Chapter 1 Finding the Cave
“Good morning. Rise and shine, sleepy head it’s time to get to work. There’s a lot we need to get done and I don’t have all day.” I was awakened from my sleep by the sound of my father screaming at me to get up and get ready for the day. It was the last thing I wanted to do but I knew that he wouldn’t stop until I was up and dressed, ready to start work.
We’ve been in eastern California for about three months now. We set off from Virginia where my dad, Yesop and I lived with my mom Aliya and my siblings. I’m Eliha, the oldest. I have four younger siblings, my sister Aria who is 11, then the twins Leah and Abby who are both six and a half, then my baby brother Cam who was too young to go with us. We began our trip in January because my dad didn’t want to be away from the family for Christmas. My sisters begged him to stay, and my mother was upset because there was a lot going on back home, but after they talked she understood that this was exactly what we needed. So we left in January, leaving the rest of the family behind. It took us a couple of months to make it across the country, and now that me and my dad live here, things are a lot different. I miss my mom and siblings, even though I don’t think life was the best. Still, I loved them and missed seeing them every morning and night, the community we had, and everything that was left behind.
“OUCH! DADDDD! Ugh! I’m awake, please just leave me alone!” I screamed as my dad started throwing things at me! I slid out of bed and put on my clothes. When I exited the tent it was clear to see that I wasn’t the only one who had plans to sleep in. It was pitch black outside, and there were only a couple of other men out there besides my father and me. This was how each morning usually went. My father, myself, and a couple of his buddies got up early to get a head start on the mining and planning for the day, but that also meant that we got off earlier than the others, meaning I had the whole rest of the day to explore. My dad had us working from the crack of dawn till noon.
It was a Friday, so I finished my work at about noon. My entire body was covered in dirt from mining all morning and I felt grimy, so I had to bathe before I could relax. But I didn’t want to bathe in the river that all the other men do, because it always stank over there and was filled with people all the time. Instead I went back to the tent to get my stuff and find another lake or river, but my father was there too.
“ Son! You’re just the person I was looking for. We’re about to go into town for the rest of the day, spend some time with the ladies and get some good food,” my father bellowed with enthusiasm. “No thanks Dad. I’m gonna bathe or go with my friends.” Sigh. My dad looked at me with disappointment. “Son, you and I both know that you don’t have any friends here, but washing up wouldn’t be a bad idea. But when are you gonna come to town with me like a real man?”
“Well I don’t know Dad, maybe some other time,” I said. I never went into town, I didn’t need to go to the market, and the town was just full of busybodies and salesmen. But the worst of all were the women. There weren’t many of them there, but the ones that were there resorted to prostitution as a form of money making. I was disgusted by it so I never went into town anymore. Instead, I grabbed my stuff for my bath and hightailed it out of there. I didn’t stop running until I was far, far away from camp.
About two miles away from camp I stopped, chest heaving, short of breath. I didn’t know where I was and the scenery was absolutely beautiful but completely unfamiliar. I was completely surrounded by trees as tall as the sky, with thick trunks and large sprouting roots that all interlaced and made a maze. On my way here I tripped over at least five thick roots sprouting out of the ground, making it impossible to run. I got up off the ground and dusted myself off, continuing my trek to find water so that I could bathe and get all this dirt and muck off of me.
After about an hour of wandering around, I finally fell upon this cave. The opening was wide and swinging vines hung over the two sides, making the cave look dark and mysterious. I knew I probably shouldn’t go in because I had no idea where I was, and going into that cave would probably just make me more lost than before. But who said I’m gonna listen to reason. I began walking towards the cave and as I got closer the more I felt like this was a bad idea, but I didn’t care. Maybe I’d find water in there, so I got to the entrance, paused, and slowly stepped inside.
Almost immediately the atmosphere changed. Outside was a blazing hot wasteland apart from the grove I was in. Here it was cool and yet it felt so refreshingly warm. I could hear the trickle of water on the cave walls, and a kind of instrument I couldn’t quite place was ringing in the background. I walked further and further into the cave and found plants I had never seen before, glowing plants that illuminated my path, and soft plants under my foot. Which was a great relief from the rocks and sand I was used to.
My mind wandered back to when we were in Virginia on a hot day. It could go up to a hundred degrees of sweltering heat, so when I was done working with my dad, I would go outside with my siblings and we would play in the water to cool down. I brought my mind back to the present and looked around. I knew if there was water gathering on the walls, there must be water to the back of this cave in a cavern, so I began to walk a little bit faster and soon enough, I saw a very shallow pool in the distance. But as I got closer, I saw that it was in fact a very big deep one with crisp, clean, and clear water.
Throwing my stuff down on the wet slippery rocks, I jumped into the beautiful water and swam around. I felt the dirt sliding off of my body and hair…I felt like staying in the water forever and not going back. Eventually I got out and grabbed my soap. Looking around before I got back in, I saw something that froze me in my tracks.
Alexia Sanderson is currently a sophomore in high school. She participates in lots of activities, such as competitive gymnastics, track and art. Alexia is an entrepreneur as well, and looks forward to starting her own business in the future with animal care and art. This is the first chapter in a book she’s writing: “The Golden Gleam of Power.”