by Jason Letts
Anxious to avoid any kind of confrontation, she imagined the best way to accomplish her goal would be to make a trail of food that led out of the cavern. Unfortunately, she wasn’t convinced she had the right food to tempt a bear, and she didn’t know if Widget would fault her for exiting so quickly. Her mind cycled through the possibilities, continuously reminding herself she could not possibly fight this animal.
She heard what sounded like a yawn, and another surge of fear froze her in place. Was it waking up? It would smell her immediately, if it did. She hadn’t strayed far from the tunnel, but she couldn’t make herself run for the surface. Giving up was not an option. The bear’s head moved to the side, and Mira stepped further out into the cavern so it couldn’t see her.
Logic suggested that this animal would rather run than fight. So as long as she had the fire and left a clear way for the bear to get out then she should be fine. All of the water in the cavern angered her because it meant she wouldn’t be able to find anything else to burn. Wet rocks wouldn’t do much to help her create a fiery display to scare the bear away.
The animal continued to rouse. Its thick paw scratched the rough fur on its side. Each sound and movement mesmerized Mira. It sniffed into the air, and she knew she had been caught. Her heart pounded wildly. When did it last have a meal? The bear’s large head swung around, still in the cover of shadows, and it hoisted itself onto its arms and legs. Mira crouched down, holding the flame out to the animal. Maybe it would just leave on its own.
A few gruff, guttural noises rumbled from the beast as it swung around and put its front paws into the water. The fire reflected in its eyes, and Mira exhaled a stilted, worried breath. Any distance felt too close, but it came still closer. At least she had not stumbled upon a mother with her cubs, the surest recipe for provoking an attack.
Peeking from beneath the torch, she tried to gauge the bear’s mood. It looked curious, swiveling its head toward the fire that reflected on the underground river. She prayed every second it would find its way out through the tunnel, moaning in her mind that she didn’t know she’d be doing this when she accepted Widget’s mission. The chain of mistakes that led her here stretched all the way back to ever leaving her parents. The bear stopped in place and continued sniffing at the air. The bats above sensed Mira’s tension and became agitated as well.
Taking a deep breath, the bear cracked open its jaws and expelled a hellish roar, deafening Mira. Almost immediately, she could smell it and taste it in her mouth, and in the same instant the flame of the torch went out. The shock of plainly seeing the gigantic bear in the sparse rays of light numbed Mira’s fingertips and strained her eyes.
She slowly rose from her crouch and took small steps back. Her foot bumped against a stone and made a splash. The bear inched forward, refusing to leave her alone. Even though she could reach the tunnel in only a few strides, she knew better than to tempt it into chasing her when she could never outrun it.
The bear lowered its head to the ground and suddenly charged, flashing its bared teeth and emitting a ferocious growl. Precious seconds separated her from impact and she dove to the right. Snapping its jaws, it tramped through the watery rocks behind her as it tried to slow down and change directions. Mira scrambled to the closest wall, ducking inside a narrow space between two stone outcroppings.
She felt the rocks shudder around her in the next second as the bear brought its weight against the sandstone shielding her. It growled furiously, swiping its arm continuously through the opening of the small, enclosed place where Mira hid. A single swipe cut through the air just inches away. She jabbed at the bear using the unlit torch. The bear roared and snapped its jaws at her.
It pressed down on the rocks, blindly trying to work its way closer. Certain this would be her end, she retreated as far as she could and felt a loose stone with her hand. The bear slammed the rock above her, and she grabbed the stone and threw it at its face. The impact of the rock irritated the bear enough for it to back away. Mira tossed small stones, hoping they would be enough to make it leave, but the angry bear again smacked its weight into the formation protecting Mira. She felt the rock shake, and pebbles rained on her head. The bear’s attacks sounded like thunder, and so she didn’t hear the fragile cave exterior giving way above. A hefty slab slid down from the wall and crashed onto Mira’s narrow pocket of refuge. She covered her head and screamed.
The falling pebbles had warned the bear of the impending collapse, and it quickly turned away. Convinced its prey was no longer worth the danger, it ran for the exit. The large slab covered the space over Mira’s head, and she listened to countless boulders crashing above her. She huddled with her hands over her head, thinking how any one might be the one to strike her.
The cave-in eventually ceased, and Mira looked up to see the rubble that had sealed her into a claustrophobic tomb. Tiny gaps brought her a speck of light and a little air, but none were even close to what she could climb through.
“Help! Please! Widget!” she screamed, no longer able to take any more punishment. She pushed on the rock in front of her, over her, and behind her, but nothing would budge. She screamed until her voice left her, and she began to believe Widget had abandoned her. Even if he couldn’t hear her pleas, he must have heard the cave in and probably seen the bear flee. Still, she heard nothing but the gurgling of the underground river.
Mira began to think about how weak the rock must be, and how stupid she was for not having a knife or something to chip at it. As she kicked and pushed, the arm with the static charger brushed against the stone. The metal of the casing wouldn’t be enough, she thought, but she began to rip at it anyway. Pulling the pieces apart, she removed the small battery, the piece of her mother’s carpet she had been given on her birthday, the copper wire, and at last the neodymium magnet.
Sliding it down her arm and over her hand, she gripped the sturdy metal ring. Her bare forearm felt strange having been covered for so long. Wrapping the fingers of both hands around the ring, she held it out and began to chip away at the stone imprisoning her, aiming for the frail edges preventing her from crawling underneath. Soon a pile of chippings formed.
Angry at where she was, what she was doing, who she was, and everything that had happened, she beat on the rocks for what seemed like forever. She felt dirty, wet, tired, and hungry, but she didn’t stop. Soon, enough of the rock in front of her had been chipped away to allow her to see the next rock. When she stuck her foot through to kick at it, it rolled over and revealed an exit from her prison of stone.
Dragging her legs and kicking at the ground, she cleared it of any obstructing rocks. Next, she gathered her parts in her hand and gingerly maneuvered herself for a face-first departure. Her arms pushing through and her body shimmying behind, she worked her way along. If a rock suddenly fell, she would be crushed. If the water had been any higher, she would have drowned. But she pulled her legs through and felt relief at making it back into the greater cave area.
Slowly getting to her feet, she tried to ring the water out of her clothes in vain. A look at the part of the wall that had collapsed onto her gave her cause for a moment of thankfulness. Much more could have fallen from above, enough to ensure a lifetime of chipping wouldn’t free her. Still, she made for the exit as soon as she could, the pieces of the static charger cradled in her arms.
A giddy relief came to her as she reached the surface and took in some fresh air. She still felt terrible, shaken, and vulnerable, but it was over and somehow she had succeeded. Mindlessly, she wandered back toward her camp by way of the ridge. As she approached, she saw Widget sitting on a rock making a house out of twigs.
“Oh! Look who it is!” he said cheerfully. “I started to get worried when I heard the roaring and crashing and the calls for help.”
“Why didn’t you come and help me?” She wanted to strangle him.
“You got out all right, didn’t you? I guess you didn’t need any help after all,” he shrugged.
“How could y
ou just abandon me like that? Falling rocks wasn’t part of my training. I needed your help.”
“I didn’t go anywhere. I’ve been right here the entire time. Either you would come out and be fine or you wouldn’t come out at all. I think you made the right choice.”
“You’re unbelievable. I could’ve died in there! I could’ve been pinned by a rock and bled to death in the stream and you would have had no idea you missed your chance to save me.”
“Or you could have had your head knocked off by the bear,” Widget added. “I’m glad you’re finally starting to comprehend that this isn’t a game. You can’t count on anybody but you to save you. And you made it, even when you thought you wouldn’t. The moment you start relying on someone else is the moment you find out how alone you are.”
Mira fumed. She didn’t know what to say or do. Her feelings welled up like lava.
“I’ve got to go get something,” Widget said, turning back to their camp. “Wait here!”
It did seem fitting that her risk would come with some kind of reward, and she waited to see what Widget would bring back for her. What had he been keeping in his bag for so long to treat her with? But when he returned, all he had was the pickaxe and the flashlight.
“You stand guard and make sure the bear doesn’t come back,” he said, dashing over to the entrance of the cave. Taking aim in her rage, one firm kick destroyed the twig house. She sat by the opening she had only just escaped through and reassembled the static charger. Hearing the pickaxe banging away below, Mira thought she would only do one thing if the bear came back: get herself to safety.
The banging died down as the sun began to set, and Flip Widget reemerged from the hole in the hill. He made a pocket of the front of his shirt and used it to carry pieces of reddish-orange metal of odd shapes and sizes. He had a sparkle in his eye to go along with a big smile.
“You almost never find pure copper like this in the wild!”
Chapter 8: The Garden Party
Though it no longer surprised Roselyn to open her eyes in the morning to the same darkness as when they had closed, this morning was special because it was the first morning since her collapse that she’d woken without any pain. Not even a headache bothered her, and she sighed with relief having imagined the pounding inside her head would go on forever. Now she sat up in her small cot, turned to the side, and put her feet on the cool ground.
“I’m awake,” Roselyn announced, knowing someone was listening even if no one were there.
As usual, a tray sat beside the bed containing her morning dose of Nora the Healer’s hair baked into bread. Thanks to her now full recovery, she pushed it as far away as she could. She had eaten so much hair bread since splitting Chucky and Mary’s emotions that she feared coughing up a hairball.
What happened in the first few days after fainting escaped her memory. She considered the possibility she hadn’t awoken at all, or maybe some kind soul had helped her forget the intense pain she had endured. It had been weeks since her injury, and in that time she had done little. Her training had been reduced to short talks with Corey, and she spent the rest of her time sitting by the fire and drawing pictures in the dirt. She had never gone so long without singing in her life.
Footsteps approached, and Roselyn raised her head at the sound of her mentor entering the chamber.
“Are you feeling better?” Corey asked, offering a second tray of food that he set down beside her.
Despite her certainty he knew the answer, she replied. “Yes, I feel good today. Much better. Thank you.”
“Good, then we can get back to work. Much time has been lost.”
Roselyn stood up, walked around, and touched her toes, trying to gauge if she really felt as well as she imagined.
“Don’t worry,” Corey added. “There’ll be no harm in starting off slowly. We can spend time developing some tertiary skills.”
“What do you have in mind?” Roselyn asked, returning to the food and popping it unseen into her mouth.
“I think it’s time we start investigating what effect you have on people without the assistance of song. I have a feeling it’s not insubstantial. In the market above, there’s one particular merchant who sells jewelry. Do you know who I’m referring to?”
“Yes, of course, what I wouldn’t give for a free run of his cart!”
“That’s exactly what you’ll be trying to get. See if you can’t get him to give you something for free. There’s one piece in particular you want, a necklace tied around a small piece of aqua topaz. And remember, no singing allowed.”
“Yes, Corey,” she said, cheerful at both the ability to respond to his tasks in her usual way and the prospect of some discounted jewelry shopping. She found her shoes and made for the exit behind Corey. He turned and offered a few final words.
“If you start to feel ill in any way, stop immediately and come back. Be careful and good luck.”
Roselyn climbed the ladder up to the complex of Corey’s underground offices. Walking through briskly and confidently, Natalie and a few of the office workers commented on their pleasure at seeing her under her own power again. It had been a very long time since Roselyn had been to the surface, so she had no choice but to stop when she got to the top of the stairs leading out into the bright courtyard.
Peeking out, everything seemed bathed in light. It took time for her eyes to adjust. Eventually she didn’t have to squint, and she could see the outpost’s bustling marketplace. She glanced around to see if any of her old classmates populated the crowd, but not one of them were about. Before venturing out, she tried to straighten her hair and wipe her face.
A minute later she walked into the sunshine of a bright morning. She enjoyed the voices, the smells, and the sights around her, especially having spent so long alone in the dark. Rather than going right for the jewelry cart, she circled the marketplace a few times, slowly walking by the merchant, trying to get him to notice her.
Having taken in everything the courtyard had to offer, Roselyn finally stopped at the cart she had been sent to visit. Standing bashfully a few feet away, her eyes washed over beads and stones of every imaginable color. Glass cases held rings and pendants, wristlets and earrings. They all glimmered so beautifully, enchanting her.
“Can I help you?” the merchant asked. He was close to middle age and had a carefully trimmed beard. From a tall stool near the edge of his cart, he watched her.
“Oh, no, thank you. I’m just admiring your wares,” she said, milking her demure and innocent posture.
“Really? Which ones catch your fancy?” he asked, getting off his stool and walking over. He stood next to her and they gazed at the jewelry together.
“Well they’re all so pretty,” she said, flashing a bright smile. “The rubies are elegant and the opals are regal, but my eyes have always had a taste for light blue. There’s nothing like the watery spirit you find in a piece of topaz.”
“That would match your eyes beautifully,” he said.
“You know, I think you’re right! I hadn’t even thought of that.”
The merchant took a closer look at his stock. Pulling out a key, he unlocked a case and removed a bracelet with a few light blue stones.
“Why don’t you try this on?”
“Oh, you know, I’m really not much for accessories. Anything more than a simple necklace just seems to get in the way,” she said remorsefully. “It is pretty though.”
The merchant gave her a more scrutinizing look, one that caught Roselyn off guard.
“Is your name Roselyn?” he asked point blank.
“Why, yes, it is. You have a good memory. It’s been a long time since I’ve been here,” she said, keeping up her cheerful disposition despite worrying he was on to her.
“Actually, in a little town like this, it’d be difficult for anyone not to recognize the elder’s shadow. Tell me, are you training right now?”
“Now why would you think that?” she asked innocently. She suspected at any moment
she would have to admit defeat and leave at best or run at worst. The merchant returned to the small desk space in front of the stool. But instead of taking a seat and forgetting about her, he opened a small drawer and removed a tiny white box.
“Because there ain’t nobody but Corey who knows I got this,” he drawled.
He opened the box to reveal a smooth blue stone, the shape of water that might collect on a leaf. Roselyn didn’t have to act to convey an astonished reaction. She wanted to touch it, but he shut the box.
“It’s been sitting in secret for years. I keep thinking one day the right person with the right pocketbook will come along and take it off my hands, but it never works out that way.”
“Hmm,” Roselyn uttered to further highlight his difficulty. His wistful and melancholy appearance made her think he was giving her an opening.
“You might as well try it on at least, give it some air. I can’t say I’ve ever even seen it on anyone,” the merchant said. He slipped the plain chain over her head, and she pulled her hair through so she could feel it against her neck. The stone settled on her chest. The merchant nodded thoughtfully.
“This is quite a special stone. A traveler of the world instilled it with a great power. To activate it, you pluck it from its chain with your mouth like you would a grape from the vine and balance it on your tongue. It will help you move more easily.”
“Wow, move more easily how?”
“I don’t know. That’s all she said. She was in a dire spot when I found her, and she traded it to me for my help. Once it was over, she vanished without a trace. Moving easily didn’t seem to be a problem for her. Your blonde hair matches hers pretty well.”
Roselyn slipped her fingers under the chain to pull it over her head, but the merchant stopped her. A pained reluctance took to his face.
“You’re looking a little worse for wear, young lady. It’d be a shame if anything happened to you. It’s not making me any money sitting in that drawer, so why don’t you hold onto it until you need it to get you out of a jam.”
