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Beth lay half asleep listening as Yu slowly repeated her name over and over, she
groaned as she was gently shaken. As she opened her eyes the only illumination
in the cave was still from the torch, which had burned all night making her
throat dry and sore. Li had made a small fire but the rest of the cave was still
pitch black.
Li jumped up when he saw she had
awoken and handed her a cup of hot green tea. Yu informed her that it was early
morning and Li was boiling noodles for breakfast. Beth asked,
“What does ‘Xiao Gong Zhu’ mean?”
“Little Princess.” replied Yu.
The wind howled high above them as they sat on the
floor eating from tiny tin dishes that Li had produced from his backpack. He sat
quietly eating as if waiting for Beth to finally ask him what was going on. And
when she finally did, he nodded and quickly swallowed his noodles while Yu
finished Beth’s translation. He explained that the reason he hadn’t told
them too much was for their own safety and that there were still many illegal
hunters in these parts who wouldn’t hesitate to kidnap and torture them to
find out their destination.
“The route which we are now following is a very
ancient and secret one. Its whereabouts have been passed down to only a very few
trustworthy people. You will be the first and last westerner ever to lay eyes
upon this place. You must carry its secrets to the grave.”
Beth’s eyes widened as Yu translated almost as quick
as Li spoke. She still hadn’t fully made up her mind whether she should trust
this guy or not yet, but she had to admit that it all seemed very exciting.
“Where are we going and why?” she asked.
His face remained solemn as he explained that he
couldn’t tell them anymore just yet. It could still be dangerous and that the
less they knew the better. But he
assured her it would all be worth it.
Li cleared the breakfast dishes and placed everything
back into his backpack. He rearranged the straw and checked around the cave
while stressing to the girls of the importance of leaving it exactly as they had
found it. After making sure they had everything packed away in their bags they
slowly headed off towards the back of the cave.
The pitch darkness peeled back along the walls
as the light pushed it away illuminating a narrow path ahead. Soon they were
forced to walk in single file as the walls and ceiling began to close in.
Beth’s calf muscles ached as the soft sandy floor gradually began to incline.
The sound of the howling wind far above seemed almost
hypnotic as they climbed higher and higher into the darkness. Li’s heavy
breathing labored loudly as it began to lose its rhythm and echo off the walls.
Beth began to sweat heavily as the climb became harder and harder. After almost
an hour she had to pull herself up with her hands against the walls to help ease
the pressure on her throbbing legs. She could see that the others were in no
better shape. When Beth was just about to demand a rest Li suddenly spoke up and
informed them that they were nearly there.
The howling wind was almost deafening now as they
reached what seemed to be a dead end. They all fell against the wall slipping to
the ground and sucking in as much oxygen as they could. After a few moments rest
Li handed the torch to Yu and instructed her to hold it over his head while he
searched for the handle.
The sand-covered floor quickly absorbed the
large drops of sweat that fell from Li’s forehead and a strained grunt echoed
down the passage as he jerked his head back and pulled with all his might. After
changing his grip on the rope several times and resting between each burst of
energy, he finally managed to move the rock.
The overwhelmingly bright morning sun suddenly cascaded
into the entrance. Beth was forced to stand motionless with her hands held
tightly over her eyes until they gradually adjusted to the brightness.
Li extinguished the torch and placed it on a small rock alcove just inside the
cave. Then he suddenly jumped out through the entranceway and took a deep breath
of fresh air. Beth and Yu cautiously climbed out after him. To her amazement
they stood on a small ledge, which overlooked the most enchanting and beautiful
valley that she had ever seen.
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