Proceed

Finally ready, I exit the cave through the low entrance. There is a longer, taller corridor waiting outside with identical entrances to other caves, and presumably other springs, across its length. I begin following it, my bare feet making small, careful steps on the waxed marble floor. The corridor is not straight, it snakes in irregular intervals, twisting and turning every so often. It’s well-lit, with lanterns hanging from the high ceiling. The entrances to the other caves vary, some as barren and droll as mine while others are decorated with carvings and paintings, and some were even blocked with paper folding screens or heavy curtains.

I walk for a while, the constant shifting of the way making it hard to estimate the size of the compound. The corridor widens up as I walk, the atmosphere of it is getting colder as I approach the outside.

There is no door at the end, just a blinding screen of natural light that makes it almost impossible for my eyes to see outside. There is a shoe rack next to the exit, glass containers with runic locks on them containing a few dozen pairs of all kinds of shoes. One of them is my ankle-high wedge boots. I check my pockets for my key card… No luck. Must have left it with my work clothes in the spring. Well shit, looks like I’m going out barefoot.