by Peggy Dulle
I went over and felt the timbers on the walls. They were securely attached with rebar. The place really looked stable. I wondered how James could be caught in a cave-in in a mine so well constructed.
Shelby was going nuts above me. I could hear her barking up a storm. It’s hard to herd something that disappears on you.
“Shelby!” I screamed. “Go get help.” Then I laughed. I felt like I was in an old Lassie movie but instead of Timmy falling down the well, I had.
Suddenly I didn’t hear Shelby anymore. Maybe she had actually gone for help? That was a step in the right direction. Now, I had two choices: sit down and wait for someone to rescue me or find my own way out.
Okay, I’m afraid that I doubted Shelby’s ability to go and actually find someone to help me. And even if she did, how would she communicate to them that I had fallen down a hole and needed rescuing? I glanced around the mine. I had no idea what I was doing, but doing nothing was not an option. I always tell the kids in my class to never give up, so I wasn’t going to either.
I might as well see if I could find my own way out. I couldn’t get more lost, could I?
Thinking about all the stories I had read about Hansel and Gretel, I decided to mark the place where I’d landed. That way if I ended up back here, I would know I had walked in circles. But with what? The only thing I had with me was my cell phone and one granola bar. I didn’t want to leave the cell phone because I might be able to use that in some other section of the mine. If I used the granola bar, some rat might come along and eat it, just like Hansel and Gretel’s bread. I went back to where I had fallen into the mine and retrieve my walking stick and the ax. Then I searched around the ground and found several small rocks. I piled them up into a small hill. Out of the top of the pile of rocks I put one small section of my walking stick that I had cut off with the ax. It looked like a memorial with a flag post and no flag. Then I went for a walk.
The scenery never changed. All the walls and the ceilings looked exactly the same. When I got to a fork in the road, I marked it with another pile of small rocks and two small sticks, then kept going. In one section, I found a small stream of running water. It probably wasn’t a good idea to take a drink. Who knows what parasite was living happily in that water? Better in the water than in my body, that’s for sure.
According to my cell phone I had been searching for a way out of the mine for over an hour and I still hadn’t seen any of my little rock piles. This mine system must be massive. In several places I found wooden tables against the walls. I noticed that the tables didn’t have any dust on them. It was like they had been recently used, except the mine had been closed for several decades. It’s possible that James had used the tables, but he had been dead for five years, too.
On top of the table, I found an empty pack of cigarettes, possibly belonging to James or one of his students sneaking a cigarette during a mine excursion. Next to the empty pack was an old Bic lighter. I shook it. It barely had any fluid left in it, but a lighter might come in handy if the light on my helmet went out.
Next to the table, I found a large pile of dust and touched it. It contained tiny granules that felt like sand. At the bottom I found a small piece of terracotta pottery with just a tiny spot of silver. It looked like the handle from an apple pot.
That was weird. What would an apple pot be doing in the mine? Of course the festival has been going on for many years. Maybe James used the pots for something when he led the excursions for the high school. I’m sure people in town have several apple pots and use them for just about everything.
I put the piece of pottery into my pocket and kept on searching for a way out of the mine. A few times I noticed one of the tiny mounds of rocks and sticks I had made. Obviously, I had started to go in circles, but each time I came to one of my marks, I’d go the other way and mark the entrance to that section of the mine with the next number of sticks.
Two hours later, I came across my piles at every turn, the light on my helmet was dimming, and I was exhausted. Finally, I sat down on the ground next to one of the wooden tables. My feet and back ached and I kept getting shooting pains down my legs. My soreness could be from the fall or because I had on flip-flops, not the best choice of footwear for mine exploring.
I turned off the light, leaned my head against the wall, and sat in the darkness. This wasn’t working. If I kept walking, I would get more tired and eventually the light would go out. I could eat the granola bar, but didn’t think that was a good idea until I was starving. Who knows how long I’d be stuck in the mine?
I remembered what I had told Tom about sending up a smoke signal for help. Never did I think I’d actually be doing it. But how and where could I start the fire? It probably was best to go back to where I fell into the mine. But first I used the ax to break the wooden table into pieces. I gathered up several of the pieces of wood and then backtracked, using the piles I had constructed. When I got to a fork in the road, I’d follow the smaller numbered pile. Eventually, I was back where I started.
When I reached the rocks with just one stick in it, the light on the helmet went totally out. Great, now I had to build a fire in the dark. Tom had taught me all these defense moves, but why hadn’t he taught me some survival skills? I would put that on my list of things to learn next.
In the dark I tore off one of the sleeves of my long-sleeved shirt. Would t-shirt material burn by itself? Even the small amount of fluid in the lighter was definitely flammable, but if I broke the lighter would it still give me a flame to ignite the fluid? I knew that some wood is treated with a pesticide to keep the termites from eating it. If I lit the wood on fire, would the smoke be poisonous? Die by starvation or poison? Not a great choice!
My heart beat faster; it felt like it was trying to escape from my chest. I couldn’t catch my breath, my head began to pound harder, and panic set in. I was stuck in a mine, with no way to get out, and I wasn’t sure whether starting a fire would make matters better or worse. I couldn’t sit and do nothing. But I had to calm down first.
I slowly crawled back to the wall of the mine, sat against it, and leaned my head back. I took in several deep breaths, slow and easy, and concentrated on my breathing. Finally it returned to normal. I had never had a panic attack before, but I was sure that’s exactly what had happened. I sat there a while, allowing my entire body to relax.
Finally I crawled back to the middle of the room. I needed to light that fire and I could always move away from the poisonous smoke, right? Right!
First I tried to get the lighter to spark a flame –nothing. My heart started to pound again, but I closed my eyes, breathed slowly and brought it back under control. I shook the lighter and tried it again. A small flame appeared. I put the flame next to the shirtsleeve. It wouldn’t catch fire. Next I tried the wood. It smoldered but wouldn’t catch fire either. My only alternative was to break the lighter and hope there was enough fluid in it and that afterward I could still spark a flame and ignite the fluid.
I set the lighter on top of the pile of wood and shirtsleeve. Then I hit the bottom of the lighter with the ax. It shattered and the liquid oozed all over the fabric. When I picked up the lighter, the liquid got all over my hands, too. Okay, that wasn’t good. If I sparked the lighter now, my hand would catch fire, too.
I tore off the other sleeve of my shirt and wrapped it around my hand. Then I sparked the lighter, and held my breath. There must have still been fluid in the lighter because a small flame popped up. I lit the liquid on the sleeve and it started immediately.
It took a few minutes, but finally the wood ignited in flames, too. The smoke didn’t smell funny but I had no idea what poisonous smoke would smell like, so I backed away from the fire and sat against the wall. The flames were only a foot high, but they created a lot of smoke. It went straight up and hopefully through the hole I had made when I fell into the shaft.
Several minutes went by. It felt like an eternity. My head started to feel numb and I was having trouble focus
ing my eyes. Obviously the wood was treated with a poison and I’d chosen the way I would die.
That’s when I heard the most wonderful sound in the world – my dog’s bark. I took back all the terrible things I had thought and said to her about her incessant barking.
I screamed, “Shelby!”
The barking became louder. It didn’t sound like it was coming from above me but from somewhere inside the mine. Hopefully she didn’t get herself into the mine by herself or we’d both be stuck here. Then I saw a light coming toward me.
Shelby ran in from one of the shafts off of the room I was in. She jumped into my lap. I gave her a big hug and she licked my face. “Hello, girl.”
Behind her was Kate, wearing her backpack, and leading Jimmy and Ted. A wave of relief washed over my entire body. I wouldn’t die, not today anyway.
Kate pointed at the fire and yelled. “Ted, put that out.”
“With what?” He put his hands in the air.
“Use the dirt from the ground. The wood is poisonous.”
Jimmy came over to me. “Are you all right?”
I gave him a small smile. “Just sitting here waiting to be rescued.”
Kate laughed. “Sure you were. I noticed all the little piles of rocks and sticks by the shafts in the mines. You must have walked over five miles since you fell in here.”
Ted finished smothering the flames and stood by me. I looked at the three of them. “How did you know I was here?”
Kate reached down and petted Shelby. “She came to the carnival.”
“Yeah, and there aren’t any dogs allowed around the carnival rides, so the local police,” Ted pointed to Jimmy, “were called in to catch her.” He laughed and Kate joined in.
“What’s so funny?” I asked.
“It was hilarious,” Kate said between giggles.
Jimmy lowered his voice. “No, it wasn’t.”
Ted slapped Jimmy on the back. “Oh yes it was. She kept barking and running. You and Dave ran after her. She’d backtrack and get behind you. It was like she was trying to herd you like a sheep dog.”
Shelby came over and lay down by me. “How did you finally catch her?”
“Doggy treats,” Jimmy replied with a triumphant smile. “We got a bag and started throwing them to her. Pretty soon she was catching the treats and we were able to get a leash on her.”
I petted her head. “So did she lead you to the hole?”
Jimmy shook his head. “But she certainly did get our attention.”
“I remembered that you said that you were going to take a walk around the forest and by the mines,” Kate said. “The three of us took a walk through the forest and then out toward the mine.”
Ted nodded at the ashes. “We saw your smoke signal.”
“It was coming through the hole you made in the ground.” Jimmy pointed to the ceiling.
I glared at him. “And why aren’t there any signs about the holes in the ground?”
“I don’t know how you could have missed it, Liza. It was a pretty good sized hole.” Kate also pointed to the hole in the ceiling.
I thought about what happened. “I was walking backwards at the time. Shelby was running around and I was yelling at her to catch up. I must have tripped…”
“That’s probably what happened,” Jimmy said.
I left out the part about feeling somebody pull me backwards before I fell. Maybe it was just the weight of my body as I fell and not somebody trying to send me flying into a bottomless pit.
“How did you guys get into the mine?” I asked, thinking about the ropes that were in Kate’s backpack.
“There are several entrances to the mine where you can just walk in.” Kate smiled. “It’s a lot easier than falling through a hole.”
“I’m sure it is.” Finally I stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”
Kate put her hand up. “Did you see the waterfall?”
I shook my head. “I did see the stream of water.”
Kate’s eyes widened. “You didn’t drink the water, did you?”
“No, why?”
“It’s got all sorts of parasites in it. I have some pills in my backpack to purify the water.”
“I saw those when I went though your backpack at the car. But I didn’t bring it with me.” I put my hand on my head. “Right now, I was hoping they were aspirin.”
Jimmy finally noticed the new bump on my head. “Gosh, I’m sorry. Do you need something for that?”
“Just several aspirin.”
“I’ve got those.” Kate reached into her backpack and took out the pill case I had seen. She handed me two white pills.
“I thought these were for the water.”
“Some of them are, but the ones with the big letter E are Excedrin. They should help.”
“Thanks.”
Ted handed me a canteen and I took the pills. The water felt cool and refreshing.
“Let’s show her the waterfall. It’s the most spectacular sight in these mines.” Kate marched off into one of the shafts. Shelby barked and ran after her.
I looked over at Ted and Jimmy. “It doesn’t seem like we have much of an option, do we?”
Ted laughed. “Not with Kate.”
Jimmy made sure that the fire was totally out, covering it with several more layers of dirt. Then the three of us walked toward the shaft Kate had taken.
A few seconds later, we heard Kate’s high-pitched shriek.
We all ran toward her screams.
Chapter 16
We found her against the wall in the next shaft. Her face was covered with her hands and she was screaming at the top of her lungs.
I put my hand on her shoulder. “Kate! What’s the matter?”
She took a deep breath and pointed to the other side of the room.
A body. A chill ran up my spine. How would I have reacted if I had found this body while I searched for a way out of the mine? I was glad I had company.
Jimmy headed over, while Ted put his arms around Kate, who was crying.
I walked over to Jimmy. The body was mutilated. I could see part of the skull and several bones through missing sections of flesh. The skin looked gray and had small holes in it. There were teeth marks on the arms and legs; an animal must have been chewing on it. From what was left of the body, I could tell it had been a woman. I hoped that the animals hadn’t gotten to her until after she was dead. The odor was terrible. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t smell it while I was wandering around the mine.
I flashed back to the last time I had seen a dead body. It had been one of the clown employees who had stumbled onto the illegal activities at the clown camp. He’d been on his way to tell me when he’d been brutally murdered. At the sight of his body, I’d been shocked and horrified. This time, I felt nauseated by the sight of the mutilated body and I was having trouble breathing through the smell.
I put my hand over my mouth and tapped Jimmy on the shoulder. “Who is it?”
“I don’t know. Except that it was a woman.”
I pointed to the brown purse that lay next to the body. “There’s probably ID in there.”
“Yeah, but I’ll wait for the crime boys.” He nodded at the body. “She isn’t going anywhere.”
“How long do you think she’s been here?”
“Maybe a year or so? But it looks like rats have gotten to her so it might be less.”
“Are you missing any local people?”
“Not that I know of.” He walked over to Kate. “My radio won’t work inside the mine, so I need to get out of here. Can you get us out quickly and then show the other officers back into the mine?”
Kate looked at him. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, but she nodded. “Of course I can. You all would get lost if you tried to do it by yourselves.”
Jimmy signaled for me to come over. “Let’s get out of here.”
Ted put his arm around Kate. “That’s a good idea.”
Ted and Kate led the way and Jimmy
and I followed. A few minutes later, we came to a large opening that led out of the mine. It was just getting dark when we exited the mine. Jimmy used his radio to call the station. As soon as he stopped talking, I heard the sirens in the distance. It would be a long night for the Clainsworth Police Department. I’ve seen enough “CSI” and “Law and Order” shows to know that a crime scene can take hours to process.
My cell phone read seven o’clock. I’d been trapped in the mine over three hours. I put Shelby inside Kate’s car so she wouldn’t bark and run around. The sirens and all the activity would drive her nuts.
A few minutes later, five police cards arrived with sirens blaring. They drove up to Jimmy’s squad car and parked. Jimmy started barking orders at them and pointing to Kate. A few minutes later, Lieutenant Damson drove up in his unmarked car. As big as that man’s potbelly was, I was surprised he could even get out of the vehicle. Jimmy went straight to him. He glanced my way and then signaled for Kate to come.
Ted held Kate’s hand until they got to the opening of the mine. She kissed him on the cheek, turned and led the officers back down into the mine. He turned and walked over to where I was leaning against the Mustang.
“Sometimes it sucks to be the smartest person.”
“Yes.” I nodded and patted him on the shoulder.
He leaned next to me. “Who do you think it is?”
“I don’t know. It’s your town. Who’s missing?”
“Nobody that I know of.”
“If Jimmy’s right and the body has been here a year it could be a tourist who came for the eating contests last year.”
“That could be. We get a lot of strangers here during the festival. And we certainly wouldn’t miss one if they wandered into the mine and got themselves killed.”
“True enough.”
Ted lowered his head. “I guess this means our dinner is cancelled.”
“I think I already ruined that. You guys came looking for me instead of preparing the food. I owe you guys a good meal. What’s the best place to eat in this town?”
