To the first chapter:
http://stage.co.il/Stories/404904


4: Erroneous Destination

I hopped off the vehicle. "Take care," Horev waved to me and
smiled. Then he shut the door and took off.
The area was barren, with a few rocks strewn here and there.
It was 7:15 am.
I started walking forward, according to the instructions I
was given. I was to walk for a few hours, until I reached
the mountains, and then look for a cave, a tunnel, or an
opening in the ground.

I stopped to rest. I drank some water from my bottle. I
resumed walking.

Suddenly I heard a crow screaming. It was fighting some huge
bird of prey.
Soon the crow was lying dead on the ground, and the other
bird flew away.
I approached the dead one, and on an impulse plucked out a
black feather and stuck it in my shirt's buttonhole.

After a few more hours walking, I reached the mountains. I
sat down and rested. Then I ate lunch from the pack I took
with me.
I resumed walking around the cliff. No opening of any kind
was visible.
I stopped to rest and pray Mincha.

The cave was dark and menacing, and the light from the
flashlight was too weak to dispel the gloom. I walked to the
farthest wall and shone on it once, counted to five, shone
on it twice, counted again, then shone on it once again,
then counted to 20 and lit it again. The wall moved. I
entered.

On the other side, something seemed wrong. I was told to
look for an old-looking building with an iron gate. Instead,
I saw before me a small village of primitive-looking huts.
The wall closed behind me and turned to solid rock.

I did not understand. Where was that building? Where was the
iron gate? And what was this village doing there?

I tried shining the flashlight on the rock behind me, but it
looked like a normal part of the cliff.

I started walking along the cliff, perhaps the building I
needed was a bit off... After an hour and a half I turned
back. I passed again by the small village and continued for
another hour and a half. Still no iron gate.

I decided to wait till nightfall, then sneak into the
village and explore it under cover of darkness.

I prayed Ma'ariv, ate two sandwiches and some fruit, drank
some water, set my watch to awaken me in two hours and got
into the sleeping bag to keep me warm until it would be dark
enough for my mission.

I suddenly woke up. I tried to rub my eyes open but could
not move my hands. I blinked but saw nothing. I felt some
cloth on my eyes. I felt bumps and realized I was being
carried. I tried to cry out but my mouth was muffled. Then I
realized: I had overslept and was taken captive by some
unknown factor. My feet were bound as well.

I was cast down upon a straw mattress. A few minutes later
the cloth was removed from my eyes and mouth, and my hands
were unbound. My legs remained bound with strong cords.

To chapter 5: http://stage.co.il/Stories/423112