The sea cave

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

The cave mouth was narrower than Margaret had expected. She stood on the shingle while her cousins went ahead, their voices bouncing from the rock. The tide had turned, and a thin stream of water slid around her boots. Margaret told herself she was not afraid; still, she kept one hand on the cliff.

Inside, the passage bent sharply. A greenish light trembled on the walls, and the roof seemed to press lower with every step. Margaret stopped. Behind her, the entrance had become a pale strip. She could hear the water dragging stones across the beach.

Then her cousin James called from further in. He had found a pool where tiny silver fish darted between the rocks. Margaret let go of the cliff. She crossed the last few yards slowly, and knelt beside him. The fish scattered at her shadow, then returned.

On the way out, Margaret walked in front. At the cave mouth she turned back once, smiling at the dark passage before the daylight took it from view.

Margaret's feelings change during her visit to the cave. Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to present this change.

In your answer, you should consider:

• how Margaret feels at the beginning and inside the cave
• what changes her response and how the ending presents her feelings.

Use references to the passage.