It was early on Saturday when Dad dropped me off at the corner. I took my packsack from the back seat and said goodbye. He drove away with his hand waving from the car window. I walked along the road to the little clearing and sat down on the grass with my packsack tucked under my head for a pillow. I was fourteen now and was pretty well grown up. At least I was the oldest of all the kids that were going with me today.

The sun was starting to show itself and it was going to be a nice day for the four of us. Soon a car pulled over and Tracy and her sister Patty stepped out and went to the trunk of the car and lifted out their two packsacks. They waved goodbye to their mom and came over and sat beside me. Hi girls I said. Is Mike going to come today? Patty said, Mike called last night and had to wait for his dad to drive him in the morning so he should be here soon. Tracy spoke up, and said, "His dad works the night shift, you know". OK I said what did you girls bring for your lunch today? Tracy and Patty giggled as they looked at each other, then they both looked at me and said "we made a pizza for the whole day". Just then a car came along and out jumped Mike with his packsack in his hand. "Hi" he said "all ready for the caves?"

This was the trip we had planned from the spring. To go through all the caves in Crystal Canyon would be a great adventure and the excitement was on all of us. We all chatted and discussed the contents of the packsacks and strapping them on our backs we all walked down the road to the trail that led to Crystal Canyon.

It was still nice when we got to the caves but it had just started to sprinkle a little rain and a storm was brewing in the East. Something from inside of me kept telling me that there was a possibility of some kind of danger for all four of us. I am mature enough, and sensible enough; to make sure that all four of us would be safe. After all I was well into my fourteenth year and do a good thinker only want some adventure, I thought?

The sky darkened because of the canyon wall, but also the darkening sky was like an omen, as a big bolt of lightning struck near the caves entrance. The thunder was horrendous, as the canyon wall seemed to echo it's strong and warning kind of message over and over with the echo. Patty, Mike, and Tracey I called; Hurry up or we're going to get soaked. Three of them run ahead of me to the door of the cave just as the rain seemed to burst from the cloud and the deluge was upon us. I felt better, even though I got pretty soaked, because I made sure the girls and Mike got to safety.

We entered the caves through an old doorway, which used to attract many visitors till the earthquake shut most of it down. There was still a lot of exploring to be done in these caves and there was still a working light switch on the wall by the archway that led down the steps to the cave area. We peeked down and we could see the lights about every fifty steps or so shining on an old metal handrail that looked damp and rusty except where the green paint was still good. Gosh, I thought as my stomach gave a flutter; I wonder if this is a good idea?

Mike, Patty and Tracy come here; we have to get organized before we enter the stairway. Who has a rope, I asked? Tracy said I do and handed me an old skipping rope but mike had some real good strong white nylon rope. This made me feel better as I only had a smaller rope but I had the candles and flashlight and the wax-coated matched we used to take during our Boy Scout outings. We're going to be here all day so we need food and drinks as well as water for thirst. Did you all pack some heavy shirts, I asked? I forgot to put a heavy one in my pack but I had my jacket with me said Mike.

I told them for safety we'll use this rope and we'll each hold on a few feet from each other. This is our lifeline and we are never to let go. Some of the tunnels will be dark and all we have is a flashlight Greg said. At that moment a shattering noise of thunder and the flash of lightning struck just outside the door. Screaming; Patty and Tracy held on to each other trying to hold back tears of fright and Tracy screamed "lets not stay here, I'm afraid" Her lips were quivering but she set them in a "not to cry position" as she stiffened her lips together. Tracy! Greg said; everything is going to be OK it's just a storm passing and can't even hurt us. Look we're in a real good shelter. A smile came to Tracy's face and soon Patty, Mike and Tracy were happily giggling away as if they were past the crying stage.

Put the rope around your chest under your arms and tie it snug, Greg said. I'll go down first and you all follow me but stay close to each other when we get down to the bottom of these stairs. Be real careful said Greg because some of the old wooden steps are cracked and broken. Hang onto the handrail and I'll shine the flashlight on the broken steps for you. A lump came to Greg's throat and that feeling came over him as to whether this was a good idea. Down and down they went, one step at a time, with the light of Greg's showing the dangerous broken steps for them to walk over. This is fun said Mike. Hey, LOOK AT THAT. The bottom of the rickety stairs found them in a cave-like dome that had a lake of water in it. Some lights shined from across the underground lake showing a beautiful shimmer on the velvet black water. It is magnificent said Tracy. I knew she used that word for the first time after learning in school class. Simply magnificent, she repeated. Magnificent echoed across the little lake from the other side. Patty yelled hello, hello, hello and the words came back to them as they bounced off the wall at the end of the underground lake.

Greg folded his arms, standing in proud stature as he saw the excitement it gave the girls and to Mike. It was an awesome and beautiful site for Greg too but he held back the excitement as if it was just an everyday experience. The iron railing went all along the side of the lake but seemed to be a bit loose and rickety, showing that it hadn't been used for quite some time. It was wet and the air was very humid and the cave was damp which made all of them want to be moving quickly. Greg was very happy and satisfied with himself as he saw the expressions on each face with the beautiful view of the underground lake.

An old table, like a picnic table, had been turned upside down and mike helped Greg to set it near the edge of the railing. After it was wiped with some paper towels they all sat down and just seemed to appreciate the Magnificence of this under ground marvel. Greg reached in his pack and took out two candles and lit them with the waxed matched he had in the pack. It was a beautiful setting and the drops of water rippling on the lake gave such a beautiful tinkling sound, with every drop having a hundred echoes.

The paper towels soon became the tablecloth and a wonderful meal set now before them of pizzas and sandwiches, cans of pop and chocolate bars. The chattering of their voices echoing from the walls of the cave made this an adventure that they would never forget. What was that? said Patty. The ground seemed to tremble a little and a low tone echoed across the lake. Something was wrong Greg thought, but said oh it is just underground sounds. Somehow Greg knew that something was not right. He felt the floor of the cave tremble. He knew there was a problem but didn't know just how serious the problem was. Greg said quickly, put the ropes back under your arms just in case we forget. We must go to the end of the lake because I was told there were some small little caves we can explore.

Patty screamed and jumped into Greg's arms. I'm afraid she said. There was a roar of rushing water; it seemed as it the old stairway was being deluged with water. It roared and it came bursting down the stairs, a wall of water right to the ceiling. What is it I thought as I held the two girls close in my arms? Just hang on real tight I yelled. At the same time the underground lake became a swirling mass of frothing water. It was a giant whirlpool. I had heard of these whirlpools but never saw one. We're trapped for sure I thought. This is the end. There was no way to avoid the water. It pushed us all together into the center of the whirlpool. I couldn't breath and I was gasping and bubbles seemed to slide across my face. The girls and Mike were also gasping and choking in the swirling mass of sure death. It was dark now and very quiet. I felt the arms of Mike and the girls slowly loose their grip and I also became a limp semi-floating mass. The agony of drowning and not being able to cry was the foremost thought on my mind. What went wrong, I thought? We only wanted to have the adventure in Crystal Canyon that many people have every summer. Just to visit the underground lake was all I wanted to do, and now what. It was suddenly very still and the rope tugged around my chest. The turbulent waters of death now stilled and the warmth of some unknown light caressed my face. Greg, Greg she screamed, wake up. Where are we? Tracy and Mike stood up on a beach- like setting but it was in hues of aquamarine and mossy-like sand. Patty knelt down beside Greg and she wept, but not real hard because somehow she knew that Greg was alive and so was she but everything now was different.

Greg felt Patty's breath against his neck and his eyes opened and he smiled at Patty. In an instant Patty, Mike, Tracy and Greg were sitting on the beach and were smiling and laughing so much their faces were streaming a few happy tears. What happened Tracy said? She now looked upward to the sky, but was this a sky? Where are we Greg said Mike and Patty together, but in a tone of voice that told them all it was a trick of Greg's. Is this some trick Greg they said? Greg replied, "Honest, I don't know" said Greg. At least I am not sure exactly what happened but Wow; what a place this is. Tracy then stood before them and clenched her little hands into fists as she exclaimed with all her might, "Magnificent". Her eyes beaming like gemstones gave meaning to Spanish eyes.

Patty said, "Look at the sky. Is this a real sky"? It was not a sky, at least not as most people would think of a sky. It was gleaming with beautiful sparkles of every color there was. It was as it they were inside a giant geode that you see in the rock shops with the crystals all around. We were warm, it was without cold or any thought of fear, doubt or anxiety other than sheer happiness. It was not the world, as we knew it. It was a GREAT CHAMBER, glistening with sparkling color like fireflies on a warm summer night. There was a path that seemed to be opening up to them away from the mossy beach. It was beckoning and so inviting that they just couldn't resist. They were without any fear just the warmth of a secure feeling never before experienced by any of them. Is this Heaven, Mike said? The many crystals seemed to vibrate and many faces appeared in a cloud like mist. There was such beautiful music but was unknown music to them. A voice said from the mist. "This is not heaven but where heavens are made" Magnificent, magnificent, Patty and Tracy both spurted out in unison. A hand now appeared from the white misty cloud and beckoned them to follow.

The pathway was something like a walkway made of polished marble but yet it was soft and it left your footprints in it for a little while. They were led to a place where there was a large sofa-like seat. Music played and it seemed to come from everywhere you looked and every sound was echoed across the crystal masses that created a magnificent pattern. The hand that led them soon came into focus as a full person as after they sat for a few minutes it seemed a person was before them. It was neither man nor woman. Just a person that looked very beautiful. The person spoke to them in a lovely and welcoming voice. "Welcome to the Great Chamber, my friends"." It is not just a coincidence that you all arrived here at this time", the voice said. "You have come here because it was part of a great master plan". Greg said, "this is such a beautiful place but it is so strange I just don't understand where we are". The voice said "Exactly". All of you have been here many times in your dreams, and all of you are here all the time. It is part of you, this Great Chamber. From this day forward whenever you see, or feel, a crystal it will excite and open the door of the Great Chamber.

"How can that be, asked Mike? What do you mean it is part of us?" The voice said. "I mean that this is the Great Chamber where everything is made and I will give you an example. All of you think about a rabbit for a few minutes. Soon there was tinkling of all the crystal and little flashing bits of light were scurrying around. There was a massive display of rainbow colors and there appeared four balls of light. Each ball of this vibrating light came before all of them. The voice said, each of you think quite hard of the rabbit. In a short time each ball of light seemed to spin and turn and there was a rabbit but not fully formed as you could still see through it. "Wow! Tracy said look at my rabbit" and she giggled and the rabbit turned and faced them. It had such long ears that all of them burst into a laughing fit because of the strange ears. "Oh! Look at mine" Greg, said "this is what a real rabbit should look like" and the translucent rabbit jumped and turned around and showed its tail to them all. Well, they all burst into laughter because after a minute the tail on the rabbit came into view and it looked like a pig's curly tail. When Patty and Tracy had their turn it was more laughing this time because each of the semi-transparent rabbit animals had something completely different about it. The person that beckoned them into this area now came and sat with them and had a good laugh also.

After a few minutes the voice said, "in this chamber there are all the tools necessary to create whatever we wish with our own mind power. And remember that this chamber is always there for us. It is like a wonderful teacher that understands how each of us think. Come along with me and I will show you how it is done." As they walked along this hall of crystals there were windows of little rooms where you could see people doing things. In the first room was Albert Einstein, he waved to them and pushed back his hair and gave them a big smile. Next room was Benjamin Franklin. He said we are all together in this chamber and we can accomplish anything on our mind but we have to be together in our thoughts." The next window was Thomas Edison, and he looked at all of us and winked his left eye and a light bulb lit up in the other eye. This got all of us laughing again. Thomas then said "I‘m sure happy that I was able to focus my thoughts into a light bulb, I don't think a curly tailed rabbit with long ears would be quite right for the world" and he laughed away with all of them. Along this hallway there were many of the ancient philosophers and alchemists. They all lived within this Great Chamber.

"Just where is this place", exclaimed Tracy? The voice replied "this is a place where all our thoughts are attracted to one another so people can create those things that are required for them on this planet. There is not a single object that has not come through this Great Chamber. It is part of all of us and it is connected together with our subconscious and our imagination and our dreams. This is where all of you confronted the fears that you have had many times. This is where we learn that adventure is accomplished by having the feelings of fear brought into real life. Then when the condition of fear is met, with reason, we find that fear is but a word. This is where you will find out that you cannot do wrong but can just do things differently. This is where you will learn that your safety is planned by your own thoughts and learning is the main purpose for people. Always remember that this Chamber welcomes you and, when in any doubt about which path to take, come and ask someone within the Great Chamber and the answer will be given to you."

They looked into many of the places within the Chamber and saw the magnificence of crystals and how they grow and how they are propelled through other solid crystals to become twinned or ghost crystals, ever changing and exchanging material and color. As far as their eyes could see were magnificent structures of colored crystals above and below and they glided, it seemed, effortlessly as if there was little gravity to the extremes of the chamber.

They were tired and soon fell asleep holding each other's hands. The voice tiptoed away into the mist, and a warm ray of sunshine wrapping around their heads and shoulders replaced the warmth of the Chamber. The sound of waves on a beach startled Greg and he stood upright. Feeling the rope still held securely under his arms he looked down and beside him were Tracy and Patty lying face up with the sun squinting their eyes. Just behind Greg was Mike sitting in the sand tying his running shoe. Are you all right Exclaimed Greg? Patty, Tracy are you guys all right?

All four of them now stood up and started untying the safety rope still attached securely to them under their arms. They were a little drenched but all were alert and happy. They opened the packsacks and set them to dry in the sunlight. Whatever happened Greg said, we're all here now and we're safe, but just where are we? "Is this sandy lake?" Greg asked Mike? Mike replied, yes Greg, but it is at the east end where nobody ever goes there. Something is terribly wrong, thought Greg and the two girls asked, are we lost? The lump came again to Greg and that insecure feeling came over them all. They were holding back tears but yet they gathered their packsacks and started walking westward along the beach. Hand in hand they walked for what seemed miles and they were anxious of their surroundings and kept asking Greg and Mike "are you sure this is sand lake?"

Well, Greg said in a certain way of self-assuredness that this is Sand Lake and that everything will be all right. But deep down Greg was scared. He didn't know for sure if it was Sand Lake but he tried to comfort the girls by being self-assured. They picked up the pace and started to run a little. Tracy, leading the others along the narrow beach and running very fast, tripped over something and fell flat on her face with her nose in the sand. Are you hurt Tracy, they asked? Tracy wiped the sand from her eyes and holding back tears said that everything would be all right. "Look, look said Patty." Look at what you tripped on. She held it up for all to see. It was a big beautiful crystal just beaming radiance to them all that all was well. Immediately they all joined hands and repeated over again and again, magnificent, magnificent and above the happy laughter they heard someone calling them. It was Greg's mom and the girl's mom and Mike's father. We're so happy to find you guys. We were worried sick that you might have gone into Crystal Canyon.

That morning there had been a flash flood and washed out a lot of the canyon so the parents, of course, were worried because they thought they said Crystal Canyon. The girls looked at Mike and Greg and with a big smile they said this was sure the best adventure we ever had. "What is that thing you are holding in your hand Tracy?" exclaimed her mom. It's a very special crystal that was made just for the four of us and she giggled. Come on lets get to the cars and head to town their moms said. They all joined hands and got to the parking lot at the beach and Greg said to all of them "I will see you in my dreams". Magnificent, magnificent, they all shouted as they got into their parents cars. They waved good-bye to each other and they were all safe and only a matter of time till they would all meet again in their dreams in the Great Chamber.

Wayne Anthony

Jan 17,04 (c)