Chapter 3: Into the Mountain
The misty morning dawned.
Lin Yuan went out of his room and found out that the mountain which he admired last night had been lost in the thick fog. Only tops of a few pine trees were visible above the mist.
The guesthouse was already full of life.
The smell of steaming buns came from the kitchen while soft music filled the air.
"Did you wake up so early?"
The woman turned around from the stove and put a bowl of hot congee on the table and commented, "I thought young people liked to stay in bed for the whole morning."
Lin Yuan took a seat and responded, "I am a delivery man and my body wakes me up earlier than the alarm."
The old lady laughed and said, "That's impressive and sad at the same time."
Her husband came from outside with the firewood and exclaimed, "What a nice weather!"
Lin Yuan looked out of the window and did not agree.
"Well, I do believe that the mist will clear after we see the sun," the man said and put the firewood by the fireplace.
"Tell me, are you still going to the cave?"
The ancient gentleman gave an approving nod as Lin Yuan made his way across the room.
Then, he walked towards a cupboard and pulled out an old hand-drawn map. "I made this a long time ago when I was collecting herbs."
He pointed to one of the paths marked on the map and added, "This is the most prepared path for most travelers."
He then traced another narrow pathway on the map.
"But when you come to this fork..." He pointed to an area marked with some faded stripes. "...don't go for the broader path."
Lin Yuan raised his head and asked, "Why not?"
"Because it will take you to a deserted stone mine and our destination will be in the other direction."
He pointed to a small path that was leading to some trees. "You can lose it really easily."
Lin Yuan remembered all his instructions and took a picture of the map with his mobile.
"Thanks."
The man shook his shoulders. "I'd rather you got lost because of your mistakes instead of mine."
Lin Yuan couldn't help but think how contradictive the statement was.
"It inspires faith in my abilities."
The old woman raised her eyes at the ceiling. "He always says something strange before breakfast."
The woman offered him two buns with steam inside of them and covered with a paper.
"It is for your lunch."
"I will buy food later after some time."
The old woman looked at him in such a way that was sufficient to put an end to the topic.
"Mountains do not have supermarkets.
Lin Yuan thanked the old woman smiling.
"I will return the paper."
The old woman laughed, "You are definitely the person who will say that."
The old man opened a gate.
"Be back before the night comes."
"I will do my best."
"And if you gain some riches in your journey ..." The old man was grinning while saying this.
Lin Yuan laughed and started walking away. "If I gain wealth, dinner will be on me."
The old man raised his thumb as a sign of agreement. "Now that is a promise concerning dinner."
The village was out of his sight in twenty minutes.
The road led through large pine trees that were filtering the rays of the sun.
The longer he walked, the quieter the world outside.
No noise from the cars and people.
The only sound he could hear was remote singing of the birds and the rustle of the gravel shoes.
After another hour of trekking, he paused next to a small brook. The clear water flowed over flat stones, making it look nice.
He bent down to refill his bottle with the help of the small filter he bought before the trip. While resting there, he saw small fish swimming in the shallow water.
"They have more beautiful views than I do," he thought and smiled. "They don't need to do any climbing."
His voice sounded loud in the deserted woods.
The mountain absorbed all the sounds, and then sent them back as a soft echo. "...Lin Yuan."
He stood still. Only a moment later his echo came back from somewhere in the rocks.
He laughed, feeling relieved that…That's how echoes work.
Near lunchtime the trail became steeper. Roots lay on the ground as if they were giant snakes, making him watch every step he took.
His breathing became more difficult. He was not out of shape; years of delivering packages made his legs strong. However, mountain paths needed more muscles than city streets.
At last...He saw it.
It was hidden between high limestone cliffs.
The Cave
It appeared pretty normal and reasonably sized from afar. In case someone was not aware of it being there, that person could walk on without noticing it at all.
Lin Yuan picked out his phone and clicked away a few photos. "No signal."
He wasn't surprised. He turned on airplane mode to preserve battery life and put the phone away in his pocket.
Standing at the entrance, he stalled. The cool wind coming from the inside touched his face. It had a faint scent of damp stone. And something else…Something very old.
If silence had fragrance…This would have been the case.
Lin Yuan switched on the flashlight. The light broke through the darkness.
"Well…" He readjusted the backpack. "...here we go."
The temperature decreased almost instantly as he entered the building. Outside, the summer weather was quite pleasant, so it felt like someone opened the winter.
It was the sound of water dripping from the ceiling.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Each water drip echoed beautifully in the cave, making the sound seem mystical.
The surface under his feet created sounds as well.
It was not even, so Lin Yuan moved carefully, trying to avoid stones and shallow water channels.
His flashlight beam illuminated walls shining with mineral deposits while million little crystals twinkled like stars at the touch of light.
"So that's what they were raving about."
He was approaching the place. The sight was nice...But it was too common to bring something back.
As he advanced farther into the cave, he examined what looked like rocks and minerals. They were all very marveling, but nothing was precious.
Time ticked away. He came across guides who pointed at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling and underground streams running through narrow corridors.
A room filled with thousands of little bats sleeping turned upside down was quite a surprise for him. He did not want to disturb the bats so he stepped back.
"This is so cool." He thought. "If only beauty was making money for me."
After some hours, he became a little disappointed. He made sure of checking the areas that looked safe.
Nothing to boast about. No old objects left there. No fossils. There should have been something special.
Just rock. Although very beautiful.
He looked at the watch on his wrist. It was 4:23.
"I guess it's time for me to go back," he said quietly to himself. The words were no more than onerous to him. It was not that he had failed to achieve something. It was because he had cherished an unrealistic hope that this trip would be unlike the others.
Lin Yuan walked carefully toward the exit. As he moved, the flashlight beam lit the cave walls one last time.
He smiled to himself. "It was worth visiting anyway, and now I won't be anxious about what could have happened."
In the end, sometimes closure was an important thing.
He reached a narrow bend and accidentally stumbled on something buried in gravel.
Crash! that was the sound of something metallic banging against rocks in an unusual rhythm.
Lin Yuan stopped and looked down. "Is it something metallic?" he wondered. He knew that caves were not supposed to make any sounds like that. Being fascinated, he bent down and put away some wet rocks to see what was below.
After removing some dirt, he saw a dull bronze surface beneath it.
He frowned. "What the heck is that?" He used his hands to remove some extra gravel and slowly discovered something. It was a metal object.
It was...A lamp, ancient and covered with thousands of dust particles.
The lamp was marked with patterns which had become indistinct over the years.
In contrast to the cold rocks around...The metal felt surprisingly...Warm.
Lin Yuan instinctively withdrew his hand. He gazed at the lamp for several moments.
Then he chuckled. "Looks like I was wrong to think that I would leave with nothing."
Being unaware of what he had just found...He wrapped the lamp in an old towel before putting it into his backpack.
The cave went quiet again. It was as if the cave had returned something that had never belonged to it.