Tales from Below

(Arthur)

When he reached the bottom of the stairs, Arthur could barely believe his eyes.

He was standing in an underground cavern. For a while, the steps had been of polished stone, but after a few turns, he noticed the change in shape and height, and leaned in closer to inspect them as he moved down. They were no longer made of blocks or polished with sand but had been carved out of the same rock that surrounded him. And when he finally reached the end of the winding staircase, he found himself on the outside of a bending tunnel.

It took only a moment for his eyes to get accustomed to the darkness. It was slightly darker than in the house; not so much that he would have needed a lamp to see properly, yet there was seemingly no explanation for this. Everything around him was made of solid stone. There were no torches or lamps, and he couldn’t perceive even the faintest ray of light.

‘How is it that I can see in this darkness?’