ALVA LEE (FROM THE BOOK STORYTELLER by M Teresa Clayton)

Alva Lee was only twelve years old when she discovered the cave, tucked away behind purple flowered vines, just a stone’s throw across Myer’s Creek.

The sinewy flow of the creek had cut a lazy meandering pattern in the landscape, in and out of tall rock cliffs, down the gentle hillside, into honed out mini-canyons, through Mr. Carter’s field and on down to Birch Lake. But, no one in Foster County had ever discovered this tiny doorway on the north cliff, which was now about a foot above the waterline, and shaded in vines.

Alva Lee did.

She was a small-boned twelve-year-old with eight little freckles that crossed over her nose and reddish-blonde pigtails that hung down to her waist in loose braids. She lived on a farm with her Ma and Pa, and little brother Doozy.

Doozy was a typical little boy. He was eight years old, almost as tall as his sister, and when he grinned all you could see was a mismatched bunch of teeth in various stages of development. 

He was a bit of a worry for the family, “an accident waiting to happen,” his Ma would say. Every time Doozy would have a mishap, and it happened several times a day, he would just shake his head and walk away saying, “that was a Doozy!” The family started calling all their mishaps doozies after their young son – and soon, he was stuck with the nickname for good. 

The nearest neighbor to Alva Lee and her family was over three miles in either direction if you were to cross the fields on foot. When the water in the creek was a little higher Doozy and Alva Lee could float a ways down to the Carter farm. But, then they would have to walk all the way back home.  So, straying far from home was not something they did often.

The days were hot, long, and dead quiet out there in no- man’s-land. The rains hadn’t fallen like they should, the creek was low, and the crops were dying from dehydration under the scorching heat of the July sun. Several farms were now looking for assistance from the “cash-strapped feds,” as Mr. Carter would say. Everyone was worried about their crop. Water was getting scarcer and even a mud hole was impossible to find. 

The chickens were getting sick and dying. Ma would put those that didn’t make it onto small piles of dead grass and burn them just in case it was contagious to the other livestock, or worse. But, she had to burn low so that it could be controlled with dirt instead of water.

The afternoons were the hottest part of the day and Alva Lee and Doozy would sit on the front porch trying to keep cool with a pitcher of Ma’s home-made lemonade. The only sound you could hear was the excited whispers of Alva Lee to her little brother.

“I swear I saw a hole in the side of that cliff just past that old dead oak” she said. “It’s hidden behind some vines, Doozy! We can reach it, I know it!”

Doozy’s eyes grew bigger and he turned to his sister. “Pa says there’s bats in caves, Alva Lee,” Doozy whispered back firmly.

“We’ll take the lantern from the barn and when we get to the opening we’ll throw some rocks into it to see if anything moves,” she reassured him.

“Do you think there are bats in that cave?” he asked her. 

“I don’t know, the cave has been underwater this whole time,” she said to him.

“Snakes! There will be snakes!” he cried out.

“Okay,” she put her hand on his shoulder, “We’ll take a big stick and if we see one, we’ll clobber it.”

Doozy considered it for a moment weighing adventure against another day of hot incessant boredom. He just shook his head and, trusting his big sister, agreed to explore the cave the next day.

After morning chores Ma called the kids in for their breakfast. Alva Lee and Doozy shoveled their eggs and ham into their mouths as if they hadn’t eaten in days. “What’s the rush?” Ma asked, looking from one to the other. “Have you both forgotten your manners?”

“No ma’am,” Doozy muttered with full cheeks. Alva Lee slowed her chewing and put her fork down. There was no need to give Ma a reason to put an end to their plans.

After breakfast, they helped tidy up the kitchen before asking to be excused. “Stay out of trouble kids.” their mother called to them as they headed out the door.

Doozy and Alva Lee made a quick stop at the barn to grab a coil of rope and the lantern. “Matches!” Doozy reminded his sister. 

She reached into her pocket, “Got ‘em.”

Now all they had to do was get to the oak without being spotted. 

Under the dead oak that stood alone in the middle of the field they found two branches that had been blown down that were just the right size for them to handle and still be able to clobber a snake without getting too close. Doozy took the coil of rope from Alva Lee so she could hold her stick and the lantern as he continued alongside his older sister toward the creek.

After walking a short distance, he could finally see the curtain of vines covered in brightly colored purple flowers.

“Wow!” said Doozy, “When did this happen? How long has this been here?” The questions erupted quickly.

“I was walking along the edge of the creek bed and noticed the flowers. Aren’t they beautiful?” she asked.

“What kind of vine is that?”

“I don’t know, never seen that kind of vine before. Do you think it’s one of those itchy plants?” She was referring to the poison oak that sometimes made them miserable for weeks. Their Ma would paint them with a mixture of honey and oats to soothe their prickly rash creating a whole new kind of suffering. “I don’t know - you touch it first Doozy. See if it stings your fingers any,” she prompted.

“I ain’t touchin’ it!” he said firmly.

“Okay, we’ll both touch it together. Is that fair?” she responded.

“Yeah, I suppose it is.”

The two of them carefully made their way down the sloping embankment and crossed through the knee-deep creek water. Each was using their big sticks for balance. After they reached the other side, Doozy could see the mouth of the cave peeking through the veil of vines.

“It’s a cave!  A real cave!” her brother squealed.

“I told you, Doozy,” she said. “Isn’t it awesome?” she stated more than questioned.

“Here’s what we’ll do,” she explained. “We’ll each take a side and use our sticks to part the vines. When we get them pulled aside we’ll hook them on the roots and other plants growing out of the side of this cliff here. Try not to touch it too much just in case it is an itchy plant. Okay, on three! … 1… 2… 3!”

Both lifted their sticks to spread the vines open just like Ma’s living room curtains.   They carefully latched the vines onto some of the roots poking out of the rock cliff, careful not to touch them.

Alva Lee and Doozy were now peering into a hole about six feet wide and four foot tall. They both looked at each other, sizing each other up, quietly wondering who would go in first.

“You’re littler,” said Alva Lee. “You should go in and see how far back it goes and see if we can both fit together inside the cave.”

“You ain’t that much bigger than me!” Doozy protested. “It’s your cave… you discovered it… you go in first!”

“What if I get stuck?” she argued back.

“Take the rope with you and unwind it as you go. I’ll hold this end and if you get stuck, tug it and I’ll pull you out.” he reasoned.

She knew she wouldn’t win this argument so she dropped her shoulders and looked back at the mouth of the cave. “Okay, I’m going in. I’m no chicken heart.” she said, hoping this would spur up some kind of confidence before she ventured on.

The ledge to the opening of the cave was about a foot over their heads. She would be able to climb up into it easy enough. They were both use to climbing things by now and Alva Lee was the fastest tree climber in Foster County.

Alva Lee took the rope from her brother and handed him the lantern to hold. She put her foot on a jutting rock and pushed herself upward. With the rope looped around one shoulder and her stick in hand she gracefully scaled the cliff side and perched on the ledge in front of the cave.

“Okay Doozy,” she called down to her little brother. “Lift the lantern up to me and I’ll reach down and grab hold of it.” Doozy stretched his arm high over his head careful not to tip the lantern too much or lose his grip entirely. Alva Lee caught hold of the handle and with the lantern safely in her grip she sat up. “Here I go,” she whispered under her breath.

  

She lit the lantern with one of the matches she brought with her, adjusted the flame and closed the latch. Alva Lee turned and held the lamp up in front of her. The cave looked so much bigger from this viewpoint. She picked up a stone and threw it into the cave hoping there were no bats. She listened but didn’t hear anything, not even the sound of the rock falling onto the floor of the cave. With little hesitation, she decided it was safe.

“Okay, Doozy – keep your attention on the rope in case I have some trouble.” She said as she looked back down at him. “I’m going in!”

She took her stick and swung it from side to side in front of her. First high, then low – from left to right and then left again.  She tapped at the floor in front of her. Nothing moved.

Alva Lee held up the lantern to light the area in front of her. There were no crags or roots in here, just the smooth skin of the cave.  She continued, stepping carefully into the cave. 

Once she was inside she stood up tall. The inside of the cave was much bigger than she expected. It was like a room, really, even the floor of the cave appeared to be smooth.

“Come on in Doozy,” she yelled. There was no echo calling back to her inside the cave. “This is awesome, come see.”

She could hear her little brother pulling himself up into the mouth of the cave.

“Look at this!” she said.

“This is unbelievable. Do you think someone made this place?” he wondered out loud.

“It looks like someone shined the walls, I can almost see myself in them,” Alva Lee whispered, as if someone were listening. “It’s just a huge empty room.”

“Except for that!” squealed Doozy. “Over here!” He was leaping towards something that sparkled like a glittering bowling ball at the back wall. “What do think this is? It looks like diamonds! Do you think we’ll be rich?”

Alva Lee approached the stone-like mass carefully, holding the lamp high and examining it closer with every step.

“Here is this huge polished room and the only thing in it is this big sparkling rock?” she mused to herself.

“Tell me it’s diamonds and we are going to be rich!” giggled Doozy in his euphoria.

“I don’t know what it is, really,” she replied. “It sparkles so much I can’t tell if it’s a rock.”

They were held in a trance by the glittering beauty of it. Doozy put his hands down on the dazzling stone and took a deep breath.  “It’s beautiful.”

“Let’s look around. Maybe, there are more of them. Let’s start over here.” She ordered.

She took the lantern and held it out in front of her as she circled the walls of the cave. The room seemed to be no more than ten feet high, ten feet long – and the room was shaped like an octagon. Lots of little octagons.

She took note of the dry coolness of the cave wall, it felt like Jell-O and it appeared to be the same smooth texture on the ceiling. It was like…, Alva Lee thought, like a dull mirror – a huge octagon shaped mirror bubble!

Now that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness in the cave she could make out her reflection bouncing off one wall onto the other, up onto the ceiling, beaming her wide-eyed look of amazement right back to her. It was like being in a house of mirrors; unsettling.

The only thing that was close to normal was the cave floor. However, it wasn’t muddy at all, which she couldn’t understand. If, the water has been falling, wouldn’t it leave the inside of the cave sludgy? No, this floor was solidly packed. She reached down to touch it with her hand; it was barely damp.

“Doozy,” she whispered over to him urgently. “There’s something wrong with this place.  Caves are supposed to be muddy and wet with things hanging off the ceiling and coming up out of the floor. There’s supposed to be crevices and stones lying about. There should be bugs crawling around, or a snake to slither through our legs; maybe even a bat or two. This place… this cave, doesn’t even smell like a… cave!”

“Yeah, it doesn’t smell like anything!” Doozy whispered back. “Isn’t it supposed to smell wet or musty? I heard Ma say that caves had a musty smell to ‘em.”

“Come on Doozy, it’s time to get out of here,” she urged. “I don’t like this cave anymore.”

“Okay, but let’s see if we can get this diamond stone out and take it with us.” he said to her.

Alva Lee wasn’t keen on staying any longer, it was creepy weird in there and she knew they had no business exploring this cave.  No business at all.

Doozy was using his fingers to dig into the ground next to the stone-shaped mass, trying to make room for his fingers to latch on and lift it out. He dug harder and harder, but the ground was showing no wear. It was solid.

“Alvvvva Lllleee,” he stuttered, “The ground is vibrating, can you feel that?”

“We gotta go now Doozy!” she shouted “Now!”

He jumped up and the two of them made haste for the opening of the cave. Doozy had made his way past his sister and was all but diving out of the cave when his foot was hooked on something and he went sailing out the mouth of the cave and down into the shallow water.

“Oh my God!” screamed Alva Lee. “Doozy!”

She couldn’t hear him. She was running after him when she saw it! One of the vines had made its way across the floor and it looked like someone had intentionally set it in such a way that it would trip someone. Like Doozy. “Doozy!”

“I, I’m okay, I think. Nothing broken. Ouch!” he answered.

Alva Lee climbed carefully down into the creek and knelt beside her brother. “Are you okay? Hurt anywhere?” she asked him.

“No. I’m fine. I think I did a complete somersault and landed on my butt,” he laughed. “It was a doozy!”

“You tripped on one of those vines!” she snarled.

Alva Lee looked up at the mouth of the cave as she was speaking and her mouth fell open. She stood frozen there and Doozy let his eyes follow to where hers were looking.

“Alva Lee… did you do that?” he asked quietly. “No.”  She answered him. “No I didn’t do that.”

The vines they had pulled back and hooked on the pieces of root jutting out of the side of the cliff wall had closed. The vines looked as if someone had placed each one of them side by side in neat order; hanging like a flower- beaded curtain.

“OK. Whatever is going on here, I want nothing of it.” she said as she took her brothers arm and led him out of the creek, up the embankment and back onto dry ground.

Alva Lee and Doozy noticed they were leaving a wet trail behind them as they walked back to the old oak tree in the field. Alva Lee turned to her brother, “We have to let our shoes and clothes dry before we get home or Ma will tan our hides.”

The two sat down under the old oak where they could rest after their walk from the creek and talk about what had happened in the cave. “We’ll just rest here a spell until we dry out,” suggested Alva Lee. “You are soaking wet!”

“You don’t look as wet as me, Alva Lee,” Doozy noticed.  “How come I’m still so wet?”

“Hey, you’re right!  Maybe, because you were in the water longer!” she teased.

“You were standing in the water right next to me and your socks and shoes are drying out.” He said making the comparison.

“But I didn’t go completely under! You actually swam in the creek… but still, your shoes are still full of water and mine aren’t.” Alva Lee was trying to make sense of this when she noticed that the spot where her brother was sitting was now forming a little pool of water. Could all this water be dripping off of him?

She looked around for something to help dry her brother off with. There was nothing but the dried-up grasses and the dirt. She took a handful of dirt and dusted his arms and legs with it. The dirt instantly became mud and began to thin in the water, finally dripping off his arms and legs onto the ground where he sat.  The pool beneath him was getting bigger.

“Don’t move. Sit here and don’t move until I get back.” she instructed.

“Where are you going?” asked Doozy.

“I’m going to sneak back into the house and get some towels from the closet.” She told him.

“My other shoes are down by the cellar,” He told her. “They’re dirty but they’re dry. Do you think you can get them for me? I don’t think these shoes will ever dry out.”

They both looked down at his flooded shoes. His feet were swimming in shoes that were overflowing water.

“I’ll be back as soon as possible, Doozy. It’ll be okay,” she reassured him, and to herself.

Where was the water coming from? Was it coming out of Doozy… or the shoes? Were they hexed or something? Her head was filling with questions as she ran back toward the house.

She stopped and looked back over her shoulder to where the tree stood. There was Doozy sitting beneath it, curled up into a ball with his knees to his chest.

For a fleeting moment, she considered telling Pa and asking him to help. What would I say? She asked herself. My little brother is out there and water is oozing off him and I don’t know why? She thought. No, I can’t say that. The questions that follow will only lead to more questions, and I can’t tell him about the cave. We’ll both be grounded for life! I’ll have to fix this myself.

She was standing outside the kitchen door and looked down at her feet. She did not want to make footprints on Ma’s clean floor with muddy shoes. As she looked down she noticed that her shoes were dry. No dampness. Completely dry and covered in dust.

No one was in the kitchen. She looked out the window and saw her Ma and Pa standing next to a small mound of fire. More chickens…She cut off the thought and ran up the stairs to retrieve two towels.

She skipped back down the stairs and stopped fast at the doorway to the kitchen. She heard voices. Ma and Pa were in the kitchen now. They were talking about the drought.

There’s no drought out there under the big oak in the middle of the field, she laughed to herself nervously. No drought under Doozy, no indeed!

She eased by unnoticed into the living room and exited the front door. As she made her way toward the cellar she looked up to see Doozy standing under the oak in the field. The heat from the ground was giving the appearance of Doozy standing in huge pool of water. Is this a mirage? She thought.

“Why is he standing?” Alva Lee wondered out loud.

She bolted for the cellar door, spotted the shoes, scooped them up and made the sprint across the field to her brother in record time.

“What is going on?” she screeched as she approached Doozy.  “Where is all this water coming from?”

“I dunno Alva Lee.  It’s getting deeper and I’m sinking into the ground!” he squealed back to her.

“Move!   Doozy, move!” she screamed.   “Move out of it!”

“I am moving!” he yelled back. "The water is coming from me, I think.” He was trying to lift his legs out of the forming mud pit. The more he fought to move, the lower he sank into it.

She dropped everything and her eyes searched for a low branch she thought she could reach. She jumped; missed. It was too high. With all her strength, she pulled herself up the trunk and onto the first thick branch. She looked down at her brother as he was sinking lower into the ground.

“Hang on Doozy!” she yelled to him.

Alva Lee reached a dead jutting secondary branch and snapped it off. Holding the branch in her hand she made her way back down to the ground keeping clear of the forming pool.

“Here Doozy, hang on and I’ll pull you out!” she told him. Doozy extended his hand out and caught hold of it.

“Be careful Alva Lee,” he said. “Don’t fall in!”

“I’m going to back up now Doozy and try to pull you with me,” she added. “Here we go… slowly… slowly…”

As soon as she could see his feet were free she noticed that she was dragging him through newly forming pools of water.

She backed up more. The pool continued.

“We need to get back into the water, Doozy,” she told him.  “I think it will be easier in the water.”

They hurried back to the creek and jumped into the knee-deep water together. “What is going on?” he looked at his sister with terrified eyes.

“I don’t know,” she answered cautiously. “Do you feel different? Can you feel the water coming out? What did you do, Doozy? Did you do anything in the cave?” The questions were exploding out of her as she was becoming more hysterical.

“AVLA LEE!”  he screamed into her face to get her attention. “Alva Lee, I didn’t do anything. We both moved the vines, we both went into the cave, and we both saw the glitter rock, we both…”

“You touched it, didn’t you?” She looked into his eyes. “I didn’t touch the stone, Doozy.” She continued. “Did you touch it? Tell me. What happened? We gotta fix this, Doozy. We gotta fix this now!”

They started recounting their steps again slower, starting with when they saw the cave.

“The creek was low enough to cross – knee deep – still is,” recited Doozy.

“The vines… the vines were over the opening and we pulled them back and hooked them on those roots right there.” She pointed to the sides of the cave opening where some roots were jutting out.

“You climbed to the mouth of the cave.  You threw a rock in to see if there were any bats. Nothing moved.” He added.

Alva Lee spoke, “I lit the lantern and walked in slowly. I noticed the walls of the cave were so smooth. You climbed up and then noticed the “diamond” stone at the back of the cave. I looked at the ceiling and noticed it was reflecting my image back onto the walls and the whole thing made me dizzy.” She continued, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

“WAIT!” Doozy looked to his sister with an expression of dreadful knowing. “I did touch the rock. Me. I was the only one who touched the rock. It felt like it was vibrating real fast. It made my hand feel a little numb. I didn’t really think about it much.  It was so sparkly…” his voice trailed off.

“Look, Doozy,” she pointed out, “Your shirt and pants are starting to dry off.”

They were standing in knee deep water and now Doozy’s once soaked clothes were almost dry. They both looked at each other and then slowly turned their heads in the direction of the cave. The vines had grown longer and were now skimming over the top of the water.

“I’m not going back in there!” Doozy’s voice trembled. “Doozy, step out of the creek water and walk backup onto the dry ground.  I want to see if you stay dry.” Alva Lee was trying to be calm.

The two of them slowly stepped out of the water and back onto dry ground. Just as she expected, a puddle was forming at his feet. His clothes began to feel moist, like he had been sweating hard after a long day of chores.

Slowly the two of them came to realize that they had to get Doozy back in the water, and fast.

“What am I gonna do?” asked Doozy trying to hold back the tears. “Please tell me I’m asleep and I’ll wake up soon and this is all a bad dream…”

“Shhhh,” Alva Lee quieted her brother. “Shhhh. Don’t move Doozy. Be very still.”

Alva Lee pointed to their legs. The water level had risen by at least two inches! “What is happening?” she asked herself.

Doozy began to breathe in sobs. “I’m gonna drown in the field or in the creek. It doesn’t matter.  I’m going to drown.”

“You will not drown!” She was holding her little brother by the shoulders and shaking him. “Do you hear me? I won’t let you drown!” Alva Lee yelled. “Settle down.  I need to think.”

“I feel something on my leg.” Doozy whispered. His eyes were full of panic. “It’s moving. It feels like a snake Alva Lee.”

“Stay still and it will swim away Doozy,” she said to him calmly.  “Just stand very still.”

They both looked into each other’s eyes for reassurance. “Alva Lee?”  Just then she looked down into the water and couldn’t believe her eyes. The vines were stretched out into the water and were now wrapping themselves around her little brother’s leg. She began to tug at the vines and tried to pull Doozy free. They were closing around him, wrapping him in their tendrils. The two of them were fighting to unravel the vines from Doozy’s legs.

The water was now almost up to their thighs and moving faster against them. Alva Lee yelled to her brother, “I have an idea, Doozy. I’ll pull them out of the ground at their roots!” With that she let go of her brother and pulled herself along the vines and up onto the ledge of the cave. She began to pull at the vines with all her might. The vines were anchored in the stone. They would not budge.

She turned around and began to pull at the vines that were in the water. Maybe she could pull her brother out of the creek and back up onto the ledge with her.

Without any resistance, she slowly pulled Doozy to the side of the cliff. The vines had him wrapped in a flowery cocoon. She hoisted him up to her and quickly began to pull the loosening vines from his quivering body.

“They are letting go.” he looked up at her with relief. “Yes, I think they are.”  she answered to him flatly.

“They, they seem to know what they are doing.”

After she peeled the last of the vines from around her brother’s leg, Alva Lee and Doozy fell down onto the ledge and laid there trying to catch their breath and possibly, wake up. No one said anything for a long time.

“They held tight in the water but let go of you up here.” Alva Lee finally spoke.

“Yeah, they did.” answered Doozy.  “It’s like they want me here.”

“Why?” asked Alva Lee to no one in particular, “What do they want?”

Alva continued, “We need to go back into the cave and find out. We need to retrace our steps and find out what we did to … to … make this happen.” 

“I don’t want to go back in there, Alva Lee.” Doozy said under his breath. “I’m afraid. What if we get in there and it doesn’t let us back out? What if we never see Ma and Pa ever again? What if…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say the words – we die in there?

“We have no choice Doozy,” his sister told him.  “We have to go in.   The vines won’t let us leave and you can’t go anywhere dripping tons of water on the ground. You will surely drown then.” There was a long pause between them as Doozy came to the understanding that his sister was right.

“Will you hold my hand?” he asked her weakly.

“Sure, Doozy, I’ll hold your hand. I won’t leave you. I’m right here and I’ll be here with you no matter what.” She assured him.

“I’m a chicken heart, Alva Lee, a chicken heart.” He lowered his head and stared at the ground.

“This isn’t about being a chicken heart, Doozy.” she picked up his chin and looked into his eyes. “I’ve never ever seen anything like this. I don’t know what’s going on. But, I am not going to let anything happen to you, Doozy. You are a brave boy and what’s happening here does not make any sense.”

She continued, “Do you remember when you were about four years old and I was scared of the approaching storm? You took my hand and led me outside so we could watch the storm come in together. The lightning lit up the sky and the thunder boomed so loud. You held my hand and told me that this was God’s fireworks. He was celebrating a new spring planting and was about to water the fields with his tears of happiness. Made sense to me… I haven’t been afraid of storms since then, Doozy.  You made it okay.”

“Thanks Alva Lee, I’ll try to be brave.” he answered with a tear in his eye.

“Okay, here is the plan,” Alva Lee said to him. “We don’t have the lantern anymore so we’re gonna have to feel our way to the rock. There aren’t any bugs or bats or snakes, so we don’t have to worry about that. Stay right next to me, Doozy, we’re gonna crawl in and stay low. Got that?” she asked.

“Roger, over and out.” Doozy saluted playfully. “What do we do when we get to the rock?” he inquired.

“I don’t know, Doozy, we’ll figure it out when we get there.” She answered. “Let’s go.”

They both got on their hands and knees and began to crawl slowly toward the back of the cave, being careful to keep some part of their body touching each other. Half-way inside, Alva Lee’s hand touched the stick that she was using when they entered the first time. She must have dropped it in all the fuss when Doozy spilled out of the cave.

“My stick!” she exclaimed. “I found my stick!”

She picked it up and kept a tight hold on it as she continued to crawl forward. That’s when she heard it; a low humming coming from the back of the cave. She didn’t say anything to Doozy. They kept creeping forward. The humming was getting louder. Surely Doozy could hear it. Why wasn’t he saying anything?

“Doozy?” she whispered. “Doozy, can you hear that?” There was no reply.

“Doozy?” She could feel him next to her. She slowly got into a sitting position and pulled her brother closer. He was breathing. She could hear the humming with each breath, coming from his chest. “Doozy?” she asked again.

Still no reply.

She turned her head toward the back of the cave and began to see a small flicker of light coming from where the rock stood. It was coming to life. Doozy started crawling toward it as his sister began pulling at him to stop.

“Doozy, STOP!” she yelled. He kept pulling away, finally breaking free. “Doozy!  Can you hear me?  STOP!”

All of the sudden she could feel something wet running past her fingers and up over her hand. She withdrew her hand and smelled it. There was no odor. She apprehensively touched her fingers to her mouth. No taste. Water; had to be water. Was this coming from Doozy? Was he beginning to make water again?

She quickly crawled forward looking for her brother. She couldn’t feel him. She took her stick and swung it slowly and gently from side to side hoping to find him.

The stone was getting brighter. A light lavender color was emanating from the stone. She could see her brother reaching out to touch it. “NO!” she shouted.

A wave of water spilled over her and caught her unguarded. She spit and choked on the water as it found its way into her throat. The wave took her body and in one swoop lifted her and pushed her out of the cave and into the water of the creek below. She went under. Fighting to right herself, she finally broke the surface and shook the water out of her eyes. Alva Lee was shocked to find the creek much deeper than it was before…

Where was Doozy? She looked to the mouth of the cave and water was spilling out in a torrent. Surely Doozy was swept away with the first wave. She began to look around for her little brother.

Alva Lee swam for the cave’s entrance. Gotta find Doozy, she said to herself. The vines. I’ll pull myself up on the vines.

That’s when she saw it. The vines were all reaching back into the cave. “What are you doing!?” She screamed. “Leave my brother alone!”

The water outside was now over the opening to the cave. She could feel the floor of the cave with her foot as she waded back in against the force of the water.

Alva Lee could hear the humming coming from the back of the cave… and below the water! “Oh my God, Doozy!” She kept yelling.

There appeared an eerie pulsating purplish light beneath the water. She could see her feet through the water as it was rushing by. But, the water was rushing in too. It was pushing and pulling her. She could see her little brother surrounded in vines. They had wrapped themselves around him again and were lifting him out of the water.

“Alva Lee?” he sputtered, “Alva Lee, is that you?” “Doozy, can you hear me?” she asked in a panicked cry.

“I don’t think they want to hurt you.  I think they are helping you.  Hold on and we’ll let the vines take us out of here.”

She was right. The vines seemed to be carrying Doozy out of the cave and out into the creek. She caught hold of the vines and swam alongside of them.

When they got to the opening she could see that they only had a few more feet and the cave was going to be under the water again.

The vines carried Doozy to the side of the creek and began to untangle themselves from around him. Alva Lee ran to his side and began pulling at the vines. They were humming. And, Doozy was humming back to them!

His eyes were wide open and unblinking. “Alva Lee, they don’t want to hurt us. They just wanted me to return the chip.”

“What chip?” she asked him.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small glittering light about the size of a pea.

“What is that?” she asked again.

“It chipped off the big diamond rock in the cave. I wanted to keep it. I thought it was magical.  It was singing to me and it made my hand feel warm.” He answered her. “I don’t know what it is, but they want it back.”

“Then give it back to them, Doozy!” she ordered him. 

One of the vines stretched over to where Doozy was holding the chip in his balled-up hand. He slowly opened his fingers and the vine gently removed the stone from his open palm.

The water was getting deeper and they couldn’t see the cave opening anymore. It had gone completely under the water. The vines were retreating back toward the cliff side.

Doozy was still humming along with the sound emanating from beneath the water. Alva Lee could see it now. There, far below the water’s surface, was that strange lavender light. It was humming louder. She could hear the vines as they vibrated their own low humming. They were all participating in this crazy choir.

“What’s going on?” she asked her brother. “Do you understand what they are saying?”

“Don’t be afraid. They’re saying, don’t be afraid.” He answered her between refrains. “They want to go home.”

“Who are they?” she asked him.

As Doozy continued to make a guttural humming noise, a voice emanated from within the sound. “We are life-forms that exist inside the water, air and the light, Alva Lee.” The voice was not entirely his and it was mixed with the humming somewhere inside of him. “Water contains the energy of many lifetimes. We nest in caves like this one when the water-ways begin to dry up.”

“Life-forms?” Alva Lee couldn’t believe her ears. “Imagine millions of little prisms bouncing light off a rainbow and each sparkle you see contains life. These water spheres huddle together and create this glowing twinkling mass. We wait for the rains to come so we can resume the journey. And, then you found the cave…” his voice trailed off.

  

“Who are WE and how does Doozy know all of this?” She wasn’t sure who she was addressing but the only one standing in front of her was her little brother.

“They’re telling me things, showing me things,” he answered her in his own familiar voice.

“The vines? That humming. Are they talking to you too?” she asked hesitantly.

“The vines are created by spores that attach themselves to the water droplets. The vines protect them from invaders, like us. They are a shield, but we got past them and entered the cave anyway.” He said in that strange humming voice.

“They tried to stop you from leaving!” Alva Lee thought aloud.  “They tripped you, remember?”

“No.” he replied gently. “No. They just wanted the chip I took returned. It’s wasn’t time for them to return to the source yet.”

“What is the source?” she asked him.

“They say they are leaving now. They have to go.” He explained to his sister. “They want us to go home. The rains are coming.” He said to her and began his humming again.

Alva Lee grabbed her brother’s hand and pulled him along with her out onto the field. They stopped to pick up the towels she dropped onto the ground earlier when she saved Doozy from sinking into the mud. She needed to collect her thoughts.

Alva Lee sat down beneath the old oak tree. “I don’t understand this at all.” She pondered out loud. “Why were you making water, Doozy? Now you aren’t, but before…”

“The chip.” he answered soberly.  “They wanted to go back. They just wanted to flow back to the source. Now they are together again. I’m not a vessel anymore.”

“A vessel?” she asked. “Big words for a little boy, Doozy.  Are they still talking to you? Are those their words?”

“Yep. Their words.” He answered. “They are leaving soon. Do you have any more questions for them? Better ask now.”

“The cave walls! The cave was almost a perfect octagon and the walls were like a smooth cool gel, and I could see myself! And, the floor of the cave, packed and solid…” the questions were exploding out of her mouth. “I don’t understand any of this!” she shook her head in disbelief.

The humming picked up momentum. She could almost feel the weight of it coming from the air all around her.

“We are carried within the droplets of water. We move from vessel to vessel making our way back to the ‘source’ where we start anew. When the vessel begins to empty, we must find a place for ourselves to rest. The caves serve as resting places for us to gather and wait.” The voice was not coming from Doozy; it was inside the humming sound that was all around her. She could understand it. It was in the air and it was talking directly to her.

“Some of us take on another form, a mist, which expands all around us. We are surrounded by a protective seal that cannot be broken easily. It’s like living on the inside of a jewel. There are many facets there. The facets inside reflect light and sustain the lives within us…” The voice continued. 

Alva Lee couldn’t believe it. The humming was coming from nowhere and yet, everywhere. The air was beginning to feel damp with the approaching storm. It was electric and alive!

“We travel with other life forms that we release into the air if the cave is exposed above the water’s surface. They are our guardians. Once our barrier is crossed, light and air collide and mix with our matter, creating various levels of the color spectrum.” The voice was fading.

“Spectrum? Facets? Vessels? I don’t understand it all, but I think I know what you’re getting at. You’re alive and you just want to make it home… to the source, as you call it.” She was finally communicating with nature. Doozy had his eyes closed and he was giggling.

“We travel the waterways until we are called home. We eventually return to the earth and start our journey again. Perhaps we serve to replenish the earth by feeding the plant-life, or by being consumed by the animals. We are essential to life on this planet; therefore, we must be on our way.” As quickly as the humming started, it stopped. It was gone.  They were gone.

“WOW! That was a DOOZY!” Doozy yelled out. “I don’t know what they said, but I know what the meant!”

“No one is ever going to believe us, Doozy.” Alva Lee said. She turned to look toward the house in the distance. She could see the faint outline of Ma and Pa in the kitchen window. Out over the horizon she could see the storm coming. “We better get home now.”

Doozy was staring back toward the creek. It was getting higher. The storm northwest of them was filling the creeks and streams with new water; new life. The drought was over.

Alva Lee and Doozy snatched up their things and ran out across the field for home.

“Goodnight Alva Lee. Goodnight Doozy.” Their Ma and Pa called out before settling down for a long night of much anticipated rain.

“Goodnight.” the kids called back to them.

“Water. Who would have ever thought that water was… alive?” whispered Doozy into the dark room.

“They just wanted to go home. They wanted to go back to the source.” replied Alva Lee. “Do you think the source is the same thing as God?”

“Everyone wants to go to heaven. And, heaven is… up there.” Doozy answered and pointed to the ceiling. “Makes sense to me.”

The room was quiet for a time. Finally, Alva Lee spoke, “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. I ask not for myself alone, but for all thy creatures – everyone.” To which Doozy replied, “Amen.”

Postscript

•      Scientists say that every drop of water contains some remnant of the past within it. We could be drinking the same water that quenched the thirst of dinosaurs.

•        Microscopic life-forms abound in a single drop of H2O, constantly moving from continent to continent - from the northern polar ice-caps to the rain-forests of South America.

•        The Earth is always communicating in a low humming ambient sound. Astronauts can hear it and our satellites can pick it up both from the ground as well as out in space, and measure its tone.

•      And, who is to say what the source is? Our earth is protected in an atmospheric bubble of its own as we orbit our Sun. Galaxies spin through the Universe. Perhaps we too, will someday return to the source.