THAT SHOULDN'T BE HERE

THAT SHOULDN’T BE HERE!

What was that?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

This was definitely not Ronan’s idea of camping. Absolutely, NOT! Ronan’s idea of camping was a motel or hotel with all the amenities.

“Mick, where on earth and when are going to set up our tent? There’s nothing but dry sand here! It’s a flippin’ desert!”

“You think so, my friend. Just wait another mile or two. We’ll have the perfect spot for camping. Oh, and don’t forget, we’ll only be here for three nights, then we’ll head back home. You’ll have fun, I promise.”

Ronan looked around and thought his friend was delusional. They were both city boys, well, young men, actually. Ronan was twenty-three and Mick had just reached his twenty-fifth birthday. Ronan was all city and on rare occasions, trekked beyond the city limits. Mick, on the other hand, had always been adventurous and always tried to encourage his friend to tag along.

“Just trust me, Ronan. Once we reach our destination, you’ll agree that this trip isn’t a waste of time. You did bring your camera, didn’t you?”

Ronan found it difficult to believe his friend this time, but thought, “well, he’s seldom wrong so just maybe there is something here to see. I’ll give it a shot!”

“Yeah, Mick, I brought my camera. Do you suppose we might stop for a few minutes and have some water? Just looking at this sand makes me thirsty.”

Mick looked around at the barren area and began to feel sorry for his friend. He was used to long treks through the wilderness, but his friend was not. “Sure, we can stop for a bit. We’ve about another hour before we reach our destination, then we’ll begin setting up our tent.”

“We only have one more hour? Mick, we’ve been walking for miles but there’s nothing here. I don’t mean to sound whiny, but you’re the adventurer. I prefer a mortar and bring building to plant my butt.”

Mick smiled. “Ronan, drink some water. You’ll feel better. Then, we’ll be on our way, once again. Trust me, it isn’t far. Do you remember Becka?”

“Rebecca Morris? Sure. Wasn’t she your girlfriend a few months back?”

“Yes, she was but I don’t think I ever told you why we broke up.”

“No, Mick, you didn’t. I just figured she’d had enough of your wanderlust.”

“Close, my friend, but no cigar! Becka’s family had money. Plenty of it, too. Becka never had to work and enjoyed being a free spirt. She expected the same from me, but my financial situation was so far removed from hers that she couldn’t understand why I felt the need to hold a regular job. She kept pushing me to take time off. When I didn’t, she became very angry, sneering at me that my job was more important to me than she was. There was no way I could make her understand that my job paid my bills and provided me with enough to take her on a weekend excursion once a month. She wasn’t happy, neither was I, so agreed to break up.”

“Geez, sorry, man, I had no idea. When did all this happen? And why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Well, Ronan, I guess pride kept me from letting the world know that I wasn’t as well off as Becka. Everyone seemed to think I was, so I just let it be. But it was all for the best. She didn’t dump me, and I didn’t dump her. It was a mutual agreement that happened about eight months ago.” Mick gave Ronan a wicked smile and continued, “And … ta da! I’ve met someone else. I’ll tell you the entire story once we set up camp – speaking of which, here we are!”

“Wow, Mick, that was fast. Hey, did you keep talking about Becka to take my mind off all this sand?” Ronan was so engrossed in Mick’s tale that he never noticed how the landscape gradually changed. There were still miles of sand around but there were also rocks. Tons of rocks. Off to the side, Ronan saw what appeared to be small caves.

Mick only smiled.

“Uh, Mick, are they what I think they are?”

“Yes, my friend, they are! Don’t worry, though, there are no bats living in any of them. Now and then, Becka and I would come here to get away from the rat-race. Wait until we go inside. This is just the beginning of the amazement.”

They walked closer and Ronan saw six caves, each a different size. Mick steered Ronan to the largest once and taking out his flashlight, began walking inside.

“Oh, Ronan, it’s really safe in here. Don’t worry about it caving in on us. It won’t. Come on, I’ll show you why.”

They entered the cave and Mick aimed his flashlight around until he found the wall with the lanterns. There were a few and lit the largest one that hung from a protruding bar in the side of the cave. Ronan could see that the wall had, long ago, been reinforced. The illumination was tremendous – and that’s when Ronan saw it.

“Mick, that should be there! This is all part of a desert. What is that doing in here and is it safe?”

“Let’s set up camp.”

“Mick, we’re in a cave. Do we really need the tent?”

Mick answered, “While we are in a cave, if we don’t set up the tent, the condensation will drip off the ceiling and by morning, we’ll be soaked through.”

They worked for the next thirty minutes setting up their camp that sat only thirty yards from the clearest, cleanest, and smallest lake Ronan had ever seen.

Mick said, “Yes, it’s safe. The water’s warm and yet refreshing. We have nothing to worry about here. We’ll be fine.”

Ronan smiled and relaxed for the first time since they left their car in the lot at the mouth of the desert.

They washed in the lake, then set out their food to grill.

Once their bellies were satisfied, they heard what Ronan described as a muffled growl that seemed to echo from all sides.

“What’s that? Mick? What was that?”

Mick looked at his friend with trepidation and whispered as he looked around, “I have no idea. None at all.”