Archivist’s Note: The following pages follow Uncle Bertie through the thicket and into the cave. Visible blood stains on a few pages indicate an injury he must have injured whilst traversing through the thicket – they appear to be from his hands and partial thumb/finger prints.
Archive Reference: BTS-TUN-JRN-005
Well, that was not as easy as I was expecting.
Not that I was expecting a nice neat way-marked path, or even an easy route, but it’s clear no one has been here for quite some time.
The thicket, was, well… thick.
Overgrown – nature exploding to its full potential to grow.
Each species of tree, bush and shrub fighting to climb higher than its neighbour to reach the sun.
I really regret only bringing my pocket knife; my only tool to break through and carve myself a path.
Blisters and grazes on my hands and arms will be; albeit a temporary, but constant reminder.
I shall not let this dampen my spirits, after all it’s all part of the adventure.
Archivist Note: In a side note Uncle Bertie remarks that he made a ‘rookie mistake’ – I believe this refers to his decision to not bring his machete or hunting knife. I also notice a lack of detail regarding the flora species he encountered – I can only imagine his struggle to carve through the thicket in time before dusk gave him little time to study.
The image that I have recovered below feels like a sign of relief, the cave entrance has been found and Uncle Bertie seems relaxed again to take time to capture a photograph.
Archive Reference: BTS-TUN-PHO-009
Recovered photograph of the cave entrance
I am now at the entrance to the cave at least, and in good time too.
Dusk is approaching, the sun is just settling down whilst the night skies are waking up.
I’ve made myself a little camp for the night and crafted a little fire.
Though the days are warm on these islands, the nights bring with it a chill as the sun disappears behind the mountains.
The moon is big and bright tonight, stars strewn across the vast sky.
The universe providing me with a spectacle of light, colour and wonderment, so close I feel I could reach out and touch it.
Archive Reference: BTS-TUN-JRN-006
I feel at peace as I wake this morning.
The calls of the seabirds as they glide between the mountains towards the shoreline.
The chitter chatter of the small mammals that take refuge in the surrounding thicket.
I’ve already packed up and am ready to head into the cave this morning.
I have a day ahead of me that is yet unknown.
I have a rough idea; a very rough idea in fact, of how to find my way to the cave rooms and how to navigate between them.
At best, these are accounts told to me by fellow explorers who once visited the island.
Or perhaps by someone who knew someone who did.
In most cases, the stories have travelled through generations, passed from voice to voice, each retelling adding a little more colour.
To say this place holds a history of fantastical proportions may be an understatement.
Or perhaps an overstatement, embellished over time to create wonderful tales of adventure and mystery.
I suppose I will have to see for myself.
For now, it is time to head in.
Archive Reference: BTS-TUN-JRN-007
I’ve made it through the first set of small corridors and into the first chamber.
It’s been a bit of a squeeze through narrow spaces but nothing too tight, and for the most part I’ve remained on my feet and upright.
As expected it’s a bit damp in here.
Adorned with stalagmites and stalactites, old faithfuls of any good cave.
The size of these indicate these have been developing over thousands of years.
Malachite, Azurite and Hematite colour the walls green, blue and red like an abstract painting
Though not rare, I was once told by a crystal healer I met whilst traveling through South East Asia these three minerals together symbolise transformation, intuition and grounding.
That must be a good sign.
Reassuring that I can identify some commonalities in the petrology of the cave at least.
That’s not to say the cave system itself is common in any way.
It’s dark in some of the small passages but when the spaces open up slightly there are beams of light cascading through small gaps in the ceiling above, like sunlight bursting through thunderous clouds.
I haven’t been in here long, maybe a couple of hours, so I won’t rest here long before I try navigate to the next chamber.
Maybe it is just excitement, or intrigue, but I can almost feel like something is pulling me further into the cave…
Archivist Note: There appear to be a few pages missing from the journal; though I believe I have located them in the back of another journal. I will need to validate , order and catalogue these, if they are indeed the next entries, I certainly hope they are.
Location: Tuntuket Island – Madguer – Bermond Sea
Date: Unknown
Documented by: Bertram Thomason Stone
Curated by: The Archivist
The adventures of uncle bertie 
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