The Expanding Caves

Article written by Mina

Crystal was technically the original discoverer of this cave system, but she didn't want to write the article. I have been to the caves, though, so this isn't just second hand. I've measured them on a couple of occasions, marked down where things were, mapped them out. I can confirm, these caves are growing.

Two of my many talents gifted to me by my unique biology are that I glow in the dark a bit and that I have very good night vision. Meaning, exploring caves is easy as hell for me. When Crystal returned to the caves after her first visit, she brought me along for exactly those reasons. She had made a map of the bits of the cave nearer the surface, though it seemed as though even that had changed since she'd first been there. Neither of us thought much of it at that point and carried on, mapping deeper and deeper bits of the cave.

Crystal: Thank the gods you're not writing in third person again.

Mina: Mina shook her head and laughed as she read this comment. Little did her friend know, Mina already had three more articles written in her usual style just waiting to be finished.

Crystal: You little shit.

Together, we created a pretty good map. I then returned to the caves on my own about two days later. To my surprise, the map was no longer accurate. Now, I know maps of caves are a little weird, but this was on another level. This cave seemed to be growing. The narrow passages that I could barely reach before had branched out, opened up, and I could fit through with ease. 

Admittedly, at this point I was halfway convinced that the cave was opening up, rather than expanding. It seemed more logical. But then I checked again, another two days later, and there were the beginnings of paths where there had only been solid rock before. I monitored these caves for a full month before I felt I could say with certainty that it was burrowing deeper. Some animal was expanding this cave system. Or, at least, that was what I had thought was happening.

Angel: Very dramatic!

Jay: For all that you present yourself as a fool, I must admit that you're not entirely useless when it comes to investigations such as this.

Mina: I think that was mostly a compliment! Thanks!

I wanted to see what this animal could be, so I gathered together my supplies and a sleeping roll and I went back to the cave. I didn't want to venture to deep, since the possibility of the animal trapping me in there was unpleasant to consider, but I didn't want to stay to close to the surface, where things weren't changing all that much. I found a pretty good middle ground, right where I figured there would be some of the activity I was looking for, and I settled in to stay up all night. I had food and water for three days, just in case this took a while. Luckily, I didn't have to wait that long.

Jude: One of these days I'm going to come with you on one of these investigations.

Mina: That would rule! I got so bored on this one, just waiting for something to happen for hours. Plus, I miss you when we're apart.

Jude: Aw <3

Crystal: Kill me now.

Five hours in, just after the sun had set, the stone before me started to make a weird noise. I've replicated it to the best of my ability for an audio file, but have been told I need to go back and 'actually record the noise' before attaching anything to this article. As the noise continued, the wall began to bubble, It was like the stone had turned to some sort of thick sludge. I pressed a stick into the cave wall, and it gave way, suggesting it also possessed the consistency of sludge. I didn't interfere with it any more, not wanting to ruin whatever this was. I just watched as the cave boiled inwards, creating a crevice that would, in another couple days, probably grow large enough to become a passageway.
I don't know what made this happen. We haven't taken samples of the cave wall while it's doing this yet, and I maintain that it might be the work of some creature that is too small to see with the naked eye. It's also possible that there's just something about this cave that makes it just do that. Further investigation will be needed.

Angel: A cliffhanger!

Mina: Dun, dun, dunnn! Seriously, though, I don't have the first idea what was going on with this cave. It can't have been expanding for very long, right? I mean, it wasn't that big yet. And does it have a point where it stops expanding? Does it start shrinking then? Is the cave alive? Many questions, still no answers. Tune in next time for more!

Jude: Once the repairs are finished in the lab, you and I will go out to collect some samples.

Mina: Hell yes!