The Cave of the Lost

The Cave of the Lost

My best friend Sarah, my little brother Jake, and I are standing before the entrance to a large cave. Odie, my brother's dog, barks into the darkness. " Odie thinks someone is in there, " Jake says.

" Is this where you saw the boy?" I ask Sarah. She stares up through the hole between the trees at the edge of the gorge. " I think he was standing right here, waving, " she replies. " We're not going in there, are we, Qynn?" " You're the one who saw the mysterious boy waving at you. You're the one who had us leave the picnic and climb all the way down to the bottom of Finneas Gorge to help him. Now you don't want to go in?"

" That . . . that's the . . . Cave of the Lost! " she cries. " What kind of ridiculous name is that?" I ask. " I bet your aunt told you about it. "

" She did! Centuries ago, after Porter's Mill was built, some people explored the cave, and they never came out. Others went to search for them and disappeared, too. Only one man ever made it out-but he couldn't explain how. " " He claimed he found others, " Sarah continues, “ but they kept leading him in the wrong directions. Finally, after many days, he fell asleep in the cave and woke up in the Hollow, alone. "

" Your aunt tells a lot of stories, " I say. “ We still can't wander around in there, " Sarah says. “ The place is probably filled with massive spiders. ' " Hey, kid! " I yell into the cave. " Do you need help?" My voice echoes for a moment, followed by silence. Then, something unexpected reaches my ears. It sounds almost like laughter. " Let's go in! " Jake exclaims. A new sound emerges from the cave. " Someone is crying in there, " I say.