I stop to stare at him in disbelief. “Admiration!? Bullshit!”
He clicks his tongue with mock disapproval. “Ah, ah, ah! Language, young lady.” He scolds me teasingly, the stick-in-the-mud. “Mum would be ecstatic that you’re talking again but don’t let her hear you say that. Oh, look, we’re almost at the exit. Wait! Wash your hands here first before we step out of the cave.”
“Wash my hands? Why?”
“It is tradition in sacred places to cleanse yourself before you leave, so you don’t bring something with you that does not belong to the outside world.”
I scoff. “You mean like the geodes?” I ask sarcastically.
He smirks. “Oh, the geodes are paid for by your necklace so we’re good.”
Smart ass. I try not to smile but fail, of course so I just look away.
He helps me again as we slowly make our
