The bird flew on in the sparkling light, casting its own glow. The cold air brushed against his cheeks and then receded. The bird seemed to be heading toward the mountain. As Ivy ran, it drew nearer and nearer. Finally, the bird descended toward the foot of the mountain. Its wings stirred the air as it fluttered to land. It was about as tall as he was. The bird folded its wings, stood on two legs, and stared directly at him. Its thick, hooked yellow beak, piercing black eyes, and long tail made it imposing. The bird didn’t seem frightened by him, nor did it appear angry enough to attack. Instead, it stood there, calm. Behind it, there was a hole in the wall, and across it, a rope was stretched with a sign that said, “Keep out.”

  ‘It’s an eagle,’

  Ivy surprised by the sudden voice that broke the silence.

  ‘Tabby? Why are you here?’

  ‘Why? I’ve been chasing after you, of course. You didn’t stop, no matter how much I called.’

  Ivy hadn’t heard her footsteps or her voice because he had been so focused on chasing the bird.

  ‘I told you to leave me alone, didn’t I?’

  Ivy found himself out of breath. His heart was pounding so hard, it felt like it might burst. How long had he been running?

  ‘You don’t even know how to take the bus, do you? It’s dangerous to be alone after an earthquake like that.’

  The possibility of another earthquake hit him suddenly, and he realized how reckless he had been.

  ‘I didn’t think an eagle would come this far down.’

  Tabby was panting too, gazing at the bird.

  ‘Do you know what kind of bird this is?’

  ‘It’s an eagle, a type of wild animal that lives in the wild. It’s considered a sacred bird and is engraved on the symbol of shrines. You said it’s “bigger than a kite,” so I thought it might be an eagle. But it doesn’t usually come near people.’

  ‘Have you seen it on the mountain before?’

  ‘Of course not. They live deep in the forests of the wild, just like other wild animals. I’ve seen one once, flying high up in the sky from a very far distance. It’s said that an eagle appears in front of a priest when something unusual happens.’

  ‘Is that so?’

  ‘I’ve never seen one this close before. It’s huge, really.’

  The two of them stood silent, staring at the eagle, until it turned around, walked with its long legs, jumped over the rope, and entered the cave.

  ‘Wait!’

  Ivy ran after it and impulsively jumped over the rope.

  ‘Don’t go into the cave; we don’t know what’s inside.’

  Tabby grabbed Ivy’s arm from outside the rope.

  ‘I feel like it’s telling me to “follow it.” You can leave me and go back.’

  The eagle moved further inside. The way it walked was somewhat endearing, but since it was so big with long legs, it moved very fast. Ivy jerked his arm away from Tabby’s hand and started to run.

  ‘Wait!’

  ‘It’s dangerous, you can’t go inside!’

  Ivy shouted to Tabby without looking back. The eagle was already a distance ahead, having turned right at the innermost part of the cave. Inside, the cave was warmer than the outside. By the time Ivy reached the spot where the eagle had turned, he could no longer see it up ahead. The passage seemed to continue deep into the cave, stretching far ahead.

  ‘There might be a nest inside.’

  Tabby said just behind him. She had followed Ivy into the cave after all.

  ‘It’s not safe here. We should leave.’

  ‘Okay.’

  Tabby dragged Ivy by the arm. Ivy felt sorry for Tabby for bringing him into such a dangerous place. He followed Tabby toward the exit when a nasty sound filled the air, and the ground began shaking again. Ivy fell to the ground from the violent vibrations. Rocks and stones fell from the ceiling, and the tremors grew stronger, causing rocks to bounce dangerously near his face.

  “Protect your head!” Tabby shouted. Ivy covered his head with both arms. Boom—a roar echoed through the cave, followed by the sound of something collapsing.

  “Tabby? Are you okay?” Ivy called, but his voice was drowned out by the falling rocks. He curled into a tight ball, arms over his head, eyes closed, and waited. “Earthquakes don’t last forever,” he reminded himself. Like the previous tremors by the riverside, the shaking gradually weakened, and the noise subsided. The quake’s intensity diminished to the point where he could almost stand, but he remained face down, waiting for the tremors to cease completely. When silence finally came, he lifted his head and saw Tabby lying a few steps away. Ivy stood and was about to run to Tabby when he saw Tabby raise his head. Ivy felt a wave of relief.

  “Are you alright?” Ivy asked.

  “Yeah, are you?” Tabby replied, standing up and brushing dust from his clothes.

  “I’m okay too,” Ivy said, inspecting himself. He was covered in dust, just like Tabby. His hands had small scratches, and his right trouser knee was torn, exposing a scrape that oozed a bit of blood. He wiped his hand on his clothes and looked toward the cave exit, gasping. The entrance was blocked by rocks.

  “That loud sound,” he thought, “must have been this.” A sense of dread washed over him. Tabby noticed Ivy’s gaze and rushed over.

  “No kidding,” Tabby muttered, attempting to push the rocks aside. Large masses of dirt accompanied the bigger rocks, making the task seem impossible. Ivy joined him, but their efforts were futile; the rocks and dirt seemed endless. Some rocks, as large as his head, fell from above.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  “Watch out!” Ivy warned. They retreated deeper into the cave to avoid the falling debris. The rocks had shifted, pushing the exit further back.

  “It might be better not to touch it.”

  “But no one knows we’re here. If we stay here, no one will come to help us.”

  Tabby looked pale. Ivy lowered his head, feeling guilty for having involved Tabby. If he hadn’t come to such a distant place, if he hadn’t followed the eagle into the cave, none of this would have happened. They fell silent.

  “I’m really sorry.”

  Not knowing how to apologize to Tabby, Ivy simply said those words.

  “That doesn’t help. I’m the one who followed you here.”

  Tabby, who had already calmed down, spoke quietly. Ivy noticed something and looked up.

  “Why is it bright in here?”

  At Ivy’s words, Tabby lifted his head.

  “Lamps.”

  They said it at the same time. On the ceiling, there was a lamp in a cubicle cage. One was above their heads, and another was in the corner. They emitted a dull orange light.

  “This is a vanamond mine, which was closed due to a cave-in. This was the entrance to the mine.”

  “That’s why the entrance had a sign that said ‘Keep Out.’”

  Once Ivy understood, the cave suddenly seemed more artificial.

  “In that case, we could go deeper into the mine and maybe find something.”

  “Find what?”

  “An exit, or an emergency radio phone.”

  That was a silver lining. They nodded to each other and headed deeper into the cave. Ivy secretly hoped the eagle might be somewhere inside.

  As they walked, Ivy noticed dark stripes running through the ocher-colored surface. The stripes contained small fragments that reflected the lamplight and gleamed.

  “What are those mysterious stones in the wall?”

  He touched one gently. The surface was rough and cool.

  “They contain vanamond.”

  Tabby said plainly.

  “Is this vanamond? I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful.”

  Ivy was seeing it for the first time. Every time they moved the light away, the vanamond gleamed in the reflection on the wall.

  “This lamp is made of QT. The light is weaker than SPD lamps, but it lasts almost permanently. It’s often used in mines.”

  “Did you learn that at the factory?”

  “Yeah.”

  The vanamond in the wall reflected and absorbed the light, brightly illuminating the cave. The path, which had seemed straight at first, became rough and bumpy as scattered rocks made walking more difficult. They continued on in silence.

  “Mind your footing. It’s slippery.”

  Tabby said. The path became narrower and steeper. Ivy hadn’t imagined that the eagle had gone through such a path. He had thought the path had been a single trail all the way, but perhaps he had missed a side route somewhere. The slope grew steeper, and they ended up sitting down, sliding almost uncontrollably.

  “This cave is very deep.”

  How many people had worked to dig this path? It continued to curve and jag in a narrow single line for a while.

  “Look.”

  Tabby called out. Beside the path was a large wooden box. A lock hung in front of it, but it wasn’t locked. A careless miner must have left it open. Without hesitation, Tabby opened the box. Inside, they found tools like pickaxes, a hammer, a leather belt, a logbook, a flashlight, and some candies.

  “No radio phone.”

  Tabby said, disappointed. He grabbed a candy and handed one to Ivy before taking another for himself. Ivy put the candy in his mouth. The sweetness spread, easing his tiredness and tension.

  “Let’s move on.”

  Tabby closed the box and started walking ahead. Ivy wanted to rest for a while but figured that if he sat down, he might not be able to stand up again, so he followed Tabby.

  “Do you know where your mother lived?”

  Ivy asked as he followed. He could ask now about something he had been avoiding. Since they were walking in single file along a narrow path, he could talk without having to look at Tabby’s face.

  “No, I only know she was from a small town down the opposite hill of Perm, near the shrine.”

  “Have you visited there?”

  If he were Tabby, he would want to see the town where his parents had lived.

  “No. On the other side of the hill, there are only small towns in the mountains, not big cities. Nothing worth visiting.”

  “Don’t you ever think about visiting there?”

  “Visiting where? The town my mother lived?”

  Tabby responded, surprised.

  “I don’t know… I’ve never really thought about it. They say she had no relatives there, so I have no idea who I’d visit.”

  “But since it’s a small town, there must be someone who knew her, right? Don’t you want to know what kind of person she was?”

  At his insistence, Tabby fell silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.

  “You’d definitely go to the town and ask everyone around to tell you about your mother. You would.”

  Ivy blushed, realizing Tabby was teasing him about asking Tesus to introduce him to Tabby.

  “I think it’s nice of you. I like it.”

  Tabby laughed.

  “Normally, people would want to see their mother, I guess. Some people in Perm said so too.”

  They continued walking without stopping. The gravel rustled under their feet.

  “But I’ve never hoped for that. Really, I haven’t. I’ve been with Mr. Lansberge and Dione, and that was my normal life. The driver and the other people from Perm were like family to me, so I didn’t feel sad about not having a mother, not compared to others.”

  “I see.”

  “Just before she had the accident, she threw herself to protect me, they said. That’s enough for me to know.”

  The firmness in Tabby’s voice made Ivy realize that this really was enough for him. What was normal for Tabby wasn’t necessarily normal for everyone, Ivy began to understand.

  As they went ahead, they came upon a spacious area, where there was a dome-like hollow.

  “It’s like a starry sky.”

  Ivy gasped at the view as he stood beside Tabby, looking down. The large, gaping hole held water beneath them, shimmering in a variety of colors—blue, purple, pink, and white. It looked just like a part of his dream, where a starry sky existed in such a place.

  “Watch out.”

  Tabby grabbed Ivy by the shoulder as he leaned forward to get a closer look.

  “Isn’t the water gleaming?”

  “It’s an underground lake. The vanamond inside the water reflects the light from the lamp, making it look like it’s shining, I suppose.”

  Was that really the only reason it gleamed so brightly? It seemed as though the water itself was giving off light. The brightness changed in tone, flickering between weak and strong, like twinkling stars.

  “Do you hear something rustling?”

  Ivy heard a soft sound, similar to water flowing, though the water below seemed completely still. It was unclear due to their voices and the echoes of their footsteps, so he held his breath to listen more carefully.

  “The water must be running somewhere. Let’s go.”

  Tabby motioned for Ivy to go ahead, giving a slight nod of his chin. In front of them was a suspension bridge, simple and made of thin boards joined together. It seemed they had to cross it to reach the other side. A flimsy rope ran along both sides of the bridge, offering minimal support.

  “I’ll go first.”

  Ivy stepped forward. He figured the bridge probably wouldn’t be strong enough to hold the weight of both of them. It had likely been used by robust workers, so there might be no real danger, but it was still better to be cautious. Summoning his courage, he placed a foot on the edge of the bridge and began walking slowly, being careful not to put too much weight on the rope. The dim light and the shaking of the bridge made it difficult to tell which direction was up or down. The bridge creaked under his weight, and with every step, it tilted slightly, exaggerating any shift in balance. He stopped halfway, took a deep breath, and reminded himself, “Whatever happens, stay calm. Don’t panic.” He recalled what his grandmother had always said.

  “Don’t look down. Just keep looking forward.”

  Tabby’s voice came from behind him. Ivy knew that if he fell, even though he could swim, the slippery walls below would make it impossible to climb back up, and he would drown. He tried not to dwell on the thought, lifted his head, and continued walking. At the opposite end, a hole in the wall opened up, leading further ahead. One step, then another. He concentrated on moving his feet forward. All he could hear was the rustling of the water below, aside from his own breathing. Listening to the sound as if he were surrendering himself to the flow, his heart lightened. He felt like he was swimming in the water, drifting, and eventually, he would reach somewhere. But where? Finally, his right foot landed firmly on solid ground, and he threw himself down, relieved.

  “I made it!”

  “Good work. I’ll come too.”

  Tabby placed a foot on the bridge, took a few steps slowly as if testing its stability, then began walking smoothly. He crossed in less than half the time it had taken Ivy.

  “Wow, you’re really good at this.”

  “It’s better to walk straight and quickly than to crawl slowly. Come on, let’s go.”

  Tabby said plainly. The two of them hurried ahead.