Better on our own - English

In the Caves

I didn't have to postpone my weekend with my parents because Penny could hardly refuse a request of Cody. The boy was so impatient that the last thing he did when he went to sleep in the evening and the first thing when he got up in the morning was to ask how many times he had to sleep before we finally went into the caves. So Penny had left early today without further ado and called Moose on the phone. There was nothing going on anyway and because Cody really wanted me to go with them, she gave me half the day off and took me with her.

We drove to the train station outside Pontypandy and transferred to the train driven by an old man to go up the mountain. Except for the mission in my first week, I hadn't been up here yet and nature began to recover surprisingly quickly. Everywhere there were glimpses of green flashing through the burnt area.

Moose was already waiting for us, warmly hugging Penny as a greeting and leaving no doubt about how happy he was to see her again, which had apparently been a while ago. He gave us helmets and belts just in case and even had something suitable for Cody - but why was I surprised? He was the manager of an activity center. It probably had to be designed for all age groups.

"Don't worry, Moose. I have my old equipment with me too, so nothing can go wrong," Penny reassured Moose and pointed to her backpack, which still had a rope hanging on it, after he gave us a little safety instruction.

"I'm sure I don't have to worry about you. Then I'll carry on. I'm expecting a few tourists who want some climbing lessons. See you later then!" he replied with a grin and waved to us before turning away and up to a few hikers that came up the mountain path through the forest. Hiking had never been something I had much interest in, but not far from us there was a large sign pointing to the Seven Wonders of Pontypandy. Maybe I should try to take a look at that? It sounded interesting.

"So, then come with me and turn on your helmet lights. You always have to pay attention to the path in front of you and we stay close together," Penny then pulled me out of my thoughts and I grabbed to my helmet, just like she and Cody to turn on the lamp.

"Roger that, Penny!" I replied to her, while Cody shouted, "Roger that, Mom!" and we grinned at each other as she rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

Cody was amazed at the darkness, the cold and the constant dripping noise somewhere in the cave and shared this with his mother, who each time gave him a short explanation and reassured him while I tried the myself to get used to the surroundings. The helmet lights gave us just enough light to illuminate the path ahead, which was quite uneven. I wasn't used to the darkness and confinement either, but I quickly got over it, while Penny remained calm and gave me more security than she probably realized. She moved forward so determinedly that I was sure that with her we wouldn't get lost in here.

"The others told me last Sunday that you were with them in the caves and that you almost drowned because of Norman's greed for gold," I then tried to start a conversation, when Cody fell silent for a minute and looked around in amazement, and I hoped I didn't bring up any unpleasant memories.

"We would only have drowned if the tide had actually caught us and washed us into a deeper passage. It could have just as easily taken us up to the cave exit, where the other children were waiting while the area was full," she explained to me calmly and I wondered if she had been as cool back then when she was in the middle of the situation."It's nice that you've made friends here. Friends are important, especially when you move somewhere new ", she then suddenly changed the subject, but I could see that she was still smiling. Was it just small talk or was she also a newcomer back then and speaking from experience? "What are the children doing today? I only hear it from their mothers' stories and I don't see them very often, but the children even less. I actually think I've only met Sarah once, but that's probably been 5 years. Please say hello to them all the next time you see them," she said thoughtfully.