The Secret of Dinswood

by Ellen Alexander

Doug was silent for a moment, and then he said, noncommittally, “We’d better get going.”

  Emma’s shoulders sagged. It seemed that Doug had given up. Without the treasure, the school would be forced to close, and they would most likely never see each other again. Emma suddenly felt tired and perilously close to tears, but hope soared once again when Doug added, “Sebastian, you’d better bring that key. We’re going to need it to find the treasure.”

  I’d like to keep the flag too, it’s pretty cool. Besides, if I take the key off the flag now, I’ll probably lose it,” Sebastian said.

  “Just bring the whole thing then,” Doug replied curtly. The treasure hunt had ceased to be fun and exciting. He shuddered to think how close they had come to losing Emma. He had decided it was time to quit, and then Emma had reminded him of the purpose behind the hunt. Doug had also remembered the look on his dad’s face when he’d told him the school was going to have to close. For several moments, Doug had waged an inner battle of indecision, weighing the pros and cons of continuing. Finally, he had settled on a solution he could live with—they would continue to search for the treasure, but from now on, whenever anything dangerous needed to be done, he would be the one to do it. He would not risk his friends’ lives again.

  With the decision to continue made, they all hurried to the place where they’d left their shoes and quickly put them on. They were still very wet, but there was nothing they could do about it. They would need their shoes to continue through the passage. Picking up their lanterns, they walked down the gangway and left the ship.

  “Now to find the way out of here,” Doug said, looking around for an opening.

  “Well, I’m certainly not going to go back the way we came,” Sebastian said.

  “No, there’s bound to be a passage somewhere around here. I can’t believe whoever’s living on that boat swims through the underwater passage to get to it,” Doug reasoned.

  “That brings up an interesting point,” Emma said, her brows wrinkled in puzzlement. “Who could be living on that boat, and why did they leave Lord Dinswood’s clues? It doesn’t make any sense.”

  “You’re right, Emma,” Martha agreed. “It doesn’t make sense.”

  “Well, we don’t have time to figure it out now. Once we’ve found the treasure maybe we’ll have the answers to all of our questions,” Doug said. He was walking toward the far wall of the cavern with his lantern held high when he stopped suddenly. “I think I’ve found the opening.”

  The others gathered around with their lanterns; the combined light revealed an opening about the size of a door. Doug entered first and had to duck slightly to avoid hitting his head. The others followed single file without comment. Soon the passage began to widen, and they began to hear a roaring sound.

  “What’s that noise?” Martha asked nervously.

  Doug stopped and cocked his head to listen. “It sounds like a waterfall,” he said after a moment.

  “A waterfall in a cave?” Sebastian asked incredulously.

  Doug was moving once again and did not reply. The farther they went, the louder the roaring sound became until it was almost deafening. Suddenly the passage opened up into another large room, and they could see for themselves what the roaring sound was. It wasn’t a waterfall, but it was a small river of swiftly moving water.

  “How are we supposed to get across that?” Sebastian shouted.

  Sebastian had a valid question. The water was moving so swiftly that if they attempted to wade across it, they would be immediately swept away, and it was too wide to simply jump across. A passage could be seen on the other side, so it was clear that in order to continue, they would have to find some way of getting to the other side. Emma began to look around. A treasure chest was sitting just to the left of where they’d entered, and beyond that, what looked like a huge spool with thick rope wound around it. The rope led down into the water and disappeared. On top of the spool lay a wheel with wooden handles all around it, much like the helm of a pirate ship.

  Without replying to Sebastian’s question, Doug took the key out of his pocket and inserted it into the lock of the treasure chest. Inside was a piece of paper that said:

  Beneath the water a secret lies,

  Turn the wheel and watch it rise.

  Don’t let go, you must hold fast

  Till all have crossed except the last.

  From rock to rock the last must leap.

  Beware the water is swift and deep.

  “What the heck does that mean?” Sebastian asked in frustration. “Why can’t Dinswood ever just come right out and tell us what to do?”

  “That’d be too easy,” Martha answered with a frown.

  Paying no attention to the banter between Martha and Sebastian, Doug was staring at the spool with the wheel on top. Wordlessly, he walked over to it and grabbed hold of one of the handles. Pushing with all his might he started to turn the wheel, and when he did, the rope leading down to the water grew taut and began to rise out of the water. Emma ran over to help him, getting behind one of the other handles and pushing. She was reminded of donkeys tethered to the wheel of a gristmill. As they pushed, more and more of the rope rose above the surface of the water and soon an entire rope bridge with wooden slats appeared. Sebastian and Martha looked on in amazement.

  “It’s a bridge!” Sebastian shouted to be heard above the roar of the water.

  Emma turned to look and let go of the handle. Doug also let go and quickly stepped away from the wheel, pulling Emma along with him. Immediately, the wheel spun back to its original position, and the rope bridge disappeared beneath the water.

  “I get it,” said Martha. “We have to turn the wheel and cross the bridge one by one. But how will the last person get across with no one to hold the bridge up for them?”

  “From rock to rock the last must leap,” Emma replied quoting the riddle.

  “What rocks?” Sebastian asked as he walked to the edge of the water and peered into it. A little farther down from where he was standing, the tops of some flat rocks could be seen. They were widely spaced and had water lapping around and over them. “If those are the rocks the riddle is referring to, I’m not jumping across on them,” he said upon spying them.

  Doug moved to stand directly behind Sebastian, his approach concealed by the roar of the water. “I’ll do it,” he said loudly.

  Startled, Sebastian jumped and nearly fell into the water. Doug reached out to steady him. “Sorry ’bout that. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  “That’s okay.” Sebastian looked at Doug and began to feel a little guilty. It wasn’t right that Doug should have to do all of the dangerous stuff. It was time he started doing his part and so, summoning up his courage, he said, “I was just kidding, Doug. I can do that easily.”

  “Sorry, buddy, but I don’t think you can.” Before Sebastian could protest, Doug explained, “Those rocks are spaced too far apart for you. It’s going to take somebody with long legs. I’ve got the longest legs here, so I guess it’s going to have to be me that crosses on the rocks.”

  Sebastian looked into the water again and realized that Doug was right. The rocks were spaced too far apart for his shorter legs. He didn’t want Doug to have to do it, but there didn’t seem to be any other way.

  Seeing Sebastian’s hesitation, Doug said, “This should be a piece of cake compared to everything else we’ve had to do.”

  “I guess so,” Sebastian agreed reluctantly.

  “Now, let’s get you guys across the rope bridge. That’s not going to be a picnic either,” Doug said as he strode over to the giant spool. He had already figured out the order in which the others would have to cross. Sebastian was the heaviest, so it would take Doug, Martha, and Emma’s combined strength to hold the rope bridge up until he’d gotten to the other side. Martha was a little taller and thus a little heavier than Emma, so she would have to go next. Doug felt fairly certain he could hold the bridge up for Emma’s slight weight, and then he would get himself
across using the rocks. When he’d explained his plan to the others, he, Emma, and Martha positioned themselves around the wheel and began turning it. Once the rope bridge was above the water, Sebastian started across. Even with the three of them holding it, it began to sink back into the water as Sebastian got to the halfway point. Water began splashing over his feet and ankles, and he lost his footing. Thankfully, he had a firm grip on the ropes that formed the sides of the bridge and managed to pull himself the rest of the way across. Once he was safely on the other side, Martha, Emma, and Doug released the wheel, quickly stepping back to avoid being hit as the wheel spun back to its original position. Breathing heavily, they sat down and rested for a moment. Holding the bridge up with someone on it had been much harder than they had expected. Emma was exhausted but knew she would have to help hold the bridge while Martha crossed. A minute later Doug rose from where he’d been squatting to rest and returned to the wheel. “Come on, Emma. We’ve got to get Martha across.”

  Emma rose with a sigh and positioned herself behind one of the wheel’s handles. Martha wasn’t as heavy as Sebastian, but now there were only two of them to hold the bridge. Once again, the bridge sagged beneath the water as Martha got midway across it. With all of her might, Emma pushed on the wheel and was gratified to see it rise a little. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to allow Martha to step across the rest of the way.

  After another brief rest, it was Emma’s turn to cross. Doug would have to support her weight by himself. Although she was the lightest of the four of them, Emma knew that this was still going to be a strain on Doug. She looked at Doug apologetically. He simply nodded in the direction of the bridge, not speaking to conserve all of his energy for the task ahead.

  As soon as the bridge appeared, Emma stepped onto it, hurrying across it as fast as she could. Even above the roar of the water, Emma could hear Doug groaning with the effort to keep the bridge above the surface. As soon as she was standing safely on the other side, Doug let go of the wheel and dropped to the ground, totally and utterly exhausted. He lay there for several moments while the others looked on sympathetically.

  Finally, Doug rose and walked to the edge of the water, but before he could start across on the rocks, Sebastian stopped him with a shout. “Hold on, Doug!”

  Doug looked over at him and shouted back, “This is the only way for me to cross. I’ve got to do this.”

  “Not before we tie a rope around you,” Sebastian hollered back, his stern expression indicating very clearly that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. Doug still had the rope from the first challenge with him, so he tied it around his waist and, after tying a small rock to the other end, threw it over to Sebastian. Sebastian grabbed the rope and looped it around his own waist. Gripping it firmly, he prepared to hold Doug in the event he should fall as he attempted to jump from rock to rock. Once Sebastian was satisfied, he gave Doug a thumbs-up signal.

  Doug backed up a little bit and prepared to jump onto the nearest rock. Taking a run toward the edge, he leapt into the air, landing squarely on the first rock. The next leap would be harder, because he wouldn’t have any forward momentum. Now that Doug was actually attempting to cross, the rocks looked even farther apart to Emma. She began to worry for Doug.

  Rocking back a little bit, Doug jumped to the next rock. Teetering slightly as he landed, he extended his arms and quickly regained his balance. Emma released the breath she’d been holding.

  After that, Doug successfully navigated the next two rocks. There were three more to go, and then he would be safely on the other side. It was on the very next jump that disaster struck. As Doug landed, his foot slipped off the wet rock and he went down hard, his left arm striking the protruding rock as he fell. Doug cried out as pain exploded in his left arm. Wracked with pain, he was barely aware of the water lapping up and over him, pulling him downstream. He only began to struggle when the water swept over his head threatening to drown him. With an effort, he raised his uninjured arm and tried to lift his head above the water. It was then that he became aware of a tightness around his waist. It was Sebastian pulling on the rope.

  “Hold on, Doug! I’ve got you!” Sebastian screamed. With supreme effort, Sebastian reeled Doug in. Martha and Emma hurried to the edge of the water to grab Doug when he got close enough. In another few seconds, Emma was able to grab hold of Doug’s shirt collar. With Martha and Sebastian’s help they pulled him from the water. Doug lay there with his eyes closed, soaking wet and moaning.

  “Doug, where are you hurt?” Sebastian asked anxiously as he knelt beside him.

  Gradually, Sebastian’s voice penetrated Doug’s pain-fogged mind. With an effort, he opened his eyes and saw three worried faces leaning over him. “I think I’ve broken my left arm,” was all Doug could manage.

  Gently Emma began to feel along Doug’s left arm, starting at his left shoulder and working her way down. The upper arm bone seemed to be intact. It was when Emma touched the two bones of the lower arm that Doug cried out. “He’s broken one or both of the bones of his lower arm,” Emma informed the others.

  “What’ll we do?” Martha asked on a sob.

  “We need to immobilize it somehow,” Emma replied as she looked around for something that could be used as a splint. Over in the corner, she spied a pile of wooden slats, probably left over from when the rope bridge was built. Going over to the pile, Emma dug around until she located one that would work. They could secure the splint to Doug’s arm with some of the rope, and they could use the flag Sebastian had brought along as a sling. When she told the others of her plan, Sebastian’s only comment was, “I’m glad I kept that flag.” After ripping the key off the flag, he handed it to Emma.

  Martha immediately took the key away from Sebastian and stowed it in her pants pocket. She knew that if Sebastian kept it, he would undoubtedly lose it.

  Working as quickly and as gently as she could, Emma immobilized Doug’s injured arm. When the sling was in place, Sebastian grasped Doug’s good arm and helped him to his feet. Doug swayed as a wave of dizziness washed over him. Quickly, Sebastian reached over to steady him. Doug’s face was pale and drawn.

  “What’s wrong, Doug?” Emma asked anxiously.

  Doug didn’t answer immediately. He blinked his eyes in an effort to stop the room from spinning. Gradually, he became aware of a pounding in his head. He must have hit his head on the rock when he fell, but he hadn’t noticed until now because the pain in his arm had been so overwhelming. Gently, he probed the side of his head with his right hand, wincing as he discovered a rather large knot above his left ear. “I must have hit my head too,” he finally managed to say.

  “That’s it!” Emma said angrily. “Dinswood was crazy to expect anyone to do all of this just for some measly treasure. Let’s just get out of here and get Doug to the infirmary.”

  Sebastian and Martha nodded their agreement. They’d all had enough. As Doug was still a little wobbly, Sebastian put Doug’s good arm over his shoulders and his own arm around Doug’s waist to help him walk. Thankfully, the passage was wide enough for the two of them to walk side by side. Sebastian and Doug started off slowly down the passage with Martha and Emma carrying all of the lanterns and following solemnly behind in a manner reminiscent of a funeral possession. It feels like someone has died, Emma thought as she walked. Then she realized the cause of that feeling—their dream had died tonight and, with it, all hope for Dinswood Academy.

  As they continued down the passage, Doug’s head began to clear, and soon he was able to walk unassisted. Although his left arm was still throbbing painfully, at least he no longer had dizziness and nausea to contend with. He began to feel guilty for dragging his friends into this dangerous situation. Thankfully, none of them had gotten seriously injured. Doug just hoped they’d be able to get back to the school without any further mishaps. He was startled from his reverie by Sebastian’s shouted exclamation.

  “There’s light up ahead!”

  The others looked where Sebastia
n was pointing, and sure enough, a bright patch of light could be seen in the tunnel ahead. As they got closer, they could see that the light was coming from above.

  “There must be an opening in the ceiling of the cave,” Sebastian conjectured.

  This was confirmed a few seconds later when they reached the spot where the light illuminated the cave floor. Looking up, they saw a circular shaft about ten feet in diameter and thirty feet high leading up to the surface. A portion of the night sky with its myriad of stars was visible, but the top of the opening was partially obscured by something. From their vantage point, it was impossible to tell what it was.

  “Wow!” Sebastian said, awed by the size of the hole. “I’d hate to accidentally step into that.”

  “You’ve already fallen into one hole tonight,” Martha observed dryly. “I think one hole a night is enough, even for you.”

  Sebastian frowned at Martha but, thankfully, made no comment. So much had happened tonight, he’d momentarily forgotten about falling into that first opening. Shuddering with the memory, he looked over at Doug who was leaning wearily against the rough cave wall. Seeing the pale countenance of his friend, he suggested they keep moving.

  Emma and Martha were more than happy to oblige. Picking up the lanterns once again, this time they led the way with Doug and Sebastian bringing up the rear. Soon the passage began to slope gently upward. Emma was both mentally and physically exhausted, but doggedly she continued onward, eager to get Doug the help he needed and end this horrible night. A couple of minutes later the passage opened up into a small room, a treasure chest like all of the others sat in its center. Emma was of a mind to walk right past it and leave it unopened, but Doug stopped her.

  “Wait, Emma. We might as well see what’s in it.” Doug fumbled in his pocket for the key and gave it to Emma.

  With a sigh of reluctance, Emma took it. “Okay, I’ll open the chest, but I’m not going to take part in any more challenges. We’ll just see what’s in it, and then we’re getting out of here.”