The Runaways

Dead Witch Sink Hole . . .

“Penny? Where are you?” Fear climbs onto my shoulders and gets heavier with every ticking second. “Come back. Come back, Penny!” I scream.

“Well, hello little lady,” a deep voice calls down from the rim of the sink hole. “Now, how’d you git down there?”

         The ugly face of the keeper gawks over the edge of the hole.      

         “Oh no!” 

         Me and my big mouth.

         “Where’s that ornery pony? She dump you in this hole and run off, did she? No matter. I’ll find her. You stay put. I’ll git to you later. I’d have caught you both by now if my machine hadn’t conked out on me.” 

         Keeper moves away laughing, looking for Penny, I guess. I run over to where I last saw Penny and shove aside the thick undergrowth. I drop to my knees. Briars scratch my face and arms as I push further in. 

         Where is she?

         “Penny.” I whisper. I creep a little further.

       Schwoosh! The ground falls out from under me. Grass blades whip along my arms and face, and then I’m hurtling through pitch black, cold air like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.  

        Kerrrr-splash! Icy, breath-taking, black water. 

        I’m sucked down into colder water until my feet hit bottom. I kick my way to the top bursting onto the surface, coughing and gasping for air. The echoes of me hacking bounce around a huge dark space. 

         I can’t see much of anything. Sulphur smell, like rotten eggs, tickles my nose. My clothes get heavier by the second, hard to keep my head above water. 

         I tread water as best I can, but my shoes and dungarees are pulling me down. 

         Should I take them off? I’ll never see them again.  Ma would kill me, but I might drown if I don’t. 

         “Penny! Help! Are you down here?”

I’m coming, Billie. I’m coming.

I can hardly move my arms, my legs, my feet. It’s so cold and they’re so heavy. 

“Hurry Penny,” I gasp. 

I try to dog paddle, but only make splashes like I’m trying to climb on top of the water. I go under. 

Am I going to die here? 

My lungs scream for air. I thrash, but sink down and down—until my hand slaps against hard leather, then slides down to a stirrup. 

Pull yourself up, Billie.

What has happened to my muscles?

I can barely hoist myself closer to her. I feel the saddle horn. I muster all my strength and pull myself up.

Air. Need air.

I yank myself higher and finally gulp air while holding on to the saddle. Penny’s swimming with her head just above the surface.

Hold on. It’s shallow over there. 

I hang on to the saddle until my feet feel the rocky bottom. A small beam of light streams down through the hole we just fell through. I wade towards a ledge ahead of me. My legs are shaking, I’m so exhausted. Penny shakes and sprays water everywhere, like I’m not soaked enough already.

Are you okay, Billie?

 “Yeah, I think so, but that’s the most scared I’ve ever been. If you hadn't been there for me . . .  Gee, Penny, you saved my life!” I turn and hug her. 

"Are you okay?" 

Yes, just shaken up a bit. 

She presses her head against me.  

“Where are we?” Slowly my eyes adjust to the darkness. I look around. “I’ve never been in a cavern before, only read about them.” 

It’s dripping with stalactites and the air’s thick with dampness. 

“There’s no way we can climb out of here, Penny.” 

We’re standing on a wide rock ledge that slowly disappears into the water like the sand at a beach. “We didn’t drown, but it sure looks like we could starve to death down here . . . and nobody would ever find us. Now I know what happened to that witch.”