Lloyd watched the old cat-like person eat the fried fish he had offered it. He was in such awe that it was finally awake! When he had woken up on this island after the storm at sea a few weeks ago, he never imagined that he would find this cave and what lay inside.

One week earlier...

After stumbling about the beach and small forest, he was able to make a fire with a couple of sticks. Locating a long thin branch, he was able to turn it into a  make-shift spear. Going out on those fishing weekends with his grandfather so many years ago paid off. At least he wouldn't starve while here...where ever here may be.

Lloyd had plenty of time to think over his life as he explored the island. His father was an archeologist and often away at digs. Lloyd remembered going along with his father a number of times. He loved his father. That is why he hated the day he had told his father that he wasn't going to follow in his footsteps. Archeology was a little bit of an interest to him, but he much prefered studing languages and becoming a linguist. He can now speak and read any number of languages including English, French, Latin, Italian, Gaelic, Egyptian, Spanish, and a couple more.

The first couple of days on the island were only mildly boring as there were many places to explore and things to do including building himself a shelter and emergency bonfire pile, just in case he saw a plane overhead or a boat nearby. Then, while exploring along the small mountain-side, he saw something that made his adrenaline zoom! There, on some rocks was what looked like an ancient writing!

They were somewhat similar to Egyptian hyroglyphics, but when he tried to read them as such, they made no sense! After studying them for a number of hours, he finally decided that there must have been a rock slide or something because one side looked cut off. With that in mind, he began to explore the area and carefully moved up the mountain-side. Unfortunately, the sun was setting and he knew that he had to get back to his camp and make sure he had enough wood for the night. The nights on the island tended to get cool.

The next day, however, he started as soon as he could and went back up the mountain-side where he once more began looking around for more clues of a rock slide. He was methodic as he searched. At least he had paid some attention to his father on those digs he was able to attend so long ago. But it all came back to him on how to search a potential site. His father would have loved being here and discovering this! Lloyd paused only a moment as he remembered his late father. Frank Stearns had died only last year, but it seemed like ages ago. Lloyd missed his father.

He shook his head and took a deep breath as he forced himself to think once more about what he was doing. There. And there! Signs of a slide. But the signs were faded, as though this had happened a very long time ago. Lloyd moved a little more up the mountain carefully until he saw, just beyond a bushy tree what looked like a cave entrance! Lloyd moved over to the spot carefully and was delighted to find that his assumptions were right! There was a cave there! He glanced down the hillside and saw large rocks at the bottom. It appears that the rock slide had opened this particular cave. He was beginning to think that it must have been an earthquake that caused the rock slide, though he was still unsure of when that happened.

Lloyd knew well enough not to go inside the cave right away without making sure it was safe. He climbed back down to his camp and made himself a meal of fried fish. He then gathered up a supply of items and forced himself to rest for another night. He had a feeling he would need to preserve his energy for a full day of exploring the next day.

The sun broke over the horizon just in time to light the way for Lloyd who had been up for the past half hour, cooking his breakfast and preparing his lunch for later. He put them all in a make-shift knappsack and he had to grin at how much it looked like one of those stick and kercheif sacks that hobos used to be depicted with when jumping on the trains. He's not jumping on a train today, per se, but he had a feeling that it will be one interesting ride!

Lloyd found the cave again easily enough and waved his torch slowly and carefully over the entrance. Nothing happened. Well, it seemed to be safe to go inside without worry of flamable gasses. He reached inside the cave with the torch and looked around. Fallen debris, dirt, various plants at the entrance...and not as much towards the back. Lloyd stepped inside and glanced around. The entrance seemed to be like any other cave. Was he wrong in thinking there would be more here? He moved farther to the back where the walls seemed to almost be cut out, rather than naturally made. But how was that possible? Those rock hard walls look quite strong and not easily cut into.

Wait....he spotted something on the wall towards the back. Yes! More writings! Lloyd moved back and looked at them closely. He set his sack down and picked out of it a pencil and notepad. The notepad had obviously been wet from when the storm shipwrecked him here, but it still worked. He wrote down some of the hyroglyphics and made a few notes to himself about possible meanings, yet still having no clue. He then put the notepad and pencil in his pocket, picked up his sack once more and moved further into the cave.

There was another room. Again, the earthquake must have made the rocks fall. It's obvious to him that the room had once been sealed off. Before entering, he glanced around the cave walls and ceiling. It seemed sturdy enough. It didn't seem to want to cave in on him at least. Satisfied with his observations, he stepped into the room and froze! There, in the middle of the room was a stone slab.....and a skeleton! Someone used to live on this island! He stepped further into the room slowly and looked around. The room and table were covered in the hyroglyphics!

Lloyd made his way over to the skeleton and made sure not to touch anything. There was a story in this room! He just had to find it! Who was this person who was buried on this island and in this cave? Was is someone royal? Was it another castaway who made all this? No, there was a purpose to all the hyroglyphics, and probably the table as well.

Now that he was closer, he took a closer look at the skeleton. His heart skipped a beat! That wasn't a human skull! The body was the shape of a human, but the head looked like it belonged to an animal of some sort!

Chapter 3