August 14, 2002
cave girl
There�s a town about two and a half hours away from here that has a cave. It�s a tourist attraction of sorts, steeped in quaint little southwestern stories about train robbers and lost gold. I went there as a little girl and was befriended by the curator who liked the fact that I was so interested in caves and stones. He gave my mother and I a year-round pass, which of course means we spent quite a bit of time there.
Perhaps he had feeling for my mom who was a widow, perhaps he was just a nice man. Either way, we had a lot of fun. We went on special tours to areas that were closed off to the general public. We got to see another cave further back with real bats inside. We went into the stone house in the back where the curator lived that had an entrance into the cave through one of the bathrooms. We got to hear the ghost stories others didn�t. It was lovely. I wanted to be a spelunker when I grew up for a time because of it..
I�m sharing this because a while back I found out that this cave now has a new tour. It lasts for a few hours and allows you to go into areas that have been off-limits to the general public for some time. They give you a hard hat with a light and a backpack and you know what? I want to go. I *really* want to go, but I can�t find anyone to go with. My friends aren�t very adventurous. They�re little urban fashion plates.. or tough punks and skins who don�t want all that dirt on their Fred Perry shirts..
Anyone want to go caving with me? We�ll crawl around on our hands and knees with hard hats on our heads and explore. We�ll walk oh so carefully around ledges and shine our flashlights into crevices looking for the hidden gold.
It would be an adventure. It would light my eyes up like stars.. and that look, it would be just for you.
2:21 p.m.