From the depths of the cave an earthly glow seemed to emanate. The vaguely green light reflected off the leaves and twigs hanging above. Far in the sky, the pale silvery light of the early moon cast itself down from the heavens, creating an almost ghostly contrast. Melissa gazed downward before turning around and running through the sparse woods back to her home. The leaves crackled and crunched beneath her feet. The sun had already set and the cold night was beginning to set in. Melissa arrived at the small fence of her backyard and went through the gate. She could hear Spot’s barks from inside the house, announcing that she was home.

“Hey mom! Hey mom! Guess what I saw!” Melissa said excitedly, as she barged through the screen door.

Melissa’s mother bent down and brushed some dirt off Melissa’s nose.

“What did you see, dear?” Her mom asked kindly.

“I saw a green glow coming from the cave in the woods.”

“Oh!” Her mom replied. “You must have seen the light coming from the special jade rocks. It is said that only a few people can find the rocks.”

“Really? I want to go look tomorrow. But… it’s kind of scary.” Melissa said hesitantly.

“Don’t worry, you father will go with you, now wash your face and sit down for dinner.”

Melissa ran to the bathroom and quickly washed her face. The cold water stung her face and hands. She dried her hands and raced back to the table. Melissa’s plate was piled high with home-grown vegetables and cooked chicken.

“Thank you for dinner mom.” Melissa said, before digging into the food. The juicy chicken was unimaginably good after a long day of playing and running.

“You’re making a mess,” Her father said, as he sat down.

“Hey dad! I saw a green light coming from a cave in the woods. Can you go with me to explore it tomorrow?” Melissa asked.

“Don’t talk with food in your mouth, honey.” Her father said. “Sure, I can go with you.”

Melissa finished her dinner and went upstairs to get into bed. Spot followed her up the stairs and lay down at the foot of the bed. Melissa went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. As she did so, she gazed out the bathroom window up at the moon and stars. The stars were appearing in greater numbers now that the last remnants of sunlight had disappeared. The moon’s beams twinkled off in the distance. Melissa rinsed her mouth and got in bed. The weight of Spot’s body against Melissa’s leg was comforting, and made her feel very tired. With barely a sound, her father entered the room and turned off the light.

“Goodnight dad,” Melissa said sleepily.

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“Goodnight.”

* * *

Melissa sat up and rubbed her eyes. The sun was shining brightly through the window and its rich beams seemed to cast a spell upon her as she suddenly felt invigorated. She shook off the weak hands of sleep, desperately clutching to her and jumped out of bed, excited to start the day.

Melissa hurriedly changed out of her pajamas and ran downstairs. Her parents were sitting at the table eating some eggs and toast. Melissa rushed through her breakfast and raced towards the backdoor. She pulled her shoes on as her father got up from the table and rinsed his dish.

“C’mon dad, hurry up!” Melissa said.

He put on his shoes and grabbed a coil of rope and a flashlight from the kitchen counter and went outside with Melissa. The sun’s rays were shining through the sparse canopy of the woods with an almost ethereal beauty. Melissa ran toward the cave, pulling her dad’s hand. Now that she was outside, Melissa could hear the chirps of the birds much more clearly.

Melissa ran up to the mouth of the cave and peered in. the glow that she had seen yesterday was no longer visible.

“The glow is gone.” She said, confused.

“Maybe it came from deeper in the cave,” Her father replied. “Afterall, it was nighttime when you saw it, and the sunlight would be much brighter than the glow.”

“That’s true!” Melissa said excitedly. “The glow wasn’t as bright as the sun.”

Her father climbed into the cave first, tying the rope to tree roots as he went. Melissa looked down at her father. The entrance of the cave was very steep but it shifted to a much more gradual slope after maybe ten feet. At the bottom of the steep section, her father stood waiting. Melissa stepped toward the cave mouth and hesitated.

“It’s okay, Melissa.” Her dad said reassuringly. “If you fall, I will catch you. Now grab onto the rope.”

Melissa grabbed the rope and swung her legs around. The knots her father had tied were spaced apart enough that it could function as footholds. She slowly and carefully climbed down into the cave. As she got lower into it, the stronger stench of damp stone and earthen roots began to take over. Melissa stepped down onto the ground and sneezed. Her father flipped on the flashlight and ducked underneath a protruding rock as they went into the cave.

“Do you see that, dad?” Melissa asked, pointing towards a faint green glow.

“See what?” He replied confused.

Melissa ran towards the light and turned a corner. The small cavern she just entered was covered in moss, the light had gotten stronger and she shielded her eyes with her hand. The light dimmed again and she could see that in front of her, was a small crystal shaped piece of jade. Melissa grabbed it and it emitted a low, droning hum as the light slowly faded. She felt her hand heat up and then cool as she wrapped her fingers around the stone.

“Dad!” Melissa yelled, running back towards him. “I found it!”

Her father shined the light onto the shiny rock and it sparkled even more. The light cascaded off onto the walls all around them.

“Wow,” Her father exclaimed. “Let’s go back and show your mother.”

They walked back to the entrance and Melissa climber up the rope. It was much easier than going down, and she was no longer scared. Her father climbed up after her, collecting the rope along the way. Once they left the cave, they headed back home.

“Let’s turn it into a necklace,” Her father said as they went through the gate. “I can drill a hole in it near the top and we can put it on a thin chain necklace like your mother has.”

Melissa nodded and handed him the jade crystal and he went into the garage. A few minutes later, he returned, and Her mom came downstairs with a silver necklace. Melissa unhooked the thin silver chain and fed it through the small hole in the crystal. She held it up around her neck and closed the latch.

As Melissa connected the ends of the chain, the stone briefly glowed bright green and floated a few centimeters before coming to rest just below her collarbones.