The World Invades the Cave

Rishi awoke in the muted light of morning which drizzled in from the end of the cave like light through a cathedral window.

Terrie stared at Rishi from his side. She mopped his brow with a wet cloth and smiled at him. "Welcome back to the world of the living Jon, How do you feel?"

"Pretty much like I fell off a hundred meter waterfall."

"Is that what happened?" asked Terrie.

"Yeah. That's what happened."

Rishi's son heard his parents talking from the cave entrance and ran back to them. "Its so cool here Dad! Can we stay?"

Before Rishi had a chance to talk Terrie said, "No Jonny, we can't stay here we have to get home, I've been away from my job for far too long."

At this moment Bob walked up from within the bowels of the cave with a glass pitcher full of water. Bob was wearing new blue jeans and a white undershirt. This was the first time Rishi had seen Bob in clothing.

"Were you wearing that last night?" asked Rishi looking at Bob.

"Yes sir. Fascinating story. I met this lovely woman in town while I was trying to rustle up some grub. She was so taken to my wretchedness she insisted on buying me some clothing and a good hot meal."

Terrie continued, "I had this coconut with me that I bought at the shore and I offered it to Bob after his meal."

Rishi looked at Bob and Bob smiled really wide and winked his left eye.

Terri continued, "That's when Bob brought up the fact that the man he lives with had gone missing in the caves. He told me the most fascinating story about how this worldly man shows up at his cave entrance and then proceeded to almost get them both killed. I thought, 'that sounds like Jon's luck.'

"As he continued the story," said Terrie, "he mentioned in passing that your name was Rishi and then everything started to fall in place."

"How long have you been waiting here?" asked Rishi.

"We've been here a few days."

Jonny spoke up, "And its been so much fun!"

Rishi sat up very slowly holding his head. "Man what a headache."

"That's a nasty concussion, you're very lucky to be alive," said Bob and he winked again.

Rishi leaned toward him and whispered, "What did you change?"

Bob smiled and said quite obviously, "You should be happy to survive such a fall. You could have died."

Rishi, taken aback, said, "Thank you. Thanks again for saving me."

"You're not saved yet lad," replied Bob, "but perhaps soon you'll be out of the woods."

"You mean out of the cave," interrupted Terrie, "this place is awful."

"Awe Mom," said Jonny, "I really like it here."

"Me too kiddo," said Rishi, "me too."

Terrie looked thoughtful for a moment and said, "well you can't leave here right now, in fact you should stay on your back until the swelling subsides, but I'm fairly certain that you're past the danger point."

"Where's Paul?" asked Rishi.

"He's back in the states, he'll pick us up once he gets air clearance for flying through Nepal."

"I'm not leaving here," said Rishi.

Bob smiled and shook his head.

Terrie said, "You can't stay here! You have a son to support!"

"You don't need me. You told me so yourself when you left me for Paul."

Bob's smile grew even wider. Apparently what ever fruit he was seeing in his head revealed where Rishi would be in a day's time.

"Look Jon," said Terrie, "I just didn't... I mean... I couldn't help falling in love with him."

"Lets not get into this here and now," said Rishi, "just know that I'm staying."

Bob shook his head again and Rishi wanted to smack him.

Terrie's phone rang in that instance and she walked toward the mouth of the cave as she opened it.

"How you doing kiddo?" asked Rishi of his son Jon.

"I was really worried about you Dad. You stopped calling."

"My phone died at some point."

"I figured as much," said Jonny, "look I got you a new one!"

Jonny handed his father a new phone. It was silver, about the size of a match box and perfectly smooth.

"How's this one work?" asked Rishi.

"Its so cool Dad, watch."

Jonny slid his finger along the side of the box and a virtual panel opened above it.

"Wow. That is really cool Jonny. Thanks so much for bringing it."

"You're welcome Dad."

Jonny handed his father the phone and Rishi stuck it in the pocket of his mostly destroyed pants.

Looking at Bob, Rishi asked, "so she brought you a coconut?"

"Yep. There were nearly sixteen trillion trillion possibilities for me to sift through. I found the few where you were alive and focused on them."

"And by affecting her choices you kept me alive?"

"Yep."

Jonny looked puzzled but realized he was privy to special conversation and kept his mouth shut.

"You know if I have to go, so do you," said Rishi.

"Ha ha! You wish," replied Bob.

"You look at those possibilities and tell me where the better outcome is: you stay here or you come with us."

Bob pulled up the rutabagas and began sifting the possibilities. It was a simple divide and compare.

"What's a rutabaga?" asked Bob.

"Its a vegetable, why is that your next gift?"

"Yes it is."

"Strange huh?"

"Very."

Bob finished his divide and looked at Rishi. "Okay, I'll come with you but on one condition."

"What's that?" asked Rishi.

"You do anything I say, no questions asked."

"Deal," said Rishi.

Jonny, a perfect eleven year old copy of his father, was far wiser than most kids. He actually grasped a lot of what was being said by the adults because of an inborn clarity ability. But even with this form of sixth sight he couldn't grasp the level his father and this old man were talking.

Terrie walked back to the men and said into her phone, "okay Paul, we'll see you at noon local time." She hung up the phone and said, "Paul will have the ship here tomorrow at noon. He's got my GPS transponder location so we're good to go."

Rishi sat down and leaned against the wall.

"I'm not feeling very good. I think I need to..."

Rishi lost consciousness again. Terrie checked his head and she and Bob gently laid him down on his bed roll.

"He should have had some water," said Bob.

Jonny kept searching himself for answers to the puzzled conversation between his father and Bob. He kept finding nothing so he kept searching.