Albert under the crust

Anurag Bardhan

February 16, 2026

Albert Torres was a quiet and introverted geology student from Mendoza, Argentina. Shy since childhood, he had often been teased by his classmates, who mistook his silence for cowardice. Their remarks never affected his academic focus; he remained one of the brightest students in his batch. When the college announced a summer cave-diving expedition to Malargüe, the same classmates mocked him, saying he would never dare to join. Albert ignored them—but the very next day, he enrolled.

On the day of the expedition, five boys and their professor, a professional cave diver, set out together. Among them were Lendon and Harry, the two who bullied Albert the most. Though Albert appeared calm, he was anxious inside. The sport was life-threatening, and he feared they might try to harm him in the cave. Pushing away the thought, he followed the group into the darkness.

Their headlamps revealed glittering mineral walls and countless stalactites dripping water from the ceiling. The rhythmic echoes of the drops filled the cave, creating an ethereal atmosphere. This, however, was the easier part. The real challenge lay in crawling through narrow, unexplored passages. The instructor strictly ordered them to follow him and not wander.

As they crawled through one such passage, several smaller tunnels branched out. Lendon and Harry, disobedient as ever, slipped into an unknown path at the rear, unnoticed by the others, as they were last in the line. The tunnel sloped downward and ended in a suffocatingly tight space where they became stuck. There was no room to turn back; human strength alone could not free them. Panic set in. Convinced they would starve there, Lendon bitterly thought that their transgressions and cruelty towards others had led them to this fate.

Meanwhile, Albert, third from last, noticed their absence. He retraced his way and found them trapped in the narrow decline. They could not see him, but when he called out, they recognized his voice. The boys who had once mocked him now apologized and pleaded for help.

Without hesitation, Albert took out a rope from his backpack and, with careful effort, pulled them out one by one. Together they returned to the group and completed the expedition safely.

From that day on, Albert was never teased again. His classmates saw his courage and kindness, and the college later felicitated him—not only for successfully completing the cave dive, but for saving two lives. (Class- IX, Bhavan’s Tripura Vidyamandir)

আরও পড়ুন...