My Adventures at Nerja Caves in Spain. . .

You are having the same dream again, the one where you are groping in a dark cave, alone and fearful.  You have a torchlight in your hand, that lights up the hidden crevices of the cavern.  Otherwise, it is total blackness.  Your heart is thudding with anxiety.  It is so dark that without the light, you would not be able to see your own hand in front of your face.  A sour stench of bat droppings makes you cover your mouth with your hand.  As you make your way gingerly over the uneven rocks and wind down into a damp tunnel, you lose your balance and the torchlight slips from your hand.  The light blinks for a hopeful moment and then falls, tumbling into a large underground avalanche of rocks.  Darkness surrounds you, claws at you, and almost seems to smother you.  You feel very much alone and more than a little frightened.  You put one foot in front of the other, lurching unsteadily like a woman on stilts.  You take a deep breath and decide you have no choice but to slide down among the rocks.