The Kaleidoscope of the Caves

A kaleidoscope has a jumble of fragments. The viewer may recognize pieces – maybe a little silver star, or a red piece of glass, but these objects are reflected, inverted and deformed by the kaleidoscope's mirrors, and a turn of the eyepiece jumbles the objects into a somewhat different pattern. The very nature of reality of the Dragon’s Cave, whether it was a result of chance, design, or some interplay between the two, was kaleidoscopic

The reader who has seen episode 8398 appear on the last day of 2024 may wish for a summary so that the reader knows some of the elements in play. And a reader who has found this story from the beginning may find a summary to be a useful reminder.

Fred arrived at the cave with two entrances, and chose to go left. Fred advanced into the darkness, and held his nerve as a bear appeared. He was able to shoo it away. Next he found a stream of lava, and followed it to its end. He then saw a Lava Man briefly, but this time did not hold his nerve and ran away, losing track of his place. By the time he regained his nerve, he found himself at a cross passage, with a choice of passages that offered aural cues – signing, running water, silence, and a woman’s cry for help. He went toward the cry for help.

From Fred’s point of view, the woman, Melissa, was not from any place he recognized, and was understandably disturbed. She claimed that some magic had transported her from her home to his place, which made as much sense as any other explanation that he could think of. Then he heard the dragon laugh. There was an interlude of darkness, followed by a shorter interlude of foggy white and the kaleidoscope turned again.