Introduction

At the end of July 2005 I joined an online creative writing group organised by Heather Blakey (henceforward to be known variously as Sybil, Heather, or the enchantress), owner of the best creative writing website I have come across: www.dailywriting.net.

Heather was to be our guide in an imaginary land where a number of travellers (about 10 in the first group) were to travel to the Sybil's cave in Umbria and from there to a number of other places. In a series of guided imagery exercises we were to record our adventures which we would also publish in a blog (weblog - a sort of online journal). We started with one blog and now, 8 weeks later, we have nearly 30 different blogs. The idea of 'publishing' our work in a blog (to which only team members could post comments) was to enable the other travellers to read our adventures and for us to be able to comment on the writing and artwork that the others had done and thus encourage each other. Some of the travellers, me for example, had never done much creative writing so it was quite a challenge.

Heather's instructions to us are written in italics and my humble offerings are in a normal font.

Obviously this is my own version of the adventure. Other versions will be very different.

Heather suggested that we made ourselves a 'cave journal'. Below are pictures of the front and back covers of mine. By the time you have finished reading this you will realise that the cover pictures contain symbols of my journey.

The front cover shows me (as a young teenager) sitting in a boat in a cave and there are images of cave paintings, scallop shells (symbol of all pilgrims), etc. collaged over it.

The back cover is a picture of Minerva (Greek goddess of wisdom) with an owl on her left arm. The original painting is by Klimt. There is no particular significance to the other images collaged on top.