Angus arrived with string and survival gear in his red backpack. Veronica emerged from the Dome carrying a lumpy bag of drinks and sandwiches. She grumbled about people needing to remember to bring enough food when exploring. Trevor panted up the path with flashlights and helmets.
"So, how do we get into these Caverns?" asked Angus.
"Entrances are all over the place," said Veronica, "but Pascal says the best place to get in is by the Well."
"Are you sure about this?" Trevor dragged his feet a little. "I mean, if we're patient, Instruments can still find us in a much safer place."
"What if the perfect Instrument is down there," Veronica mused, "and it never finds you? It'll be lonely for the rest of its life all because you were afraid of some slippery rocks."
Trevor shook his head in protest.
"Enough with the head shakes!" laughed Veronica, "You're going to create a tornado with those massive sails on the sides of your head."
"Angus," said Trevor, wrinkling his nose at Veronica, "are you sure about this?"
Angus nodded. "If you don't get out there and take a few risks, nothing good will ever happen to you. My uncle always says, 'You won't find a ghost if you don't explore a haunted house.'"
"Guess you caught your case of the weirds from your uncle," Veronica shifted the bag of food to her other hand.
As usual, she was correct but insensitive.
"Fine!" Trevor sighed in defeat, "I know I'm going to regret this."
Veronica pulled a thick, folded paper from her back pocket. "My mentor Pascal used to be a Cavern Explorer," she said. "He also sleeps a lot, so I figured he wouldn't miss this."
Veronica unfolded the document to reveal a map showing a complex network of interconnecting passages. It resembled an ant nest.
"What a maze!" said Angus. "Good thing I brought string so we can find our way back out."
The map highlighted numerous points of interest, but one, marked with a star, looked most promising. Someone had even scrawled 'Most promising!' on the battered paper, so they decided this would be their destination.
The cave mouth was relatively small, about the size of a double doorway. Cool, damp air smelling of seaweed blew gently from the depths. A path of flat rocks descended to vanish around a bend, and a faint light shone from somewhere; all in all, it looked pretty safe.
Angus securely tied his string to a rock, marked his initials in chalk by the entrance, just in case, and the small party headed in. Shortly after, two unfortunate things occurred.
First, the rock to which Angus had anchored the string poked out its eyes and crept after them into the Caverns. Second, they overlooked a fallen sign reading, "Beware, international waters beyond this point."
The trio descended deeper and deeper into the Caverns. They were surprised it didn't become dark, as one might imagine. Bioluminescent plants and animals encrusted the walls; they didn't need flashlights.
Multi-colored starfish glowed from every surface, stalactites dripped on stalagmite counterparts, and a thick, slick film of algae blanketed the passage. Horace was not wrong about it being slippery. Fortunately, their shoes had excellent traction, especially Angus's, with extra-thick rubber soles, and they made steady progress.
Abruptly, Trevor raised his hand and motioned to the others to silently advance. He'd heard the faint echo of voices from deep in the labyrinth.
"No, no, no, Beatrix… put the platform in this alcove; it has a warmer feel." argued a mature male voice.
"But Gunther, we want vibrance! If you put it here, we'll get a dull sound," a woman's voice calmly explained.
"Ping, could you settle this? Where do you think we should set the platform?" asked the man.
The bright ring of a triangle sounded.
"I believe you are both mistaken. The optimal placement is higher up and to the left," said a young woman's voice.
"Fine, let's do that then," said the older woman.
The three friends crept forward and crouched behind a boulder, peeking out to observe a peculiar scene.
They would later know the voice's owners as Gunther and Beatrix, an elderly couple, and Ping, a profoundly blind percussionist. Gunther and Beatrix were diminutive, almost childlike, while Ping was willowy and tall, with long jet-black hair.
"Stop, stop… that should be good," said Gunther. Beatrix unrolled a soft woven mat onto the ledge.
"Ping, can you recheck the acoustics, please?" asked Beatrix.
The blind woman struck her triangle again.
"Yes, I believe that will do just fine," said Ping.
Beatrix harumphed and crossed her arms." Gunther, are we ready, or do you need to change your mind again?"
"Yes, yes, let's go ahead," said Gunther. "Do you have the Sonic Dust?"
"Of course," Beatrix confirmed with annoyance. "You asked me ten times on the way; why would I not have it now?"
"Well," said Gunther, "set it out then."
"Good old green Dust," Beatrix's voice softened, and she carefully poured a small mound of sparkling emerald sand onto the mat. "I do love green Sonic Dust."
"All good?" Gunther asked, "Let's invite Ammer and Issle to the party." They awakened their instruments, an oboe and an English horn.
"A one, a two, a one, two, three," Beatrix counted. A sweet, haunting melody filled the gallery, and tiny motes began to materialize in the air, flickering with a dim glow that grew to brightness.
The light particles migrated to settle on the little pile of green dust that popped and danced like sand on a speaker.
Mesmerized by the spectacle, Trevor squirmed forward and slipped, dislodging rubble in a clattering cascade. Startled, Gunther played several wrong notes. Ping turned in their direction, tilting her head slightly with a faint, secretive smile. The couple finished playing, and a somewhat misshapen green crystal lay in place of the green dust.
"Gunther, you messed up again!" scolded Beatrix, "That's the second time this week."
"I heard a noise that distracted me," Gunther countered. "Must have been another rock snail."
"You know how hard Sonic Dust is to come by," Beatrix sighed. "Let's see if this one is salvageable."
She cradled the small stone in her palm, held it to her ear, tapped it, and shook her head.
"I don't think this one made it," Beatrix lamented.
She bent and poked a hole in the sand, then gently buried the stone.
"From the Earth to the Earth," Ping whispered like a prayer.
"Darn it," said Gunther, "rock snails are always up to no good."
Beatrix frowned, "Gunther, you must learn to ignore your surroundings. You’re obviously perfectly able to ignore me."
"Yes, dear," he mumbled.
"Well, let's get back to the city. Don't forget your helmet, Gunther."
Her husband donned his helmet, grumbling.
The adults departed through a side tunnel, and soon their bickering voices faded. Uncomfortable, the children understood they'd spied on something private. Angus broke the awkward silence.
"So, crystals aren't found in the Caverns; they're created."
"They used that Sonic Dust, and somehow the rock formations or something organized it into a crystal," said Trevor. "That is so impressive. I'm pretty sure the song they played was Bach's fugue in G minor. I wonder if all fugues create instruments?"
Angus produced his EMF detector. "There seems to be some residual electromagnetic energy, but it's dissipating quickly."
"Oh, look!" said Veronica, "Angus has his own weird meter. Why doesn't it constantly go off when he's holding it?"
Angus and Trevor laughed. They had to admit it was a pretty good one, and Veronica's jabs were becoming more a sign of goodwill than meanness.
"Ok, come on, let's keep going," urged Veronica. "We're almost there."
Trevor hung back; his eyes riveted on the crystal's burial spot. He entered the gallery, scooped the stone from beneath the sand, slipped it in his pocket, then hustled to catch up with his friends.
They forged ahead, shivering as depth chilled the air. Odd-looking creatures appeared with increasing frequency. A bright blue crab waved four claws menacingly, a glowing patch on its back strobing in displeasure. An arm-thick sea snake slithered by, its bright stripe flashing orange, then blue, then orange again. It looked at Angus and clearly said, “Maestro,” then vanished amongst the rocks.
Eventually, they neared their destination as marked on the map. Faint voices again carried through the weeping passage; however, these were not innocent-sounding whispers.
Tok,tok-tok,tok
I know that sound, thought Angus, frantically gesturing to the others.
They surveyed the scene from behind a towering stalagmite. Scribbs and Knucks laboriously dragged someone's limp body toward a fresh, raw hole in the wall.
"So wuds dis guy’s name again?" asked Knucks, pausing to investigate his nostril with a filthy finger.
"Danny Williams," said Scribbs. "He's one of the biggest movie composers out there. What was he doing, poking around down here all alone? Pretty convenient, though. I doubt we'll be this lucky next time."
"I like movies," said Knucks.
"I'm sure you do," Scribbs grumbled. "I wish you could make a portal through the water with Thonker. This digging and crawling is too much work."
"I also wish I could've played a Forget Me spell on that boat." he continued, "All because of that Guardian breaking my clarinet, everyone knows what we look like, and we have to creep around in the shadows."
The pirates were about to get away with their captive. Angus felt his body relax into a ready stance, senses on full alert.
"We need to help him," whispered Angus. "Veronica, you distract Knucks, and I'll take on Scribbs. Trevor, when the coast is clear, drag that poor man to safety."
"I'm good at distractions," Veronica smiled. She sprang into action. "Hey," yelled Veronica, "Over here, you toad-faced turds." With the speed and precision of a fastball pitcher, she pelted the villains with rocks. Scribbs and Knucks dropped their burden, throwing their arms up defensively.
"Ah, darn it!" wailed Scribbs, "the boss will go ballistic if we don't meet our quota."
"You two couldn't steal water from the ocean because you're too dumb to find it," taunted Veronica as she threw a curveball, cracking Knucks on the dome of his head.
"You have a booger hanging out your nose," laughed Veronica hysterically. "Oh, sorry, that booger is your nose."
"I'm going to thonk you!" Knucks lifted his cowbell and advanced on Veronica.
Angus charged at Scribbs. He leaped and slid along a bolder, ducked, flipped, landed, and then launched himself, foot extended, to plant a mighty flying kick squarely in Scribbs' face. A gold tooth flew from Scribb’s mouth and ricocheted off a stalactite into the darkness. "My lucky tooth!" cried Scribbs, cradling his jaw.
Trevor scooted around the fray to drag the unconscious composer to safety.
"Hey, give 'im back here," shouted Knucks, still rubbing his head. He tried to give chase but instantly lost his footing. The big lug wheeled his arms, sending his cowbell flying, desperately trying and failing to maintain balance.
"That's the kid the boss says is high priority!" honked Scribbs, holding his dripping, bloody nose while pointing at Angus, "Make sure you don't hurt him, Knucks."
"Your mothers would be disappointed in you," yelled Veronica, sending another missile cracking into Scribbs' ribs. "Although they must be used to it."
As Knucks scrabbled in the muck to regain his footing, Angus kicked him in the back of his knees. Knucks landed heavily on his arm, and it made a snapping sound.
"AHHHHHHH!" screamed Knucks.
"Knucks," cried Scribbs in a panicked voice. "We gotta run. Clicky is still in the shrine, getting repaired. I can't fix broken bones."
"I want to crush them!" wailed Knucks as he reached with his good arm to retrieve Thonker from a puddle of smelly green goo.
"Yes, I'm sure you do," nodded Scribbs. "Come on, suck it up; we have to go."
The pirates scrambled for their escape hole and slipped into darkness. The youngsters shakily regarded one another.
"We kicked their butts!" said Angus.
Veronica and Trevor nodded, not quite believing in their success.
"We need to get this poor dude to the surface," Angus turned to look at the unconscious composer. "I hope he's not hurt too badly."
"Um, guys," said Trevor. "We have a problem." Trevor pointed glumly as a rock snail with a string tied to it slithered by.
"So, how do we get out of here?" asked Veronica. "I have no idea where we came from."
"The map," Trevor gestured, "look at the map."
Veronica opened the big paper sheet and studied it.
"Did we come from that tunnel or that one?" asked Veronica, with rising panic.
"This one," came a booming voice.
Dionis stepped through the mouth of a tunnel. "What in blazes are you doing down here? And is that Danny over there on the floor? You three have some serious explaining to do, but for now, move out." He snarled in annoyance.
A snare drum popped into being, and the Sage played a fast, complex rhythm. The unconscious form of Danny levitated in the air. Dionis grabbed Danny's shirt and guided him down the passage. The children trotted after, but not too close.
"I feel like Dionis has something to do with this," whispered Trevor to Angus. "Why else would he be down here? We must let Clavis know when we get to the surface. I'm surprised he didn't finish us off, to tell you the truth."
"I know," hissed Angus to Trevor, "I get a creepy feeling around him, and how did he get here so fast?"
"You wandered beyond the city limits and have been missing for three days," said Dionis over his shoulder. "Also, if I were behind this, I wouldn't get caught."
They were momentarily speechless, processing the revelation that he had heard them.
"Oh, wow," said Trevor. "A couple of hours outside are days in the city."
"Yes," Dionis glanced over his shoulder at Trevor, "You are correct. Good thing your shaggy-haired friend wrote his initials on the cave entrance. We might never have found you otherwise."
Clavis and Concordia were waiting for them at the mouth of the cave, looking worried.
"Concordia, please take Danny to the infirmary," said Clavis, assessing the situation. "Let me know when he wakes up so I can find out exactly what happened."
Concordia gently towed Danny away, still floating under Dionis' levitation spell.
"You three," said Clavis to Angus, Veronica, and Trevor, "follow them to the infirmary. Make sure you haven’t picked up any strange bites or bruises. When you are done, please come to my office so you can give me the details of your adventure."
"Dionis," said Clavis. "Let's walk, and you can tell me what you saw."