“I think now would be a good time to explain what Santa’s deliveries are doing here,” she said.
He laughed, looking at the five bags. “Yeah, it does look like we mugged Rudolph, doesn’t it? We use Griff’s Cavern as a Santa’s grotto for the kids. I’ll take you in there once we stored the loot.”
She wasn’t much more the wiser, so instead she picked up a sack and followed him to a large plastic shed. Zack opened the padlock, exposing an insulated area big enough to store the bags, although there were already four bags there.
“Brill, Alex has picked the stuff up from Underwood already. That’s one less job for tomorrow,” he said, almost to himself. “Just leave the bags wherever they fit. Rayah and the other teachers will be here at some point to sort everything out.”
“Is this for the kids?” Sorrell said. “The ones at the community primary school?”
Zack nodded. “And further afield. The children’s hospital brings the kids here—the ones that can travel. And there are a couple of children’s homes too. Then the primary schools and a couple of the other schools. The presents are labelled with the age and interest of the present, but some have been done specifically—so there’s a girl on the ward at the moment who loves painting nails, so she has one of the those funny machines for gel or something.”
Sorrell laughed at his description, but didn’t correct him or elaborate on the actual process; it would be a waste of words.
“So tell me about these caves,” she said. She’d read a little about them, but not tons.
“I’ll show you.” He placed two more sacks before starting to lock the shed.
They left the car park and she followed him down a small path, uphill and then down in between two sheer faces of rock. It was wide enough for a wheelchair, but that was about it, and it felt dramatically colder.
Then they went into a cave entrance which was wider still, the work of humans rather than nature having shaped an entrance area with doors, seats and a reception.
“The hills around here have an underground cave network which spans at least seventy miles. There are more areas, but not all have been explored and to get to some you have to dive,” he said, keying numbers into a lock.
“Which you do,” she said. “Cave diving.”
He nodded. “My dad and uncle are better than any of us and they cave dive regularly, mainly because they’ve more time. They’ve done it around the world too as a hobby.”
She felt a little nauseous. “I’m not sure how I’d feel about it. Small spaces freak me out some.”
His grin was wicked. “So if I get you in a small cave you’ll cling to me for support?”
“I’ll probably hit you for getting me into that situation.” She glared. “What’s this cave like?”
It’s more of a cavern and it’s been made safe for tourists and children. It’s closed between November and April to the public.” He opened the door and let her through first.
“Why’s that?”
“A few reasons. To preserve it. Too many footsteps will cause erosion. Safety—rock fall is more likely during the winter because of the snow and flooding. It’s also when teams will come here to properly explore, as this is one of the main entrances to the cave network,” he said.
They walked down the footpath, water trickling over the walls. Zack had flicked a switch that turned on low lighting so they could see where they were going. He led her through to a large cavernous area and she gasped as she saw it.
“It’s like something from the Snow Queen,” she said. Stalactites and stalagmites looked like pillars supporting the roof of a mystical palace. Minerals and quartz glimmered in the rock walls and she could see fairy lights somehow dripping from the ceiling. “This place is just…”
“Wait till you go through here.” He took her hand and led her through into a second chamber. The footpath was cordoned off as a steepish drop was next to it, the floor a twinkling mass of chiseled quartz.
“This is…”
“I know,” he said, watching her rather than looking around the cave. “It’s something else.”
“Is it protected?”
“From miners?”
“Like a protected area,” she said, unsure as to what to call it.
“It’s a site of scientific interest, so there are strict rules around preserving the place. There are heavy fines for anyone who damages it in any way. One last chamber.” He led her through, this time into a cave that had fewer stalagmites and was slightly smaller than the other two. It felt more cave-like than the first two: the roof was slightly rounded and the rock had formed oddly in places, looking a little like candles whose wax had dripped down and then hardened. There were boxes inside, plastic air tight boxes and she had a feeling they contained Christmas decorations.
“So this is where Santa hides out?”
