Tommy paused. No, but that would be way cool. Instead he shook his head. “No, but I have a massive brain. It’s why my parents told me that my head is so big.” Tommy moved his hands in circles over the top of his head, emphasizing its largeness.
“They lied about one of those things,” smirked Eevie.
“You really know how to hurt a guy when he is about to dazzle you with his creativity.”
“It’s a gift,” replied Eevie, smiling.
“May I speak now?”
“I implore you, do go on. Please make manifest this ladder.”
“Besmirch all you want. I know your true feelings.”
Eevie shuddered, “I think I just threw up in my mouth. OK, get on with it. Show me your master plan.”
“OK, the wall is nine feet tall. Not a song or the beginning of a poem—it’s just a fact.”
“Which you will traverse, with your mighty magic ladder.”
“Was there a spelling quiz I missed out on or something? I’m trying to tell you how we will get over the wall.”
“Sorry,” smiled Eevie, “just nervous energy.”
“It’s fine,” said Tommy, raising his hands. “OK, here’s how we’re going to do it. In my backpack I have a piece of rope and a knife. We have two bicycles that are each about four feet tall. We anchor them to the ground somehow, so they don’t slide out from under us, and we tie them together. We’ll need to find an area with some bushes in front of it to conceal the bikes. If we let the air out of the tires, they will be less likely to roll as well. If I can get you four feet up in the air, you should easily be able to pull yourself over the wall.”
Eevie looked at Tommy, her lips curling downward. “I’m impressed.”
Tommy bowed. “It all comes from my oversized cranium.” Tommy carefully encircled his fingers in tiny orbits around his head, pointing again at its immenseness.
It took only a couple of minutes to grab their bikes and to find some bushes that would offer enough cover for them to build their makeshift ladder. Putting the bike ladder together, however, was a little more challenging. Even with the tires emptied, the bikes moved and rolled until Eevie had Tommy hold down the hand brakes as she tied them together. Tommy borrowed a couple of stakes surrounding a manhole cover that were pointed on one end and flat on top. He placed the bike against the wall, and then, placing a stake against the frame of the bike, he used his heel to stomp it firmly into the ground.
It certainly wasn’t the sturdiest of ladders, but it would get them up and over the wall. Suddenly, everything became very, very real.
“You realize if we get caught,” said Eevie, “we are going to be charged with trespassing and our parents are going to punish us for the rest of our lives.”
“I know,” said Tommy. “It felt really bad lying to my parents. But as far as we know, Eevie, this has been going on for hundreds of years. I’ve never felt more right about doing something in my life.”
“Did you practice that?” asked Eevie, smiling nervously.
“I’m sorry, I cannot divulge my secrets of mock sincerity.”
“I just wanted to make sure that you had thought it through and you didn’t feel like it was something you had to do because you felt pressured to do it.”
“No,” smiled Tommy. “You aren’t that good looking, especially not good looking enough for me to follow you into oblivion.”
Yeah right, thought Eevie, and without another word, Eevie had climbed on top of the bikes.
“Remember,” whispered Tommy, “when you get to the top, take your time—and then hang and drop on the other side. I’ll be right behind you.”
Tommy braced the bikes with his body as Eevie grasped the top of the wall. He grabbed her by the ankles, helping to push her up to the top.
Eevie felt the stone biting into her hands and she felt Tommy’s hands carefully propelling her upward. Gasping and straining, she was able to throw one leg over the top. She sat motionless, catching her balance and her breath. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She knew that she literally and figuratively straddled the fence on going forward or turning back.
She turned to Tommy and nodded; she had made up her mind. Leaning forward and putting her weight on her forearms, she brought her other leg over the wall. The rough surface scraped into her wrists as she twisted to hang down the other side of the wall.
For a brief moment, she panicked and then let go, remembering to relax her body so her feet and ankles didn’t take all of the impact. She hit the ground with an “oof” and rolled onto her side. She stared up at the wall. She was over. She could hear scraping on the wall; Tommy was on his way.
Tommy precariously stood, balancing on the seat of the bicycle. It wasn’t as easy without someone holding it. Several times the bike lurched under his feet, and he was sure he was going to either smash into the wall or become one with the bush. He compressed his body as much as he felt safe and leapt upward, grasping for the top of the wall. It had begun to rain again, making his ascent much more difficult. From the other side of the wall, Eevie could see his fingers clawing into the stonework—she knew he must be ripping his fingertips to pieces, yet she was powerless to help him.
“Come on, Tommy,” whispered Eevie urgently.
Tommy’s feet slipped and slid across the stone wall as he tried to find just a small impression that he could wedge the toe of his shoe in. His hands were beginning to slip now and his feet kicked out to try to find the bike below him. Suddenly, his foot slid and stopped. With every bit of strength left in him, he pushed against his right foot and pulled upward with all his might. His chest landed awkwardly on the edge of the wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs.
He lay on top of the wall, gasping for breath. Down below, he saw Eevie staring up at him, her eyes filled with worry. Tommy threw a leg over the top of the wall, straddling it, and gave Eevie a shaky thumbs-up, letting her know everything was OK. Leaning onto his chest, he lowered himself until he was hanging against the wall. He dropped easily to the ground, and then managed to lose his balance on the wet grass, falling hard with a heavy thud onto his back.
“That was graceful,” whispered Eevie.
“Thanks,” gasped Tommy, trying to get air back into his lungs. “I think I injured my backpack.”
Eevie smiled down at Tommy, shaking her head. “I take back the part about you being an athlete.”
Eevie reached out her hand, pulling Tommy to his feet. Her face suddenly became serious. “I just realized we don’t have a magic ladder on this side of the wall.”
“We’ve got three hours before our parents check in on us. Don’t worry,” smiled Tommy, “I’ll figure a way out.”
Eevie nodded. “Alright, let’s go.”
Above, the moon fought valiantly to shine through the thick clouds. Small slivers of light impaled themselves into the ground, cutting through the dense forest like blades of light. Around them, trees stood like centurions, guarding whatever lay in wait for them deep in the forest.
“We should have made a map,” Tommy said. “It’s going to be difficult finding the tree in the dark. I can’t even find my own hand, and I’m pretty sure it was on the end of my arm when I left home.”
Eevie glanced at Tommy questioningly. “I geotagged the location on my phone, remember?”
“No. How?” asked Tommy, both confused and impressed.
Eevie hit the home button on her iPhone. The screen cut through the darkness like an electric torch.
“Ouch!” cried Tommy, raising his hands to protect his eyes. “You seared my pupils. Warn a guy before you do that.”
“Sorry,” laughed Eevie, “it got me too. You’d think I’d know better from our all night texting binges.”
“I’ll let you know what I think, as soon as I can see again. If anybody chases us, just shine that thing in their face; I could jog to Egypt before they’d be able to see again.”
“So dramatic! OK, got it! We nee
d to go to the main trail and then it’s pretty much a direct path on the Widow Trail, with a few curves thrown in here and there.”
“Great, they would have to name it Widow Trail,” frowned Tommy.
“It’s called Widow Trail because during the Revolutionary War, there was a horrible battle and many women lost their husbands here.”
“Oh, that’s really sad,” said Tommy, picturing the battle in his mind. “I bet there are all kinds of artifacts buried here.”
“Probably a…” Eevie’s words hung in the air.
The skeletal branches seemed to reach so high that they became one with the inky sky above. The leaves, like tattered clothing, hung to the tips of the spiny branches—shimmering silver and black. In the shadowy darkness, the tree seemed to coil and uncoil, writhing as if...breathing.
“I guess we don’t need your GPS app anymore,” whispered Tommy.
Eevie didn’t bother to reply. Her heart was pounding.
They took another step forward, their feet just on the edge of the vast network of roots spiraling outward from the tree.
“Why this tree? Why not a friendly looking tree like a juniper or a dogwood?”
“Remember, keep your feet off the roots,” whispered Eevie forcefully. “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea.” Eevie’s eyes were locked on the tree. Her chest rose and fell quickly as her breathing came in short bursts.
“I’m feeling the same way,” whispered Tommy. “Let’s just get some pictures and get out of here.” Tommy shivered as he replayed the look the ranger gave him when he caught him in a lie.
Eevie nodded. She touched the ground with the tip of her sneaker and then tentatively took one more step toward the tree.
“Hurry, Eevie, just shoot some video. When the students see how creepy this tree is, they will believe anything we say!”
Eevie nodded. “OK, OK.” The electronic ping sounded like a cannon, shattering the silence of the forest. The red record button glowed like the eye of a cyclops in the darkness. She slowly inched forward, pointing her phone at the top of the tree and then down the trunk, to the roots.
“There’s not enough light—you can barely see it in the video.”
“One second.” Tommy kneeled down and found his flashlight. He played the light up and down the tree.
“Much better.” Eevie slowly panned the camera up and down the tree.
Tommy cautiously inched forward. They were now less than fifteen feet from the tree as Eevie panned her phone upward through the branches.
“Eevie, that’s enough. Come on, we don’t need to push our luck!”
Eevie nodded. She knew he was right. Tommy knelt to put his flashlight back in his backpack. He paused—something wasn’t right. Eevie’s face grew taut. “Tommy, let’s get out of here!” she screamed.
Eevie felt adrenaline rush through her like electricity. The ground was shaking and just as she began to run, Tommy’s scream tore through her. She spun around. Tommy pitched forward, clawing at the roots that had wrapped around his leg. He beat at the root that had pinned him to the ground with the end of his flashlight. The light stabbed through the blackness like a laser with each downward blow. Eevie ran toward him, screaming. “Tommy!!!”
She grabbed his flailing arm and pulled with all her might. Tommy kicked out with his free foot and broke free. He scrambled backward to gain his footing.
“Run!” he screamed. “Run!!”
One step, two steps, and then he saw it. A thick root the size of a man’s arm wrapped around Eevie’s waist, mercilessly smashing her to the ground. She hit hard with a thud, knocking the wind out of her.
Eevie clawed at her waist. Ignoring the roots that encircled his feet, Tommy kicked free and ran over to Eevie, tearing at the enormous root that had coiled around her chest. Eevie panicked, thrashing her body and gasping for air. Tommy raised his arm and began chopping and pulling at the root wrapped around her. His eyes locked to hers, and her fear fed his rage. He ripped into the root until his fingers were bloody and torn.
“Let go of my FRIEND!!!” yelled Tommy, his voice enraged with desperate emotion.
Suddenly, the world seemed to drop from beneath them, and they fell into blackness.
Does Anyone Have an Advil?
“Eevie!!! Eevie, WHERE ARE YOU?” Are you OK?!” gasped Tommy desperately. He moved his head from side to side trying to get his bearings.
“Yeah.... Yeah I think I’m OK!” answered Eevie, relieved just to feel air fill her lungs again.
“I dropped the flashlight. Sorry about that,” said Tommy disappointedly. In the darkness, he rubbed his arms. The roots had torn right through his shirt, bruising and scraping his skin. He could feel the ragged remains of his fingernails as he rubbed his arms.
“It’s OK—I’ve got my phone,” Eevie said. Tommy turned his head as the light from Eevie’s phone stabbed through the darkness.
Reflexively, he closed his eyes as bright dots now danced in front of him. “I promise I’ll never say anything again about how bright your phone is,” said Tommy, grateful to have some light in the inky blackness that surrounded them.
Tommy looked over at Eevie and saw that she was still lying on the ground.
“Eevie, can you stand?”
His question was met with silence. Illuminated in an orb of light, Tommy could see her holding her knee.
“Eevie,” said Tommy more purposefully, “are you OK? Did you hurt your knee?” Tommy couldn’t hide the worry that filled his voice.
“I don’t know.” Her face contorted in pain. “I fell right on it.... It really hurts.”
“Can you try to stand?”
“Give me a minute, Tommy,” she said, her voice wavering. He could hear the pain and frustration.
“Eevie, we should probably call for help. I don’t know how badly you’re hurt and...”
“Are you kidding?” said Eevie emphatically. “Our parents will kill us! Not to mention how much trouble we’ll get in for trespassing in the park. We’ll have to find a way out of here on our own.” She hesitated. “Besides...my phone has no signal.”
Tommy pressed the “home” button on his phone. The all too familiar “no signal” alert taunted him.
“Figures,” muttered Tommy. “No signal here either.”
Tommy’s fingers swiped across his iPhone. Suddenly, his screen was filled with a fiery torch.
“What in God’s earth is that?”
“It’s a torch app. Instead of using the flashlight app, I downloaded this cool torch app. You have your GPS app; I have the ‘mighty torch app.’”
“Tommy,” said Eevie, shaking her head, “sometimes I truly worry about you.”
The light from his iPhone flickered upward. The walls seemed smooth, yet vascular like skin. Just below the surface, Tommy could see thousands of roots that interconnected like neurons in a huge nervous system. Tommy reached out, his fingers trembling. The wall was cool beneath his fingertips and as hard as stone.
Eevie squeezed her eyes tightly as she attempted to straighten her leg. I can do this. I have to do this. Clenching her jaw, she gingerly straightened and bent her leg. It does feel better to move it.
“Eevie, are you sure you are going to be OK?”
Eevie could feel the worry in Tommy’s voice.
“I’m going to get us out of here.... Somehow.”
“I’ll be fine—just give me a couple of minutes,” Eevie smiled reassuringly, sounding more sure than she really was. “I think I just really bruised my knee. I’ve taken harder falls in soccer.”
“OK, just don’t push yourself.”
Eevie began to answer, but instead just nodded and continued to massage her knee.
Holding his phone like a virtual torch, Tommy began slowly exploring the cave.
“This would be so much easier if there was an exit sign.” Slowly, he turned like a human lighthouse, using the light to explore the vascular walls that surroun
ded them.
Tommy turned his torch light upward. Instinctually, he recoiled backward; the ceiling was a living, writhing twisted mass of roots.
“HOLY CRAP! ‘UP’ is OUT of the question. Not an option!”
“Are those snakes?” asked Eevie, shivering, her eyes wide with fear.
“No, those are roots, verrrry angry roots. When I get out of here, Ranger Rick or not, I’m going to bludgeon, insult, and then chainsaw the sap out of this tree.”
Eevie turned and faced the wall on all fours. Using her hands against the wall, she slowly pushed herself up to a standing position. Her knee was still throbbing, but she could tell that nothing was broken.
Tommy watched her in silence, willing his friend to be OK.
She turned and slowly put her full weight onto her hurt leg. It was so painful it made her brain hurt. She took a tentative step. Then another, then another. Each step felt like she was kissing an electric eel, but the alternative—lying here in a dirt igloo for eternity—was not even an option.
“We are going to ignore the fact that I am temporarily limping. Understood?”
Tommy nodded, just happy to see his friend standing. “Got it. Please just take it easy. I’m just gonna try to find a way out of here before our phones run out of power.”
“Maybe we should just use one at a time. I’ll put mine on power saving mode,” said Eevie.
“Good idea; I’m already suffering from Facebook withdrawal. Don’t judge, it’s a thing.”
Eevie smiled; she knew Tommy was trying to make her feel better. “How wide do you think it is down here? Forty, fifty feet?”
“I don’t know, Eevie. I’m just hoping there’s a tunnel or something leading us out of here. There’s no debris down here, so that gives me some hope that there is a way out.”
A tiny electronic “bing” rang out from Tommy’s phone.
Eevie inhaled excitedly. “Did you just get a message?”
Tommy shook his head. “Unfortunately, that’s my phone’s way of telling me that our relationship is about to end. It means my battery is at about fifteen percent.”
“If we run out of light, we’ll never find our way out of here.”
Quest Chasers: The Deadly Cavern (A Magic Fantasy Adventure Book Series) Page 3