"She looks…" Malinda hesitantly replies, "strange."

I raise a brow but ignored what she just said. But the adjective she used isn't even close from describing the statues from outside, "Hold on, what are those sculptures from outside? One of them even looks like you. That's what looks strange."

"What are you blabbering about? I am very certain there is no such sculpture of me."

"No, I'm pretty sure there is. And it's exactly like you."

"And I am fairly sure that there is not any."

She says that over confidently as she continues looking at the pages. She looks so enthralled by it as if she's never seen a drawing before. And that sketchpad only mostly have doodles from this year because I've been losing my motivation to do anything. I shake my head. Now's not the time to think about my problems.

"Okay, what's your backstory, Malinda?"

"I'm trapped inside this cave and the only way I may break free is if I fall in love with someone and they fall in love with me. If no one can save me, I shall face my inevitable death." Malinda casually explains and flipped the page.

Nothing this girl says makes any sense.

I figured she was messing with me and referencing Rapunzel or something. I scoff, "Sure, let's go with that. I'm actually an ogre who saves you so I can get a free swamp."

She suddenly looks at me, "You're an ogre?!" she exclaims.

"What? No!"

"Then tell me your back story." She looks back at the drawings.

"Okay," I lay back and close my eyes for a second, "I'm a 16-year old kid who goes to Winter High and constantly being teased by everyone because of my fucked-up family line."

She mutters under her breath, "Nothing this boy says makes any sense."

I roll my eyes, "Me? You're the one who's playing with me! Stop acting like you're dumb and magical and stuff."

She closes the sketchpad when the drawings end, "Excuse me, I am not lying to you. What I said is the truth, you're just not from my timeline to understand it is." She mutters the end, "Additionally, you're the one who lied to me and said that you were an ogre."

I can't handle this anymore.

"Whatever!" I stand up while groaning, "5 minutes is over, give it back." I gesture my hand affront her.

She slowly walks to me and hands me the pad while conspicuously smiling sweetly, "Yeah, five minutes is done. Here you go."

I take one long good look to her and she just stares back at me with a soft expression. I nod assertively, not saying another word as I go outside the cave.

Before I fully go away, I notice the statues again and remember when she told me that it wasn't her. I take a good look at the boulder sculptures again. It really is her. But I still don't believe anything she told me, and I can't bring myself to care anymore.

I walk towards the staircase, still feeling wary and weirded out. I take deep breaths since it was a little cramped and smelled weird down there. I head back upstairs and still notice that they were still arguing.

"Hey!" I greeted, "I'm sorry it took a long while. I probably worried you guys, but I found it. I'm all good!"

They both looked at me for a second then Theo says, "Hey, you found your sketchpad, bro! That took like a minute."

A minute? I'm pretty sure it was longer than that. I grab my phone again and checked the last message I sent.

Sent to "ONLY ONE OF US HAS A BIG DICK" group chat. 5:24 pm.

Then I look at the time right now.

5:25 pm.

What the hell? That can't be right. I was sure it took at least a couple of minutes. My heartbeat fastened. Maybe there's some sort of glitch and my phone is broken. Yeah, that's probably it.

"Maybe if you weren't so thin, people would stop mistaking you as a tennis racket!" Theo yells and they both continue fighting while I filmed them. This is gonna be a good memory when I move out and am missing them.

"Maybe if you weren't so blind, you can actually see the fact that you're being so stupid right now!" Cyrus exclaims. "LIKE YOU ALWAYS ARE." Oh, damn. My teeth gritted.

Theo gasps, "Oh, you little—" He jumps into the dirt bike and drives away. They often act like this, a handful of times in front of me even, but I think this went to a different direction.

Cyrus shouts while also driving away, "I'm not done with you!"

I suddenly hurried to catch up with them, "Hey douche bags, wait up!"

-

THIRD PERSON P.O.V.

"Ooh, he looked cute. And he is a funny lad! Don't you agree, Malinda darling?", a high-pitched and motherly-like voice questioned.

Malinda replies confidently whilst twiddling her feet on the water, "Perhaps a small bit, but I don't care. The spell will be broken soon, anyway. And I know he felt anxious. He is not coming back."

A different shaky and slow voice interjects, "B-but, do you think the spell… didn't w-work on him? I-is it because you… told th-the story?"

Malinda answers with an unsure tone, "I don't know. When he came here, his expression looked different from everyone else. That is why I decided to simply tell him. I do not think it matters, anymore as well. It's just a matter of time."

"So, you're done? After years of no one coming inside here, and someone does, you're just giving up?'" A strong, bold voice joins the conversation.

Malinda sighs, not responding.

"Just leave her be, guys." and a sassy, cheeky voice finishes, "It's her decision. And she's right anyway."

There was also no response from anyone after that.