WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES Chapter Fifty-Nine

 WALKÜREN - THE THREE MARIES

Chapter Fifty-Nine

They had been advancing for more than half an hour through the dense forest, when they finally heard the sound of falling water... their destination was close. The air was more humid... the river was not far away. Puddles of water were beginning to form on the floor. And the cold... yes, due to the fact that the trees were so close together, and the constant darkness, the place was very cold. The smell of vegetation, mixed with the earth, gave the place a different air...
During the walk, Matilde almost stepped on a snake that passed through the vegetation. Juvêncio stopped her one step away from hitting the animal, which didn't pay any attention to him and continued forward. The crickets made their characteristic noise... the occasional butterfly fluttered across their path. The symphony of birds made the place less gloomy, and even some cicadas ventured out, even in that place where the light was simply absent.
Finally they reached the river bank. I mean, they got close... because the vegetation was so tangled, like hair when it isn't combed constantly and becomes tangled, that it wasn't possible to really get close to the riverbank. The quintet took a look at the place and decided that the best place to start their research was about five hundred meters ahead... the waterfall was still out of sight, but its noise indicated that it wasn't that far away...
The machete cleared the way for the group and, meter by meter, they finally arrived at the desired location. They examined both sides of the river, observing every detail, trying to notice something different in its formation. They knew that it would be difficult for them to identify what they were looking for at first glance... after all, what they were looking for had been abandoned at least a few hundred years ago... but as they say, hope is the last thing to die... .
They continued to walk towards the waterfall, paying attention to every detail that appeared in front of them. But nothing caught their attention, which meant they still hadn't found what they were looking for. But they were sure they were in the right place and, sooner or later, they would come across something that would confirm their theories.
Juvêncio continued using the machete, clearing the trail along the river. At one point, he thought he saw something different. He unbuckled his belt, took off his boots and shirt. Then he jumped into the waters of the river, trying to confirm what he thought he saw. He swam to the middle, between the two banks. Then he dived, as if he were a porpoise. He stayed underwater for about two minutes. The four girls were already apprehensive about the deputy's delay in emerging... but he soon returned to the surface. With vigorous strokes, he was soon back on shore.
- Why is that, Juvêncio?
- I needed to confirm something I saw....
- A cave...
It was Izabel speaking...
- Yes, Izabel... it was a cave... but you already knew, didn't you?
Izabel just smiled. Yes, she really knew about the existence of that underwater cave. Just as she knew in advance that this was not the passage Juvêncio was looking for. She didn't know how she could be sure of that. She just felt it... but she wasn't going to tell the police officer that. She couldn't. He would have to find out on his own.
- What are you going to do now, Juvêncio?
- I am not sure. But I think we should move a little further.
- Aren't you going to investigate the cave you found?
- Later. Now I'm more curious about the waterfall...
- It shouldn't be far... after all, there's no shortage of hills in the region.
- At least here on the river you can see the sky... and, yes, I think the waterfall isn't too far away... we'll soon reach it...
- And this cave?
- What about her?
- Aren't you going to... dive again?
- It depends on what we find later on...
With that said, Juvêncio put on his boots, buckled his belt and picked up the machete again to continue clearing the trail. Soon they saw the waterfall, after a bend in the river ahead. It wasn't a very big drop. Three meters at most. But from where they were, they could see that several falls formed the course of the river, as if they were a staircase...
- I think what we are looking for is on one of these levels...
- And why do you think that?
- Well, it's obvious. An underwater temple doesn't make much sense...
- Why not? It may be that, at the time, this river did not pass through here....
- I think it's difficult. The waters don't change their course like that, from one moment to the next...
- But we are talking about a long period of time.... suddenly, when everything happened, this river didn't even exist!
And they continued their walk, until they reached the first waterfall. They examined the place, looking for a way to climb to the next platform, since nothing that interested them was present on the first level.
- Ladies, be careful! Sometimes, snakes tend to fall through the waterfall... it's not a very pleasant thing, especially if it's a rattlesnake or a pit viper...
Matilde backed away, terrified. Graça tried to calm her down...
- Calm down, girl... this can happen, but it's not that common... don't worry...
They began to climb cautiously, one step at a time... after a half hour they were on a plateau, where the river ran calmly, before the abrupt drop. Fifty meters ahead, another drop... this time, Juvêncio saw something that could be what he was looking for...
The machete didn't need to come into action. As the water's edge had a strip of sand separating it from the forest, the group was able to explore the area more calmly. They could appreciate every bit of that river beach. Of course, it was not recommended to try to swim in that stretch of the river, as the waters rushed downwards very violently... but it was possible to get your feet wet...
What really interested Juvêncio was the dark spot he saw behind the waterfall... had they finally found the long-awaited entrance to that temple? He hoped so...
Juvêncio couldn't control his excitement... he examined everything around the waterfall and found that there was nothing unusual to worry about... he began to explore the fall itself, and realized that, yes, there was a cave that was protected by the falling waters. And it had something peculiar... it was possible to access the entrance without dipping your feet in the waters of the river, since there was a trail that led there, a little higher than the level of the waterfall...