The silence is tangible. In the absence of distractions, I feel mother earth. Many do not believe in her or her maternity. In this warm silence I can almost hear her breathing. Entering a wild cave always feels like coming back to the womb - the atmosphere is wet, dark, and temperature controlled.
Life here looks strange to outside creatures - colorless and anemic.
Things seem unfinished, still forming. My professor calls for me. I turn on my light and tiptoe carefully along the edges of the gour pools. It is time to drill. I lose my balance, plunge my foot into a pool, and shiver as water tops my boot and saturates my sock.