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The Heart Below

2021-10-15

A story about a daring caver exploring the deep, dark recesses of an abandoned mine.

The Heart Below

Written by David Flowers

You can read the original story and view the episode art at http://fullbodychillspodcast.com/

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This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
This episode is brought to you by babble, want to learn a new language tribal there, ten minute interactive, less teach you how to have everyday practical conversations that you'll actually use plus babble. Lessons are available on the web and as an app, so you can learn at your own pace now for it. Many times thought if I listeners can get up to sixty five percent off their subscription by visiting babble, dot com, Slash Spotify, this episode. It is brought to you by Shell College. Football is back where the game, the excitement, felt in the bottom of your soul and voiced at the top of your lungs. But wherever you share your excitement, ESPN and Shell can take your fan and further with savings up to fifteen cents per gallon for fuel towards members shall welcome home football fans terms and conditions, apply.
seek your rewards, dot com, slashed failure, phantom for details jealous an official sponsor of yesteryear, college football. Yes, beyond the Eu S beyond logo, and yes, beyond college football are registered trademarks of yes paean incorporated. This episode was produced with audio effects in full, surround sound for the best, sperience. We kindly recommend you listen with headphones. I listeners, I'm David Wheeler. And I have a story. I want to tell you a story about a daring, quaver, exploring the deep dark recesses of an abandoned mine, so gather around and listen.
Close votes had a thing for places: offline you now off limits like areas as regular civilians are advised to stay clear of growing up. There was patch of land, just outside the tree line of my favorite park. It was empty known live there, but it was surrounded by a tall fence and at least half a dozen signs that screamed in bold lettering. No trespassing as a kid. I never really got the point of all that, like what's so important about an empty lot of dirt, where they afraid someone was gonna, steal their muddy grass. It was his
They were saying this private patch of nothing was too good for me. Well, I'd proven wrong. I felt pride as I climbed that fence like. I was a rebel leading array pollution. When I learned, my feet on. The other side was like a landed, a ship onto a new continent that wasn't a trespasser. I was an explorer. It started with that dirt. What it was former junk yard and then a vacant motel and then an abandoned hospital. The more I crossed that forbidden line, the easier it God but then there always had to be a challenger. What's next I guess that's how I got into caves, I never really questioned it. It seemed like the next logic. leave what other places locked away from society hidden from view than a literal hole into darkness. I guess driving it. That way makes its own terrifying, but I wasn't terrified at home. In fact, I was excited. I started spelunkers
or caving when I was sixteen, First go round, wasn't anything serious the case was more or less a whole the ground with a few passageways I am, as I was then a novice when it comes to cave exploration. So forgive me if the way described these things is a bit plain. Despite the inexperience I was gung ho to squeeze my way into any natural crevice. I could find cloth phobia was never a problem for me and I guess the thrill of discovery always outweighed the fear of being physically entombed. That said, I wasn't an idiot I brought along all the necessary supplies: lights, helmet, rope, extra, food and water. If needed, not have been as equipped as your expert caves, but I wasn't traversing the most complicated cave systems, either remember, I was only interested in off limits not band and all hope ye who enter here. So I guess you're wondering why.
I'm telling you all this: will it was this new found hobby into caves, which led me? where no one should ever go Listen, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna be vague and use some fake names. As much as I would like someone to vet my story. I dont want anyone else going down that hellhole. This was reason So it's not like I'm miss remembering things I mean late twenties now so at least, I've had some experience with caves to know the difference between what normal and what's totally screwed up and this cave. Well, you can guess which one it was, let's call it Gold mine, it was a mine after all, I heard of the gold mine online people said it was one stop shop for all covers. Looking for a true off the beaten track experience the only Kaweah, it was technically off limits to the public,
sounds like a double win for me right, I did some research on the gold mine Where was but let's just say, it was far away from my home town. So am I to make sure I was read up on my history before I made the full voyage. The gold mine, as I said, was a mining site. built in the early eighteen? Ninety the miners first came to the area with plans to carve out the entire landscape. However, they were met with fierce resistance from the indigenous people, the local adamantly proclaimed the minors were consuming the heart of the land in true humor indifference, the miners ignored the locals and carried on with their work. However, three, years later, the minor. Suddenly, up and left sums this claim. They left after stripping the mind clean up its valuable resources. Others say they after a series of supernatural says. Regardless of how you try to spin it, the story is it's an old abandoned mine. I gathered, for
few people that the gold mine was fairly easy to traverse on the upper levels it was once you reached the first cave in the things became rocky literally If you wanted to go any further than that, you'd have to be very comfortable with tight spaces, which was no problem for me. A packed my bags saddled up made track to a town nearby. Once I was set up at a bed and breakfast I waited till it was dark before making the final hike toward the mine. I want it because I was worried, someone might catch me if I went during the day the entrance to the goal Mine was placed along the incline of a hill, even with pictures and Google to guide me. It was a solid half hour before I found anything resembling the infamous mine, but married behind a mountain of underbrush, my flashlight caught the reflection of dull metal. I pulled away at the bush that it can.
A rusty side, though most of the paint was peeled off. I could still in the words, do not enter the top. A large ex symbol. Flashing my light around, I said for the nearby entrance sure enough there hidden around up. Fallen. Trees was boarded up. What most of the boards were gone while the rest were rotted thin falling apart. The only functioning barrier was another dangling sign that Red stay out appeared inside and I could feel a cool whispering breeze escaping them, The tunnel stretched down further than my light. Could reach and curved like a snakes, throat askin, my surroundings, for any witnesses before lifting the sign over my head and climbing inside as I first stepped into the mine, it was like being submerged in water.
forbearing silence muffled the outside world, but from the inside magnified even the slightest sound. My footsteps, echoed along the walls and were carried by the silent breath of the tunnel graffiti plastered the walls like a high school yearbook, spray painted everywhere were signature, symbols and phrases such as go. Where the going takes you and F Jerry. I his mom. It was all very typical of a highway restroom. More of this graffiti led further down the tunnel. The rocky ceiling was only seven feet tall and held up by a Rove wooden pillars. Even They were there as support. I was weary of the ancient logs. Their groaning was a constant reminder that a mountain of earth wait above my head, but that's why you bring it home it. I had a lay upon mine. So navigating the dark wasn't too hard special.
while the mine only kept to one direction as the curving path went down, it turned at a slight angle like the bend of a stick. Case about this time, smaller narrower passages Papa. I kept the main tunnel during the offshoots which looked more, fragile in a house of cards after a while tunnel started to shrink like that. Seen from the old Willie Wonka Movie, the one where the hallway got smaller and smaller or balance myself on uneven ground. I did up my head from hitting some of the wooden supports, one of which are banned, an accident would have caused the rocks above me to grumble. I had a whole down my heart just to keep it from jumping out of my chest little ways further, and there was the first caveats ceiling had collapsed on one side, leaving only a narrow crevice on the other around here, more of the graffiti
like a cheesy horror, novel you're, going you die with Misspelt. Your was written on one wall alongside ghosts are real. on another wall, a huge message was scrawled in thick black paint. It read the heart is dead. At the time I was more interested in how to get through the wall than what was on the crevice I found out was to now oh for me to squeeze through with my helmet on anyone with a bitter. Since might have called it there and gone home, but I wasn't me. Instead, I took off my helmets carried it by my side. I took a deep breath: sucking in my chest and jimmied sideways into the hole How familiar you are with caves, maybe when you think of tight spaces you picture crawling around one of those play places with two slides, but that's nothing close to being underground. Having rocks
pressed around you, it's like being stuck between two mattresses, its feeling that, no matter where you move gravity is always weighing. Aren't you from every side and sometimes there's not enough room to breathe. You try, but your chest is too tight can expand. You just have to hold it out and fight your way through until, finally, you make it out a kind out of the crevice This may be only six feet long with downwards dark and you're alone. Six feet can feel like a mile. the other side of the tunnel was in ruins, and it's hard for me to describe just how bad it was before This video on the internet of someone throwing a break inside a washing machine. If you can pictured that, then you can get the gist of the damage. Most of the support were shut uttered buried under giant chunks of rock. Every step I took had to be planned the way some rocks were leaning against each other. I was crawling under a leaning tower of stones after problem.
the half hour of this I reached a dead end. The main tunnel was completely buried dirt, but there was one of the side passageways that led a bit further. I thought to myself what the hell I came this far, why not? A little bit more with some more she meaning. I followed the new path off to the side. It didn't go far but turned into an open space. I'm no mining expert, but it looks like it might have been a safe, safer or an area where extra supplies were stored. Here most of the walls held firm and for once I could stand straight without my head bumping? The ceiling heaps of junk were thrown about the room there world boards, stacked against a wall. A metal chain piled beside the other, a couple of tin, pails scattered around out of interest I searched through the pale seeing if I might find a souvenir while rummaged through I happened upon more graffiti. It was written a book
wooden boards in that same thick, black paint as I'd seen before this time. The message red do not go down Where did the words looking dumb beside the path I came from, I didn't see any other passageways except then I looked down. Under the heap of wood. I saw that some of the dirt was dug out. I moved the boards and found that corner to the wall. There was a whole. It was hard to tell, but it looks like it fell down into a room below me, tried shining light and it looked like. If I may, I could easily hoist myself down. One looked back at the message, which seemed to taught me and in that moment made the stupid decision to go down.
Slowly, I tried lowering myself over the ledge I got about waist deep. side of the whole, when finally Corliss suddenly the whole for cracked and crime, and all at once, I was falling down a waterfall of stone. I thought I was dead for a moment until all the Dustin debris started to settle by fortune. I was still ok, even his pieces of the previous room laid on top of me. Our the headline upon my homo was crushed and my backpack, which I've been here: Hang onto was now completely bear, under the rubble. Somehow my phone was still functioning was like, for help, but at least I had a light source after I dug my out from the fall I looked round this point I realized I had misjudged the depth of the whole with the floor Love me well out of reach.
As for the room I'd fallen into, I found it wasn't a room at all appeared to be more of the mining tunnels, except it lacked any of the wooden supports. I wondered if maybe the head- the mine, looked back to one of the side passages seeing it as my only option. I started to scout out the tunnel upside the lower tunnel was fairly spacious, but down here there was something to the dark that made me feel constricted It would be wrong to say the tunnel was devoid of light. It was more like the tunnel was full of shadows endless in May, I was just rattled due to the fall, or maybe the weak glow of my phone was playing tricks on me, but I couldn't shake the idea that some of the walls looked off. It was like The tunnel was covered in layers of plastic rap with
soil and rocks shrugging off my light in a murky sheen why, but let me feeling nauseous I quickly found it was easier to stare. Nothing then focus on the slimy stone. On top What I was seeing there was this faint smell now I know how a key it is supposed to smell it's kind of a musty muddy sent, but this was different. It was almost like an empty, wet dumpster the smell was coming from all around me, which had me worried. I was inhaling toxic fumes. I mean that big rule when it comes to caves. You do not want to be breathing bad air, but I didn't have the law tree of turning around and going back. I could still breathe and other than the rancid tasted sometimes left on my tongue. The damp spoiled smell was durable. The path stretched on further and further oddly
there then the tunnel itself. I hadn't found a single sign of previous exploration of mining equipment. No beams are pillars not even any graffiti, though something told me, the paint would just slide off the whetstone. I consider the thought that maybe the mine was attached to a natural cave. It was hard to believe, though, since the tunnel was so uniform every so often I came across a split in the path unlike the narrow passage ways from before. These were about the same size as the main tunnel in branched off almost naturally like river bed. I was left mostly to guess which path to take, but I would stop to listen for clues. Sometimes there would be this sound that echoed it was difficult to discern, but whispered like a low win gave me hope that there was next and led me through the winding tunnel with growing confidence, for
doing this noise, the path even started to tilt ascending upwards. At a steady angle, dont remember when, but at some point I noticed the tunnel was hung with these small white stalactites, their milky white bodies, poked out from the black ceiling like pimples, as I climbed a carefully had done my head around. While maneuvering around one cluster of these rocks, I was forced closer to the wall. I had avoided. sleek stones falling down, but now that I was beside it, I tried grappling the law for some balance, except when I touched it. The wall moved I instantly jumped back and watched the indentation left by my hand, shrunk than disappeared, even though its spongy surface quickly for not my touch. I can still remember it's flushing texture. It was then
I painfully realised the faint dip in my stead wherever I stood, the floor sank and each and it wasn't like stepping in mud. This was more solemn, had more organic. I began to understand that the whole tunnel was like skin This was about the same time when I caught a whiff of that horrible rotting stench. stench would seem to be all around me. It was. coming from the walls more than ever. Now I wanted to get out
throwing caution to the wind. I moved quickly, avoiding the walls. Whenever I get, I couldn't escaped the squishing wet earth stuck to my shoes, moving faster the floor slobbering under my weight like a sticking pool of blood soundless closer now, just ahead of me, I barely had time to question its infrequent buzzing when I saw it at the edge of my light. There was the outline of an odd white my mind, raced rationalized, what I was seeing this alien thing. In a matter of seconds, I thought it was a soccer ball. Drone pelican hell, even its pale porcelain body, resembled something like a bathtub
No, that doesn't make sense, but window our minds ever makes sense when trying to recognise something new within it, scattered up the wall twitched its back and buzzed its wings. I now saw its Six spindly legs and finally, my mind landed on the image of a fly. Whether it was an actual fly, I have no idea People talk about prehistoric insects and how massive they were. Maybe it was one of those whatever it was with huge site of an eagle at least I held my life. muttered its suddenly spasm spun round. I held my light. I was sure it saw me, but it made no move seeming
unaware of me, the flight from all around probing the tunnel with its long proboscis. I then that it no eyes its rich. skull, was covered in curves and where a fly should possess. Bulbous cloves this fate had to smooth Indians I watched ass it blindly crawled in the dark and paused its long mouth barbed tongue poked its tail and struck the whiplash but we still drooling wet blower before sliding back into its mouth. It did this again and again cutting deep rotten surface until the wall began to lead a sickly flak us. The insect fully
retracted its tongue and started to suck the Ike from it, was distracted. I tried taking a step back, but the fleshy floor, dribbled a wet noise, The boat raised its bulky head inflicted tongue through these, but that's when I sprung up a plan holding still I removed my home and waited for the bug to crawl, closer as it reared its head. A second time I through tunnel behind the rattle,
crash, echoed through the tunnel in the bug flew off like a jet in taking my shot. I bought it up the time. Even if there wasn't any wind, I knew my chances of escaping the smile. Only worse going town I had about a twenty second head start before allowed buzzing was gaining. The tunnel was turning steep. Looking up, I saw hope, a wooden abutments like the ones in the mind on all fours. I began climbing the slimy rock. I dug my hands to it and it was like handling raw meat struggling decline were holding my phone I reached for one of the pale white stalactites grabbed it did it squirmed my weight from the ceiling like a luckily splinter and I lost control stumbling down in my hand, the stalactites to ride. because no progress
it was a MAC it wanted and scrambled for my only light source. No sooner did a helicopter sound slam into a fly latched onto my head, thrashing point with its chaotic wings. Its face was so close to me and I could see through its translucent scandalous, see, yellow organs. I tried throwing it off, but it wiggled free and around my torso flash its tongue. Shouting to my shoulder fortune pain across my chest. I could barely hold onto the creature, is equipped the stinging javelin passed. All six of its legs wrestle for whole, while wings gave a thousands I without matched in the darkness, in every way, except for size. That's when an idea ran through my head, a last ditch desperate using my full by pitched my way over the fly dropped to the grand fly exploded popping Michael, water balloon full of putrid yellow sludge.
things, rattled with severed nerves and it's broken legs twitched, but barely I aid to make sure it was dead until the of raw guts poisoned. My nose gag pulling myself up strings of poor onto my chest, like melted cheese, Never wanted a shower more in my entire life. I grabbed my phone and with my one good shoulder slowly mounted the steep tunnel. The rest is much explaining the tunnel led back to the mine down one of assign paths and, finally, to the entrance I made it out. I escaped and I got healed up the cut in my shoulder wasn't too bad doctors would leave a scar but would heal after a week or two made up of re about falling down a cave on some rocks. There was a hefty find that came.
Entering the gold mine, so I didn't have any intention of sharing the truth. Besides, who would believe me, I've a few months to think about what I saw down there, but this is the first time I'm talking about it, and you know I have tried to find some normal explanation, but you don't get many search results for fleshy mine filled with giant bugs and the most recent stuff I can find on the gold. Mine only goes back to the early nineteen hundred when a missing cave or disappeared after reportedly going inside, but there is a lot that can be for about the locals that lived there and their dispute with the miners. So many times they referenced. teachers, life blood or part of the land. I thought about the lower tunnels. their fleshy walls in rotten smell. And how they were almost formed. Like veins, and then I thought about the maggots now fly
tires are always drawn to dead things. The heart is dead. That's what someone wrote. I dont know what those minors we're looking for. never was down there. I think it was alive, it was alive and they killed it now all that's left is rotting in the ground. Listen I don't care, if you believe me or not. I did, I would have told you my name, but please ever find a mine with a sign that reads: stay out just do as it says,.
this series was produced by actually flowers and David flowers? Episode was written by David flowers and read by David. We story was modified slightly for audio retelling? Did you can find regional info on our website, full body. Chill is an audio chuck production? So what do you think Chuck do you prove it
Transcript generated on 2021-10-15.