by D. B. Magee
Sputtering, Ryan wiped his face. “Okay, okay, we surrender!”
“Aha! We did it!” Stacy shouted. “We got them back!” The girls gave each other exuberant high fives.
William set his eyeglasses on the platform’s railing and used his shirttail to dry his face. At that moment, something on the deck drew his attention. In the thin layer of what was now mud, he saw lines forming where the water had seeped between the parallel floorboards. What really piqued his interest, though, were the two thin perpendicular lines crossing the floor boards and forming a large square in the center of the platform. Using his tennis shoe, William began scraping away the mud.
Seeing William’s interest, Ryan retrieved his hat from where it had landed after being blasted off his head, wiped it on his jeans, and sauntered over. “What’re you doing, Willy?”
“What do you make of this?” William asked, indicating the square outline before him.
Using his boot, Ryan helped clear away some of the mud. “It looks like a hatch,” he said enthusiastically. “I reckon there must be a storage area underneath here. It’s probably where they keep the pruning equipment for the tree. Maybe there will be some tools we can use to build our tree house. What do ya say we take a gander?”
The boys dropped to their knees, and with their bare hands wiped away more of the mud from the square cover.
From the attic window, Stacy noticed that the boys were no longer in sight. “Hey, I think the guys are up to something,” she said, frowning with suspicion. “I’m going to take a look.”
“I’m going, too,” Lisa decided.
Stacy glanced down at Lisa’s limp arm. “Do you think you should?”
“Why not? I may only have one good arm, but I can still climb a ladder. Just don’t tell my parents. My father is so overprotective of me. He wouldn’t approve.” Lisa threw a leg over the windowsill. “Come on, let’s go.”
With the hatch cleared of surface mud, William tried to insert his fingers in the spaces between the boards. “I can’t get a grip,” he said to Ryan. “There’s too much gunk in these cracks. I need something to clean them out with.”
“Here,” Ryan said, pulling his pocket knife from his pocket. “Try this.”
Just then, Lisa’s head appeared over the edge of the platform. “Hi guys, what are you doing?”
Seeing Lisa’s precarious position on the ladder, Ryan hopped up, quickly wiped the mud from his hands onto his jeans, and rushed to assist her onto the platform. He assisted Stacy next, even though she really didn’t need his help.
“We found a storage area under the deck,” Ryan said, answering Lisa’s question. “We’re fixing to take a look inside.”
Lisa scrunched her nose. “Why bother?” she said. “There’s probably nothing in it.”
“That’s better yet,” Ryan replied. “Maybe we can use it to store tree house stuff, like sleeping bags and such.”
“We don’t even know, yet, if my parents will approve of a tree house.”
Ryan produced a wide grin. “I like to think positive.”
Leaving the boys to their dirty and boring exploration, the girls walked over to the far end of the platform and peered out at the varied landscape.
“Wow!” Lisa exclaimed. “What a view. I don’t know why I never came up here before.”
From this vantage point, above the house, the girls could see in all directions. Directly behind the house rose the steep and jagged Stegosaurus Ridge. Out in front and about a mile away rose the Sierra Nevada mountain range, a majestic backdrop to the many green and purple vineyards and various multicolored—and fragrant—orchards that covered the foothills. In the not-too-far distance, on the other side of the house, Stegosaurus Ridge merged with the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The Walborgs’ property sat in a kind of ‘v’ shape formed by the two mountain ranges.
Lisa and Stacy peered out at the glistening lake and the little shady oases beneath the willow trees and talked quietly about the spectacular view. Meanwhile, Ryan and William continued their assault on the stubborn hatch.
When he’d cleared out the spaces between the hatch boards, William closed the pocket knife and handed it back to Ryan. Together, the boys wedged their fingers and hands, up to their palms, into the hatch openings and begin pulling.
Little by little, the hatch began to move, grinding against the dirt and mud remaining between the cracks. Finally, they wrestled the heavy hatch free and set it, upside down, onto the deck of the platform. To their surprise, the underside of the hatch was fitted with a locking device. However, what really got the boys staring in amazement was the deep well-like hole, and ladder, that disappeared into blackness beneath them.
Back in the corporate office of Over the Top Sporting Goods, the eyes on Granny’s bracelet suddenly glowed red. She secretly covered her wrist. Here we go, she thought with a dreadful feeling.
She returned her attention to the meeting in progress. “Ladies and Gentleman,” she said, standing. “Will you excuse me for just a moment?”
The small gathering of people sitting around the conference table responded with nods.
“Thank you. I’ll be just a minute.” She rose from her chair and strolled, dignity intact, from the room. When she reached the door, she quickly punched numbers on her cell phone.
“Hello?” The man she’d spoken to earlier answered quickly, as if he’d been waiting for her call.
“We have a breach!”
“I know. I just received the signal.” The man glanced at the glowing dial on his custom Rolex watch. “Is it friend or foe?”
“Unknown,” Granny said. “But it’s got me worried.”
“Ok. Looks like it’s time to reactivate the video system. I’ll take care of it. We’ve known for a long time this day was coming.”
“I know, but I’ve never been very comfortable with the idea.”
I won’t let anything happen to them, you know that.”
“It’s just that they’re so young and innocent,” Granny said, her voice cracking in her anxiety.
“I’ll keep eyes on around the clock.”
Granny breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you!”
“You bet.”
Granny slowly snapped her cell phone closed.
Sometime later, powerful mini cameras located at strategic locations around the Walborg property came to life.
What Is It?
“Come on,” Lisa said, leading the way through the house to the first floor. “There should be flashlights in the kitchen or laundry room.” Behind her, her friends hustled single file, each one excitedly anticipating their upcoming expedition down into the depths of the hollow Baobab tree.
Upon reaching the living room, Lisa quickly stopped. “Oh yeah,” she said, turning to Ryan. “I forgot to tell you that these packages came for you earlier today.”
“Hey, Willy,” Ryan said, looking over the delivery. “It looks like Granny came through.”
William stepped timidly forward, glancing around at all the various-sized boxes. “We didn’t ask for that much stuff—did we?” he asked, wondering if Granny’s store had anything left in it.
“This is nothing, Willy,” Ryan said, waving his hand to take in all the boxes. “We can get lots more if’n we want.”
Just then, Mrs. Walborg entered the room. “Oh, there you are,” she said to the group. “Your lunch is ready in the dining room. After eating, you kids should go outside for a while. It’s nice out. If you plan on going swimming, though, make sure you wait at least thirty minutes after eating. Lisa,” she said to her daughter, “make sure to wear your life vest, sweetie.”
“I will,” Lisa assured her mother.
“Good girl,” Mrs. Walborg said. “I’m going out to the garden for a few hours. If you children need me, you can find me there.” Before leaving she regarded the parcels and then Ryan.
“Goodness gracious!” she exclaimed, giving him an affectionate shoulder hug. “It looks like your grandmother has sent
over enough stuff for you to start your own store.”
“No, ma’am,” Ryan replied. “Just a few things to get the vacation started.”
Mrs. Walborg rolled her eyes in amusement. “Well, you kids have fun—but behave yourselves.” And with that, she strolled cheerfully from the room.
“What luck!” Lisa said. “We have about two hours, now, before we have to worry about Mom coming upstairs. Let’s hurry up and eat, find the flashlights, and get back out there.”
Without wasting another moment, four sets of legs scrambled in a mad dash for the dining room.
After a quick lunch of chili dogs, brownies, and milk, Ryan, Lisa, William, and Stacy once again took up their quest.
“Check the packages,” Ryan said, hustling back into the living room. “I reckon there should be flashlights in with the camping gear.”
In less than sixty seconds, in what only can be described as a flurry of fingers, the four friends began tearing carelessly into the pile of boxes stacked neatly in the living room.
“They’re not here,” Stacy said, searching through one of the longer packages. “The only thing in this one is some stupid airplane.”
William rushes over. “I’ll take that!” he said, snatching the box.
“Well, I’m warning you,” Stacy said, glaring at William. “If I’m the target of any more of your practical jokes, you won’t have to worry about losing those to a tree—because I’ll break them myself.”
William sneered at his sister.
“Never mind all that,” Ryan said, using his pocket knife to cut the top off the largest parcel. “Keep looking for the flashlights. Daylight’s a wastin’.”
Lisa slid up next to Ryan, and began looking through a medium-sized box sitting next to the coffee table. “Where do you think the ladder goes?” she asked, pulling snorkeling gear from the box and setting it down on the table’s glass top.
Ryan now bent over the large cardboard carton. He hung upside down, digging his way through ropes, harnesses, carabiners, boots, backpacks, and other hiking gear. “To the bottom,” his muffled voice resonated from deep inside the box.
“Duh!” Lisa retorts. “But what do you think it leads to?”
“They’re not in here, either,” Ryan said, and then kicking his legs wildly in the air he hollered, “Someone, grab hold of my feet and pull me outta here!”
Lisa moved over behind Ryan. With a snicker, she threw her arms over the back of his legs and leaned down hard.
Ryan grunted as his stomach muscles tightened. His upper body shot upright, like a teeter-totter.
Lisa laughed uncontrollably at the sight, until in a flash, Ryan’s butt slammed against her forehead leaving her sprawled out on the floor.
Without looking back, Ryan snagged his hat from the floor and moseyed over to the next package.
Lisa sat mortified, her red cheeks revealing her embarrassment. All she could do was wonder why this kept happening to her. Glancing around, she realized that no one had seemed to notice. She quickly hopped up and hurried over to where Ryan knelt, digging through yet another box.
“So?” she said, casually playing off her embarrassment.
Ryan looked up. His cowboy hat tilted back, giving a glimpse of his short red hair.
Lisa smiled, thinking his hair color made him look cute. For a moment she looked at him dreamily.
Ryan looked back at her in confusion. “So—what?” he drawled, rattled by her stare.
Lisa drew herself up straight and put her hands on her hips. “So, what do you think the ladder was put there for?”
“That’s what we’re about to find out!” Ryan scooped up another box and placed it on an end table. Pop! His fist bounced back from a quick blow that broke the tape holding the two box flaps together.
“This used to be the Wild West,” William said from across the room. “My guess is that it used to be a lookout for bandits. They probably camped out in the hills and had a spotter hiding in the tree watching for stagecoaches.”
“Ooh! Maybe so,” Lisa said, brightening. “We read in school that the Pony Express used to run this way. And with this whole valley being flat and barren, bandits could’ve seen the stagecoach coming from miles away.”
“Ah, here we are!” Ryan said, opening a box of spelunking head lamps, glow sticks and flashlights. “Here, catch!” As if he were a softball pitcher, he tossed gear to each of his friends.
Everyone was now outfitted with portable lighting devices. Once again, they headed for the trimming platform. William took the lead through the house, while Ryan followed in the rear with Lisa, in case she might need help along the way.
Moments later, the four cohorts, light sources in hand, treaded single file across the walkway. Excitement and anticipation radiated from their faces. They reached the ladder, and one by one, scampered up the eight rungs to the pruning platform above.
The hot California sun, having already erased all signs of the recent aqua assault from the deck, beat down harshly on the four young explorers.
“Lights on!” Ryan called, dropping to his knees near the open hatch. Grabbing a flashlight, he hit the switch. His light flashed on. He pointed it into the dark, vertical tunnel. His light beam slashed through the blackness, illuminating a section of ladder far below. Shifting to sit down, he threw his feet over the side and onto the first rung, and pushed his hat tight to his head.
William put on a headlamp and drew the strap tight under his chin. He thumbed the switch. Instantly, light shone straight ahead of him. He knelt down next to Ryan, gulping anxiously. “Ready!” he announced.
“Right! Let’s go.” Without hesitation, Ryan disappeared into the blackness. He held his flashlight precariously in one hand as he descended carefully into the hollow tree trunk. Every few seconds he paused to illuminate the way below him.
William shot a look back at the girls, checking their readiness. “Come on,” he said. “Turn on your lights.” He reached out to assist his sister.
Stacy was staring blankly into the dark opening. She promptly pulled back, holding a flashlight tight to her body. The gloomy void suddenly made her feel depressed, and the loneliness of being parentless once again washes over her. “I—I’ve decided to stay up here,” she said, retreating to the other side of the deck, where she sat down and curled up against a large, knotted, and crooked tree branch.
Seeing the anxiety on Stacy’s face and knowing what she had been through, Lisa sighed and set her headlamp on the deck. “I’m going to stay up here, too,” she said, even though she felt disappointed about missing out on any discovery the boys might make. It seemed more important to stay and comfort Stacy.
William shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
Ryan was already lost in blackness when William eased himself onto the ladder. A moment later he, too, had disappeared into the tree’s dark interior.
Stacy looked up somberly. “What do you think they’ll find?”
Lisa eyed the deck in search of the cleanest area she could find. She made a face at last, and plonked herself down, cross-legged. “Probably nothing,” she answered cheerfully. “William’s probably right. The tree was likely used long ago as some sort of lookout. The ladder probably doesn’t even go all the way to the bottom.”
With a light breeze in her face and the crisp blue sky above, Lisa felt exhilarated and surprised that she’d never come up here before. She reveled in the view of the rugged mountain range and the sweet aroma blowing in from the various fruit crops in the area. Breathing deeply, she took in the fresh, fragrant air as she put her hands behind her head and lay back. “This is heavenly,” she said, staring up at the hypnotic azure sky. “Ryan certainly has the right idea about building a tree house up here.” She looked over at Stacy and smiled in an attempt to lighten her friend’s spirits.
Below, inside the dark tree trunk, illuminated only by the boys’ lights, Ryan slowed his pace as the dry wooden rungs squeaked under his weight. Cautiously, he continued testing each rung b
efore committing his full weight to it. A minute later he hollered up, “Hey, I found a boarded-up hole in the side of the trunk, behind the ladder.”
Lisa sat up and leaned over the hatchway. “Are you at the bottom already?” she yelled down.
“No!” Ryan replied, looking up past William. He saw Lisa peering back at him. Her face appeared as a dark silhouette against the pure blue sky. “I reckon I’m only about two thirds of the way down.”
“How big is the hole?” Lisa shouted.
Ryan estimates the blocked opening. “She’s about six foot high and four foot wide.”
“She?” William wondered, aloud.
“Where I’m from we call pert near everything she.”
William dropped down a step and scrunched up close to Ryan. Looking over the young cowboy’s shoulder, he inspected a small section of the boarded-up hole. “Let me see your knife?” he said.
In order to keep one hand securely on the ladder, Ryan put his flashlight into his back pocket, and then retrieved his pocket knife from his front pocket and handed it over. “What’re ya going to do, Willy?”
William unfolded the largest blade. “Create an opening so I can see out.” He stuck the blade into the center of an old knot and rapped gently on the end of the knife. A minute later, the plug flew free and a small column of filtered light shone through. He closed the blade and handed the knife back to Ryan.
“Can you see anything?” Ryan asked.
“Hold on a minute.” William removed his glasses, stuck his head between the ladder’s dirty rungs, and squinted through the small, circular opening. “It’s hard to see,” he said, adjusting his uncomfortable stance on the ladder. “There’s something in the way.”
Just then a strong breeze blew outside. “Wait, it’s moving.” He watched the movement for a moment. “Oh, it’s the thorn bush around the tree. We’re at ground level here. Someone must have once used this as an entrance.”
Ryan stood one rung below, using his body as support so William didn’t slip. “Great! Mystery solved. Now, come on. Let’s keep moving.”
