The Cave

13 Feb 2025

I can’t help it. There is no other way to calm my heart. It’s just so peaceful here in this void, in this cave—the cave that I’ve so often found myself in.

I don’t know when it started, but slowly, over time, this has become my home. I’ll seek out adventures, climb mountains and gaze at the sea, but I always find myself back here again. It’s so warm. My hands, smiles, and tears are all imprinted on the walls of this cave. And it’s my own cave! It belongs to me! No one else can ever enter it. How wonderful is that!?

The more I stay in it, the warmer it gets. Whenever I’m back here, I curse myself. Why did you seek adventures in the first place? They’re not for you! The outside of the cave is scary, ruthless, and painful. But it’s okay. Now you’re back here, in the cave. It’ll take some time to recover and feel its warmth once again, but you must not return to the outside world this time. No matter what! You hear me? No matter what!

Just hug yourself with your arms and curl your body like a crescent moon hanging in the night sky. If you hug tight and long enough, there will be warmth down in the fireplace soon. You’ll be allowed to open your arms again. You’ll be allowed to sit before it and let it caress your face. You’ll be able to walk and run. If you spend enough time here, you can master every movement of your body. You just need to take on everything, one by one. But wouldn’t I run out of time? NO. There’s plenty of time inside the cave! And someday, when you’ve mastered everything, you will be able to fly! “Fly”, you say?! Yes. Fly. The cave teaches you how to fly and it’s your own cave! It belongs to you! No one else is allowed to enter, remember? How WONDERFUL is that!?

But why must the cave teach me how to fly? Why must I believe in the cave? What if it’s just a contract with the devil? What if all the warmth that I feel is because of the grill that I’m lying on, before being entirely devoured?

You must not question the cave! Where else did you ever find love and warmth, if not here? You must believe in the cave. You must stay in the cave. The cave teaches you how to fly and it’s your own cave! No one else is allowed to enter. HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT!?