There were two caves. To save time, Simon insisted they split up and explore one each.
Ross took a coin. “Heads you explore the creepy cave that’s haunted by the evil ghosts of pirates—Tails I explore the bright shallow one where we shelter when it rains.”
“Okay,” said Simon. “Just hurry.”
Ross threw the coin—Tails.
Simon squeezed through the narrow entrance. Immediately the darkness wrapped a hostile veil around him. The cold, thin air stabbed his lungs. Reaching out to steady himself, his fingers met a thick gooey substance trickling down the cave wall.
‘Dead pirate’s blood!’ Simon screamed but he was so terrified the words stuck in his throat and refused to come out.
‘Don’t be stupid—there’s no ghosts . . . no blood,’ he assured himself.
Still, he avoided touching the wall as he crept deeper into the cave. The passageway twisted this way and that and was strewn with rocks that reached out to trip him up. After a long upward climb the path gradually leveled out. Ahead, the cave opened out, lit by a shaft of light shimmering from above. Simon instinctively sensed danger. Not ghostly danger but definitely danger of some sort. His heart raced. Beads of fear tricked down his cheeks. Desperately he fought to control his breathing in case the sound of his gasping should betray him. He edged towards the light with foreboding.
“Aaarghhh!” screamed Simon.
“Aaarghhh!” screamed the girl at precisely the same time.
