Asakiyume mita

Yesterday we went to visit the healing angel, who lives in an apartment nestled up against a steep hill topped by impressive towers of rock in which are ... the Sunderland Caves. We didn't actually know there would be cave-caves. We thought it would be mainly things like this overhang:



But then we rounded a corner and felt a sudden breath of cold air ("Wow, this is ... very Lovecraftian," said the healing angel). With a little exploring, we found an entrance.

Here the healing angel looks into the cave:



It was very dark within. We had to use the lights on our phones. Here's a look back at the entrance:



Light from a chimney shone in:



Here's the chimney from above--don't fall in there (*shudder*)




There was a drop of about ten or fifteen feet, into the dark. There was a fairly easy way down, but see previous: (a) huge drop and (b) dark. Eventually I managed to slither down and join the healing angel and wakanomori. There were some cute pseudo cave paintings:



Back on the outside, the healing angel posed on this stone formation:



She then started to walk round it...



But at just the point where I took the photo, we all heard a sharp hiss. Like a snake, or like air being released from a tire. But we couldn't see evidence of anything making the noise; everything was still. "Mmmm, I'm just not going to walk this way," the healing angel said, and she came back around, and we continued on our way. On our return journey we came across the spot from the other direction. Again Valerie looked in. Again we heard a sharp hiss. Again we could see *absolutely nothing*, nor was there any scurrying or anything.

Most Odd.

On our way down the hillside, the light was magnificent.