The Battle for Duncragglin

by Andrew H. Vanderwal

  “Headlamps?” Alex asked.

  Willie tossed his rock-climbing harness onto the carpet and strapped a circular light to his head. “Got it. What's next?”

  “We'll need chalk to mark the way we came.” Annie scribbled some more. “And some baler's twine to unroll behind us.”

  Willie groaned. “Unrolling twine will take too long. And we won't need it if we have chalk.”

  “It's non-negotiable,” Annie said crisply, putting her pad down. “What we're about to do is dangerous, Willie. People die doing things like this. We need to take every precaution.”

  “We need to take every precaution,” Willie mimicked, but Annie refused to take the bait. Willie finally agreed to the baler's twine as well as a water bottle and some emergency rations, but only after Annie's suggestion of taking biscuits was augmented with chocolates. He put his foot down, though, when she suggested that they each bring a blanket.

  “We're not going for a sleepover,” he said. “We'll all be carrying heavy packs as it is. Blankets are too bulky. If we get cold, we'll just build a fire.”

  “There probably won't be any firewood,” Annie retorted, “and even if there is, we can't light a fire as it might use up all the air.”

  Air? Alex and Willie looked at each other in surprise. They settled on bringing the set of silver emergency blankets that were sealed in a little packet and stored in the back of Mr. McRae's car.

  “Shall we take along a hairbrush and a change of clothes?” Willie tossed his head back and thrust out a hip. “Always need to look our best, you know.”

  Annie picked up a pillow to smack him. She paused. “Actually, that might not be such a bad idea. What if we get wet?”

  “No way, no way,” Willie howled. “Me and my big mouth.”

  In the end, they agreed to pack a change of clothes, wear layers, and bring jackets in case it got really cold. All that was left was to convince themselves they would need everything that they'd planned to bring.

  Willie slapped his knee. “My music! I almost forgot! I need to bring my music.”

  Alex and Annie stared.

  “I cannae go without ma tunes.” Willie sat up straight and put his hands in his lap. “It's non-negotiable.”

  Annie's pillow hit him squarely on the side of the head.

  In the days that followed, Annie, Willie, and Alex gathered everything they needed, keeping it hidden in Annie's room. “Craig won't find it there,” she said, “and Dad never goes into my room since, unlike you guys, I keep it tidy.”

  Following the calf-feeding and feed-grinding, they had gone into the equipment shed and wound a great long length of baling twine onto a stick. There was such a huge spool in the baling machine that Mr. McRae would never notice some was missing.

  They wondered how they would get the emergency blankets from the boot of the car. Mr. McRae usually kept the car keys in his pocket, and the interior boot latch was broken. The problem was solved during the weekly grocery run into Straith Meirn. While hefting grocery bags, Annie managed to slip the set of emergency blankets into the bread bag without Mr. McRae noticing.

  For rucksacks, they used school packs that had been stowed away for the summer on the top shelf of the hall closet. Annie emptied the assorted feathers, stones, paper scraps, and outright junk from Craig's pack into a plastic bag, which she left behind on the shelf, and gave the pack to Alex. Craig wouldn't miss it – not until school started. By then, they would be long back.

  They checked the weather channel for the precise day and time that the tide fluctuations would reach their lowest point. It was less than a week away. Much to Annie's dismay, her prediction that low tide would be at midnight was confirmed.

  They counted down the days, praying low tide would come before Alex's aunt Fiona got better and sent for him. Craig seemed to be getting used to having Alex around and no longer sought ways to challenge him, annoy him, or complain about what he did. Alex suspected Craig was secretly happy to have him help out with many of his regular jobs, especially the nasty chore of shoveling out the henhouse.

  Finally the night of the lowest tide arrived, and Alex, Annie, and Willie found it hard not to let on that something was up. They exchanged knowing glances and whispered snatches of furtive instructions at every opportunity.

  Annie caught Alex in the hall, away from prying eyes. “I'll bring the rucksacks down and place them outside the back door around ten-thirty,” she said. “Pass it on to Willie.”

  “How will you know when your dad is asleep?”

  “He snores. Big, snorting, hungry-pig kind of snores. I can hear them right through my bedroom wall. As soon as I'm sure he's out, I'll go and shine a torch up at your window. Make sure you don't wake Craig.”

  The bathroom door opened and out stepped Craig. “What are you two whispering about?” he demanded.

  “Nothing.” Annie casually carried on down the hall.

  “Well, you better not wake me!” Craig called after her.

  Alex encountered Annie again in the kitchen. “What do you think he heard?” he asked nervously.

  Annie rummaged through the drawer for a can opener. “Don't worry. If he heard more than the last sentence, he would have let us know by now.”

  During the evening meal, there were long stretches where the only sounds were the clinking of cutlery against plates and the deliberate smacking noises Craig made while chewing his food.

  “Well.” Mr. McRae wiped his lips with his serviette. “Everyone must have got a lot of fresh air today.”

  Willie pushed back his plate. “Not feeling well,” he mumbled, keeping his eyes cast down on the table.

  Mr. McRae felt Willie's forehead. “Do you think you might be sick?”

  Willie nodded. He got up shakily and Mr. McRae helped him up the stairs.

  Alex didn't feel well either. His stomach felt like a clenched fist. It seemed that, like Willie, he was suffering from a case of nerves.

  Later, when Alex and Craig went up to the bedroom, Willie was facing the wall, a bucket next to his bed. He did not stir.

  Alex got into bed, his heart beating so loudly that he thought the others could hear. It was hard to lie waiting for Craig to fall asleep, waiting for Annie's signal, waiting for it all to begin.

  Finally Alex heard Craig's steady breathing turn into light gasps. Alex propped up his head with one hand and kept an eye out for Annie's signal. It took so long, he wondered whether he should see if she'd fallen asleep. If he met Mr. McRae, he could pretend he was going to the bathroom unless, of course, Mr. McRae caught him tiptoeing into Annie's room. At that point, he would have a lot of explaining to do.

  Just when he could stand it no longer, a flash illuminated a sliver of the ceiling. Quiet as a ghost, Alex slipped out of bed and closed the curtains – the prearranged signal for Annie to know he was up. It also made the room darker. Alex bunched up his bedcovers to make them appear as if he were still in bed. He picked up his carefully arranged bundle of clothes, crept over to Willie's bed, and gave him a shake.

  Willie groggily raised his arm. “What? What?”

  “Shh! Come on, let's go!”

  Willie dropped his arm over his face. “You go ahead,” he mumbled. “I'll be right there.”

  Alex tiptoed down the stairs to the front room to get dressed. He hid his pajamas under the couch and slipped out the side door. He shivered in the night air as he laced up his shoes.

  Annie came around the corner lugging three rucksacks. “Where's Willie?”

  “He's coming. I had to wake him.”

  “He fell asleep?!” Annie stamped her foot. “I don't believe it. You can't count on him for anything.”

  They sat on the steps, Annie impatiently drumming her fingers on her pack. She jumped up and strode angrily around the house to flash the light at the window again. She returned more annoyed than ever.

  “I'll go get him,” she said, climbing the steps to the house.

  As she reached for the handle, the door sudd
enly swung open.

  “Craig! What are you doing up?”

  Craig stepped out and closed the door behind him. “I'm coming too,” he said.

  “No, you're not.” Annie raised her hand to her mouth. “I mean, we're not going anywhere … now get back up to bed. Why are you dressed?”

  “Because I'm coming with you,” he said doggedly. “I want to find out about Mum as much as you do, you know.”

  Annie stared in dismay. She knew there would be no way to stop him – he was just too stubborn. Either he came with them, or no one went. “Let's get Willie,” she said at last.

  “Oh, I wouldn't do that.” Craig gave a short laugh. “He was hanging over his bucket a moment ago – it wasn't pretty.”

  Annie sighed. “Okay, let's go. Craig, you take Willie's pack.”

  They strapped on their headlamps and trudged in single file, Annie in the lead, Craig in the middle, Alex right behind. Alex told himself that, in all likelihood, they would find that the hollow led nowhere, that there was no way into the caves, and they would all be back safe and sound in their beds within an hour or so. In the morning, they would report to Willie that he had not missed anything at all: there were no caves, no anything. Repeating this helped calm his nerves.

  It was the darkest night Alex could remember. Not a single star could be seen anywhere across the vast blackness. They could see only what fell in the beam of their lights. The terrain changed from shrub to rock, and eventually they found the edge of the cliffs. A heavy stillness filled the air. It felt like it would rain.

  They followed a path that wound down the front of the cliffs. The sea was quiet but for a light slapping and gurgling of swells trickling about the rocks.

  Soon they reached the water's edge, but there was no sign of the board. Alex became convinced they had gone the wrong way. He stooped to squeeze through a narrow gap in the rocks, taking care not to get his feet wet. Shining his light into the blackness ahead, he stopped short, suddenly realizing it led straight into the cliff.

  “This might be it!” he called.

  Annie crowded in behind him. “Can you see how far it goes?”

  “Not yet.”

  Stooping, they entered a long narrow cave. Craig wormed his way ahead of Annie. A narrow stream trickled beside them. Something blue flashed in the water and Alex reached down to fish it out. It was a rope. He pulled it up and found it led deep into the cave.

  “What's that doing here?” Craig asked.

  “It seems we're not the first ones to go this way.” Alex trained his light on the rope and examined it closely. “It's not slimy, so it can't have been here very long.”

  They had to be going the right way. This must lead somewhere – why else would there be a rope? And where else could it lead but into the caves? Hearts pounding, they followed it deeper underground. The cave became smaller, and they walked hunched over to keep from hitting their heads.

  The stream ended, and the cave became no more than a fissure. Alex squirmed out of his pack and crawled into the fissure, pulling his pack behind him. His knees were immediately soaked from crawling over wet seaweed and twigs. The confined space made him nervous. If there was an earth tremor and the rock was to shift, even just a bit…. Alex shook his head to dispel the thought and continued crawling ever deeper into the darkness ahead.

  The rock sloped slightly upward, and Alex wriggled into a cave not much bigger than the space under a dining-room table. Dead end. He felt relieved. That meant they would be turning back. He had had enough of squirming about through tiny cracks under tonnes of rock.

  “Budge over,” Craig said. He and Annie squeezed in beside Alex.

  Alex kneeled on a plank, thankful to get his knees off the rock. It had worn engravings carved into its side. Alex examined it closely and saw it was the very same board he had found during their picnic at the ruins – the one he had wedged between some rocks.

  “How'd that get here?” Craig asked.

  Alex shrugged. “Pushed in by the tide, I guess.” He picked up a short stick, but it was so slimy, he quickly tossed it away and wiped his hand on his trousers.

  “What was that?” Annie retrieved it and gingerly lifted it with two fingers. She wrinkled her nose. “It looks like the leg bone of a small animal.”

  “Like what, a sheep?” Craig asked.

  “Maybe.”

  “How about a dog?”

  Annie gave out a tiny squeal and dropped it. Could it be …? No. She persuaded herself that it couldn't be Tig's, that it was just some old bone that had floated in with the tide.

  Craig flashed his beam about the ceiling. He spotted a narrow shaft at one end. “Look,” he called out excitedly, “we could fit through there.”

  Alex squirmed over to peer up the shaft. It led straight up, farther than his light could reach. “No way!”

  “It'll be easy,” Craig said, pushing his pack out of the way. “Watch me.”

  Alex looked doubtfully over to Annie. She shrugged. “You should see him where we practice rock-climbing,” she said. “He climbs farther and faster than Willie.”

  “And higher too. Give me a boost, will you?”

  “Wait a second.” Annie unzipped the top of Willie's pack. “Not without Willie's harness and gear.”

  “But it's an easy climb –”

  “No, it isn't, and you know it. Besides, we need to use the gear to help Alex up – he's never done this before.”

  Annie helped Craig into the harness, adjusting his waist and leg straps until they were snug. She took great care to attach the rope to his harness with a proper double figure-eight knot.

  “And don't forget to hammer in a piton every few yards,” Annie said.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Craig stretched his arms. “I'm ready. Help me up.”

  Alex interlocked his fingers, his hands wobbling as they took on Craig's weight. Craig stepped onto his shoulder and, one painful thrust later, his weight was gone, replaced by a shower of dirt and pebbles.

  Annie put her headlamp down on end so that its beam shot up the shaft. She fed out the rope, keeping a tight grip should Craig fall.

  Alex ventured a quick look. “How's it going, Craig?” he called.

  “Okay so far” drifted down from above.

  Bits of dirt and stone clattered around the headlamp. Alex was thinking he should move it when a large stone suddenly fell from the shaft and shattered its lens.

  “One down,” he said glumly.

  “It's okay.” Annie calmly brushed aside the broken glass. “We still have three torches and two headlamps.”

  Alex unscrewed the back of the broken headlamp to save the batteries. He crawled back to grab a pack and felt his knees splash into a pool of water. “What the heck?” He twisted to shine his torch back the way they had come. “Annie … look! The tide's coming in. We have to get out of here. Fast!”

  Annie looked in horror at the rising water. She quickly turned to call up the shaft. “Craig, come down now! CRAIG!”

  Instead of a reply, the empty harness dropped from the shaft.

  “He can't hear me!” Annie cried. “What should we do? We can't just leave him up there.”

  The water was now only inches below the ceiling of the lower cave. They could still get out, but they would have to swim on their backs with their noses up for air.

  “You go. I'll stay with Craig.” Alex pulled the harness from Annie's hands. “We'll get out when the tide goes back down.”

  Alex struggled into the harness while Annie hastily explained how he was to climb. “When you pass a piton, clip the rope below it to your harness. That way you can't fall any farther than the distance you have climbed since the last time you clipped the rope.”

  Alex was confused, but there was no time for questions. Annie gave him a boost. He clambered and found a toehold. The shaft was wide enough for him to press his back against one side and push his feet against the other. He inched up, pushing with his hands while his feet slowly walked up th
e other side. He pulled down on the rope coming through the pitons. Up a few more feet, he found a piton that Craig had hammered into a crack. What had Annie said to do? He clipped the rope to his harness and hoped for the best.

  It was not easy to find new toeholds, especially in the uneven light. Although he tested each hold before putting his weight on it, he constantly feared one would give way and plunge him back down the shaft. He tried not to rely on any one so he would have a chance of catching himself if he slipped.

  Alex was not convinced that Craig's pitons would hold if his weight snapped against them. He tried to reassure himself by thinking that if Craig's top piton did not hold, there was always the next and then the next. Surely one of them would hold.

  Alex could not be sure how far he was climbing, but it seemed like a long way. From far above, Craig's torch shone down on him, helping him find grips. Dimly, he heard Craig's shouts of encouragement. A few times, he thought he might slip, but each time, he managed to stabilize his hold and shift to a more secure position.

  At long last, the top came into view. Alex wriggled over the edge, feeling Craig pull on his harness.

  Arms and hands still trembling from exertion, Alex rolled onto his back. A great sense of relief flooded through him. He'd made it! Now all they had to do was wait for the tide to go out … and everything would be alright.

  7

  TRAPPED

  Flat on his back, gasping from his climb, Alex vaguely heard Craig calling for him to take off his harness. “Annie needs it – hurry!”

  Alex waved him away. “Annie's gone back out to let people know where we are,” he said. “The tide is coming in.”

  “If she's gone, what's that light then?”

  “Light? What light?” Alex rolled onto his stomach and peered over the edge. Something was flashing at them from below.

  Alex squirmed out of the harness and lowered it with the rope. Soon the rope started gliding in fits and stops through the pitons. Could it really be Annie climbing up the shaft? She was going to leave the cave the moment he had started climbing. But if it wasn't Annie climbing, who or what was it?