The Secret Cave

Johnny woke up to the croaking of a bullfrog. The deep noise startled him into sitting straight up in his little spot at the entrance of his secret cave. He knew it was late with the glittering fireflies dancing in the woods all around him. It was a beautiful sight. Quiet. Peaceful. Not like his home he left behind.

His parents made him move just last week. Dad got a new job in the middle of the school year and now he was about to go into summer break without anyone to hang out with. It felt like a bullet to his chest when he had to say his final goodbyes. Who would he ride his bike with? Who would he have to sleep over? This summer was going to be terrible.

He clicked on his flashlight and looked around at the walls of the cave behind him. The damp stone was cool to the touch. Johnny walked into the darkness, following the yellow beam of light. Maybe there would be some cave paintings like a hand-print or people with arrows hunting a bull. It wasn’t a big cave so it was easy to explore every nook and cranny. There were no paintings. There weren’t even any arrowheads on the dirt floor.

The waterfall that the tiny cave sat behind splashed overhead into the stream below. Standing behind it, the soothing sound of the falling water washed out the sounds of the forest. He loved playing here even during the day because it also washed out the sounds of the bulldozers clearing the trees in the development they just moved into.

His family was the first to build on their lot which meant there weren’t any other kids to play with. He was all alone in this stupid new town with that stupid new school. All of the kids were mean to him his first day. He hated sitting at lunch by himself. He hated sitting on the swing at recess by himself. He hated that bully who pushed him against his locker as he was trying to leave for the day. He just hated this new town all together.

The one solace he had was playing by the lake behind his house. He loved watching the bulrushes wave in the breeze. More often than not, he would see a turtle just resting in the sunshine. There were always frogs to catch by the little minnows swimming in the shallows. The weekends were the best when there were no construction noises. It was just him and his lake.

On the end of the lake by the retaining wall, the overflow of water splashed over the edge and created a beautiful waterfall. It was that waterfall in the woods where he found his secret cave. Johnny loved all of the birds in the forest. From the blue jays and cardinals to the bullfinches and sparrows; they were all just so beautiful to watch. Maybe they could be his new friends.

He decided to go back to the entrance of the cave and see if he could find any animals. Maybe there would be a raccoon or a deer drinking from the creek below. Sitting on the mossy stone he danced his flashlight beam down the edges of the stream to try and get a glimpse of any new critters. Far off in the distance, he thought he heard his name on the breeze. Looking around, he saw nothing but the quiet darkness of night. He heard his name again but it was closer this time.

He quickly clicked off the flashlight and made his way back into the darkness of his cave. He wasn’t going back to that stupid house. He wasn’t going back to that stupid new life. He would just stay in his cave forever. He had enough snacks in his backpack to last a few days and when he finished those, he could just catch a fish or something in the lake. It was a perfect plan.

Johnny rolled out his sleeping bag and crawled in. Using his backpack as a pillow he tried to get comfortable as he closed his eyes. The nighttime noises of the woods were getting louder. Besides the falling water and frogs, he could hear the hoot of an owl and dried leaves rustling on the ground. Trying to ignore the growing symphony, he rolled over. Something furry passed by his nose. Startled, he sat up and screamed. Johnny grabbed his backpack and sleeping bag. Running up the hillside he made his way back to his house.

He went flying through the door in the garage, dropping his sleeping bag and backpack in the mud room. Kicking off his shoes, he took off his muddy clothes and threw them in the laundry room. He went upstairs and got in the shower. He could still feel that furry creature on his nose so he scrubbed his face extra hard. He picked out his favorite boat pajamas and crawled into his soft bed.

Johnny’s mom came in and tucked his blanket under his chin. She gave him a kiss on the forehead and clicked off his bedside lamp.

“Good night sweetheart. I love you.”