Heartknocks - - (chromebook ebook reader TXT) 📗

on his stomach and grabbed the top knot on the rope as he slowly edged himself down feet-first.

Kaili held the top portion of the rope tightly as Logan lowered himself. “As if this would actually help any,” she whispered.

When he reached the bottom, he hollered up to Kaili. “Come on down!”

She didn’t want Logan to think she was afraid. Fortunately, seeing how easily he made it down gave her some confidence. She sent her sandals down and grabbed the rope.

“You got this!” said Logan.

The knots he had tied worked perfectly, for both her feet and her hands. She could feel she was almost down. Her insides were doing happy backflips. On the outside, she couldn’t contain her smile – especially when Logan took hold of her ankle.

“Is getting up going to be the hard part?” Kaili asked as she jumped the last foot to the ground.

“You can go first and tell me.”

“We’ll see. Do you think there really is a waterfall somewhere?”

“There’s only one way to find out.”

“And it looks like there’s only one way for us to go.”

The light from outside showed that they stood inside a cave with a single narrow tunnel branching off to their right. The tunnel was barely taller than they were.

Logan extended his hand. “After you, birthday girl.”

“Yeah, right. You’re such the gentleman.”

Without too much hesitation, Kaili led the way. Each step took them farther down and brought less light. She counted the steps in her head. It became narrower and steeper. After twenty steps, she stretched out her arms and her hands touched the sides of the walls. By forty steps, it was completely dark.

“Are you sure we keep going?”

“We have to. It’s your birthday.”

After seventy steps, the walls closed in so much they had to scoot sideways.

“You brought the WD-40, right?”

“In my back pocket.”

And on the eighty-fourth step, it happened.

“Do you hear that?” Kaili excitedly asked.

“Water!”

A few steps later it became brighter and wider. Kaili stopped counting and ran to the light.

Logan arrived a few steps after she had entered the chamber, which was at least the size of her entire house. High above, light filtered in from cracks in the rock ceiling. It wasn’t intense, but it was bright enough to display the most beautiful site she had ever seen.

Water poured over the back wall, freely cascading to the floor and splashing into a large basin made by nature. A rainbow of colors glistened inside the bowl as the water gently overflowed its container and transformed into a multitude of tiny rivers, seeking one of the many small cracks in the floor.

Logan pointed to the left side of the basin, opposite of where the water spilled over. “Chairs!”

She hadn’t even noticed the two small rock outcroppings that resembled small, flat chairs. She screamed with excitement and ran to a seat. She kicked her sandals off, stretched out her feet and dipped them in the pool. “Whoa! That’s pretty cold for July.”

Logan sat in the chair beside her. He placed his hand inside the water and shook it.

“Are you getting a drink?” she asked.

“Not after your feet have been in there.”

“My feet are clean. You know, there seems to be a lot more water going into this bowl than going out.”

Logan sat on his knees and leaned over the water. “It looks like there’s a hole in the bottom over there.” He walked to the other side, sat down, and reached toward the bottom corner of the basin. “Yep,” he said with most of his arm under water, “it’s about as big as my fist.”

“Logan?”

“Yeah.”

“If you get stuck…”

“Yes…”

“You’re on your own.”

“That’s sweet of you.”

“It’s my birthday.”

Logan walked back and sat beside Kaili. He stretched out his arms, pointed to the top of the waterfall with both hands, and smiled at her. “Happy birthday, Kaili.”

She almost cried. “Thanks, Logan. It’s the best gift ever.”

“I wanted to get you something special after last year, when I didn’t have a gift. You told me –”

“I told you that you could get me a gift later. I didn’t mean it, you know. But I’m so glad you did. Thanks again.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You’re making it really hard for me to come up with a good enough present for your thirteenth birthday.”

“You’ve got three months to think about it.”

Random splashes of water sprinkled on them. Kaili kicked her feet in the water, leaned back on her hands and looked around. “Hey! Do you see that little hole in the wall?” She stood up and walked to a part of the wall several feet away from the waterfall. “It looks like a little bird’s nest.” On tiptoes, she reached for the spot, but it was beyond her grasp.

Logan walked over, and his extra couple of inches of height allowed him to reach inside and scoop out a mixture of small pebbles and dirt. “No magic treasure,” he said. “Not even bird eggs.”

They sat down and talked about the past year, their plans for the rest of summer, and the upcoming school year.

“Do we tell others about this place?” Kaili asked.

“I’d kind of like to keep it our secret.”

She smiled. “This is certainly going into my diary tonight.”

“You have a diary?”

“From my grandmother. She gave me a diary not long before she died about four years ago. I loved her so much.”

“It’s good that you have it.”

“It’s really big. I love writing in it.”

“And tonight…you’re going to write about me.”

Kaili hoped her face wasn’t red. “You wish.” She quickly changed the subject. “We need to name this cave.”

“Simple. Logan’s Cave.”

“I don’t think so. You named The Pill’s.”

“I guess that’s a good point. So, what are you going to name it?”

“You had the right idea, but obviously, the wrong name. And use the letter K twice: Kaili’s Kave.”

Logan laughed. “That works.”

“I’ve got a question.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Where in the world…” She tried to look serious before she completed her question. “Did you get a fortune cookie?”

“It helps if you plan ahead,” he quickly replied.

She thought for a moment, and then she knew. Logan had been acting very confident all through this cave adventure, even a little cocky. And he had asked her to lead the way through the tunnel. He was too nice to do that if…

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

Logan smiled. “Maybe…”

Kaili slept well that night.

She slept well again…and again…until…

Until a few months before her thirteenth birthday.

~ ~ ~

“Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Kaili. Happy birthday to you.”

She tried hard not to cry on her thirteenth birthday. It might be her last birthday, and everyone there knew it. They would understand if she cried, but she still didn’t want to.

She didn’t really want the cake, or the ice cream, or the presents. She didn’t want to see the look in her parents’ eyes. Not today.

She understood her parents’ worries, and she loved them more than anything in the world. She truly hurt for them more than herself.

She appreciated all of her family and friends coming to celebrate her birthday, but she didn’t feel like celebrating. Not today.

Kaili didn’t feel like blowing out candles either.

But she closed her eyes and took a deep breath…and…she held it. She chewed on her bottom lip. She shut her eyes even tighter. And tighter. Finally, she exhaled, opened her eyes, took another breath…and blew out all thirteen candles.

Everyone clapped, and Kaili asked her mom and dad if she could be excused. She thanked everyone and apologized as she and Logan left the house.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“We need some rope.”

 

Again, Logan knocked once, twice, then three times on the three warning signs next to the cave. He tied the rope around the Danger sign, and they escaped below to Kaili’s Kave.

The water tasted good. She made Logan taste it too – before she put her feet in it.

They sat in their chairs and talked about their last couple of visits to the cave. They didn’t say much else, but the sounds of the waterfall soothed Kaili.

“I bet you can reach the bird’s nest now,” Logan finally said.

“Yeah, maybe.”

“You’ve grown since you were just a little twelve-year-old girl.”

She chuckled.

“Come on,” he insisted. “Try it.”

“Logan, I don’t really –”

“Come on. Please! For me?”

“If you’ll stop being weird,” she said as she stood and walked away from the waterfall. She still had to tiptoe, but her hand reached the little hole in the wall. “What’s this?” She pulled it out and could no longer hold back her tears.

Logan jumped up and ran to her. “I’m sorry, Kaili. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” He placed his hands on her shoulders, and she threw her head into his chest and sobbed.

Not just because of her birthday, or because of her parents, or because of her thoughts about death, or because of Logan, and not just because of the silver ring she had pulled from the bird’s nest.

But for all of these things, she cried.

When her tears subsided, she and Logan walked back to the waterfall. As she sat down, she made a promise to herself that she would never cry again. She placed the ring on her finger. “Thank you so much for this. It’s beautiful.”

“I’m sorry if you’re not really in the mood for a gift. But it’s something I wanted you to have. The stone is a ruby.”

“My birthstone. I love it.”

“Can I ask you something, Kaili?”

She nodded.

“When you blew out your candles…what’d you wish for?”

She didn’t answer.

That night, she didn’t sleep well.

Nor for many nights at all over the next several months.

~ ~ ~

“Halfy birthday to you. Halfy birthday to you. Halfy birthday dear Kaili. Halfy birthday to you.”

Her bedroom door rattled.

Knock.

Knock-knock.

Knock-knock-knock.

“Come in, Logan. And, what’s up with the halfy birthday?”

“You are exactly thirteen and one-half years old today,” he said as he entered the room…carrying a rope.

She laughed. “Can I get dressed first?”

“Sure. Brush your teeth too if you want. I’ll wait downstairs.”

It was rare lately that she felt well enough to do something even slightly strenuous, but it was a good day. For the time of year, the weather was warm. In a light jacket, she was comfortable outside, and pedaling her bike again felt amazing.

She climbed down the rope without much trouble at all, though she did breathe a little heavier when she reached the bottom. Logan held her hand as they walked through the tunnel. She didn’t know if he was trying to be supportive, or if he just wanted to hold her hand. The reason didn’t matter; she squeezed his hand.

As they sat next to the waterfall, it crossed her mind that this could be her last time here. She didn’t cry. It was a good day.

It was too cold to consider dipping feet in the water, but Logan sat on the ground and dipped his hand in for a taste. “Wow, it’s never tasted better.”

“Really?” she asked. “It isn’t too cold?”

“Maybe that’s why it’s so good today. It tastes colder, or fresher, or something. You want to try? I’ll cup my hands together and bring you some.”

“Thanks, but I don’t mind getting my own.” Kaili knelt beside the edge of the