Written and illustrated by Joe Chiappetta, 2010 on an HP laptop running Microsoft Windows XP. Drawing created in Google Docs Drawing Program with a Wacom Tablet.
Nothing Good In The Cave
It appeared to be an average day of exploration in the woods. I thought I was greatly familiar with this part of the forest. In fact, I would even boast that I knew the area like the back of my hand. My son and I had built a fort near the very spot where my wife and I were now taking a pleasant evening stroll through the autumn canopy of trees.
As we came upon the lower ridge of the forest that marks the barrier between the woods and the clearing of wild flowers up above, I was startled to discover that a six foot high tunnel had been dug into the side of the ridge. Pulling a flashlight out of my backpack, I shinned the light into the darkness of the tunnel. However, the light illuminated nothing at all. Was my flashlight broken? Glancing down at the device, it appeared to be functioning properly, so I pointed the flashlight into the darkness again.
Suddenly a rigid felling swept over my whole being. It even became difficult for me to move. It was as if I had instantly developed arthritis all over my body. I struggled to maintain the aim of the flashlight into the darkness of the tunnel as I noticed a most chilling phenomenon; the light was indeed working, but it was being mysteriously absorbed by a foreboding figure lurking a few feet into the tunnel.
Why there was a man-sized tunnel--which now appeared to be more of a cave--in the side of the ridge in my favorite forest, I had no clue. The figure who stood just inside the opening of the tunnel was equally puzzling. Moreover, his dark, silent presence scared the daylights out of me. I kept shinning the light right at him, but the darkness seemed to leap out of the cave and overtake the light. It was an astonishing and dreadful sight to witness.
However, more astonishing was my inability to speak! I could only assume that the figure was a demon, or even the devil himself, and the very sight of this figure captivated me into inaction. I struggled to move and speak, but I was now frozen in my place. It wasn't a cold experience--just a terribly confining one. I hated this feeling and fought to say a phrase that instinctively came to mind. The three words of this sentence took massive effort for me to articulate.
At first, my statement was incomprehensible, and my wife firmly nudged me on the shoulder and said, "What are you saying? What's wrong?"
Apparently, she couldn't see the evil looming just inside the cave. This made me all the more urgent to communicate. While my speech started out as a muffled mumble, I kept on repeating it until my sentence could be understood by all; "Jesus is Lord."
It was exhausting just to finally say this clearly, and for all to hear. Nudging me again, my wife said, "There's nothing good in the cave for us. Move along. Let's keep moving along."
Much to my relief, the dark grip that had captivated my body and speech had been released. We did exactly as my wife had advised; we got out of there because she was right; There's nothing good in the cave for us.
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