Audrey put the phone away. Picked it up again, put it away again. She got up and sat down several times. Tried to say something, to think about what to do. She walked a few laps around the room, closed the curtains, and lay down on the couch. Tears came to her eyes, but she held them back, trying to cope. Her breathing became short and her chin shook.
“No!” she burst out.
Jean-Pierre’s consciousness returned to his body. He felt light and refreshed when he heard familiar voices nearby. He opened his eyes and saw Debby floating in the water. The torches on the walls dimly illuminated a huge hall, most of which occupied the visible part of the underground lake. The water seemed a rich blue, and Jean-Pierre didn’t immediately realize he was awake. He got up and sat back, trying to see what was going on.
The huge hall of the cave went into darkness, hiding the calm subterranean lake. Only at the entrance to the cave was a small patch of land that disappeared into the blue water at an incline. The walls of the cave were slightly moist, the air fresh and warm. The opposite end of the lake was not visible because of the darkness and the huge stalactites and stalagmites that hung from the high vault of the cave and stuck out of the water like islands.
Debby and Yulia were swimming in the water. Debby was laughing, and Yulia was swimming beside her, holding her hands. On the shore stood Dr Capri and David. They were talking to Debby:
“Try to bend your leg at the knee,” Dr Capri said loudly.
Jean-Pierre perked up, the drowsiness abruptly gone, and he rose to his feet.
“What’s going on?” he shouted.
The doctor threw a disgruntled look at him, and David came closer and with a smile spread his hands to the sides as a sign of surprise:
“We have no idea ourselves,” he laughed. “Debby had a fever this morning. She moaned and Bhrigu suggested that we should put her in the water. After a few minutes, she came to. And look. It’s been half an hour, and she’s already swimming. I woke you up, but you slept tight.”
David led Jean-Pierre to the water’s edge. They looked in disbelief at the cheerful girls who were swimming in the water a few feet away. Debby waved to Jean-Pierre.
“Hello!” she shouted cheerfully. “Hello, my hero!”