In Search of Fate
Chapter 7: The Sanctuary
Eventually, they did decide to occupy their
time together in another way. Adam took up Evelyn’s suggestion of exploring one
of the adjoining chambers. She thought it would be better to move about than
sit in her skimpy attire while the chill of the cave bore into her. Questor
once again offered her his jacket and they proceeded together into one of the
chambers the lava flow had created. The oil lamp lighted their way, even if the
darkness beyond its horizon was a bit ominous. They proceeded cautiously. Although
Questor was no expert on volcanoes, he did understand enough about lava flows
to point out some of the idiosyncrasies of the lava tube they had entered. The
light from the oil lamp was reflected off smooth walls and ceiling shaped by
the lava. What revealed itself ahead of them was a sinuous passage with gutters
on either side subsequently carved out by rushing water. Their progress was
slow because they were not sure of the footing. Under foot were broken rock and
a mush of pebbles of varying sizes that seemed to have been deposited by the water.
Questor thought that the network of lava tubes had been created by an active
volcano many thousands of years ago. In the intervening years, the tubes had
been periodically washed out by flooding, probably run off from torrential
rains. The make-shift shower waterfall was just an example of how water in the
mountain’s soil could coagulate into underground tributaries. Questor thought
the caves might not be the best place in a heavy storm, especially deeper into
the bowels of the mountain. He thought he should discourage his adventurous
mate from following the steadily downward trending tube they had chosen. But
something else discouraged Evelyn from proceeding. In the convex sidewall of a
cutback, they came across what they imagined was the abandoned lair of the
lioness that had once frequented these caves. Bones of small animals were
scattered inside a slight hollow carefully, though inexplicably, clawed out of
the wall. The sight of so much death had a deflating effect on Evelyn’s mood.
They retraced their steps in order to return to the large lava lake chamber.
On the way back they encountered a craggy hump
which Questor had initially thought to be some kind of rock obstacle the lava
had to navigate around. From the angle of their return path, however, Questor could
visualize another explanation. He held the oil lamp up towards the ceiling and
pointed to a small break above their heads where the curved wall and ceiling
met. There, he speculated, a parallel lava flow might have intersected with the
one that had formed the tube they were in. The wall separating the two tubes probably
had broken down slightly and a small amount of lava had flowed down the
sidewall into their tube, forming the hump and leaving a hollowed opening at
the point of the breakdown. Just inside the opening Evelyn thought she saw
something illumined by the raised light. She took the lamp from Questor and asked
him to give her a boost as she clamored up the broken rock created by the supposed
breakdown. He clasped her tight about the thighs and raised her up. She lifted
the lamp into position to shed more light on the opening and then fell back
suddenly with an abrupt scream of surprise. Questor broke her fall as she slid
through his enclosing arms until her feet touched the ground. He was now
holding her about the waist and breast with her abbreviated nightgown now
pulled up to her mid-section. Embarrassed for her, Questor immediately released
his hold of her and stepped back. Her nightgown fell back into place, and
Evelyn quickly recovered her composure. Fortunately, she never dropped the
lamp. “I’m alright,” she said. “Really, it’s nothing to be afraid of. It’s just
so unexpected. Take a look yourself.” Questor stretched his arms until he found
a ridge to hold onto and pulled himself up. She held the lamp as high as she
could to help his investigation. Reactively, he gave an involuntary gasp when
he saw the source of her surprise: it was a human skull. Also, he realized that
the opening was not the result of a lava tube breakdown. Like the hollowed out
side wall where they found the bones, it had been carved out in like manner. In
fact, he was gazing into a manmade grotto in which a single human skull had
been placed. Whoever had created this sepulcher had done so a very long time
ago, for the hump they initially encountered was just the rock and soil dug out
many generations ago and solidified over time into the fabric of the tube. But
here was a mystery. Why was there just a human skull? What happened to the rest
of the body? Were the other bones washed away or perhaps carried away by
animals? And who had placed this skull in such a manner? Why hollow out an
opening in the upper part of the tube when it would have been easier to dig
below? Perhaps the burial party was following some ritual and wanted to place
the remains above the water line or out of reach of small animals. Questor also
noticed markings and sketching on the walls surrounding the skull. He described
his discovery for Evelyn, interpreting the images and writing as best he could.
The faded drawings, he explained, appeared to be selected scenes from the
Stations of the Cross. Above the skull he read aloud the words, “hodie mecum eris
in paradiso.” He lowered himself beside Evelyn.
She asked, “What does it mean?”
“Those are Jesus’
words to the good thief who was crucified with Him. He had asked Jesus to
remember him when he came into his kingdom. Jesus’ response was ‘This day you
will be with me in paradise’.”
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