Cavern In The Tundra
image source: google images
The ice gave way behind the wall of leaves, opening into a cerulean, clear blue hot spring. As my feet went from crunching stomps to wading, my feet wiggled comfortably in my boots. They had been iced over from the long journey through the tundra. Just in front of us was a half-circle cliff of stone and earth, mini waterfalls cascading down every few feet of the arch. Just above the vertex the rising sun sent white yellow streams through the tops of the trees and onto the reflective water.
I stepped further in when a large white form passed in front of me, almost knocking me over. I froze in place as the largest stingray I had ever seen - almost two yards across - swam around me and eventually disappeared into the depths of the water headed in the direction of the ice behind me. There must have been caves and tunnels leading through the water under the ice. I turn back, wanting to investigate more; the earthy portions of the cliffs were carpeted with species of flora and fauna that I had never seen before with intricate patterns decorating their leaves and petals. Trees jutted out from cracks on the left side of the arch where the cliffs were mostly stone and their branches drooped into the water. Small birds that looked more tropical than the usual heavy feathered aviary of Antarctica nestled in their nests surrounded by brightly colored eggs that appeared to be lit from within. A member of the expedition suddenly exclaimed and all of us whirled around to see him peering into one of the waterfalls.
“What? What do you see, Neil?” I called from across the arch.
“Jane… you won’t believe it. There are caverns behind these.”
As I walked over, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. “Neil, caverns behind waterfalls are actually quite common. They are a natural part of the way the water erodes these types of cliffs.”
Neil looked at me with an expression I didn’t recognize as I approached him.
“Jane, there are lit torches in here and the walls were cut through, not eroded away.” He gulped, “We’re not alone.”
Fear. The expression I hadn’t recognized on his face, was fear.