“Without a word, he put the lid over the hole and left me in complete darkness.”
He tilted his head toward the well. “Go on.”
I sighed, thinking this was a trivial lesson. Having rappelled down numerous cliffs and into caverns with Kado over the years, nothing felt unfamiliar. Perhaps he was beginning with the simpler tasks. I took the rope, sat on the well’s edge, then swung my legs over and began my descent. It looked much deeper than it was. The darkness was so thick I couldn’t see the bottom, and as I descended, the opening narrowed.
When I reached the bottom, the walls pressed against me from all sides, but not enough to hinder my movement. Eventually, it opened into a cavern, and a bit farther on, I reached the ground. I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before taking in the open space. The walls were out of sight, but I heard the bubbling sound of an underwater spring nearby. When I looked up, the bright light streaming through the shaft nearly blinded me. I wondered if Kado might be coming down after me, but I didn’t see him.
“Okay, I’m down here. Now what?”
“Let go of the rope.”
I dropped the rope and watched it disappear through the hole.
“Kado, what are you doing?”
Without a word, he put the lid over the hole and left me in complete darkness.
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