Firefly

21: the lace cave

Chapter 21: the lace cave.

Elena

He's early. His car is already waiting in front of my house at 12:40 am. I wait for five minutes before deciding to join him. I'll be able to return early too. 

I see him glance at the time as I sit inside. He doesn't say his usual 'Hello, Summer' greeting. He's outraged. I'm betting my money that it had everything to do with the incident with his mother in the evening. No wonder he's annoyed most of the time. If he's fighting like that on a daily basis, everyone who is a part of that fight will be mentally exhausted. 

He's chewing gum. And the car fetors with the smell of leather and spices mixed with alcohol today. He doesn't look drunk but he's definitely had a drink. I have the sudden urge to exchange seats and offer to drive. But he's chewing his gum so carefully, that I believe he's aware and conscious. 

He takes a turn and I lose knowledge of where we're going. I've never been to this part of the city. We weren't going North or South today. We're definitely in one of the wings. The car drive is silent. I appreciate the windows that are rolled down. I like the feel of fresh air on my face. He turns the stereo on. Heaven by Finneas plays in his car. 

He drives with one hand. He turns with one hand. The veins in his arm are darker and more prominent. He's worked out a little too much today. The knuckles on his hands are pink. He's probably punched a bag too. 

I take my camera out and click a picture of him—one hand on the steering wheel, veins evident on his arm, pale cream against the dark black steering wheel with a black Rolex watch hanging on his wrist. His dark grey t-shirt tugs at the curl on his arm. He doesn't get bothered by the clicking of my camera. 

He parks the car and pulls the handbrake. I look around and we're in an environment similar to the forest but there aren't as many tall trees as I'd seen in the South. I leave my bag in the car and I'm about to get down, he pulls out a box from the center console.

He opened the box showing me two thick shoelaces that are brand new. He takes out two black markers before nudging me to pick. A pale green lace catches my eye before the light grey. It's the color of my room in Silverton. He knew my favorite color. He knew it while keeping the post-its too. He takes out a grey-colored shoelace and throws the empty box back in the console before getting down. 

I follow him up a small hill with unsteady rocks. I slip two times but he doesn't pause or glance. Small pebbles turn to big rocks, then boulders, until a huge dark grey stone cave comes into view. He walks toward the cave while I hesitate. The moonlight is the only source of light, and right now, Justin seems dark too. A little drunk, on the edge, and ready to explode. I wonder if he's high. I don't get the smell of cigarettes off him, but I want to ask him. 

I assume the cave to be dark and black. But as we enter, there are holes poked through the big boulder that makes light enter from above. The more we enter it, the creepier it gets. I'm expecting bats to fly out, mummies to break out from the ground, and vampires to attack us. 

I stop in my place when I see something hanging from the roof of these caves. Justin has to dip his head but he continues to walk until he can stand upright. I eye what looks like weird creepers hanging from the roof that he just brushed past. 

"They're shoelaces." He tells me with a duh voice. 

I walk to him, feeling the shoelaces brush against my neck and shoulders until they don't anymore. I stand beside him and take a complete turn, absorbing the view bit by bit. Thousands of shoelaces hang from the ceiling of the cave from nails and screws. 

"East Border. It's called the lace cave. It was made about seventy years ago. This place contains high energy and it's known for manifestation. It's believed that people let go of whatever's haunting them or troubling them in their life here. Like a dump cave. We're supposed to write whatever we want to forget or move on from on a shoelace and tie it on the nails. Nobody knows how close to a million nails are hammered to the top but they made use of it in the best possible way. It works, apparently." Justin says eyeing the shoelaces around us.