The Light that Echoes
The water drips in a slow, steady rhythm like a leaky faucet. It echoes into small puddles on uneven earth.
I feel the ground slick under my sneakers as I take another step into the cave. I can almost hear my breath speak back to me as it bounces off the stone corridor.
I lift my arm to bring my fingertips to the damp wall, letting my hand slide along cold limestone.
With a few more steps, the last bit of light slips away as the cave’s mouth seems to close behind us.
The edge of darkness.
On the tip of my tongue sits a number. Count your steps. Always count your steps. And just as my voice cracks into the hollowness of the underground world ready to count my pace, I feel a pull in my right hand. The harness.
Bear.
My guide.
My light.
I let out a laugh and let it dance along the jagged walls as I tip my chin up to the damp air and feel her paws pad along the rocky ground.
She wags her tail, stepping in the shallow puddles, illuminating a way through the dark. A place that once sent me into a panic, now my favorite tunnels to adventure— with Bear at my side.
We move freely. I’m not counting my steps. I’m feeling the wonders of the cave with my best friend as my guide. The darkness doesn’t stop me anymore.
Bear is the light. And the world is ours to explore.
