Lost in the Tunnel of Time (6 page)

“Where's the way out?” asked Rico. “I want to go home!”

“According to this,” said Rashawn, “there's one more tunnel—and if I'm looking at this right, it leads right down to the river!”

“THE RIVER?” ASKED RICO.

“If Mr. Greene was right,” Jerome said thoughtfully, “the escaped slaves would have to hide again as soon as they crossed the river. It makes sense that a tunnel would run from the river to a safe house.”

“Didn't Mrs. Powell talk about a tunnel in that ghost story?” asked Jerome.

“Don't start talking about ghosts,” warned Rico. “I'm scared enough already!”

The light from Ziggy's flashlight suddenly flickered, and fluttered out. Rico gasped. The
darkness seemed to get larger with only three small beams of light remaining. “Who brought extra batteries, mon?” Ziggy asked.

“I meant to, but I forgot.”

“Me too.”

“So did I.”

“Well, we're down to three lights. Let's find that last tunnel and get out of here, mon!”

Rico, who felt the darkness more than the others, scrambled to his knees and started checking down near the floor for loose spots in the walls. “I found something!” he yelled suddenly.

Another earthen tunnel led from the room and waited for the boys to discover its mysteries. Ziggy took a deep breath and crawled in first this time. The others followed closely behind. No one spoke much. Even Ziggy was quiet.

The earth in this tunnel was loose and damp. It crumbled as they crawled. “Can you see anything ahead?” Rico asked Ziggy.

“No, just more darkness, mon.”

Suddenly Ziggy screamed. Jerome, who was
right behind him, bumped into him and yelled, “What was that?”

“I think it was a rat, mon! It ran right past us!” Rico whispered over and over, “I want to go home. I want to go home. I want to go home.”

They continued slowly through the tunnel, the dirt becoming mud that squished through their fingers.

“I think I see a light ahead!” shouted Ziggy.

“Do you think it's a way out of here?” asked Rashawn.

“I'm scared,” admitted Jerome. “Suppose there's no way out and we're stuck here forever!”

“Stop talking like that!” snapped Rico. “Ziggy, what do you see?”

“It can't be a streetlight, mon,” Ziggy reasoned. “Maybe it's some kind of light that's used when the sewers are checked.”

“If we're near the sewers by the river, we're close to a way out!” exclaimed Jerome.

“All right! Yes!” they all cheered. Ziggy was so relieved that he forgot that they were in a narrow tunnel and tried to stand up. His head bumped the top of the tunnel and his outstretched hand knocked the side of the tunnel wall. Suddenly, with a thunderous roar, the wet dirt that had been holding the tunnel together for over a hundred years collapsed. Dirt and darkness covered the four trembling boys.

Rico, terrified of the darkness, cried, “Help! I can't see!”

Rashawn and Jerome coughed and screamed, reaching out, trying to find each other in the thick blackness.

Ziggy shook the dirt from his head and face and felt a flashlight under his foot. He reached for it and quickly turned it on. The thin beam of light flickered weakly. The four boys sat huddled together in a space just large enough to hold the four of them.

Mud and tears streaked their frightened faces. The tunnel they had just come through had completely collapsed behind them. It was now just a huge pile of muddy dirt. The tunnel ahead of them that led to
the light they had seen earlier was also blocked with dirt and debris.

“There's no way out, mon,” whispered Ziggy desperately. “We're trapped!”

“Is that another one of our flashlights?” asked Rico hopefully. A faint whisper of light filtered through the rocks and mud.

“No!” cried Rashawn. “That's the light we saw earlier! Let's see if we can dig through some of this dirt. Who brought the tools?”

“I did,” replied Jerome.

“Good, get them out!”

“I can't.”

“Why not?” asked Rico with rising fear.

“Because my book bag is under all that dirt and mud. I don't even know where to look.”

They all sighed. “Let's just use our hands, mon,” suggested Ziggy. “Maybe we can dig an opening big enough for one of us to get through.”

They took turns digging with their hands, but were only able to make a small opening. They could see a faint light in the distance, but the hole
was only big enough for a hand, not a boy, to fit through.

“Do you think anyone is looking for us?” asked Rico. “My mom is gonna be really worried when I don't get off the late bus. I always call her if I'm gonna be late.”

“What time is it, anyway?”

“I don't know. Nobody has a watch.”

“It's getting really late—it seems like we've been in here a
really
long time.”

“I'm hungry!” complained Rico.

“Me too,” agreed Rashawn. “Ziggy, what do you have in your book bag?”

“I'm not sure, mon. Not much. All I have are some broken pencils, a green tennis shoe, and … Wait! I forgot I had this—it's my sandwich from lunch!”

They all cheered as Ziggy carefully unwrapped his sandwich.

“What's that green, lumpy stuff?” asked Jerome, who wrinkled his nose.

“Oh, that's the broccoli,” said Ziggy cheerfully.

“Broccoli?” jeered Rashawn. “On a sandwich?”

“Sure,” Ziggy said with a grin. “Doesn't everybody eat broccoli and potato chip sandwiches?”

They groaned, and laughed in spite of themselves. Ziggy broke the sandwich into four pieces. It was surprisingly delicious.

“That's the best sandwich I ever had in my life!” exclaimed Rico as he licked his fingers.

“We gotta get out of here,” said Jerome. “When Ziggy's food starts to taste good, we're in serious trouble.”

Ziggy's mood brightened a bit as he had an idea. “Let's toss the rest of this stuff through the hole. Maybe someone will see it and find us.”

“Yeah, in a million years!” said Rashawn with a sigh.

“It can't hurt,” Rico said weakly. He was willing to try anything at this point.

Ziggy took the rest of the things from his book bag and silently tossed them through the hole—two paper clips, the broken flashlight, several broken pencils, last week's lunch menu—taking turns until
everything was gone. The only thing left in Ziggy's book bag was his green tennis shoe. With a shrug, he tossed that, too.

“Why not, mon?”

“Where's the match to that shoe, Ziggy?” asked Rashawn.

“I think it's at your house, mon. I left it there that day we took our shoes off to play in the rain.”

Suddenly the last flashlight flickered out, and the damp, wet darkness, like a shadowy monster, gobbled them up.

RICO STARTED TO SCREAM AGAIN, BUT THE DARK-
ness seemed to silence all sound. Their hearts beat wildly, and all four boys were close to tears.

“I can't stand this!” cried Rico. “I want to go home! I'm not 'shamed to admit I want my mama!”

“My granny's warm blankets sure would feel good right now,” mused Jerome.

“I wonder if I'll ever see my mum again,” mumbled Ziggy.

“I'm really scared,” Rashawn admitted. “What if we never get out?”

No one had an answer. There was nothing more
to say. The boys sat silently in the darkness, listening to the silence and wishing they were safe at home. Time seemed to tiptoe.

Only their rapid breathing and faint sniffling could be heard at first. Then softly, slowly, faintly, they heard the sound of a pale whistling wind, almost like a song. They could feel no breeze, but they knew that the wind surrounded them, and it soothed them.

“What is it?” whispered Rico.

“It's just the wind,” Rashawn said softly.

“There's no wind down here,” Jerome reminded them. “No, it's like … a song or something,” he added.

“I think it's the ghost, mon!” Ziggy breathed quietly. “It's Sun Spirit! She's tellin' us not to worry. We're gonna be okay.”

“The ghost?” whispered Rico.

“I just have a feeling, mon,” repeated Ziggy. “Can't you feel it too? It's the River City Ghost!”

Jerome looked at Rashawn; they felt it too. The four boys shivered a little, then grinned.

“Awesome, mon!” proclaimed Ziggy.

No one argued with Ziggy. The strange breeze seemed to lessen their fears and helped them relax. It was like a song that warmed them from the inside out. The four friends sat huddled together in the darkness, frightened, lost, but somehow not completely alone. They slept. They dreamed.

Rico dreamed of a large, white house with tall, graceful columns in the front. It was surrounded by graceful trees and was filled with lovely old furniture and decorations. From behind the house, sad songs could be heard. On the wide, white marble steps in the front of the house sat a small brown boy, crying. His mother walked toward him, wiped his tears and hugged him. She whispered softly, “Tonight … tonight …”

Rashawn dreamed of dogs that looked just like his dog—but these were huge and mean and chasing him. He was running through the woods, and he didn't have on any shoes. Rocks kept stabbing his feet and branches scratched his legs. His side hurt from running and his heart was beating fast. The
sun was going down, and he knew he could hide in the darkness. He felt strong because his dad was holding his hand, running with him. He knew he would not fall.
Tonight,
he thought.
Tonight.

Jerome dreamed of two little girls who looked just like his sisters. They were in the Ohio River and were trying to swim. A huge boat with a loud horn was moving swiftly through the dark water, getting nearer and nearer to the wet and frightened girls. He tried to reach them, but the water was deep and cold. His granny appeared from beneath the waves and floated nearby, smiling. She wasn't even wet. He heard his granny say, “We'll rescue them tonight … tonight.”

Ziggy dreamed of birds. He was a huge golden eagle, flying in the sunlight, in the bright, clear air. He could see for miles, and his strong wings soared with freedom and pride. He did rolls and dives and laughed out loud as he flew upside-down just for fun. The earth and the air belonged to him, and he shouted to the sun, “Today! Today!”

Gradually the cold and the cramped conditions
awakened the four sleeping boys. Jerome wiggled his arm because he thought he felt a spider crawling on it. Rashawn's long legs felt like pretzels, and Rico really needed to go to the bathroom.

Suddenly Ziggy screamed. “What was that?” he gasped.

Fear grabbed the boys once again as they listened to a terrifying rumble in the distance. It was a grinding, growling noise that seemed ready to destroy them.

“What could that be?” Jerome wondered.

“It's the ghost!” yelled Rashawn. “It's gonna get us!”