Alyrman knelt on one knee and picked up the fallen torch. Thankfully, it still burned. Just as he straightened, he felt the hole above him close. Alyrman had not heard any sound of a lid covering the hole; the starlight streaming in from above had suddenly stopped. Beads of sweat dotted his face and arms as he looked around, confused, waving his torch in front of him. All he saw were the grey, stony walls of the cave, illuminated by his torch. A path led into the darkness.

  He stood still for a few minutes, afraid to move, while his eyes roved. He took tentative steps towards the darkness after realising he had no other choice. He had walked less than five meters in when a row of alphabets appeared in the middle of the cave, around a meter in front of him. They were white, as if drawn by chalk, but had some thickness to them. It read:

  Welcome to the Cave of Riches: Level One Dungeon

  He looked this way and that, and the writing moved with his eye movements. Oh! It’s in my head!

  Alyrman, while cleaning cars outside a consumer electronics store, had seen people try out games on the demo console attached to a television. The shopkeeper had seen him stare and on some days, when Alyrman had finished his cleaning for the day and the store did not have any customers just before closing, had let him play on the console.

  Alyrman usually played racing sims, but he had tried one particular game where he was a character wielding weapons, wearing magical armour and had access to a range of skills. The objective was to enter a ‘dungeon,’ fight off monsters that dropped ‘loot,’ and kill the boss monster at the end of the dungeon. The boss usually dropped the best loot.

  Am I inside a game?

  Objective

  Another message popped up in front of his eyes.

  Survive the dungeon, take what is yours and exit.

  I hope there are no monsters here. I don't even have a weapon with me.

  Fine dust on the stony floor dampened the sound of his footsteps. The torch he held in his hand was enough to light around six feet in front of him; beyond that, a misty fog covered whatever was there. He heard water dripping somewhere, but he could not really localise the location. The mist seemed to fog even the sounds he heard.

  For the first few minutes, he saw only the stony floor, cave walls on either side, and the rocky ceiling. Nothing broke the monotony until he came to a junction. He was about to take the right fork when a glint caught his eye on the left. He decided to take the left fork instead.

  A few meters in, a giant ruby, the size of a chicken egg, lay on the path, alone, apparently unguarded and reflecting light from the torch he held. Alyrman bent down to take a closer look.

  Maybe this is the treasure I am supposed to pick up.

  The outline of the gemstone glowed a distinct red when he got close, and became redder the closer he got. He moved away and it went back to just being a normal, giant ruby.

  Ah, it is not mine then.

  He remembered the fruit man‘s words and the message at the entrance of the cave, “Take only what is yours.” He moved on.

  As he walked, his eyes widened further and further in amazement. He saw several larger rubies, sapphires, topazes, and what he thought were probably amethysts, he wasn’t sure, a smattering of gold necklaces and rings, and tiaras and all sorts of an assortment of jewellery, heaped in mounds all along the path on either side. So the giant ruby he saw was the smallest of the lot and had probably rolled down from a heap.

  Whenever he went close to them, they all glowed red. After some time, he wondered what exactly he needed to take from this ‘cave of riches’. It was a cave of riches, alright, but no matter what he chose to pick, they all glowed red.

  He was at least glad he didn’t have to fight any scary monsters. He soon saw the end of the path, and just when he thought all this was a sham, he saw a blue plastic lunchbox and a large spotted egg next to it. The lunchbox was as out of place as a… well, a plastic lunchbox in an ancient cave.

  Both were placed on a slightly raised rock platform at the end of the path. As he approached closer, they glowed green. Finally, something glows green! As he looked at the lunchbox, a system message popped up again, it said:

  The Mythic Lunchbox

  When he focused on the egg, the message just said:

  Egg

  Oh, so these are the two things which I’m supposed to take from the cave of riches, a lunchbox and an egg? Too bad there is no genie or lamp. Am I supposed to make a meal out of the egg and pack it in the lunchbox?

  He got closer to pick the lunchbox up. The green glow surrounding the lunchbox brightened, encouraging him. When he touched the plastic lunchbox, well, it felt like plastic, but as soon as he touched it, it rapidly disintegrated into smaller and smaller pieces until the box finally disappeared. In its place was a brown-tinted glass bottle with a narrow neck, and a large steel plate. No way these things were inside the small lunchbox!

  The large spotted egg beckoned next. It was quite a large egg, the largest he had seen. It was creamish in colour with blue spots and a very rough surface. Alyrman thought it might be an ostrich egg. He looked around, he knew ostriches could kill a grown man. He was a stunted little boy, he didn't stand a chance if it chose to attack him.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Do ostriches live in caves? I don’t think so.

  The egg glowed greener as he got closer. He saw the egg was much bigger than his palm, and he would have to use both his hands to pick it up.

  Am I supposed to crack the egg?

  Not sure what to do, he thought of placing the egg in the large steel plate and holding it in one hand and holding the bottle in his other hand. He picked the egg up with both hands. It felt much heavier than he had anticipated. He wondered if he would be able to carry the plate and the egg in one hand. Anyway, he placed it on the plate.

  No sooner had the egg touched the plate than it cracked. A line appeared at the junction of the lower two-thirds and upper third of the egg. Then the cracked top third of the shell disintegrated quickly before disappearing.

  At least I don’t have to carry or cook it now.

  He peered into the egg. He saw a curled-up animal, not a bird. It looked like the ghost of a cat, more translucent than transparent. He found it difficult to tell how big it was, what with all the parts overlapping.

  The animal, which was still till then, twitched. It opened its eyes and looked at the eyes peering back at it. The only relatively solid parts of the animal were its eyes; they glowed a golden yellow with vertical pupils. Alyrman could not be sure, but he thought the cat smiled at him. It floated up a few feet in the air, unfurled to its full size and descended to the stony floor.

  The cat was large, stripes ran along its long body, whiskers adorned its mouth, its pointed, large ears moved independently of each other and a long tail swished to and fro. The ‘cat’ was a full-grown tiger.

  Alyrman’s Spirit Animal

  Another message popped up. It did not say anything more.

  “Hello, Alyrman. Good to finally see you. I have waited a long time.”

  Alyrman did a double take. The ethereal tiger, his ‘spirit animal’, had just spoken to him in a deep, bass voice.

  Alyrman wondered if the tiger was just a part of this game-like world or if it really existed.

  “I am your companion spirit. I am real but can be seen only by you; better speak to me only when no one is around. Otherwise, people might think you are mad.” “I might already be dead and mad!“ “Oh well, you might be.” “You can already hear my thoughts, right? Why even speak then?”

  “I might not hear your thoughts if I am distracted. So, better to speak to me when we are alone.”

  “You are not very helpful, are you? Can you do any magic?” “You can do more magic than me. You manifested me.” Alyrman rolled his eyes. *You do think very highly of yourself. “*I do.”

  “Why can’t I hear your thoughts?”

  “You are hearing them.”

  “Oh!”

  Alyrman looked back at the plate and bottle still on the rocky platform. This time, descriptions popped up about them.

  Plate of Narwa

  The plate from which the legendary King Narwa used to eat. You will never go hungry from now on.

  Bottle of Narwa

  Bottle from which the same King used to drink… lots of things. You, however, can drink water only from it. Never be thirsty again.

  Who is Narwa?

  Alyrman thought both the items were amazing till he remembered food was free on Girolden.

  They came a little too late to me.

  “Don’t be so quick to dismiss your treasures, dear boy. It still amazes me how quickly your human minds take things for granted. One day, you are starving, and the next day, you don’t value a mythical item that gives you unlimited food and water.”

  “I am grateful,…. What should I call you? Do you want to suggest a name I should call you?”

  “You can decide what to call me, Alyrman.”

  “Alright. How about Alyrman's tiger? No. I was just kidding. Do you like Taigu?

  “No. I don't think so.

  “I will name you, Basundi. That was my favourite sweet back on Earth.”

  Alyrman again thought the tiger smiled.

  “Basundi I will be,” Basundi said.

  Alyrman carried the plate in his left hand and the bottle in his right hand; he held the bottle at its neck and took a swig. His mouth filled with water!

  It really works.

  “It does,” Basundi said.

  “Do you want some?”

  “I don't need food or water to survive, Alyrman. Thank you for offering, though.”

  Alyrman smiled and nodded.

  The end of the path was covered by a rocky wall. Alyrman thought it was a dead end. An opening revealed itself in the wall, and a system message popped up:

  You have found your items. You may now exit the Cave of Riches.

  Alyrman nodded.

  Remember the part where I said the boy was inquisitive? All he had to do was take his rewards and exit the game, but now, being the young boy that he was….

  “What do you suppose happens if I take just one of the gemstones? That ruby, which had fallen down on the path, may have been for me.” Alyrman looked at his spirit animal, Basundi, with eager eyes, smiling, seeking approval.

  Basundi shook his head. “My dear Alyrman, let us take what you have now and get out of the cave. The consequences of taking what is not yours may be terrible.”

  “Maybe. May not be. I have got a second chance at life, why not make full use of it?” Alyrman smiled and winked.

  “It is your second chance, and that is exactly why I say we should just exit the cave with what we have.” Basundi swished his tail.

  Alyrman turned around, paying little heed to Basundi's advice. He had walked a few meters back along the path he had come when Basundi landed in front of him.

  “Did you just leap all the way from there?” he asked, mouth hanging open. “Can you stop me?”

  “Can I stop you? I can, physically. Do I want to? I don't know. I offer sage advice, which I implore you to take.” Basundi's face seemed to be pleading.

  “Just one, Basundi, the smallest ruby I found.”

  You are trapped in the cave forever. The exit and entrance are both sealed.

  “What!? It was just one ruby!” Alyrman held the ruby in his hand. He had placed the plate and bottle on the floor beside him.

  Basundi shook his head. “I warned you.”

  Beads of sweat dotted his forehead again. He sat down, cross-legged, on the cold, stony floor. He thought in silence for a few minutes.

  “I am not going anywhere without you,” Basundi said.

  “I forgot you can read my thoughts. Anyway, I want you to leave, if you can.

  “I have an unlimited supply of food and water, don't I?” He held up the plate and glass bottle. “You can pass through walls, I assume.”

  “I can enter the spirit realm when I choose. Yes, walls do not stop me in the spirit world. However, I cannot take you there.”

  “It is alright, really, Basundi. What more can I ask for? Free living quarters, free food and water. It is all I ever dreamed of.

  “Can I touch you?”

  Basundi walked closer to Alyrman.

  Alyrman held out his hand, tentatively, as if afraid to touch him. Then he gently placed his hand on Basundi's back. He was surprised by the feel. He had half expected his hand to just pass through Basundi, but he felt soft fur, not rough, like he thought a wild animal's fur would be, but soft, fluffy fur. He pressed harder and felt the underlying skin and muscles.

  “Ow, that tickles.”

  “So, you are real.”

  They looked into each other's eyes for a few moments. Then, Alyrman yawned. “I am going to lie down for a little,” he said and lay flat on the cold floor.

  Basundi saw him curl up after a while, and then saw him shiver. He went closer to the boy and lay down beside him. Alyrman instinctively snuggled against Basundi's warm back.

  Basundi smiled his characteristic smile. Had Alyrman been awake, he would have wondered again if Basundi was really smiling.