I don’t know how long I sat on the rocky floor of the cave. My phone was back in my cottage and I had no wrist watch. But, at last, a smidgen of coherent thought got through the panic. What had caused the boulder to fall, blocking my escape? It must have had something to do with the coin because when I picked it up, the rock fell. Maybe, if I looked at it more closely, I could see how to un-do that booby trap.
Crawling over to the trunk, I beamed my flashlight at the coin. Something glittered under it. A wire! One end of the wire was attached to the coin and the other end was attached to the boulder. So, when I tried to pick up the coin, the boulder fell. A diabolical plan, but it worked. Somebody, long ago, wanted to make sure that anyone finding the trunk and skeleton wouldn’t live to tell about it.
I pressed my hands to my eyes and drew a long breath. Since I couldn’t budge the boulder and that exit was cut off, I’d try to find another way out. The sea pounded in my ears and a dim light came in from somewhere. Pushing myself to my feet, I followed that light and found an opening.
If my heart hadn’t dropped to my toes in the last few minutes, it did so now. Was I inside the cave I saw this morning, the one that the storm had opened up? If so, truly I was stuck. Nobody could scale that craggy cliff above the Sea.
I began pacing the perimeter of the cave, shining the flashlight on ceiling and walls. Rocks jutted out. Water may have caused this opening in the cliff, but it hadn’t smoothed the crags. Carefully, holding onto the sides to keep from slipping on the sea spray, I edged upward. The storm pelted me with cold, heavy waves. I inched a little nearer. A giant wave grabbed me with a force that pulled me toward the storm. I dropped my flashlight and grabbed a rock, battling to keep my footing. As the wave let me go, I fell down the incline, landing on my back against the rough floor.
Gasping for breath, I lay there, shaking, and saw, far above me, a faint light. The first hope I’d felt since the boulder sealed me in, brought me to my feet. Could that be a hole into the outside world? Tears stung my eyes. It might be an exit, but there was no way I could reach it.
(To be concluded tomorrow.)
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