Leap Fidei

He never feared death.

From the moment Philip was 9 years old he'd stopped fearing death, no, what he feared most was never having lived. His toes dangled over the edged, the dirt was mixed with sediment rocks that dug into the soles of his feet, he barely felt it. He stood distracted by the crashing sound of the waves hitting the bottom of the cliff wall just 15 feet in front of him and stared blankly into the gaping hole beneath him. Complete darkness leaked from it almost licking the tips of his toes, he couldn't see past 2 feet down, eyeing its dirt walls.

He would have to decide soon

The hole sat just off the cliffs of Derbyshire England miles from his grandmother's village. The people here were not welcoming to visitors, but more so than the old man whose land Phil was on. Most trespassers caught eyeing the hole were greeted by the tail end of his shotgun and a scowl. He'd been lucky to arrive as the man was leaving, preoccupied with the spurting of his 1978 Dodge engine to notice Phil coming up the hill. He was here because of his grandmother, she had passed just a week earlier and the family came from Canada to say their goodbyes. She left the family many things including her estate and belongings but left Phil only one thing. A small journal bound in black leather and worn by time, in it was filled with the delicate cursive of his grandmother's handwriting. Phil held it to his side, his thumb marking the page he had just been reading, the book held nearly all the events of his grandmother's life but the most interesting chapter led him here. The hole was named Leap Fidei which was Latin for Leap of Faith, she had told him stories about it briefly when he was young, but never where it was or how to get there until the book. There were many rumors about the cave and what was within, non of which could be confirmed, because everyone who jumped had died on impact. He remembered her stories though,

"There's a secret to it" His grandmother's blue eyes peered into his own "you have to listen to the breath of the ocean, hear the pulse of the land, it will tell you when to jump."

And so Phil stood there, trying to understand what his grandmother meant, trying to feel the land, to hear it. it was almost noon and the sun was approaching its apex, the wind rustled his dark brown hair and carried the scent of salt and seawater.

He would need to decide soon

Just as he was about to turn away the sun pulled itself closer to the mouth of the hole and sent enough light into it for Phil to see the flash. Then he heard it, the water hitting the inside of the cave walls in a rhythm that mimicked a heartbeat. He gasped slightly and his grandmother's journal fell from his hand, tumbling to the earth, dirt now smudged its black surface. Next was the breeze, it pushed itself from the depth of the hole, it was somehow warm, welcoming him.

He needed to decide

He could hear the chugging of a truck engine approaching from the hills behind him, now he thought. He leaned forward slightly and allowed the dirt to slip out from beneath him, suddenly he feared death again. He shot down into the earth the wind tearing at his skin, he closed his eyes and his mind went blank. Suddenly he hit the water with an intense splash and was pushed beneath its surface, his stomach knotted and his head whirling he swam up. he broked the water and inhaled deeply, his grandmother wrote of an exit but it would only reveal its self after high tide. So Phil took in his surroundings and tried to find a platform to sit on. swimming forwards he felt his way to a ledge a pulled himself up, nothing left to do now but wait, in a moment the sun would hit its apex and show what was hidden. He looked up at the hole now above him and watched the light pour in, the sunlight hit the water and slowly his surroundings began to glow. Crystal Quartz jutting out of the walls was now visible and reflecting the light in a way he'd never seen before. The cave was now shimmering from all angles sending rainbows and beams of light in all directions around him. Phil found his mouth hagging open again but this time not for the light, upon closer inspection he noticed something weaving its wave through the Crystal, gold. Veins of gold formed all along the cave walls iridescent in the light of the quartz. This is why she led him here, why she told him those stories, he was meant to find this, Phil's traced the veins with his fingers and stared in amazement. Doing some quick math in his head he worked out that this cave contained a minimum of $20.000 worth of gold. He quickly shook his head, nows not the time to lose focus, now there's work to be done.