CHAPTER THREE: WHISPERS OF THE CAVE

Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most."

- Buddha

✨🦋✨

1st of August 2015

It's been a week and four days since Euno showed me the river behind the waterfall. I fell in love at the sight of the crystal rocks in the water. The way they glistened when the morning sunlight hit them one by one made my heart warm and fuzzy inside. A memory I've engraved to my soul forever. Being alive never felt so precious to me not until I saw the river. It just gave off this feeling of calmness and sincerity.

"You'll always have me, Lyr." Words can hit you differently and these words reassured me much more than I expected it to. My family may have left me to grow up without them, but I was never alone. I guess I just got really lucky.

That was a wonderful life experience and something that made me wonder what if I did have a family? Would I still have met Euno? Would it have been better if I was with my real family rather to grow up with strangers? I wish I was given a glimpse of why I even came to exist. That could've help ease the feeling of being such a disappointment.

Besides the crystals in the river that resembled the night sky, I still couldn't stop thinking about the voices I heard in the cave. Every time I went back at dawn, there was always a voice whispering in the cave even though I was the only one there. It would say, "I'm here. Please don't forget that." I wanted to tell Euno about it but I felt like it was something I had to keep to myself this time.

*.*.*.*

After writing in my journal, I closed my notebook and put it back in my drawer. I hadn't planned what I would do after I graduated senior year. Euno and I have talked about just winging it as we went on our journey together. We used to always say, "Come what may. We'll be ready," but turning 18 hit the truth right at my face. We can't always "just wing it". There are actual times that we would eventually need to have a plan. There will be paths that would soon split into two directions and we'd have to choose which path to take next. And when those times do come, I'd probably just sit at the path where the roads split into two and start sobbing. I don't know, I feel like I'll never be prepared to one day have to make serious decisions.

School doesn't start till next week so Euno and I still have time to spend it at the cabin near the waterfall. Honestly, I feel like that place has magic hidden somewhere. Whenever I sit by the river inside the cave, I feel like someone's watching over me and listening to all my sob stories. I do constantly hear voices in the cave but I didn't want to overthink it. Besides, magic isn't real, right? I probably was just imagining things.

It was a cloudy Saturday morning and Mrs. Rethers had to quickly pick something up at the supermarket for our dinner later this evening. She left her husband, Mr. Rethers in charge to keep an eye on the kids while she was away.

For the past week, I've been craving for some churros and coincidentally, there was an announcement about a grand opening of a churros place near the orphanage. Before Mrs. Rethers left for the supermarket, I asked permission to go visit the shop with Euno later this afternoon. I texted Euno to meet me at the cabin because I needed to get my coat that I forgot yesterday when I went to the waterfall and sat by the river waiting for the sun to rise and form beautiful constellations in the water. The hours flew quickly and it was already almost lunch time. I took a quick shower, wore casual clothes and ran out to catch the first bus by 12:30 PM.

I waited for the bus to arrive. There were a few people who arrived at the bust stop after me. While waiting for the bus, I've been keeping myself busy by tapping away on my phone when a blue butterfly with black swirls on its wings caught my attention. It flapped its wings gracefully and was moving towards me. I reached out to it and the butterfly settled on my index finger. I gazed in awe because of its beauty. Its wings looked like they had gems decorated all over by the way it was sparkling under the afternoon sun.

When the bus finally arrived, I expected the butterfly to fly away but surprinsingly, it stayed on my finger. I walked towards the open doors of the bus while the butterfly crawled from my finger to my shoulder. It nestled near my hair and it looked like it was comfortable just staying on me. I let it stay and soon the bus driver closed the doors and we were on our way.

The drive was not too long. It took less than 20 minutes to get to my stop near the forest's entrance. When I stepped outside the bus, the butterfly still hadn't flown away. I walked the path towards our cabin. When I got there, Euno was chilling on the swing we set up on the porch a few days ago. He had his eyes closed and had his earphones plugged in his ears. I was planning to scare him when suddenly a voice spoke and was heard.

"I wish you were here..."

My head instantly looked towards the waterfall and I had this sudden urge to go to it and find out where the voices were coming from. Euno still had his eyes closed so I decided to go to the cave behind the waterfall and check it out to see if there was anyone inside.

I slowly walked towards the cave and was starting to get a little nervous. Sweat was starting to come out of my pores. I could still feel the butterfly on my shoulder. I walked closer and closer until I heard another voice speak, "I'd take care of you...".

As I was approaching the of entrace to the cave, the butterfly's wings sparkled even more. It looked fascinating. My feet brought me closer and closer until I was inside the cave looking all around for a person that the voices might've come from. The butterfly started flapping its wings more and flew towards the river where the crystal rocks sparkled too. It was a beautiful sight. Instinctively, I went to the same rock I always sat on watched as the butterfly flew in circles over the river.

Once I was seated on the rock, I forgot about looking for where the voices came from and just watched the butterfly. Watching it made something in me want to give full attention to it that I wasn't aware of my surroundings anymore. The butterfly flapped and flapped its wings and went in graceful circles and swirls in the air. Droplets of water started to rise from the river and the crystals sparkled brighter and brighter. Everything started to turn and I felt my head spinning along with it until all I could see was water swirling like a tornado. I could here Euno calling out to me and trying to run towards me but the water was too strong and kept him away from me. Before he could get any closer and reach out to grab my hand, light started coming out from a swirling circle of water that looked like it was forming a portal. My mind started playing memories I've never seen before and just as I was about to speak, I felt my body being pulled into the portal. The last thing I felt was my body soaked in water.