Prompt (Image): Temple
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Ethan’s mind was in a haze as he trudged up the last steps of the perilous path to the heart of the temple. The stones that made up the stairs were crumbling and he couldn’t trust his footing, but he ascended them mindlessly, making a series of quick educated guesses. He didn’t have the willpower for anything else, having traveled for days over the most perilous terrain that he’d ever encountered as an explorer, and on top of it all, he had lost John in the process. John had fallen off of a crumbling ledge, where they had stupidly decided not to secure themselves with a rope. John was his best friend and the best partner in exploration he could ever have wished for.
He brushed the thought aside. He had to finish the job, see what was here. It was only fair to John.
At the top of the stairs, he walked toward the sound of rushing water, expecting a simple waterfall, with nothing else. Expecting this trip to be all for nothing.
What he saw floored him. A rock wall splattered with moss was before him, and in the center was a huge protruding human face carved out of the rock. Waterfalls fell from the eyes and mouth into a small lake. This was so much more detailed than Ethan had expected from these people, and he had read all there was to know. This was the place, all right.
“John, I wish you could see this,” he said under his breath. Tears sprung to his eyes, but he held in his grief and pushed on. He had to find out what was inside. John would have been running ahead already.
Underneath the chin of the rock face was a dark cave and he headed straight for it, following the edge of the lake. The ledge to the cave had crumbled years ago, but he avoided having to go in the water with a well-timed jump. The rush of the water from the mouth of the rock face behind him filled his ears, and the cave was pitch black before him.
He reached in his backpack and pulled out a lighter, holding it in front of him. He advanced slowly, not even sure what would be satisfying to find. No amount money could replace John. Would any knowledge he gained here be worth John’s death?
As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ethan realized this could only be a ritual chamber. Markings were etched into the floor in a large circle, and on one side was a small pedestal with an object on top of it. Bringing his lighter close to the pedestal, he saw that the object was a small box. Gingerly, he brushed off the dirt and grime from years of exposure to the elements. It was beautifully ornate, carved from wood and most likely painted, though most color had faded. He opened the clasp and lifted the lid along its back hinge.
Sitting in the remnants of a bundle of herbs–most likely sage, he thought–was a gorgeous deep blue stone, perfectly spherical. He couldn’t help himself and lifted it out of the box, holding it up to the lighter’s flame. It was partially transparent, with gashes in it exposing smaller crystals inside, like a geode. He was no geologist, but he had seen precious stones before, and had never seen anything like it. These people had to have gotten this somewhere. By trade, or by mining it themselves.
Ethan sat down and rested against the cave wall, gazing at the stone in the thin light of his lighter, the sound of rushing water reverberating around him.
This was the most significant new discovery made about these people in hundreds of years, and John was missing it. Tears sprung to his eyes, and this time he couldn’t hold them back. He let them fall down his face in streaks, and he howled in rage and sorrow, letting out everything he’d held back since John’s fall.
Once he’d calmed down, he realized that he knew John would want him to continue his studies about these people. He should follow this new lead. He couldn’t let losing John stop him from doing what he loved, especially after a discovery like this.
He placed the stone back in the box. He took out a voice recording device from his backpack and pressed the record button, and began to describe what he saw. This time, instead of speaking to himself, he spoke to John.