A grotto test of love.

If I had to live underground, I'd take to the grotto Is Zuddas near Santadi in Sardinia. I have never seen caves so secluded and stunning. Almost beyond words. Another world. Below Earth's surface. I had a feeling that I was in a cathedral to beat all cathedrals. All I needed was organ music. Bouncing off the walls. I thought I was on another planet. Maybe below the surface of Mars. The grotto was formed millions of years ago. But few have seen its splendors until recent times. Because the grotto has been lit up. By electric flood lights. Creating behemoth shadows. Used to be one had to carry a torch, and then to see only a small portion. A peek. The shapes and forms in the grotto look like they came out of a science fiction novel. Grotesque. Yet beautiful. The grotto is divided into chambers. We climbed. And we descended. In awe. Cost us 9 euros apiece for the tour. With guides speaking in Italian. In front. And to the rear. To make sure nobody got lost. I would have loved getting lost. And waiting for a search party. My true love lagged behind. Took a wrong turn. But we retrieved her in quick order. Thank gawd. Because she translated for me. And issued me a warning. That I'd be sorry I didn't bring along a jacket. Because it would be cold in the grotto. But I told her I knew better. That temperatures in most caves hover around 55 degrees. All the time. Which is warm for a Minnesotan. Anyway, I pretended I was shivering. And asked my true love to give me her coat. So I could stay warm. It would be a test of love. I said that if the roles were reversed, I'd give her the shirt off my back. And my pants, too. In ancient times, I'd have gladly lived in the grotto. Comfortably. With my true love. But she might not have stuck it out. Because of the bats and spiders. It would be another stiff test of love. --Jim Broede