Though some may commonly confuse urban spelunking with urban exploration for history purposes, it is not to be so. Especially not on this warm spring day, verging on the cusp of the summer-hood that it so longed to become. It sprouted new shoots and early flowers out every avenue, encouraging the world to bloom into what it was meant to be.
Kevan and I sat by our favourite window in The Station, which overlooked the valley below to reveal a lush forest of trees and a cool stream winding away into the east. Steam rose from our teacups and up our curly straws as we sipped carefully, minding the heated liquid as I have burned my tongue a number of times drinking tea with a straw. I can never remember why we started doing it in the first place.
"Well I suppose we should get ready." Kevan murmured, still focused on the valley below. We were already dressed in our spelunking gear; sturdy khakis, black turtlenecks, and of course our trusty black Chucks. I glanced at my watch.
"I'll get the car started, you grab the packs." I motioned wildly to the far corner of the kitchen and I started towards the garage. We swiftly boarded the van, fondly named "The Pirate Ship", and headed to the meeting place to pick up the other members of today's crew; Luke, Phillip, & Tom. No three men were as trustworthy to us as they, for our history goes back farther than I care to say. Back when Kevan and I had a life that was not as humanistic as owning a creative cavern; an artists asylum; craftpersons cloister.
Nevertheless we sped away to pick up the gents, pausing only briefly as they threw themselves in the back seats before we raced towards the old factories that lay just on the outskirts of town. Tom stepped out of the van, dust billowing from beneath his feet and wind blowing through his black beard. He squinted his eyes against the sun before strapping Kevan securely on his back. Sweat beaded on my forehead and I felt vomit bubbling at the back of my throat as I quaked beside him. Somehow in two minutes flat we had entered the building and taken the unforgiving cement stairs all the way to the basement of the fortress. Shadows lurked in every corner, tempting me to turn back, but we had a job to do. We had been commissioned to find out what was really living down here. I took a step forward and hissed as cold water seeped into my shoes.
"We should have gone with the rubber boots!" Kevan quipped from behind me.
"Inconceivable!" I scoffed.
"You keep using that word, but I do no think you know what it means." Luke said with skeptical a raise of his brow. I rolled my eyes and continued forward. Just then a giant mass of writhing water snakes leapt up and bit Phillip right in the neck! Naturally we all fled and took Phillip home. It was a good thing Kevan was on good standing with the town doctor and called him right away. It was several days before Phillip awakened. He slowly opened his right eye, and then the other before looking quite confused.
"Why won't be arms move?" He asked.
"You've been mostly dead for the past three days." Kevan answered from his side.
"Alright," Phillip replied as he closed his eyes again and promptly fell asleep.
We never really did find out what was down there. Other than the obvious of course, but we decided that was enough adventure for one week and resigned to drinking our tea and staring out the window once again.
