The best method was to keep it away from water. Were there passages that did not flood? Perhaps hidden by rock falls or with entrances as difficult for humans to access as it might be for the sea? In pursuit of such places, she wandered farther than she intended. But, truly, she could find the marriage box here, because, after wriggling her way up into an opening in the roof of an unexplored cavern, she discovered a cave that had no marks from the tide. She raised her lantern and peered into the narrow opening before her. Did the passage end here, or was there a chamber beyond? Perhaps the passage split again, like the three previous ones she’d explored before finding this unexpected hole. She would have to force her way in to find out what lay beyond. No matter what she found, ’twould be the last exploring she did this day. She walked forward, her shoulders brushing the rock on either side. Loose stone fell to the ground behind her, and small pebbles crushed underfoot. She emerged into a small cavern with three passages splitting off.
