Let's see... It was mid-afternoon when it happened, I think. It was late in the summer, so it was quite hot. We had been at the dig site for 3 months at that point, and we hadn't found anything. Earlier that year, we had received a sponsorship from a local museum to dig for ancient Hindu artifacts in southern India. However, it hadn't been going well, and our sponsors were getting impatient. Tempers were starting to flair from the stress, but that's when it happened. That's when we found it.
"I'm telling you Jim. There's nothing here. We should head to the cave up north," said Alex.
"No, we're not done here yet," I replied. "Remember, patience is a virtue." Alex rolled her eyes to that. "Let's finish up here today, and we can discuss moving north afterwards, " I continued.
"Aah!" *thud*
"Tommy!" cried Alex. "Are you alright?!" We ran over to Tommy's section of the dig site, and almost fell into the 30 foot sinkhole that had appeared.
"There must have been a collapse, " I stated. " Tommy! You down there?!"
"I'm here, and there's no need to yell. I can hear you just fine," moaned Tommy from crater.
"You aren't hurt are you?" asked Alex.
"Just my pride," returned Tommy. "Anyways, you guys should come down here. I think I found something." Alex and I sent each other a nervous glance before climbing down. Luckily the indention wasn't too steep, so as long as we avoided any loose rocks, we were able to reach the bottom without too much fuss.
"This better not be another broken stew pot, Tom--" I cut off. When we reached bottom a huge opening came into view from the side of the crater. It was at least 40 or 50 feet tall, and it appeared to extend down deep into the ground. Around the entrance large spikes protruded from around the cave.
"Tommy, I think you found something," stated Alex.
"I know right?" Tommy replied excitedly. "Check out the floor. It's smooth, like a paved path, and the walls are covered in intricate designs."
"Yeah, they look almost like scales..." Alex noticed. "What do you think Jim?"
"This is definitely something," I stated. "The stonework doesn't match the styles of the period, based on the sediment in the area. I would date it back at least 2 or 3 thousand years, if not more. But, somethings off. The stone reminds me of something. I just can't put my finger on it."
"I know what you mean, " declared Tommy. "I would have sworn I'd seen it before. Anyways, it look like it goes pretty deep. Do ya'll think we should go a little deeper? There might be more clues inside."
"Yeah," I nodded. "It seems stable enough inside, and there isn't any noticeable stress from the collapse. We'll just need to be careful."
"It's decided then!" declared Alex. "I'll run up and get some flashlights, and we can check it out." She ran up the embankment and cam back quickly with some flashlights and canteens. "I though we might want some water. Better safe than sorry."
We distributed the flashlights and headed down into the cave. As we walked down, the cave narrowed slightly and the walls became smooth.
"I've got it!" yelled Tommy, startling the rest of us.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I know what this is. I can't believe I didn't notice it at first. I just can't believe we'd find one this big..."
"Spit it out Tommy" Alex said.
"It's a fossil!"
Just then, there was a deep rumble in the cavern, and the walls glowed with a dull red. Next, the whole cavern shook violently, and before we could do anything, the entrance collapsed behind us. There was a moment of silence as we all stood in shock. Then, there was another rumble. It was strange though. It didn't sound like an earthquake. It sounded more like laughter...
Author's note:
This story is based off of one of the stories of Krishna in the Bhagawat Purana. In the original story, a powerful demon shape-shifts into a giant serpent, and tricks Krishna and his friends into entering his mouth. Before the demon could close his mouth though, Krishna, notices the trick and grows to an enormous size. His body fills the serpents mouth, suffocating and killing it, and everyone is able to leave safe and sound. Over time the serpents body hardened and the village boys would play around on its body.
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Krishna's friends entering the serpent's mouth
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For my story, I imagined the serpent being buried under the earth over time and some archeologists stumbling upon it. I though it would be terrifying if the serpent came back to life while they were exploring its body. I wanted to tell it like the beginning of a thriller, so I gave it a foreboding tone with some foreshadowing as to what might happen.
Bibliography:
Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar, Amar Chitra Katha (2000)
