The Caves of Cardinal Creek.

​Charlotte thought her life was incredibly dull. It wasn’t that her parents weren't nice—they were, but they were so busy. Her daddy, a quiet man who worked at the Public Service of Canada, left early every morning on the bus, and her mommy, an entrepreneur who had her own company from home, spent most of her day with her head buried in her computer upstairs. The house was quiet, and the backyard was a perfectly rectangular patch of grass with no real secrets to uncover. Charlotte longed for something more, a real adventure.

​One humid afternoon, while she was pretending her old soccer ball was a dragon egg, she noticed something unusual beside the deck—a loose patch of dirt near the concrete foundation. It looked like a badger might have been digging, but she knew there were no badgers in her neighborhood. With a sense of purpose that made her heart thump, she tugged at a large, flat stone. It shifted with a scraping sound, revealing a small, dark hole that smelled of damp earth and something sweet, like wildflowers. It was a cave! Her own personal secret.

​She knew she couldn't go in unprepared. She dashed inside, grabbed the brightest flashlight she could find, and returned to the hole. Taking a deep breath, she squeezed through the opening and began to crawl. The tunnel was tight at first, but it quickly widened and sloped downward. Her flashlight beam danced on the rough, earthy walls. She called out a soft "hello?" but her voice just echoed, swallowed by the profound darkness below. She kept going, her excitement pushing her forward, until the air grew cool and a faint, shimmering blue light appeared in the distance.

​The light grew stronger with every step, and when Charlotte finally emerged from the tunnel, she gasped. She was in a massive, breathtaking cavern. The ceiling was a vast, glittering expanse of crystals that glowed with their own inner light, twinkling and pulsating like stars. A gentle hum, like a distant choir, filled the air, and she realized the crystals were not still—they were glowing like stars their light a symphony of soft blues and purples. In the center of the cavern sat a luminous, bright blue pond, its surface so calm it looked like a sheet of polished glass. The water emitted a soft light of its own, illuminating the rocks around it.

​As her eyes adjusted to the magical light, she saw them. Strange, beautiful animals with six legs and antennae that pulsed with soft light scuttled from the shadows, their movements silent and graceful. Creatures that looked like translucent fish with shimmering fins swam lazily in the pond, their bodies glowing like living lanterns. They were all curious but friendly, and they moved closer, as if to welcome her.

​Drawn to one of the largest crystals, a vibrant purple one, Charlotte reached out and placed her hand on its smooth, cool surface. A warm sensation spread through her fingers, and suddenly, the world around her faded away. In her mind’s eye, a perfectly clear vision appeared. She saw her home above the cave, the deck, and the very hole where she had entered. She saw her daddy standing at the end of the driveway, waiting patiently for the bus, and her mommy upstairs, a focused expression on her face as she worked away at her desk. The crystal had allowed her to see what she couldn't normally see, connecting her two worlds in a single, breathtaking moment.

​As she pulled her hand away, two of the creatures with glowing antennae approached. One of them made a series of soft clicking noises, and Charlotte felt a gentle voice echo in her mind. “Would you care to have tea with us?” they offered, gesturing to a flat rock near the pond's edge. A low table carved from a glowing root was already set. Charlotte nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face. They served warm scones with a glistening, bioluminescent jam that tasted like a mix of strawberries and starlight.

​Between bites, one of the creatures explained their way of life. “Here, we only eat what grows from the land or what lives in the shadows,” it said, its antennae glowing softly. “We never hurt any other creatures. That's why it is so nice to have a new person to come and talk to, to have tea with. Every new creature we meet is our friend. This is what kindness is all about.” Charlotte listened, realizing that the simple, loving way they lived was the opposite of her own dull world.

​As they finished their tea, Charlotte’s gaze drifted to the crystal she had touched earlier. She placed her hand on it once more, and a familiar voice echoed in her mind: “Charlotte, Charlotte, time to come home!” Charlotte’s heart sank, and she turned to her friends. "I must go," she said, her voice filled with sadness. They understood completely. "Do not forget to cover the hole to the cave," one of them chimed in a happy, clicking voice. They all waved goodbye in their own gentle ways, their antennae pulsing in a final farewell. Charlotte began her journey back through the tunnel, her mind still filled with the magical world she was leaving behind. Back in her yard, she carefully pulled the flat rock back over the opening, her secret safe. Her life might be dull on the surface, but now she knew a world of wonders existed just beneath her deck.