As stones scrape by bloody knees a scrawny man crawls out of a dark cave. He doesn’t notice the light that is all of a sudden everywhere, where there was only silence and darkness.

  Rays of the sun warm his skin but he can’t yet feel their heat. The light tentatively beckons this man to open his eyes but although they are open they don’t yet see where he has landed.

  As the light embraces the lost drifter, first lashes of the sun are entering his irises, his mind.

  Slowly the eyes get accustomed to being out in the open light and they begin to see shapes, trees slowly emerge out of a hazy view.

  Directly next to him there stands a big round stone with offerings and burning candles. A mysterious presence in the stone beckons him to come closer.

  For a moment time stands still, silence meeting silence.

  Out of this silence, his strength is nourished back slightly.

  One part of him wants to return inside, yet as soon as he tries to return inside, a wolf steps out of the cave growling.

  Not a moment to think, feet start moving onto a forest path.

  With regained force, his feet are able to run faster, past the threshold of the forest onto a clearing.

  There stands an inn, where soft murmuring and laughter set the tone interspersed with horses’ welcoming neighs, drinking at the water feeder.

  Looking back there’s no sight of the wolf.

  Getting nearer to the door, it is pushed open wide by two men, arm in arm coming out laughing, merrily on their way. As the door is about to close, he is ushered in by the pull of jovial life.

  Standing under the entrance the innkeeper ushers him forward, lest he should stay frozen at the entrance. A look of bewilderment washes over his face:

  ‘‘HENRY!? Have YOU come back?”, asked the Innkeeper.

  ‘‘It seems you have been through a lot. Come sit down, have some water and warm stew. I’ll get you a blanket to warm you up.”

  As Henry doesn’t show any sign of reaction, neither facial or bodily, the innkeeper takes care of Henry leading him to a free table and chair, next to the fire.

  There are other people in the inn but this rush of sound and colourful impressions barely enters the cognition of Henry.

  During the time that the innkeeper gets him a blanket, in one of the corners there sits a man fully clothed in black garments and a wild but fierce look, as he looks up from his reveries he notices the newcomer for the first time, getting up to leave, he tells him a few words:

  ‘‘The darkness has claimed a part of you, now you’ll have to get it back. You will come back here one day but first, you must understand the world you know, what you see every day before you should ever dare come back here again. Now scram off, you are needed out there. You can’t stay drifting all your life!”, with that said he passes through the door.

  As the door closes behind the old man, the innkeeper gets back to give Henry the blanket. ‘‘If you want, I can get you a glass of wine.”

  Henry just nods.

  ‘‘When you need someone to talk to, I’ll be here by your side.”

  Having put everything on the table, the innkeeper withdraws.

  Taking his first mouthful, he withdraws into his mind while chewing.

  The stew warms his belly up, bite by bite.

  With every second, the room around him, the customers and the noise withdraw from his direct experience.

  His body relaxes and first moments of clarity arise.

  As he quenches his thirst with a glass of water, he allows himself a drop of this luscious red wine. It drips through his throat and begins to warm his body, joining company with the stew. A relaxed sigh escapes his mouth.

  The wine is very becoming, as it flows down into his body. Time progresses unnoticed as he just sits with inner stillness.

  All of a sudden a huge and heavy weight from the inside crushes him completely and he can only open his mouth as a gurgling sound escapes his lips.

  The cave isn’t called the dark cave for nothing. The innkeeper rushes to him and asks what’s going on?

  Dumbfounded Henry tries to open his lips to form words but his throat hasn’t been used for so long that only a croak is thrown out, harsh to the silent walls. The innkeeper puts an arm on his shoulder and shushes him.

  ‘‘You will be able to speak again but nobody does that very quickly. It feels harsh for the unused throat and not many words can be found for a while. Just try to gently coax single syllables out of your mouth and your tongue will be loosened by some more wine.”

  The innkeeper puts a jug of wine next to the lost man. In all his wisdom the innkeeper has put Henry next to the fire, as only fire can rekindle an inner flame that has lost its lustre.

  The fire is gently cracking and whispering warmly to Henry. Tears well up in the corner of his eyes. For a while, he’ll be safe with the fire, but that won’t alleviate nor change what he is running from.

  The night passes with a rush of activity around him that he barely takes notice of. Near the end of the night, the innkeeper brings him to a cosy bed to recover from the cave.

  The next morning he’s able to pronounce first words while still being unable to process how he got out.

  In his head, he’s still in the cave. Over the next few days, coherence enters back. The innkeeper nourishes him back to strength.

  During the day Henry begins to wander around outside, always going back to the cave where he keeps standing, waiting for something to happen but nothing does.

  Neither does he find the force to re-enter the cave. Often he is found taking a nap next to the big stone until the innkeeper comes to pick him up to feed Henry and bring him to his bed.

  Weeks pass like this. The innkeeper begins to fear for Henry but eventually, the superficial scars begin to heal.

  He begins to include himself again in the life outside of the cave. He visits the temple every day and simply prays.

  Once per month a ceremony is held at the temple next to the cave. Henry is there each time and the monks are used to him being around, getting fond of his gentle but silent presence.

  He takes the place of a prominent guest a sort of mascot that welcomes newcomers at the entrance to the temple. People that already know him, shower him with affection. As he has escaped the cave, the ceremony is made all the more real.

  He’s about to welcome the next guest, a young dark-haired woman, dressed in leather travelling gear.

  This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

  ‘‘Welcome traveller, good of you to join us on this day of ceremony.”

  ‘‘Thank you, I have been wishing to visit your ceremonies for so long.”

  ‘‘In that case, welcome to your first ceremony. I am sure it is going to be a very special one. Please do refresh yourself at the inn, the ceremony is about to begin in an hour. The inn serves an excellent wine that revives even the dead.”, he said with a knowing smile.

  She smiles, ‘‘I might even consider a glass of wine.”

  As he ushers her along, she looks back at him while he takes care of the next visitor.

  An hour later, all visitors have found a position on the two sides of the temple’s main room. Henry keeps standing at the entrance for late arrivals.

  From a door at the opposite end of the temple, the monks, led by the abbot, file into the apse decorated by a simple altar, to form a circle around the roughly square shaped slab.

  The monks face inward to the altar and at the place closest to the visitors stands the abbot facing outward towards the visitors, bringing his hands, palm to palm in front of his heart while purposefully looking each visitor straight into the eyes.

  Nobody makes a sound, all are spellbound. While the abbot keeps standing in this position, another monk comes out of the door with a torch and a silver cup, which is placed in the centre on the altar.

  As the abbot raises both hands above his head, shaping a triangle form, the cup is lighted by the torch. Big flames are leaping up from the liquid inside, bathing the apse in an orange glow.

  The light of the flame dances on the walls and creates a play of shadows, ever morphing into differing shapes.

  The abbot turns inward, his back to the visitors getting down on his knees in a seated position back upward, letting his hands rest on the floor as the monks’ circle around the centre and him.

  After a few passages, all monks take a step forward again, forming one circle with the abbot. Everyone stands still, facing inward, as the abbot gets up again facing inward all put their right hand on their heart and take a deep bow.

  The monks recede to the back wall on both sides of the apse and take a praying stance facing the spectators as the abbot takes a step forward to address the people:

  ‘‘We welcome all of you dear visitors from the bottom of our hearts to our temple and the cave which we wish to honour by this ceremony to remember the flame which we all need to enter into her mysteries.

  The flame that lights the path.

  The flame that burns what lies behind.

  The flame that brings life.

  The flame which renews and never stays the same.

  The flame we all carry in our hearts.

  May this light rekindle a flame in our hearts if ever it weakens or is about to be snuffed out.

  May this light bring honour and virtue to all of us.

  May this light guide us ever onward to renew ourselves.

  If ever you too will hear the call of the cave, do know we will always pray for you but not all return or find what they seek.

  May we hold a minute of silence for those that are lost.’

  The flame burns brighter for a minute as the silence of the cave descends into the hearts of everyone present.

  Clarity observes the ceremony and feels that finally, she has arrived where she’s meant to be. As the silver cup is lit, her heart warms up.

  Something inside of her begins to show its presence to her, something she has kept hidden away from her sight for almost all of her life. She recalls memories of a love that’s turned inward, that needs no name no description.

  It’s simply there. Tears flow down her cheeks as a gratefulness to be alive fills her whole body.

  After the ceremony she gets up and follows the others to the meal that is about to be shared, as she passes by Henry her eyes automatically fall into his, they are drawn into each other’s orbit.

  Still filled by gratefulness she gives him her best smile and passes by him. While eating, she exchanges with the other people about their experiences and not everyone has had the same experience.

  Some feel joy, others sadness or anger. To some, this is spiritual others are curious and there are also those that didn’t find what they came for.

  There is no one right way to experience the ceremony it seems. She returns to her bed enriched with a hearty meal inside of her belly.

  The next morning she gets up early, quickly eats something to visit the cave as that’s the main reason why she has come down here.

  The cave has been calling her, tugging at her to come down to visit. Getting out of the inn she turns to the forest path as the sun is about to rise.

  Around the bend she sees the cave. She doesn’t know what to expect. She has no words to describe what this feels like, the energy around her.

  As she stands there feeling internally the space around her, Henry comes around the bend and sees her standing there. She is unaware of her surroundings. He stays out of view but keeps on observing her.

  As Clarity stands before the cave, she feels the need to undress and to sit down in front of the entrance to present herself to the mysteries.

  Henry doesn’t often see the naked skin of others, let alone of women as he has been alone since getting out of the cave. He remembers little of the time before he went into the cave.

  He feels something tender arise within him, while his lust is awakened too. He doesn’t really know how to address these opposing feelings in him, as he sees her round curvy bottom and a hint of her breasts.

  During this clash inside of him, his body begins to show a reaction quite new to him.

  Clarity places her hands on her heart and begins to laugh out loudly, into the cave her laughs penetrate and reverberate, echoing into infinity.

  Her laughs are getting wilder, louder, shaking her whole body, taking away her breath until tears begin to stream.

  For a while, all she can do is laugh raucously. She exudes a wild sexuality he has never known before, a fragrance of wild roses in the summer. He wants to move forward to hold this smell, this sexuality yet something holds him back at the same time.

  Clarity gets up and takes a deep bow before the cave, exposing her bottom. Henry soaks up every inch of that view, mesmerized by tufts of black hair and a hint of labia.

  Her reverence releases a deep wound she has been holding on to for ages, she begins to scream and falls on her knees before the cave, slamming her arms into the dirt.

  Clarity stays like that crying out a lot of her pain. Eventually, she gets up and tries to go inside but no matter what she tries, she can’t go further in.

  She gives up trying and turns back, seeing Henry in a state between lust, endearment and fear. Recognising her feelings, she isn’t alarmed and comes up to him, looking him deeply in the eyes.

  She comes even closer embracing him, feeling his body reaction she has a slight smile but really needing someone to embrace; they keep on standing like that, silent before the mysteries.

  They both embrace their feelings that turn inside of their heads and hearts, not trying to hide away from them. As she takes a step back, she remembers that she doesn’t even know his name but already feels as if she has known him her whole life.

  ‘‘My name’s Clarity. I didn’t know you were there but in a way, I am happy not to be alone, that you have witnessed my first meeting with the cave.

  So many feelings that I can’t even put words on and I think you might feel the same way. I feel that you feel like me, in my nakedness.”

  ‘‘Henry’s the, the my name. I, I... I am sorry that my body has reacted. I am sorry for not having announced my presence, I couldn’t... Something held me back.”

  ‘‘Don’t you worry, this was an intimate meeting, your words would only have bothered and I don’t care whether you see me naked or clothed.

  We are all naked underneath our clothes. We all have a sexuality and your reaction doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Come undress yourself and see for yourself how that feels.”

  He undresses while his bodily reaction hasn’t abated at all.

  ‘‘You see? Nothing’s happened. You’re still alive, there’s no thunder from up above’’, she replies laughingly.

  ‘‘I, well yes something did happen but there wasn’t a heavenly judgement.”, he stammers awkwardly.

  ‘‘Let’s sit down before the cave and let all things take their time; your reaction will abate by itself. Can we embrace again?

  I need someone close to me, arm in arm. I have missed that feeling for so long, just to be able to embrace somebody is a gift. Let’s gaze at the wonder of the cave together, arm in arm.”

  Thus they sit together for some hours until midday when Henry needs to go do his duties in the temple. He takes his leave and they decide to meet again in the evening, in her room for a glass of wine.

  Thus begins their journey together that takes Henry away from the cave into the life outside of the cave. Although one part of him is still submerged in the cave, with Clarity that’s not so bad at all.

  She has time for his whims and her own. They settle down not so far from the cave and become a couple. For a while everything is fine and the cave isn’t very present anymore in his day to day life.

  As we all know, you can’t hide from your darkness forever.