The Cave by Rebecca Turkewitz
Let’s say there is a cave. Let’s say there is a girl. Let’s say the cave is in the forest. Let’s say the girl is in the cave.
Let’s say the girl is with her tenth grade science class. Let’s say her teacher is starting to worry that this field trip was a mistake, because when he shines his headlamp back, he cannot see the last student in line. Let’s say he didn’t expect there to be a shallow stream in some parts of the cave, because it was dry when he came last month to preview the route. Let’s say he wonders if he’s somehow entered the entirely wrong cave.
Let’s say the girl imagines that she sees sinuous creatures writhing in the clear, fast-moving water at her feet. Let’s say it appears to be foggy inside of the cave.
Let’s say the girl is next to a boy. Let’s say the boy used to date the girl’s former best friend. Let’s call the former best friend Megan. Let’s say Megan lives in Michigan now, and she doesn’t talk to anyone from her old school anymore. Let’s say that before Megan moved to Michigan, she told the girl what it was like to date this boy. Let’s say Megan had to wear pads after they had sex and it always hurt and she didn’t like it and she was, she promised, going to ask him to stop, just as soon as she was sure he wouldn’t break up with her. Let’s say the boy didn’t allow Megan to eat in front of him, so Megan, who loved food, sometimes went six or seven hours without eating. Let’s say that when Megan finally asked the boy to stop having sex, he dumped her, and also maybe did something worse.
The girl isn’t sure about this last part. But why won’t Megan return anyone’s calls?
Let’s say Megan had never told any of the girl’s secrets, even though she knew them all; let’s say Megan once had the flu and became slightly delirious and texted the girl “watch out for the angry croissant,” but later couldn’t remember what in the world she’d meant; let’s say Megan used to braid and then unbraid and then rebraid the girl’s hair as they watched every season of The Great British Baking Show; let’s say they were supposed to open a diner together one day.
Let’s say that the week after Megan moved to Michigan, the girl saw a crow pluck a whole croissant out of a trashcan and then eat it in furious, ravenous bites. Let’s say a month after that, the girl woke to the sound of Megan’s throaty laugh, which made her wonder if Megan was actually dead and her ghost had returned in the form of a crow, then disembodied laughter. But Instagram suggested otherwise.
Let’s say the cave smells a little like moss and a little like metal. Let’s say the girl’s socks are sodden and the stones in the stream are slippery and seem to want to pull her down.
Let’s say that just before the class reaches the cavern they’re going to stop at, the girl notices a short passageway branching off the cave’s main corridor. Let’s say that when the girl’s flashlight beam hits the back wall of the passageway and then sweeps downward, she takes a small scurrying step closer to investigate because it looks as if the floor falls away. Let’s say she shudders and doesn’t get close enough to tell if the dark splotch behind the little rise in the floor is a shadow or a hole.
Let’s say that in the cavern where the class stops, the science teacher asks his students to turn off their flashlights. Let’s say none of them has ever experienced blackness this total. Let’s say the science teacher begins to cheer up.
Let’s say the students feel afraid and exalted and awed. Let’s say that, in the dark, there are many clasped hands and tiny giggles and sharp intakes of breath.
Let’s say that the boy takes the girl’s hand. Let’s say the girl feels her stomach flip with revulsion. Let’s say the boy whispers, “Are you scared?” while running his thumb against hers. Let’s say the girl wonders what the boy could possibly be thinking. Let’s say she can feel his breath on her cheek as he pulls closer and, because of how humid it is, his breath condenses on her face in little droplets. One droplet runs down her cheek.
Let’s say the boy is still holding the girl’s hand as she moves away from the group. Let’s say the science teacher is talking about how old the cave is, how long it took for the earth to be molded into this fantastical shape that allows them to be there, standing in the belly of the woods.
Let’s say the girl feels her way towards the narrow passageway. Let’s say the boy gets an erection. Let’s say the boy always thought the girl was far less pretty than Megan, and, for some reason, this had made him want her more. Let’s say he puts a hand on the girl’s waist. Let’s say he backs slowly into the passageway. Let’s say his heel catches on the uneven ground and he grabs the girl’s arm to steady himself. Let’s say he miscalculates, and instead of letting his shoulder hit the waiting wall behind him, he tries to take another big backwards step over the bump in the ground. Let’s say the girl feels his nails dig into the delicate skin of her elbow and yelps as she shakes him off. Let’s say the hole isn’t wide but it is deep. Let’s say the boy doesn’t make it out of the cave, at least not in the form in which he entered it.
Let’s say it was an accident. Let’s say the girl couldn’t have known.
Rebecca Turkewitz is the author of the short story collection Here in the Night (Black Lawrence Press, 2023).