The Cave of Unspeakable Treasure

There are a number of hidden caves near my home. They all look pretty much the same on the outside, so they're easy to miss, or to just pass up because they look so ordinary. Still, they've all been given names to distinguish one from the other. I hike in the area where most of the caves are found, and I've taken to carrying my flashlight so that I can shine it in each cave just in case of anything unexpected. My secret desire is to find some undiscovered gems hiding inside. That has never happened . . . that is, that had never happened . . . not until June 23, 2012. On that most ordinary of days, I shone my little flashlight into a plain, unpretentious, unprepossessing cave, and to my utter shock and amazement, several brilliantly colored gems shone back and dazzled my eyes. (It was cave #13, Persnicketta.) I turned and left the area as non-chalantly as possible and high-tailed it to my car. I played it cool until the next weekend when I went back to the cave to spend some time inside, admiring the gems I'd already seen, and unearthing new ones. In the following weeks, I went back every weekend, each time with more tools and excavating equipment, treating myself to new previously hidden gems each time. I am tempted to keep the cave and its treasures to myself, but that would be depriving so many of so much. I've been writing about the cave-allegorically-in the most public arena I know: cyberspace. Truth be told, though, I haven't yet unearthed half of the cave's many riches and wonders, so I like that my cave is plain and unprepossessing.