“OK. I’ll be here if you need me.” Val gave Wendy a small wave. Then she turned towards the others unable to contain her excitement. “Call your Dad, Jason. Tell him to ask Sam if he can help us out with the word Theban.”
Jason nodded in agreement.
“Val, can you trust Wendy?” questioned Delta.
“Well, it’s better than no leads at all.” Val closed the book, pulling it behind the counter and putting it in her bag.
It didn’t take Wendy long to locate the book she wanted and she paid and left.
“I need to get back to my dad’s as I have training with some strange girl at lunch time.” Jason smiled as he left.
Val felt that ‘thing’ she had for Jason spring into her heart, and then she covered it with a concrete blanket. Now wasn’t the time for the love thing to be confusing people, although she had to admit as he walked away that she hadn’t noticed until now how very nice he looked today. Maybe he had made an effort for her. She smiled to herself.
“Hello, you may think that what you are thinking right now, Val, is safe in your head, but I must inform you that ‘cow eyes’ combined with drool tend to inform the rest of the world that you are having wicked thoughts about a boy.” Delta patted Val’s shoulder as she walked past her holding Val’s lunch, which she then proceeded to open and devour.
“Thanks Dr Phil,” Val laughed. “Do you think we have a book about this ‘Theban’ thing here?”
“Not sure and sick of looking. Let’s have just one miracle book a day, Alien.”
Val had to agree that the whole thing had become quite exhausting. At least they had the zodiac book. Although it was great that Wendy had been able to pinpoint something about the book, Val didn’t want to explain to the others how odd she found it that Wendy had arrived when she had. Even Wendy’s choice of literature was peculiar. Val was learning to work on the side of caution. She would keep her eye on Wendy from now on and keep her suspicions to herself.
Val made her boxing date with Jason and today they slowly moved through the first four punches. Left and right jabs and head hooks. Val was actually enjoying the boxing more than she had thought she would. It wasn’t just because she got one-to-one time with Jason; it also made her feel more confident about protecting herself.
Shane was interested to see the book and whilst Val trained, Delta and Shane sat over it with puzzled expressions on their faces, pointing at a picture every so often and even laughing at one or two, which bothered Val.
When they had finished, Jason gave Val a small towel to wipe her face and a hearty pat on the back. Val wasn’t sure if this was one of those ‘I’m showing you I like you’ pats or ‘you remind me of my childhood dog’ pats.
“Come and look at this Val,” Shane called her over.
“What?” Val pulled up a chair behind Shane’s, throwing her sweaty towel in Delta’s direction.
“You are so dead.” Delta flicked it away.
Val flashed her gloves at Delta and laughed as Jason passed her a water bottle.
“OK kids, let’s concentrate.” Shane looked at them all with stern, grown-up eyes. “Look at this picture Val. Does anyone seem familiar?”
He showed Val an intricate hand drawing of a group of six adults all standing together and looking happy, as if they were rejoicing at something. As Val’s eyes scanned the faces, she took a sharp inward breath.
“Val?” Shane looked at her.
“That’s her, the woman from my dreams, but why is she in this book?” Val looked visibly shaken.
“Well, maybe your dreams are more like memories,” suggested Shane. “You dream about people you know, so maybe you knew her. I have a friend who is a psychic and she believes that we don’t live once, we come back again and again.” Val looked at Shane.
“So what you are saying is that I know this woman from a past life, one in which I was possibly into some sort of voodoo or magic stuff?” Val asked, clearly not impressed by the idea.
“Well, yes. Let’s not forget, you have the ability to walk through fire, and control air and water with your hands,” said Shane.
Val sighed. She knew he was right but she wasn’t at all sure if she wanted him to be.
“So when will we know anymore about this Theban thing Wendy mentioned?” asked Val.
“Well, my friend is out today working, but as soon as he gets back I’ll speak to him,” said Shane still scanning the pages. Jason shot Val a look to remind her of the promise she made not to mention his little slip up. Val gave him a nod and he seemed more relaxed.
“Is that your friend Sam, the one Jason was talking about?” asked Delta.
“Delta!” Val moved swiftly over to Delta and pinched her arm.
“Ow! Why did you do that? So Shane’s friend is called Sam.” Delta just couldn’t stop herself now. “Sam, Sam, Sam.” Delta jumped up and started to run around the table.
“I’m so sorry, Jason.” Val shrugged.
“It’s OK. I should have told you his name. I don’t know why I didn’t,” said Shane.
“I’m sorry, Dad, it just slipped out.” Jason hung his head.
“Don’t worry son, worse could happen.” Shane smiled as Delta came around for her fourth lap of the table still singing Sam’s name.
“I’m sure at some point you will meet Sam, but he lives in London and doesn’t surface often due to work commitments,” said Shane.
“Well at least he has a name now. So how will you show him the book?” asked Val.
“Well, real people in the modern world, Val have something we like to call a scanner,” replied Shane with a cheeky grin.
“So, another funny man, that’s all I need. I have to go back to work, so I’ll see you guys later.”
“Don’t leave me here. Please take me with you. They might make me fight.” Delta jumped to her feet running in a Delta fashion towards Val.
“Bye girls,” Shane called and Jason waved a hand.
Val opened the bookshop and the first thing that greeted her was the large wooden crate that Mr Gallymore had had delivered the day before. That was a job she needed to do ASAP, before Mr Gallymore turned up.
Delta attempted to help open the box, but it was Val’s brute force that won through in the end. As they lifted the lid, a puff of musty smell came oozing out.
“Oh heavens! Do you think there is something dead in there?” Delta peeped over the top.
“Not unless Mr Gallymore is collecting the classics in the form of dead writers, no.” Val let out a giggle taking the top off to reveal a mixture of large, small, old and out of print books. Delta appeared with a pair of large yellow rubber gloves on her hands.
“If they have germs on them as old as they smell and they have managed to survive, then they could possibly have what you Brits call the plague.” She picked one out of the crate and carried it down an aisle.
“We will be here all night if you do it one at a time.” Val started to pack the book trolley with the new, old books as Delta trotted back for another.
As the day came to a close, Val pulled the last of the books from the trolley and placed them on their designated shelves. All the time she was thinking about the book. It could hold all the answers, but without the key to what it said, she might as well not have found it. Delta had made a sorry attempt at helping, but Val was just glad of the company.
“Time to go,” Delta called from the counter, jangling Val’s keys.
“OK, be there in two,” Val called back. As she looked at the worn book in her hand, she thought about how words, written and spoken, created everything we see, how your life could be shaken by one message or one word, good or bad. Then she placed the book on the shelf and slapped herself lightly on the face. “What’s wrong with you?” Making her way back to the counter she grabbed her bag.
“You ready?” Val asked as Delta pushed past her in her eagerness to leave.
“Time to have a little fun. I texted Jason. He’s going to meet us at that really nice pub
in the village,” said Delta.
“The Albion?” Val asked.
“Yes. I like it in there, they always give you peanuts with your drink.” Delta pulled her car keys out and the lights on the mini flashed as it opened.
“Do I look OK?” Val asked looking herself up and down.
“Yes Val, you look a picture of elegance.” Delta opened her door and got in, not even looking in Val’s direction.
“So, when are you going to ask him?” enquired Delta, pulling out onto the main road.
“Ask who what?”
“Jason-on-a-date.” Delta spat the syllables.
“Are you joking? He isn’t interested in me.” Val’s voice was now so high it was almost squeaking like a choirboy’s.
“Well I don’t agree. However, you won’t know until you ask.”
“Then what? If he doesn’t it will get awkward and then we lose two of the most important friends we have. That would be a disaster,” she replied, trying to hide how much it hurt talking about it. Val placed her head against the car window and closed her eyes. Hoping this would stop Delta asking any more questions.
CHAPTER 7
Going Underground
“OK, here.” Delta spun the mini into the car park coming to a halt next to a really smart Harley-Davidson. The rider was in black leather with a black helmet and mirrored visor.
“Now look at that Delta. Looks good, black, dark and sexy, but I bet when he takes off his helmet a long mane of grey hair will fall out and a sixty-year-old man will shoe horn himself out of the leathers.” Val and Delta sat for a moment watching the rider turn off his bike and dismount. Then the dark stranger started to walk towards them. When he got to the side of the car, he flipped up his visor.
“Hello girls.”
“Hi Jason. Val was just commenting on how you were a sixty-year-old hippie biker,” said Delta.
Val sank into her seat. Could this get any worse? Her heart was pounding, he was now not only her dream guy, he had a fantastic bike and he looked gorgeous in leather.
“Well you should never judge a book by its cover,” replied Jason opening her car door and offering her his hand.
If Val’s head had been any lower, it would have disappeared into her shoulders. She had no choice but to take Jason’s hand. As their skin touched, Val felt a shock flash up her arm. She could hear her heart pounding but this was more than what she felt for Jason. A flickering torch light, reflected in the visor of Jason’s helmet caught her attention. As she inspected it more closely, she felt her grip on Jason’s hand loosening.
“Jason, put the helmet down.”
Jason lowered the helmet to the ground, unsure of what exactly was the problem, but knowing better than to argue with that tone of voice.
“Val what’s wrong?” he asked.
“They are trapped underground. I can hear them calling out, and I need to help them.” Val stepped forward, then looked back at Delta who was running around the back end of the car.
“Don’t wait up.” Val touched the visor on the ground and she was gone.
Val blinked then blinked again, she felt confused. Were her eyes open yet? All she could distinguish was intense darkness. She rubbed her lids vigorously, but that didn’t seem to help the situation. As she started to adjust to the dark she could hear distant voices calling. After several moments, she spotted a flash of light around twenty feet away, moving around like a lighthouse beam through the mist. Lifting herself to her feet to investigate, she crept carefully towards what she thought was a wall, for guidance.
Outstretching her hand hesitantly, Val felt how cold and wet the wall was. When she pulled her hand back, she realised that it had come with her in the form of dirt. “Nice,” Val whispered.
She felt apprehensive. Her idea of mud was the stuff under your feet on a rainy day, not on the walls and over your head. As she slowly edged her way towards the voices, she felt something strike her foot. Leaning down she was surprised to see a large pile of hard hats and jackets.
Val grabbed a thick padded jacket, and put what appeared to be a miner’s helmet on her head. She reached up and after a few moments fumbling managed to switch on a small torch that was on the helmet’s peak. “That’s better, now I can see how dark it is,” she said, realising the irony and shaking her head.
Val edged forward. The noise began to get louder and Val could make out a solid beam of light ahead. Following it around a small bend to the right, she came face to face with utter chaos. There were men and women shouting and lifting rocks frantically. Val could see that there had been some sort of landslide and these poor people were trapped.
Hopefully not for long if Val could help. Plus, on a selfish note, she wanted to get back to the pub, to Delta and Jason.
“Who are you? Another one of those useless guides come to panic?” A tall thickset man wearing a ski coat and helmet similar to Val’s grabbed her by the arm.
“I’m sorry you must…” but before Val could finish her sentence he was talking again.
“Doesn’t matter,” the man said dismissively. “Have they got any further forward?” He was now looking over Val’s shoulder. “I’ve been back up to the top but the rescue services won’t be here for another fifteen minutes.”
It dawned on Val that if he had been out and the people she could see were trying to move the rocks, then someone was trapped on the other side.
“So how many people are trapped?” she asked, trying to look as if she was one of those useless yet confident guides.
“Well, we were twenty-five to start with and there are twenty of us now so you do the maths.” The man was really not warming to Val and she didn’t want to stay in his presence any longer.
“I’m sure someone will be here soon.” She smiled weakly, about to move away.
“Yes, shame no one is able to get through the emergency tunnel, it would have made it so much easier for everyone,” the man said.
“What emergency tunnel?” Val asked.
“Well, all of these mine walks have a backup passage. They were originally built by the miners, but now they are meant for emergencies only. Although the top one is open, no one has the key to the bottom door. We think the people who are stuck are directly on the other side of it.”
This was exactly what Val needed. “This exit, where exactly is it?” Val enquired.
“Over there.” The man pointed to a heavy metal door that was ajar. It had a sign on the outside that said ‘Staff Only’ in bold red letters.
Val now had a plan of action. She would simply go down the shaft and open the door, releasing the trapped people before the emergency services arrived.
“Thanks.” Val patted the man on the shoulder as she passed, pushing the heavy door open.
“You can’t go down there. The door is locked so what’s the point?” The man seemed agitated by Val blatantly ignoring his words. She really didn’t have time for explanations, so she just smiled at him and made her way through the gap.
On the other side of the door, the darkness was even more intense than before, if that was possible. Just when she was thinking about going back and finding another light, the door slammed shut behind her.
“No! I’m in here,” Val shouted swinging around and kicking the heavy metal door. After another several minutes of disjointed escape attempts, Val gave in to the idea that she had once again been proven herself a gullible idiot! How could this be happening to her?
“Don’t fight it chosen one, you wouldn’t want the shaft to collapse in on you,” the man’s voice called from the other side of the door.
“Who sent you? Was it the coward who hides behind my dreams, not man enough to come out, so he sends his little lackeys?” Val shouted.
“You think I’m going to tell you anything? You will have to kill me to get anything out of me, Val,” the man laughed.
“I hope you rot in hell!” Val shouted in anger.
“Thank you. I hear the weather is lovely at this time of year,”
the man replied sarcastically.
God, where was Delta when you needed a sharp one-liner? Val thought, reaching into her back pocket pulling out her phone. “Oh no!” –There was no signal. Val shoved it back into her pocket. “So once again, you fool, you’re trapped not only underground, but inside a tunnel underground,” Val muttered to herself turning towards the tunnel to flash her headlight into its murky darkness. “Oh, and smelly too. Well, this just gets better.” Val pinched her nose and started to head cautiously down the slimy steps. Within a few moments she could see that the rubble was beginning to pile up. She realised that the reason they hadn’t been trying this exit wasn’t because there was no key, but because there had obviously been a cave-in here as well. So how long would it be before anyone even bothered to open the exit door again if they all knew that this was a no-go area?
As Val reached the worst bit of the fall, she could just hear the cries of the people who were really trapped coming through the air towards her. She also observed that the nasty smell had not abated. If anything, it seemed to be getting worse. Val slumped onto a large rock for a quick moment of self-pity and to contemplate what Jason and Delta would be doing in her absence.
“It’s just going to answer machine.” Delta flipped her phone shut, shoving it back into a small Gucci bag.
“Plain or cheese?” Jason asked.
“Plain, please,” Delta answered. “I do love your Walkers crisps; they don’t do anything as good back home.” Jason threw a red packet of plain crisps through the air and Delta caught them at an obtuse angle, obviously to avoid any nail chipping and such.
“So how did you meet Val?” Jason asked as he perched on his bike seat facing Delta who was sitting in the open door of her mini. They had decided that it would be best to position themselves around Jason’s helmet.
“Her dad built my house and that’s about it.” Delta lifted a crisp to her lips. “I think I should text Val’s mum and tell her she is staying at mine tonight, just in case she takes longer than usual. What do you think?” Delta asked.
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