Behind the mountain village there was an ancient cave. The elders said it had been used for storage since their grandparents’ time. Lin and Plu had always wanted to go inside and explore.
On a holiday when the rain briefly stopped, the two of them set off up the hill, each carrying a torch.
“We won’t go in too deep,” Lin said.
“Just a quick look,” Plu agreed.
But the cave was far too interesting. The deeper they went, the more astonishing the stalactites and stalagmites became - shaped like elephants, giant birds, and castles.
“Whoa!” Plu shone his torch at the cave wall. “That one looks exactly like a dragon.”
Lin stepped closer to look - and just then, the wet stone floor made Plu slip and fall. His torch hit a rock. The light went out.
Complete darkness swallowed everything.
“Plu!” Lin called out. Her voice bounced and echoed through the cave.
“I’m here. I just fell - I’m fine,” Plu answered, his voice trembling a little.
Lin quickly shone her own torch on Plu. No cuts or scratches - but Plu’s torch was broken.
“We have one light left,” Lin said. “We have to get out together.”
The problem was they had gone so deep they couldn’t remember the way back. The cave split into several tunnels.
“Listen first,” Lin said, going still. “My aunt once told me that wind always blows out from a cave’s opening.”
Plu closed his eyes and listened. “There’s wind coming from the left…”
“Then we go left,” Lin decided.
They walked slowly, Lin leading with the torch, Plu keeping a hand on Lin’s shoulder. They crouched through narrow passages and climbed over boulders. Every time they were unsure, they stopped and listened to the wind.
“The wind!” Plu said, his voice brightening. “It’s getting stronger!”
A faint glow appeared around a corner, growing larger and larger until the cave’s entrance opened before them. The afternoon light poured in, warm and golden.
Both of them sprinted out together, then stopped, caught their breath, looked at each other - and burst out laughing.
“We won’t go in too deep,” Lin repeated, still laughing.
“Next time we listen to ourselves,” Plu said - and looked back at the cave with different eyes than he’d had that morning.
On the walk home, Plu said quietly, “Thank you for not leaving me.”
“What kind of friend would do that?” Lin replied.
And that turned out to be a better lesson than exploring every cave in the world put together.
