Mindaza prepared her muscles and sprang into action as she caught sight of the slender, barbed branch above her. For a brief moment, it felt like she was floating in mid-air, the terrifying drop below pulling at her, and then, in an instant, her right hand clutched the bramble tightly.
Thorns dug into her palm, drawing blood and making her gasp in pain. She held on tightly, scrambling with her feet for some grip, and shouted as the wind pushed her back, slamming her against the rock's surface.
While in pain, Mindaza took another deep breath and proceeded to climb the rock wall, inch by inch, trusting that the thread would support her weight as she gasped with difficulty and sweat, mix with nervousness.
When she managed to regulate her breathing, she finally slid over the edge of the cave entrance, laid there for a few periods, and then got up, yelling as her head hit the rock above, and peered about.
The cave went forward as far as the light could see, its roof falling progressively until it was an inch below head height.
Mindaza glanced behind her. The ship lay a mile offshore, half hidden in a welter of spray.
"They left me alone here?" she said to herself. She stopped because of a sudden loneliness she felt, took a deep breath and stepped on, slowly, until her eyes accustomed themselves to the gloom, and she could see where she was going.
The voice sounded again, echoing around the stone cave. Mindaza heard her name called, heard it again and walked on.
"Who is that?" her words bounced around the cave.
The walls were streaked with green, constantly damp, and the ceiling felt much lower now, forcing her to hunch over as she moved. Within just five minutes, she found herself crouching down. She pressed on, getting onto her hands and knees, hoping to hear that mysterious voice guiding her. The sound had been there since she first stepped into the cave, but she had brushed it off. Now, it had transformed from a soft murmur in the background to a deafening roar.
After smoothly navigating a dog-leg turn, Mindaza suddenly came to a halt. A torrent of liquid poured through the roof, crashing down through a hole in the cave floor right in front of her. There was no way out; she had to either retreat or attempt to push through the deluge. But this was her destiny.
Mindaza attempted to see through the rushing water as she knelt cross-legged in front of it in order to see what lay on the other side, sitting here and taking in the water. She rested her elbows on the rocky wall.
"I don't believe this to be the end in any way."
She inhaled deeply. She couldn't see anything, but she thought that there must be a light source, something beyond the sea. She stood and decided on her two options: try or wait for a miracle. It is preferable to attempt and fail, then to give up because of fear.
"The eagle," Mindaz said aloud," The black and white huge bird. Her mother told her to follow where it led.
"Oh well, here goes my fate," Mindaza said as she leaned into the waterfall and bowed forward in search of anything to cling onto. She shouted as she slid forward, and her feet slipped as she extended. She had been grasping at the water in vain for a handhold. But just for a few yards before she came to rest on a hard rock.
Behind her was the waterfall, and in front of her the tunnel widened into a spacious cave.
Mindaza took a deep breath and continued walking, tripping on the uneven terrain until she reached the farthest end of the cave, where the opening to the outer world was located.
The entrance was separated by a single rock column, where it naturally made the cave's floor to its top. A rock bridge connected the two sea stacks on either side, which loomed above the sheer drop to the ocean below.
The tops of both sea-stacks could not be seen at once. In order to see the first one and then the second.
Mindaza move from side to side. At the farthest end of each stack, she could make out a shape obscured by mist that appeared to cling to the cliff.
"Where should I go? I can't see anything here."
As Mindaza said, the mist disappeared and began to shred, making the stacks appear veiled one moment and then clear the next.
A harp, golden-strung and perched on a
A beautifully crafted harp, its golden strings shimmering, rested on a soft cushion atop the left stack. Beside it sat a flagon of wine and a basket brimming with juicy apples. The harp played a soft, inviting melody as the wind danced through its strings, drawing her in closer, tempting her to savor the delicious fruit.
Mindaza grinned and reached out to see the rock-bridge spread into a roadway with a guardrail made of polished oak and nicely paved in golden bricks.
Mindaza turned to face the rock stack on the right. This one was smaller, without a fruit basket on top, a silk pillow, and merely a rusted sword driven into a block of granite.
The bridge was also rough-hewn and dripping with moisture, and it was narrower than the length of her foot.
"What should I choose, a sword or a harp that plays some of the most beautiful music that I have ever heard? Hmmm."
Mindaza gave each glance at the two items. She had no prior experience with swords, but that one had a broken hilt and a heavily rusted blade.
Then she took another look at the stack that the harp was resting on. She noticed a man standing there who was as nude as a newborn infant, as attractive as sin, as godlike in stature, with muscles that flowed smoothly and a grin that could soften any heart.
Mindaza let out a gasp, caught off guard by the sudden wave of desire as he beckoned her into the enchanting world of music and luxury that he ruled over. She found herself lost in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions, mesmerized by the sight of the god-like man lounging on the silk cushions, plucking the golden strings of his harp. Nearby, an old sword, battered and worn, was embedded in a rough-hewn stone, while another stack lay untouched, cold, barren, and lifeless.
Mindaza inhaled deeply. What was her fate? What option should she pick?
She turned her head past the sea stacks to the sharp horizon line where the water met the sky, unobstructed by land or ship.
The eagle fluttered around the cave and landed at her feet.
"Hey, matang lawin, please be a good guide to me," Mindaza said, as she combed the birds' thick and long feathers.
The bird remained still. Then Mindaza turned her attention back to that stage as the harp's song got louder and more alluring.
The god-man slept on the gleaming sofa, drinking from a golden cup and playing the harp casually with his left hand. He grinned as he gave her a loving look and waved her in. Mindaza let her gaze linger for a time wherever it pleased as it moved over his body before moving back.
"No," she answered.
"My mother will beat my ass if I was being lazy about doing something."
So Mindaza moved to the right-hand stack, where the sword still stood, unadorned, unwelcoming, and rusty.
Mindaza took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and marched to the platform across the foot-wide bridge. A rising wind pounced on her as she walked, flaring her line, so it inflated around her waist and flinging her hair into a furious black fury around her face.
She straightened her line, flicked her hair away from her face, and marched forward, holding it in place with her left hand. She'd made her choice, and there was no turning back. The earth collapsed beneath her feet as she tripped, with bits of granite breaking from the bridge's sides and falling end over end into the water.
Mindaza counted the seconds as she watched a fist-sized pebble disappear into the depths below. She missed the splash entirely. With each step, she e down, almost breaking into a run toward the sea stack. The grip on the hilt of her sword was coming undone, fluttering in the gusty wind, yet the sword remained steadfast, firmly planted in its stone resting place. As Mindaza came out, from the cave, she was out of breath. Nothing seemed to have changed. The rock stack still jutted out from the sea, linked to the island by that fragile bridge of crumbling stone, with the wind continuing to howl around her.
"So, is this my destiny, just to get a sword?"