The cave

Captains log day forty two of the return.

It’s been two months now since the last of colonists landed and we were free to start our voyage back to Terra, but now a number of the crew have mysteriously taken fatally ill.

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Ellis paused in his slashing at the polly vines that filled the cave take a drink of the sweet sap from the freshly cut end. Wiping the sweat that was running into his eyes he said.

“The suns will soon be dimming; we need to find shelter before it gets dark.”

“We could go back to that side cave we passed.” Brill looked back to where the vines were already sprouting and beginning to fill the cave again.

“I don’t think so, by the time we get there it would be dark and I don’t fancy being caught out after the sun goes out. I’ll keep going there must be someplace to shelter along here.”

“Do you want me to take the knife; you’ve been cutting since that last turn?”

“No I’ll cut a bit more but we must find shelter soon.”

“We’re a long way from the home cave; we should have turned back when we reached that last turn.”

Hearing this Ellis looked back at Satin who was looking at the fresh cut vines behind them that were already reaching up to the suns.

“To late now Satin we must find somewhere before it’s dark.”

The suns were down to half-light, and in the dark between them the vines had started to grow their poisoned protective thorns. It was the gasp of surprise from Elise as he pulled away the vine he had just cut that stopped them. Elise was pointing to the cleared section of wall, where there was a straight line running up the wall of the cave.

“Do you think?” He asked. “Yes it could be.” He answered as pulled at the vines slashing and cutting to expose the closed entrance to a side cave.

“It’s still closed.” An awed Satin exclaimed. “We must be the first to find it.” She looked at the two boys, her eyes silently asking, dare we open it?

“They talk about these, look this is how you open it.”

 

Captains log day fifty two of the return.

Deaths now are so numerous we have to dispose of them by ejecting them from the ship. Crew are desperate for a solution but the doctors are baffled as nothing shows on any test they have been able to run. I have asked for the internal temperature to be raised to thirty degrees as this helps the children.

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Elis reached up full stretch to touch the softly glowing square that would cause the cave to open. A knees depth of soil spilled into the cave as it opened. Suns inside sprung to life as Elise stood looking into a strange square cave that was filled with even stranger objects. Some obvious in their use like the gigantic table and seats, while other things were strange and frightening.

“Dare we go in?” Both Satin and Brill, asked as their eyes took in the enormous objects.

“It’s a Giant’s room.” Satin murmured. “We should.”

“We should go in and close the hole; it will be safer in here than in the cave outside. Come on Brill help get this soil out so we can close it.”

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“Doctor, a door’s just been opened on level seven.”

“Can you get vision or sound from there?”

“No it’s the captain’s cabin. Sound and vision has to be activated from inside.”

“The captains you say in that case had better get a team down there, we don’t want dizzies messing with any equipment in there that is still operational.”

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With the cave entrance  closed it was Elise, who being the oldest and tallest, was able to see over the desk top and see the strange objects arranged there. It was Satin who looking in a second room found the body of a giant or what was left of one lying on an enormous bed.

“I never believed those stories about giants.” Brill murmured, as he made the sign of a star across his chest to ward of evil.

“Is it safe to stay?” Satin asked.

“It’s dead so what can it do, it’s safer in here than outside in the cave with all those poisoned thorns, and I want to have a look around.

 

Captains log day seventy five of the return.

 

The last of the medical staff has died, she only survived three days, god help us.

Most of the ships non-essential systems have been shut down after one of the native edible plants from the colony broke out of the gardens and has now started to spread along the adjacent corridors.

 

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Caves silently opened at their approach and just as silently closed frightening at first and then marvellous. Three caves filled with strange objects some of which had coloured lights when touched, while others made funny noises. All enormous, strange, mysterious….and frightening Sitting on the floor eating their polly-fruit, it was Satin who started the discussion about giants by saying.

“I’ve always thought giants were just stories to frighten us, but now when we get back to the cave and the others, what a story we can tell them.”

“Do you really think that they will believe us?”

“They will if we take some of these things back with us.”

“I don’t think we should.”

“Should what?”

“Take things, what if there are real live giants and we take their things…. Or even spirits.” That brought a silence as the three looked around the cave. Yes it was a giants cave. Dead or not, it still was.

“Do you think we should stop?”

“We have to, at least until the suns light up in the long cave so we can find our way back to the home.”

“If we can we find our way back?” Brill said, there a silence from the three until Elise said.

“I think I can, if we just follow the new vines we should get back to the cave. “

“When the suns light up the vines will all have changed, there won’t be any new ones.”

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“Do we go in or wait for the dizzies to come out?”

“No we go in and gas them before they awake; you know how fast they can be.”

“Ready then when you are doctor.”

“Masks on, now.”

“Look at them, these are young hardly more than children.”

“These are the first you have seen aren’t they. Well they are almost adult, they only grow to about three feet, and they live at least four times faster than normal humans. It’s a pity really they aren’t children, as rehabilitating works best the younger they are.”

“Do you think we shall ever be able to do anything for them?”

“Someday, that is when we find an antidote to the symbiolite that started it all. While on this ship we have to be careful, so keep your contamination suit on until these three are contained and we are sterilised. The last thing we want is to have the live symbiolite back on the hospital station.”

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Captains log day eighty of the return.

 

This will probably be my last entry.

 It was the cold that woke me this morning, though the cabin was set as usual for my preference at twenty degrees, I have now it set at thirty two and I still feel cold, chilled to the bone and shivering so I must finally be coming down with the sickness, and without a miracle I shall not at my age survive. So far it has been totally deadly for adults, not a one taken sick past puberty has survived, and it’s only twenty per cent of children under puberty that do survive, and that was only after I authorised the ships internal heat to be raised to thirty two degrees. I say survived, yes but changed beyond belief, they move, speak and apparently think so fast it’s impossible to keep up with them.”