The Old Cave (Chapter 1)

	I was always an outdoorsy kid. That's why I always loved to go to my grandparent's house every summer. They live in...well, it's in the northeast, out in the mountains, and that's all I can really tell you. Anyway, every summer my family would spend at least two weeks out there, climbing the mountains, hiking the trails, fishing, all of those outdoor activities. I loved it. I would look forward to our trip every time, and I never wanted to leave. That;s why it remained a tradition to go to my grandparent's place, even when I was an adult. The summer I turned thirty though, was when things changed.
	Just like every other year, that summer I took time off from work, and traveled up there to see my family. My parents had already come up a few days before, and my brother wouldn't be making it until a week after I did, so things were looking cozy.
	After grandpa retired,  he downsized the house, and moved into a cabin that was even deeper in the mountains. Grandma was all for that, since it meant she would have less to clean. No one said anything, but I think the lack of stairs was what really sold her on it. Grandpa's hips had been pretty shot after his tour of duty, and while he never complained, he always brought out the cane when the weather got cold.
	The cabin itself was beautiful. It was sitting on a plot of land right smack in the middle of the evergreen woods that covered the mountain, and it was within walking distance to a nearby valley with a lake that was perfect for fishing. There were hiking trails nearby, but none of them ran close enough to be a disturbance. It was, all in all, the ideal place for them to spend their twilight years.
	I met my parents in one of the nearby small towns. Obviously, I'm not going to tell you the name, but it was one of those little slices of Americana that seems to have never really changed. Just one main street, a diner, a gas station, and not much else except for a traffic light. The three of us drove up to the cabin, and by the evening, had unpacked everything, and had the grill set up.
	After dinner, Mom, Dad and Grandma went inside, and  I had been planning on following them, so I could respond to my e-mails, since even while I was vacation, the office still went on, but before I could go inside, Grandpa grabbed my arm and pulled me across the yard, over to the tree line. He pulled out a pipe, one of the older ones that were he saved for special occasions, and we began to talk.
	“Rob,” he asked, “you still don't have a girl yet?” I rolled my eyes. My friends would often complain about their family hectoring them about getting married, but it had never been a big topic in my family.
	“No,” I said, “these days most men don't even try until thirty-five, or later.”
	Grandpa scowled at that. I thought he was going to chide me for sassing him, but he ocntinued, “Nobody at all, huh?”
	“Not right now,” I said. “probably not for a while.”
	“I guess there's no helping it.” He took a long puff from his pipe, and let out the smike. It was still early summer, so the sun was just beginning to go down, and the temperature was shading over very slowly into a cold night. “Not many young men getting married these days, are there?” he asked.
	I shrugged. “No, it doesn't seem that way. Most guys are too busy, trying to work, get to the point where they can support a family. Or at least afford a girlfriend.”
	“Your job though, you make enough to make a go of it, don't you?”
	“Look, Grandpa,” I said, “I know things were different for you, but my generation...”
	He waved off my objections. “No, that's not what I'm getting at. Not exactly.”
	I raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about, then?”
	He didn't say anything at first, but he did let out just a tiny sigh. “Tonight, I'm going out to the caves. I want you to come along too.”
	“The caves?” I asked.
	“Yeah,” he said, “those caves. (He actually said the name of the caverns, but again, privacy concerns.) The ones your grandma told you not to go near when you were a kid.”
	“Aren't they dangerous? Bears live in them.”
	He looked straight at me. “No, no bears around there. I'm going out, and if you want to come, be ready by two in the morning. Don't let anybody else know either, and don't wake 'em up. No point in bothering them with this.”
	“You're acting all mysterious. There some buried treasure in there or something? Or that just where you keep the still?”
	“Funny man,” he said, “you've always had a mouth on you. We live out in the country, but we're not a bunch of hillbillies moonshining.”
	“Yeah, we're not the Kennedys.”
	“They were rum-runners. Not the same thing at all.”
	I held up my hands. “So we're leaving at two tonight?”
	“Two. And don't mention it to anyone else. Promise me that.”
	I put my hands down. “I promise. But if there aren't any bears in the caves...”
	“You'll see. It's a little something my father showed me, when I was a young man.” With that, he turned back towards the house, and extinguished his pipe. “Now come on, it's about time for dessert. Your grandma made blueberry pie.”
	I let the topic drop. After all, what could be more important than homemade pie?
	Dessert was a normal enough affair. Mom and Grandma chattered about all sorts of things, but I noticed that the men of the family were unusually quiet. Afterwards, I excused myself in order to get to those e-mails. The office wasn't exactly falling apart without me around, but that wouldn't stop any of my co-workers from complaining.
	I was actually a little too excited to go to sleep. Normally Grandpa was a straight shooter who said what was on his mind. For him to talk a round a topic like that was unusual. Even when I was a kid, he was always willing to break out the ribald stories once he'd cracked open a few beers. I was focusiing on that more than the office situation.
	There was a knock at my door. I set my phone aside, and said, “Come in.”
	“Hi, Alex,” my father said as he opened the door.
	“Hey dad,” I replied, “What's up/”
	“Very fine evening, isn't it?” he asked. I could immediately tell that something was up. He seemed nervous.
	“I guess it is. I can't wait for Donnie to get up here. Fishing's going to be great.”
	“Yeah, it will be.:
	“Okay, seriously Dad, what's up? There's something you want to say?”
	“It's obvious, huh?”
	I nodded. “It really is. Does this have to do with...?”
	“When your Grandad pulled you aside, did he say anything strange?”
	“Well, he was being a little cagey.” I wanted to get a good look at Dad's face when I said that. I wasn't disappointed. He looked startled, and even a little disgusted for a second. If I hadn't been paying close attention, I would probably have missed the whole thing. He could tell that I had seen that lapse though.
	“Was it about the caves?” he asked.
	“It was.,” I said, “he's planning to go out to them tonight. And he asked me to come along.”
	“I would rather he didn't do that, but you can make your own decisions. Once you get back though, I would like to have a talk with you, if it isn't too late.”
	“You think it's going to go late?”
	“I don't know. It's a possibility.”
	“This isn't like you or Grandpa. Why not just be straight with me?”
	Dad didn't answer right away. He just stared off into the distance for a bit. Not actually long, but it felt like minutes. “It's hard to talk about, the thing out in the caves.”
	“Is it something dangerous?” I asked, then I thought of the other possibility, “Something illegal?”
	Dad shook his head. “No, and no. I wouldn't let that just go without comment. Just come talk to me after you get back, and remember to listen to everything Dad says.”
	“That's not helping my curiosity any, but fine.”
	“I'll talk to you later, son,” he said. Our little conversation concluded, he turned and left my room, closing the door behind him.
	The whole situation was becoming strange enough that I couldn't concentrate on work any longer. Even watching a few shows was out, due to the spotty internet out here. I could, however, do a little research. I started to search out information on this area, and in particular, the caves themselves. Unfortunately, there wasn't much. Their history was sparse, and the only relevant information was that they weren't open to the public. That id, I suppose, technically make what we were doing against the law, but Grandpa had lived most of his life in this area. I really doubt he was going to run into any trouble about that.
	Even after that, I had hours to go before two. I dragged out my normal bedtime routine, but that didn't help much. Even after I turned off the lights, and sprawled out in bed, I  didn't want to sleep at all.  This wasn't like being a kid and waiting for Christmas, it was more like watching the clock after finishing a final exam. It was almost beyond what I could manage. Still, once it was nearly two o'clock, I got up, being careful to make no noise, and pulled out my hiking clothes, including a windbreaker. Naturally, I had my wilderness kit, complete with flashlight, and some emergency supplies as well. You can't be too careful in the woods, especially at night.
	I snuck out of my bedroom, opening and closing the door with exaggerated care. I knew no one else would be up at this time, but even so, I felt like I was doing something that I really should not have. Still, I had gone beyond curiosity, and plunged into needing to know what was in those caves, and what was going on. Grandpa, my Dad, and apparently even earlier generations of the family were involved in it. I was burning to find some answers.
	I made it down the hall without too much noise, but navigating the two steps was a little trickier. The place was well-built, but even so, some of the steps creaked much louder than I was comfortable with. It was probably my nervousness about the whole thing, since no lights came on, and no doors opened in response to the sound. When I made my way into the living room, Grandpa was already there, also dressed for a hike.
	He nodded at me, and we left the cabin. Grandpa was holding one of those big search and rescue style flashlights, but he didn't turn it on until we had walked for at least twenty minutes, far beyond the point where anyone would see it from the cabin.
	He used it to get his bearings, and check his compass. There was a trail that led to the caves, but it was disused and overgrown. “We're on the right track,” he said, although it didn't seem to be directed at me.
	“By the way, Dad knows we're out here,” I said in response.
	“No surprise there. I took him out here before he met your mother.”
	I still had questions, but I decided to wait on them. The answers would be in the cave. I trusted my family enough to wait until then.
	It was over half an hour of walking, but we didn't encounter a single animal the whole time. As we drew closer to the cave entrance, even the normal sounds of the forest disappeared. I didn't hear a single owl, or a raccoon. Even the skunks seemed to avoid us.
	I knew where the caves were, but I had never seen them with my own eyes. A stone platform jutted out of the ground in front of us, but Grandpa walked around the side, and took took a worn path that ascended in a gentler slope than the rest of the rock. I followed him, and he paused, and played the beam from his flashlight over the ground. The stone sank down into a miniature valley, and the cave entrance was set a the end, in between the two sides. He looked at my face, and seemed to approve of what he saw there. We went in.
	Both of us had to duck in order to enter the cave. I bent over nearly double, and Grandpa said, “Don't worry. It gets bigger just a little further in.”
	“Right,” I said.
	True to his words, after we had gone maybe a few hundred feet, the tunnel opened up into a larger chamber. It was round, with outcroppings everywhere. Grandpa didn't hesitate at all, and kept going deeper.
	This tunnel was wider and smoother than the previous one, and I was able to stand up easily, although I still had to watch by head to avoid banging it on protrusions from the ceiling. The floor became steeper as we continued on. I lost track of how far we had actually gone when Grandpa started calling out.
	“Hello,” he said, “Hello.”
	“I'm right here...” I started to say, but Grandpa waved his hand at me.
	“I'm coming down!” he yelled.
	I said nothing, but I heard a sound come back. It was almost like someone had answered him.
	“Come on,” he said, “She's expecting us now.”
	“She?” I asked.
	“My father told me to call her Echidna.”
	We reached the end of the passage. The floor leveled out, and spread outward into an underground spring. Then, Grandpa shut off his flashlight.
	“What the hell are you doing?” I yelled.
	“I'm going to explain this whole deal. I know you've got questions, and I appreciate that you haven't been blurting them out all the time. First things first, let me make the introductions. Echidna, this is my grandson, Alex. I've told you about him before,” Grandpa said.
	A voice I had never heard before answered him. “Welcome to my home,” it said. No, she said. The voice was deep, but unmistakably feminine. “It's been a long time since I saw you last.”
	Grandpa chuckled at that. “It has been a while. You've been asleep the whole time, haven't you?”
	“I think so,” the voice, which I decided to think of as Echidna, said.
	“Well boy, don't keep the lady waiting. Speak up.”
	I tried to clear my throat, but ended up coughing. “Grandpa, why did you turn off the flashlight? I can't see anything in here.”
	“Because she doesn't care much for the light. I'll turn it back on when it's time to go,” he answered.
	“Yes, that is true,” Echidna said.
	I'm not afraid of the dark, but talking to someone I had never seen, inside a cave god-only-knows beneath the earth, I was on edge. Still, I gathered my courage. “Hello, Echidna.”
	She laughed. It was much higher than her previous voice, and seemed to go on for a very long time. “I'm happy I can meet you. Stuart has told me many stories about you.”
	“Go ahead,” Grandpa said, “you can ask her anything on your mind.” There was a thump that was probably him sitting down.
	I still don't know why this was the first question that came to mind, but it was the only one I thought to ask at the time. “You've met my father?”
	“Yes, once. That was before Stuart's last visit.”
	The voice was back to that husky sound from before. Also, it was getting closer. Even though I couldn't see a thing, I kept my eyes opened as wide as they would go.
	“How long have you been here?”
	“A long time.” There was a pause, then she continued, “I remember when this was all forest. No houses.”
	“Ah,” Grandpa said, “my Great Uncle John found her after the Civil War. He was chasing rumors about a monster that had gone back to the original settlers, who got their info from the Indians. I'm sorry, the Native Americans.”
	“Okay,” I said. My voice came out much steadier than I actually felt. “So, Echidna, what are you?”
	“I'm me. I'm the only one. I had daughters, but I never hear from them.”
	“You're not a person.”
	“Not like you.”
	“This is...is...” I said.
	Grandpa said, “You see why we keep our mouths shut about Echidna. The trouble that it would cause if anyone found out about her, well, you know.”
	“Why me? Why now?” I asked.
	Echidna answered, “Now, I'm still sleepy. Soon I'll wake up.”
	“What does that have to do with me?”
	“My heat is coming on. I'll need a mate.”
	I froze. Then I screamed, “What!”
	“This is why only the menfolk come down here. Sometimes, Echidna needs to find a man. It doesn't happen often, mind you. Maybe once in a generation, if that.”
	“Shit. Is this why you were asking about my job?” Yes, that's what I blurted out. I might have been in too much shock to think straight. Then, another thought occurred to me. “Is that what Dad did? You said that you took him down here before he met Mom...”
	“No,” Grandpa said, and then he began to laugh, “no, that's not it at all. Your father didn't want anything to do with Echidna. Besides, last time she was up and about for long was my father's time.”
	“I don't always get children. But I usually do,” she said.
	“Look, you're very nice, but I'm not going to have sex outside my species.,” I said.
	“Hold out your hand,” she said.
	“Excuse me?”
	“Your hand. Hold it out.”
	“Go ahead. She's not going to hurt you,” Grandpa ssaid.
	I shook my head, not caring that they couldn't see me.
	“He's right. I don't want to hurt anyone.” Echidna's voice was right in front of me. I half-jumped back. There wasn't too much noise when I landed, but I still felt embarassed over that reaction.
	“Please,” Echidna said. She had stayed in the same spot, but that didn't provide me with any comfort.
	“She said again, “Please.”
	I raised my hand slightly, and then pushed  my arm all the way out. I felt something cool and smooth brush against the tips of my fingers. “That's you,” I said.
	“Part of me,” she answered. Then something gripped my hand. I almost jerked away on instinct, but I resisted the urge. Then I realized that it was her hand. I thought she must be covered in scales, like a snake. Her fingers moved over my palm, then started to explore my wrist. I used my other hand to stop her from going any further. I heard a deep breath just in front of me.
	“The light bothers me,” she said, “but the weather gets warmer. Then I come out, and you can see me.”
	“What if I want to see you now?”
	“Not yet. We're not ready.” As if in consolation, her other hand wrapped around my thumb.
	“We should be heading back,” Grandpa said.
	I tried to pull my hands away. She didn't let go at first, but then released me by degrees, maintaining the contact as long as possible.
	“Hurry back to me,” she said.
	“We will,” Grandpa answered, “but first I'm going to turn the flashlight back on.”
	There was a scraping sound, and then a splash. I felt drops of freezing water hit my face.
	The flashlight beam removed the darkness. Even though Grandpa was angling it away from us, I still had to squint. He nodded at me, and began to go back up the tunnel. We didn't talk on the way out. Once we had reached the entrance to the cave though, I had to ask some questions.
	“That was real, wasn't it?”
	Grandpa grunted. “Real as can be. Like I said, she's been here for ages. Maybe even before there were any people around.:
	“And you think I should...mate with her. Is this some Lovecraft shit?”
	“Huh? I think you give her what she wants: kids.” He paused to catch his breath after the climb, then said, “Lovecraft? Is that some internet word?”
	“No, he was an author in the thirties. That's not important. Why would I have a child with a monster? She wouldn't even show us what she looked like.”
	“Trust me, she looks fine when she's ready.”
	I did not need to hear that. I especially did not need to have the image that it conjured in my head. “Did you...do anything? With her?” I asked.
	“Never,” he said, “It's been generations since something like this happened. Most of the men in our line have been caretakers, making sure she's safe and secure.”
	“Nice alliteration,” I said.
	“Wasn't planning it that way, but thanks.”
	“Seriously though, how is it even possible to...do anything?”
	“She can change shape. I've seen it happen myself.”
	Grandpa was from the generation that lived through the Depression and the Second World War. Even by those standards though, he was being entirely too calm. In order to pry some useful information out of him, I decided to change tactics a bit.
	“Grandma doesn't know anything?” I asked.
	“I don't think so. She's a sharp woman, and I think she has her suspicions, but she doesn't know the truth. Not that I've ever seen.”
	“And you took Dad to see Echidna. Before he was married.”
	“Yep.”
	“He's never said anything like that to me.”
	“We don't talk about her except for those in the know. Can't keep a secret if you open your mouth about it every chance you get.”
	“What happened with Great-grandfather? You said that was the last time she was active for, however long.”
	We were back inside the trees. Grandpa brought the flashlight up so he could check his watch. He brought it very close to his face, giving me a good look. It was a little past quarter to three. He sighed, then said, “Usually she's only awake for a few weeks, twice a year or so. Before I was born, my  father, Will (Something) saw her up for a whole season, end of spring right through the summer.”
	“Does that mean he...?”
	“Never asked. There weren't any children, as far as that goes.” Grandpa lowered the flashlight, and marched with more energy than before. “You're taking this pretty calmly, all things considered.”
	“I might still be shock. Also, she, gave off an impression,” I said, “like she was very lonely.”
	“I think anyone would be lonely, being the only one of their kind around. Even if we talk to her, it's not the same.”
	“I guess not,” I said. “I'm still not on board with the whole mating issue, though.”
	“No hurry there. It's going to be at least two more weeks or so before it even becomes an issue. I wanted to have some time to think it over, get used to the idea.”
	“That's not really an idea I want to get used to.”