It was a chilly and very wet afternoon during the summer monsoons. I had ventured out to the canyon just a league into the woods as a crow flies, but nearly three times that distance if the beaten dirt track was used. It had rained lightly for a while--this allowing the plants and overgrowth to nearly glow their most brilliant shade of green and the dirt to darken to its true, earthy tone--but I had to seek shelter from heavy rain and hail for a short time on my way to the caves. Once the rain had let off enough to resume my journey, I did exactly that and was soon navigating a narrow and rocky path with high canyon walls looming over me. Between the dense foliage every now and again a narrow span of blackness could be seen in the canyon walls. Venturing up towards the blackness, the air grew more chill than it already was and a distinct, musty smell wafted out of the dark. Grottoes, caves, and fishers these were, all home to bats, insects, and various things which dwell in the damp lack of sunlight.
While I was still deep within the canyon, the rain began to steadily pick up its intensity and i once again took impromptu shelter, this time into a cave deep enough that, even as my eyes adjusted to their maximum sensitivity, was much too dark to see the end. The clouds darkened above the looming walls outside and the rain grew more intense, and i made myself more comfortable. I began to wonder what secrets these dark fissures held, and how many more there were. I was somewhat disappointed in my inability to explore them further, but I hadn't any sort of supplies with me. With thoughts of adventure and the danger of the unknown and finding what so few ever chance to see, gentle music from a harp, a wimple melody that carries so much weight, began to drift its way into my ears. A soundtrack to a secret place. Indeed, there were secrets here, and the tune played itself over and over again, for hours while the rain persisted, reminding me of the fantasy world I really live in.
