“Let’s all rest again,” said Kaleb.
As Mattias sat with his legs stretched out, pressing his back against the wall to wedge himself in the bend of the chimney, it occurred to him how much he cared for his two friends below and how much he relied on them. This thought comforted him enormously and eased some of the enormous tension and fear he was feeling. He realised that there was no going back for any of them.
“Let’s get on now,” called Kaleb, his voice breaking through Mattias’s quiet thoughts. “There’s no time to waste.”
Mattias had just started to crawl up the sloping part of the chimney again when he let out a sudden yell.
“What happened?” asked Knut in alarm. “You hurt yourself?”
“No, but it’s very narrow here. We’ll never get through!”
There was a desperate, collective sigh of defeat from below.
“Are you sure it’s too narrow?” called Kaleb.
“I’ll probably be able to get through,” Mattias called back. “But what am I going to do without you two?”
Typical Mattias, the others thought wryly.
The three of them knew very well what would happen if only one of them got away. Even if Mattias ran as fast as he could all the way to Graastensholm and his granddad did all he could to make known the appalling treatment that these boys had suffered, it would be too late. By the time the mine superintendents arrived, neither Kaleb nor Knut would be found - at least, not alive. Nermarken and Hauber would make sure of that. It was vital that all three of them escaped – and that had to happen now!
“If you can do it, so can we,” shouted Kaleb. Don’t worry!”
“So long as it doesn’t get too narrow,” muttered Knut.
Mattias took a deep breath and clenched his teeth. “I’ll try!”
“Good luck,” called Kaleb. “Keep shouting to tell us how it goes.”
One thing worried them more than anything else: the arrival of morning. That was when the returning workers would find the stove cold and the boys gone. The boys would have to stay where they were until they were hauled down – or more likely smoked out when the fire was lit.
Mattias tried not to think of this and squeezed through the narrow opening, his heart pounding in his ears.
After struggling for a minute or more, he yelled: “Hooray! It’s only tight at the entrance! Then it gets wider again!”
“Then we’ll both get through too, won’t we, Knut?” asked Kaleb.
“Yes, of course we will,” gasped Knut, but the others both heard how tired he was and how each laboured breath tore at his lungs.
Mattias was now better able to support his own weight in the slanting shaft and he pulled on Knut’s sling as hard as he could while Kaleb pushed from behind and made sure that his clothes didn’t snag on the rock. This meant they could climb much more quickly, and once Knut had managed to wriggle his shoulders through the narrowed section, the worst was over. His back and hips were scratched and sore from the effort, but at least he was able to lie and rest more easily for a while.
Kaleb fared the worst because he was the largest. But after taking off every stitch of his clothes, he dragged and fought his way through the narrowed opening, grazing his skin against the rock and nearly getting permanently stuck in the process. The other two breathed a great sigh of relief and waited patiently while he put his clothes back on.
“No way back now!” breathed Knut.
“No,” agreed Kaleb. “No way at all.”
Mattias, sitting further up the chimney ahead of his friends, let out another sudden yell – and this time it was more optimistic in its tone.
“What is it?” called Kaleb.
“It’s just a bit lighter up here! Up this slope – and it looks like it’s still night time.”
“That’s perfect!” shouted Kaleb. “We’ll soon see the sunlight. Or the moonlight ...”
“Only there’s something else ...” called Mattias.
“What?”
“I can’t tell but the circle of light looks really tiny – as if it’s coming through something really small. Like there’s something covering it.”
“What sort of something?”
“It looks like a net.”
“That’s because they don’t want anybody to fall down it. Let’s get on, eh?”
“Yes, we haven’t come this far to stop now!”
They made faster and better progress now that the three of them had entered the sloping part of the chimney. Although the slope remained steep, it was easier to climb and less risky. It was unlikely that any of them would fall back through the entrance they’d just navigated – except perhaps Mattias!
By now all three of them could see just how tiny the rectangular patch of light ahead of them really was. Not even little Mattias, it seemed, would get through that. But they carried on. They grew more and more nervous the closer they came to freedom.
As they moved nearer to the patch of light, they saw the reason why the opening looked so small. The final part of the chimney turned straight upwards and they understood then that they’d only previously been able to see half of it. Mattias was right about the net. It was made of iron and very heavy. As soon as he reached it, he tried to shake it free.
“It’s stuck fast,” he said helplessly after a long effort. “I can’t shift it.”
The squares of the net were much too small to get through and it was obvious that they’d have to somehow lift it out of the way.
The two boys waiting beneath Mattias could now feel the cold night air above them and hear the scary, ghostly moans of the wind as it echoed through the chimney.
Kaleb shivered and said quietly. “You must try again, Mattias. Don’t give up!”
Mattias pushed and pulled as hard as he could, grunting and sobbing with the effort. He paused to rest for a few moments, then tried again but without success.
“No, I can’t move it,” he gasped at last. “I’m not strong enough. But I don’t think it’s impossible. Maybe you could shift it, Kaleb.”
Kaleb wanted nothing more than to try, but how were they to change places in this narrow passage when the helplessly exhausted Knut was stuck between them?
“We must go back down,” said Kaleb quietly.
“What? All the way?” asked the two others in disbelief.
“Nah! Just to the sloping bit – where the passage was wider. We’ll be able to move around easier there and change places.”
They all knew there was nothing else they could do. They were forced to make their way back down again, leaving behind the dim moonlight. The first breaths of fresh air they’d breathed in years felt like a bitter defeat. Without a word, the three of them started downwards.
But making their way down proved more difficult than climbing up. The risk of falling was much greater, not least because Knut seemed to be slipping in and out of consciousness. When he tried to move his arms, they felt like lead weights and his breathing was becoming harsh and rasping. But luckily they didn’t need to go down as far as Kaleb had thought. About halfway down the slope, they found there was enough room for them to change places.
“You come down first, Mattias,” he said. “But move very carefully.”
Mattias first wriggled past Knut, who was grimly hanging on by his fingertips, then past the larger body of Kaleb, who was also still managing to support Knut.
“Mattias” said Kaleb, “All Knut’s weight will be on you, when I move up. Get ready for it!”
“Right!” replied Mattias, trembling and bracing himself as best he could.
“Oh, dear Lord, Knut is heavy!” thought Mattias to himself. “I mustn’t slip! I MUSTN’T! I’m small enough to fall back through that opening – all the way down to the stove at the bottom. And if I live, I’ll be back in that awful mine again.”
Mattias d
id all he could to close this mind to that possibility, concentrating all his strength on supporting Knut.
Then suddenly the weight lessened as Kaleb, now at the front, took hold of Knut’s sling and began to pull him upwards again. Inch by inch, the three of them slowly crept back up towards the opening.
“I don’t think I can go any further,” whispered Knut in sudden desperation before they’d reached the net. “My strength seems to have gone.”
“Let’s stop here,” replied Kaleb in an equally desperate tone. “Hold on tight! Don’t give up now!”
They rested for a few moments, their eyes fixed on the patch of light ahead of them. Each of them knew in his heart that this was their last chance. If they failed now the mine would claim them for eternity – as it had claimed Søren.
‘Poor Søren,’ thought Mattias. ‘It could so easily have been any one of us.’
After resting in silence for several minutes, Kaleb urged Knut to try to make one final effort and they pressed on with agonising slowness until they were back at the opening.
Mattias clung to Knut to support him and they both closed their eyes while Kaleb set to work. Although they couldn’t bear to watch, they heard him straining with every ounce of his strength to shift the heavy bars of the net.
Mattias wished he could help, but he knew it was vital to support Knut.
“If only we had some tools!” gasped Kaleb suddenly in frustration as the bars continued to resist his strength. “Then I might be able to loosen the sides.”
“I brought my little axe,” muttered Knut while he rummaged in his bundle for it. “In case we had to fight!”
“Knut, you’re one of God’s angels,” shouted Kaleb.
“Not yet, but I’ll be one soon,” Knut said as he offered up the hand axe to his friend.
“What are you trying to do, Kaleb?” asked Mattias.
“The iron is held fast in mortar – I need to chip away at it. I reckon this’ll do the job. Careful! There’s a loose stone!”
The stone fell, hitting Knut on the shoulder. He let out a stifled cry and the stone continued to fall, missing Mattias. They all listened as it banged and clattered against the chimney walls, skittering further and further down, until it landed with a dull thud on the stove in the bottom.
In the darkness, each of them wrestled with their individual thoughts as the sound of the falling stone reminded them that their prison still existed far below. How strange to think that they’d been living down there for so long, suffering cold, hunger, pain and misery together. And yet, in the middle of all that, they’d also forged the deepest bonds of friendship.
Kaleb was continuing to work feverishly at the mortar. Beyond the opening, the night sky was no longer such a deep blue.
After what seemed like an eternity, Kaleb gave the net another powerful push. Knut and Mattias looked up when they heard a metallic groan and were rewarded with a shower of mortar dust falling about them, stinging their eyes.
“There’s nothing to stop us now, boys,” Kaleb said in a voice heavy with relief. “Our way’s clear!”
Mattias was almost moved to tears by the enormity of the moment. “What does it look like outside?” he called.
“The chimney’s not too high. Not too high for us to jump down to the ground. On you go, Knut!”
Climbing up onto the edge of the brickwork, Kaleb stretched out his hand and Mattias watched as his friends disappeared from view. He caught a glimpse of Knut’s fingers gripping the side of the chimney. Then he was gone – to the world outside.
Left in that terrible chimney on his own, Mattias suddenly felt totally deserted and alone. It would have taken very little for him to scream in fear and panic, but Kaleb’s hand reappeared just in time.
“Up you come, young Mattias,” he called. “You don’t want to stay in there forever, do you?”
Mattias stretched his hands up towards the light and was pulled into the world above ground. He relished the night air and filled his lungs to capacity in long deep breaths. It looked like a long way to the ground but he knew he could do as Knut had just done and slide down the wall, hanging on by his fingertips.
“Let go!” said Kaleb. “Now!”
Mattias shut his eyes and let go. It was a long way down but the ground was soft when he landed.
For safety’s sake, Kaleb placed the net back in place before he jumped down to join the others.
After dreaming of this moment for so long, the three boys were at last standing on firm ground. Or at least two of them were standing because Knut, overcome with emotion, had fallen to his knees, then sprawled forward to press his face into the grass and breathe in all the smells he’d lived without for so long. He was weeping openly with joy, but each sob was racking his chest with pain.
“Come,” whispered Kaleb urgently. “We’ve got to get away from here! Away from Kongsberg!”
“Where are we going?” asked Knut. “I haven’t got a home.”
“We’ll go to my home,” said Mattias without the slightest hesitation. “All three of us!”
“Yes,” agreed Kaleb thoughtfully. “I didn’t have much of a place either. And it’s quite a distance from here. The best thing is to get Mattias back home. There will have been much grief in that family.”
Mattias was fired up with sudden enthusiasm for the plan. “Yes, and we can get help for Knut! You’re the best friends I’ve ever had – and you must stay.”
Kaleb put his hand on Mattias’s shoulder and gripped it until it hurt. “Listen Mattias. Knut and I are just normal boys, not what you’d call virtuous in any way. But you’ve changed us – you’ve got to know that! You’ve even stopped us cursing! You’ve got a strange way – you always bring out the best in people around you.”
“Do I?” Mattias was confused. “I didn’t know that.”
“Yes, you do,” Knut assured him. “The hewers and the other workers said the same thing. Even Søren was different after you showed up – before that he’d gone on at me because I wasn’t as strong and hardy as the others.”
“What about Hauber?”
“Nah, not Hauber. He’s a brave man so long as he’s holding a whip in his hand. Still, I did see a trace of kindness in him a couple of times.”
“Me, too,” Kaleb chipped in. “And that’s because of you, Mattias. Anyway, we’ll be glad to follow you home and rest – for a few days maybe.”
“But you have to stay longer! As long as you like! Forever, if you want to.”
Kaleb grinned. “We’ll see,” he said. “Wouldn’t be right to put upon people either. But we’ve got to make haste.”
“Yes, home to Graastensholm!” said Mattias. “I’ll be so happy when we get there. I’ll show you the orchards ... and all the beautiful rooms and the food.”
“Don’t talk about food,” panted Knut. “I’ve been dreaming of proper food for years.”
***
As they set off, a new day was beginning. They chose their direction by looking at the trees and seeing where the dawn’s first light was beginning to show. Because Knut couldn’t walk unaided, Kaleb and Mattias supported him on either side and they moved forward unsteadily, their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“Daylight’s coming,” said Kaleb in wonder. “Seems strange to see it and to say the word after so long in the darkness.”
“Heavens! What do we look like?” chuckled Mattias as the daylight grew stronger and they began to look around at the world and each other. But despite their blackened and disheveled appearance, they were feeling happy – gloriously happy!
“We’ll have to stay away from people,” said Kaleb with a grin. “As soon as we find a stream, as far away from here as we can, we’ll bathe.”
“At this time of year?”
“Alright, a quick splash then.”
The chill air and the dawn b
reeze didn’t bother the three boys as they were used to the damp cold of the mine. The fresh air also seemed to revive Knut and he began to walk more easily. Slowly the sky in the east grew lighter and before long, they were able to see below them the town of Kongsberg and the river, Numedalslagen, which passed through it. They knew that somehow, somewhere, they’d need to cross the river.
“There’s a bridge in the town,” said Kaleb, “but it would be too dangerous to walk across it looking like this.”
“There’s another bridge, too. Look upriver,” said Mattias, pointing.
“Where there are bridges, there are people,” muttered Kaleb. “But we’ve got to cross somehow – and before the sun’s up. Come on, we’ll go upriver!”
On the more difficult part of the journey, they carried and half-dragged Knut with them. They slid with him down moraines and steep rocks, through pine and spruce woods – walking and resting, walking and resting – until they were no longer sure of their whereabouts.
At last they heard the rushing waters of the great river and Kaleb went on ahead to see if they were near the bridge.
Mattias and Knut waited silently, holding hands, overwhelmed by the majesty of the landscape all around them.
“We haven’t done too bad at all,” Kaleb told them on his return. “We’ve just come a bit too far north, that’s all.”
They crossed a path without being seen and crept along the riverbank, using the thicket and undergrowth as cover until they reached the stone arches of the bridge. Kaleb climbed up to the road to see what lay ahead of them while the other two sat at the water’s edge, listening as it gurgled, rushed and boomed in the morning air. A few minutes later, Kaleb came down again in a hurry.
“There’s a farmer with a cart coming across from the far side. Off to the market in Kongsberg for sure. He’ll soon be on the bridge so lie still!”
As they huddled in the thicket, Mattias noticed the acrid smell of the earth. He didn’t remember nature producing so many scents and fragrances this early in the spring before, but every breath he took now was filled with different odours. It was the same for Kaleb and Knut. After being away from the outside world for so long, each boy’s sense of smell had sharpened. Their hearing had been similarly enhanced and they heard the squeaking, rattling noise of the cart and the sound of plodding hooves on the road long before the cart finally appeared.
Evil Legacy Page 8