PostPoems Be Artistic. Be Creative. Be Inspired!

It was the perfect summer break after solstice June 21st were all types of plants came into full bloom to the beat of Mother Nature, and Noa Santos was chasing the summer all around the continent. He had traveled from the peninsula of Maraú along the Sudamerican shore by car; it was a daring trip even for a 33-year-old Brazilian wanderer. But then again, Noa had been traveling on his own his whole life so it was not a big deal for him. He began the trip through Argentina, lightly passed its border into the western region and into the open Pacific Ocean shores, and after visiting the longest beaches in Chile he continued ascending into Peru Incas’ culture until finally reaching the center of the World.  He spent long weeks in Ecuador, marveled and hypnotized by its wonders and natural diversity. He went to Napo province in the Amazon region by recommendation of a good acquaintance, after spending some time at the capital. There is when he first hears of the ancient and mysterious Jumandy Caves, which are underground caverns connected by series of tunnels and crossed by a creek which origins in the mountain subterranean water reserves. According to the native guides, it was a gift of nature that now is owned by the Ruku Jumandy Kawsay community. The legend reads that “Only the good-hearted ones shall get to see the light again after walking through hell”, but Noa did not have to think about it any further for his courageous and amused sense of adventure had awaken, and before he knew he was already at the line buying tickets. Once in front of those caverns his excitement was never endless, especially when the guide Lucinda was introducing herself and explaining those caves’ origins. Noa could not take his eyes of her since she was barefoot and pretended to enter the caves like that. He could not believe the manners some people actually had, in Brazil you would never see something alike. Now, after hearing some sort of ancient war stories, they were really entering those mysterious caves. Lucinda was walking by every tourist and handing them a head lantern for them to use the whole time, because without it you could not place your hand a few centimeters of your face and see a thing. Noa turned it on and placed it on his head, all the group did the same, and for the first time he can say those caverns were nothing of what he has ever seen before in all his voyages. The cavern wormed its way half a mile into the mountain. Its general shape was ovoid, the walls below the ridge smoothly curved to the floor, the walls above arched another hundred feet up to giant stalactites and the bat roosts. It was a cave mouth of impenetrable blackness where Noa stepped in and watched his shadow dissolve into the surrounding darkness. It was dank and the only sound was the dripping water. Lucinda leads the way up for reaching the so-called Ruku pool which was 6-meter deep. It was a long and slippery way until they reached it, by then Noa was full of mud and clay up his knees and all he wanted to do is have a swim in that huge underground pool. It was hot and Lucinda was still giving them directions he could not hear, but she was now pointing to a rope she took out of the water and that was the one who would help people to cross to the other end. He did not need anything like that for he was a perfectly fine swimmer, maybe that people must not know how to slop about in the pool. So he asked: “Lucinda, do we need that rope necessarily? Really?” ,for her response was: “Well chico, if you don´t want yourself drowned by the demons, yes.” Noa could not believe this woman, how they could not understand they were all superstitions, there is nothing like underwater demons. “How deep is it?” he asked, “6 to 7 meters deep some say, and some other say it goes straight to the center of the world”. Noa ignored her, and now was ready to jump to those mysterious waters. In a blink of an eye Noa’s whole body disappeared and that was the last time anyone get to see the wanderer. Finally, Lucinda, with a very sad expression said: “No one can save him now”. The group of tourists stood there looking at the water. “Well, please, you shall continue if you all want to finish the trip, don´t you? Come one”, and all the bunch followed her.