The Cave
Preface.
Andrew was sitting in a coffee shop at a corner table when an old man came in. He walked over, and said, “You took my usual spot.” So Andrew invited him to sit. At first he declined the offer, but then he looked thoughtful and said, “If you really don’t mind”
As he sat he asked, what is that old looking urn you have there?
The Cave
Andrew was on his weekend hike. He chose the remote canyon called Goat Creek that he had found on Google Earth. The area was near Lowdown Branch. He had discovered it While exploring the Calderwood dam looking for a fishing spot. He he noticed a shaded spot, maybe a cave.
Hiking and fishing in remote areas had become his hobby over the years. He seemed to almost need the outings, just to get away.
He always took his dog Willie with him. The Australian Shepherd had become his companion. The dog was loyal, but over energetic.
His plan was to drive to Calderwood dam and park in the wide spot on Calderwood dam road. Then walk the dam to the opposite side and then follow the ridge to Goat Creek. So far everything was going as planned.
Andrew wasn’t really a loner, but life seemed to have pushed him that way.
When he and his high school sweetheart graduated, he went to work welding and she went to college.
He had proposed to her one night when the mood seemed just right, just to have her put him on hold. She told him he had to wait ’til she finished college. In the meantime.
He had built himself a successful welding business. He was making as much in a month as some people made a year. Now he had taken on an assistant apprentice as a favor.
He and his fiancée would talk regularly at first. Nearly every night they would text and call. Then things slowly tapered off. Now she calls him less often, and the time periods between calls are much longer. His calls are answered less and less.
He used to get a quick text explaining that she was busy, and that even stopped. Every time he asks, she gives him the brushoff answer: “My training is really taxing.”
Andrew stood a couple inches over six feet. He kept his sandy‑brown hair in a buzz cut, and his facial hair about the same. He was built from hiking and hard work, strong and skinny. He was always dressed in Arccaptain welding pants, Thorogood boots, and a tee. He drove a 1999 Ford Powerstroke that he and his best friend had rebuilt. In the bed he had his Miller Bobcat 230.
He kept walking, letting Willie run ahead and burn off energy. It was a steep climb and some scrambling on all fours. It was a little more challenging than he had thought. He was nearly to the top of the ridge when his phone buzzed.
He sat on the ground looking out over the valley and answered his call. It was Ashley, his apprentice. Ashley was his buddy’s little sister eight years his junior, nearly nineteen now.. She had never figured out that she was a girl. “What?” “Hey boss, I want to use the truck for a bit. I have a small job I need to do. Where ya at anyway?”
She was short, and spunky, like a cheer leader. She mostly wore overalls, and a baseball cap. Her auburn pony tale braids sticking out the back. She was the hardest worker he knew.
His fiancée was the same in many ways, they both had a work ethic that wouldn’t quit, but Caitlyn was more polished and girlie.
He answered, “Don’t break anything. And I want everything put back where you found it.”
She answered, “Are you really expecting me to pick up after you again? Because you’re the one who doesn’t put things back.” She hung up before he could answer.
He sat looking at his phone for a moment when Willie dove into his lap. He rubbed the dogs head then pushed him off his lap. Heading up the hill his phone pinged, “Besides, I’m making you some money.”
Andrew didn’t realize it but he was is in that in‑between emotional zone where hope and hurt are fighting for the same space. His phone pinged again and he saw that it was a message from Caitlyn. His stomach tightened just a little when he saw it was from her.
He climbed to the summit and then read, “Can’t call this weekend, long shift. LY.” He stuck his phone in his pocket. He felt the hollow spot the message had left behind.
So he headed up the crest, following the shallow canyon. For the first time, he didn’t answer back. He thought, Who knows, maybe she really is that busy.
Her LY, rather than a full written out message hurt worse than he expected. He hiked lower down the crest toward Goat Creek. Then following the little valley up toward the top, he carefully worked his way through the brush and thickets.
Near the top, where he was sure he saw the cave he headed into the dry river bed. He found the spot he was looking for. It seemed to be an old miners cave, or outlaw hide out. Man made for sure. scooted down into the dark cave, using his flashlight to see his way in.
Willie poked his head in behind Andrew before following. The two stood in the cave and looked around. The roof of the cave was too low for him to stand. It looked as though no one had used it in a very long time.
In the very back was a set of artifacts. He moved closer and sat next to a rock. He found a small ring and some wood chunks. He found a dried chunk of leather. It was so dry it felt like it would break rather then bend.
There was a small blanket folded and dry rotted to a deteriorating pile. His knee bumped the rock, and he realized it was a jar. The jar, once he had brushed the dust away was a red-brown. It looked to be made of baked clay. On the sides were markings ringing around from top to bottom where the jar had been turned. It stood just over one foot tall.
It had a lid, or more like a cap, but he couldn’t pull it off. It had something dark and hard holing it on. He guessed it was pitch or tar that had turned rock hard.
He picked it up and looked it over. He shook it a little to see if anything was in it. He thought he felt something shift just a little. He guessed some Indian tribe had been there.
He pulled off his backpack and tried to figure out how to fit the jar in. After moving things around he managed to make it work without abandoning anything. He pulled out a big chunk of jerky and tossed it to Willie. He tried to catch it, and bounced off his nose to the floor of the cave.
The dog lay chewing on the jerky and seemed to be smiling. Andrew hopped up and tossed his pack into place, then looked around for anything else that might be interesting.
He climbed out into the sunshine and stood up, stretching his back. It felt good after being hunched over in the cave. He searched around the area but didn’t find anything interesting. He headed back toward the dam. As he hiked, he thought about the jar and what it could be. He had tried to open the lid, but it wouldn’t budge.
He had taken a few pictures with his phone and sent them to an old man he had done some work for. Jake was a retired miner and surveyor.
As he hiked, he waited for an answer.
He was walking along the dam before he got an answer. Jake told him that it didn’t look like any Native pottery he had ever seen before. He said, “Those lines running down it are called rilling lines. Native pottery never has those.”
He decided to show it to Ashley when he got back. She was smart and might know what to make of it.
On his way home he received a text: “Where you at? I need a spool of E71T‑11.” He texted back, “I’m an hour out. You know where I keep the keys. Help yourself to what you need.”
As he was driving home, he decided to send the photo to Caitlyn. He wrote, “Look what I found while hiking. Not sure what it is. When you get the chance.”
He finally made it home just outside of Townsend. His pickup wasn’t back yet, so he went in and looked in the fridge. There was some Angry Orchard someone had given him. He sat in his office chair and propped his feet up.
His laptop was still opened to QuickBooks. He would grudgingly do his books in the evening while listening to the television in the background.
He reached down and grabbed his pack, pulled out the clay jar. He turned it around in his hands, studying it. Then he carefully worked at the lid. He took out his knife and worked at the hard crystallized bitumen.
Small black chunks fell onto his desk. It took him a while, but he finally got it loose.
He peeked inside and saw a stick. He shined hid phone light in to see it better. He decided it wasn’t a stick after all.
It seemed to be tightly rolled, whatever it was made of — not cloth, but not paper. He decided to take it to a university, maybe an archaeology department or something. He put the cap back on it.
He sat typing in receipts and getting caught up on his bookkeeping. He was working on a proposal for a job when he heard Ashley pull up.
A moment later she was in the kitchen asking, “Is this all you have to drink? Come on, I’m an innocent child. You could at least keep sweet tea for me.”
She walked in and plopped down on the couch. She complained, “Cody came by the job site today — okay, so it was my brother’s shop, but still. Anyways, he didn’t come by to help. He wanted gas money. Can you believe it?”
He answered, “Huh.”
So she said, “I welded his hand to the frame.”
Andrew looked up and frowned at her.
“I was seeing if you were listening. He came up while I was running a bead and tapped on my shoulder — can you believe it? He should know better by now.” “He wanted gas money? Well I guess you two aren’t going out tonight.” He kidded her.
She said, “I need a boyfriend who doesn’t live at home and drive mommy’s car.” Andrew looked at her with his best boss look and said, “If I remember right, you still live at home.” And she shot back, “Yes, but I own my truck, and rebuilt it myself.”
She owned seventy two. Her brother had helped her put a 5.9L 12-valve Cummins in it. She had recently had it painted midnight blue and eggshell white.
He agreed, “You really do have a nice pickup. But if I remember right, I helped with some of that. Remember the motor mounts?”
He finished his work while she went on, “I don’t know. I was picturing myself in a yellow cotton dress bobby socks and he driving me to the drive in.” He answered, “you would look like a poodle.”
She jumped up and hurried over, slapped a check on the desk along with her hours for the job. “You better log this in while you’re at it.” He looked up at her and said, “I’m going to teach you how to do this.”
He looked at the paper she had handed him, and noticed she had written out the bid, and itemized the materials and time for the job. He opened up his bank book and wrote her a check. And then typed it all into his records.
Then he remembered the jar. He carefully picked it up and asked her, “Do you know what I found?” holding it out for her to see.
She carefully took it from him and asked, “Where did you find this?” She looked it over and then took the lid off.
“Is this a replica? Because if it is, it looks very convincing.”
He told her all about the cave and how he had found it. She made him promise to take her there one of these days. She set the jar back on the desk and said, “You need to get an expert to look at this.”
She looked at her phone and said, “I better get going. I need a shower. See you at Church? Bye.” Soon he heard her pickup rumbling. She pulled out and the sound faded as she headed toward her home.
He opened the internet and searched for an archeologist. He remembered the Townsend Archaeological Project. He would stop by there sometime next week. He took the jar and carefully locked it in his gun safe.
He decided to get cleaned up and then go to Abby’s, his favorite restaurant. He headed to shower and dress in clean clothes.
Later in the evening he was sitting at the round metal table near the river. He had ordered a pizza and a lemonade.
Suddenly two girls ran up to him, arms open wide, repeating, “Andy! Andy!” The faster one was three and the one following was two. Emma and Lily were his two favorite kids to spoil. Megan and Jeremy were close behind.
Lily reached for his pizza and Megan said, “Not so fast, Missy, that’s not yours.” Andrew scooped her up and gave her a hug, then asked Megan and Jeremy if they wanted to join him.
They moved to a bigger table and he watched as the girls ate his pizza. He ordered a large and drinks for them. He told Jeremy, “It’s the least I can do, seeing as your own sister charged you full price.”
He answered, “I insisted, it was her first paid job for me and I wanted her to have the experience.”
“Are you going to take that contract with Kinder Morgan?” “I have my bid in.” “Ya taking my sister?” “She’s my best employee. And a damn hard worker” “You know people will talk.” “So. I have a company to run and I’m taking her. I ain’t asking for permission, and I ain’t apologizing.”
The waitress brought the drinks and said, “I’ll bring your pizza as soon as its out.”
Jeremy ignored the waitress and said, “Ok, but you better keep an eye on her. You know how she is.” Andrew said, “We’ll be working together the entire time, and just the one truck.” Megan slapped Jeremy on the shoulder and said, “No one’s going to talk except for your mother. That wasn’t really fair. And Ashley is a grown woman, she doesn’t need your apron strings.”
The waitress brought the large pizza and they all dug in.
Andrew’s phone buzzed and he looked: Ashley. “You still at Abby’s? I stopped by Jeremy’s and they ain’t home.” He wrote back, “We’ll be here. But you’re paying.”
They could hear her pickup pulling up. The two girls watched for her expectantly. As she walked out to the patio, Andrew was amazed as always. She could transform from a hard‑working tomboy to a soft, pretty girl.
He pulled an empty chair around and turned it toward her. The girls were already climbing onto her lap as she sat.
She said to her brother, “Mom fixed her tuna casserole. I told her I was supposed to meet Cody. You’ll vouch for me, right?”
Megan said, “Jeremy told me he stopped by the shop. I don’t know what you see in him, bless his heart.”
“I know. I’m working on it. After today I think he’s afraid of me. Do you know what he did, Megan?”
“I heard — he tapped your shoulder while you were working. How dare he?”
Jeremy had Lily in one arm and was trying to eat with the other. Megan wiped sauce off Emma’s face and said, almost as an afterthought, “You didn’t tell me the Millers were moving. Are they moving closer to Caitlyn?”
Andrew looked up, surprised. “What?”
“The sign went up yesterday,” Megan said. “Henderson and Son. I assumed she told you. I figured they were moving up to Denver to be closer to her while she’s doing her rotation at the VA.”
The patio was noisy with families enjoying their Saturday evening.
He set his lemonade down carefully, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, “She never told me they were moving.”
Megan realized it a half‑second too late. “Oh — Andy, I’m sorry.” Everyone sat quiet for a few moments.
Ashley saw the look on his face, and felt it in her gut. She looked at Emma who was sitting on her lap and asked, lightly, “Hey, did you find one of those little painted rocks by the walking trail? Lily found one this week.”
Lily said, “It had a butterfly on it.” Megan still had that look on her face, so Ashley asked, “What color was the butterfly?’ Lily said “blue.”
