The Sink Hole

by: Dennis R. Humphreys

The area contained a lot of limestone. In fact there was a valley that contained nothing but limestone underground. Any geologist will tell you limestone and water don't do well together for people living on the surface. Water leached underground from the rain, or creeks above ground, cause the limestone to dissolve and it creates caverns and other similar features. Over time they sometimes collapse, causing the ground above them to cave in, and it can create sinkholes large enough to swallow entire homes. It can also leave large openings that cause roads to collapse.

“Looks like we have another sink hole in the area. They shut down Druid Valley Road. It's pretty big,” Walt Meanor announced one morning at the breakfast table as he read the latest local news on his smartphone.

“You mean we have to go around to get to town? That's an extra ten minutes?” Sonia, my mother complained. She hated driving anyway. It had gotten to be a pain for her with all the 'inconsiderates' on the road as she called them.

“Dad, what's a stink hole,” I asked, not being familiar with them however, it did get a snicker from both of my parents.

“It's a sink hole, Colin, not a stink hole. Something completely different. It's something that happens when the ground sinks from too much water eating into the limestone underground. They can be pretty large at times and dangerous.

“Well we don't have to worry about detours until Monday anyway, unless we're going someplace,” dad commented.

“I wasn't planning on it,” mom replied. “I don't need to go anywhere. I was going to stay around here and get some work done in the yard.”

I always thought caves were cool and interesting especially watching the Discovery Channel. It sounded like all these were, were vertical caves, but for a thirteen year old things were a lot simpler than old people my parent's ages. I wondered what cool things could be down there. There could be a whole other world to explore, and it was almost in our backyard.

It was Saturday and normally my best friend Lyle and I spent the time at one or the other's house, sometimes both, playing video games or bicycling around the countryside. We both liked cycling the area probably even more than the games we played on the big screen in Lyle's family room. I bicycled over to his place after I finished breakfast, warned not to get into any trouble by my mom as I flew out the door.

“Hey Lyle did you hear about the sink hole on Druid Hill Road?” I asked him as I sat on the sofa while he was already engaged in mortal combat on his television.

“No, when did that happen?” he asked me.

“I don't know. My dad just said something about it this morning. It was in the news,” I informed him.

“Cool. Do you want to ride over there and see?” he asked.

“I was thinking about it if you want to. We probably shouldn't say anything to our parents about going there. My dad says it's dangerous,” I told him so we could do it secretly.

“Only if you fall in. You want to go now?” he asked. I was ready.

“Yeah let's go,” I agreed.

“Hey mom, Colin and I are going to ride bikes,” Lyle informed his mother as he grabbed his Senator's jacket hanging by the back door.

“Alright, but stay out of trouble,” she yelled from the back room, like that was going to stop us from it. Usually you don't go out looking for trouble, you just fall into it when you make the wrong decision at the time that brings unwanted results.

We hopped onto our mountain bikes which worked great in the area since we rarely rode on the road. We were off-roaders cycling up and down hills, through the woods and through tons of mud. Our backs by the end of an excursion, looked like a dirt road.

This day was a road trip as we peddled towards Druid Hill Road looking for the sinkhole. We imagined something like the Grand Canyon where you could ride mules down the sides to reach the bottom.

When we got there it was between houses and most of the houses were on large tracts so they were probably several hundred feet from each other. The road was barricaded with saw horses and bright colored ribbons making it impossible for anyone even with the worst eyesight not to notice. Signs were put up as well pointing out the danger. We both laid our bikes down on the side of the road near some trees and walked the rest of the way to the large open pit that transversed the road and part of the land on either side.

We looked before we headed to the pit so as not to have adults yelling at us. There wasn't anyone around.

“Wow, it sure looked deep,” Lyle commented.

“I wonder how far down it goes?” I posed the question.

“You think it goes to the center of the earth?” Lyle asked me. I thought the answer was obvious.

“No... there'd be hot lava and junk coming up then.

I ducked under the tape that was there. I wanted to get a closer look over the edge. Lyle did too so he followed me to look. It was a little scary... the sides were like cliffs and continued downwards without revealing the bottom, which grew dark since the morning sun illuminated it at an angle and beyond where the sunlight fell, there was pitch darkness. We both moved closer to the edge and stretched ourselves to look further as if the half inch or so would give us a clear sight of how far the hole stretched. Still there was no bottom from what we could see. We needed to get closer, so I had the bright idea off bellying up to the edge to look over... much safer than standing. Lyle got down on his stomach too and inched his way to the edge next to me.

With were both peering over the edge but I guess our weight was too much for the unstable sink hole and we felt it shake, only for a moment, and the sound of cracking and rubble falling from under us to the depths bellow was instantaneously frightening. We looked at each other quickly in fear and began to rise to run back past the barrier but things happened too quickly then, as the entire chunk of ground beneath us gave way. The trepidation in us was beyond belief as we yelled and screamed but held on tightly, one arm around each others' waist while our opposite arms held tightly to the edge of our make shift sled. Down we went, descending quickly as air rushed past us on all sides. Looking straight ahead, we could see the various layers of soil and rocks change colors and texture as we descended. Down we went, for what seemed an eternity while our vocalized fear continued. Then instead of darkness, it became lighter. All I could imagine is maybe Lyle's statement wasn't so stupid and we reached the center of the earth where molten lava emitted a glow from the heat. I figured we were about to be roasted on the spot and that was the end. Surprisingly it felt as if we hit bottom as the earth we held on to so dearly, stopped with great force momentarily and then began sliding quickly down an incline. We were still scared even though our vertical descent seemed to have ended but not knowing exactly what was happening didn't help much.

Finally, our ride stopped. We looked at each other wondering if we should move but then we didn't have much of a choice. Both of us stood shakily to our feet and looked around. We could see clearly as it wasn't dark. Contrarily, the entire cave we seemed to have come to rest in was illuminated by torches... torches? There couldn't possibly be manufactured torches that had been lit with fire unless there was someone down here.

“Who would be living down here?” Lyle asked me which was stupid because I had never been here before... how would I know?

“Lyle... I have no idea. We fell a long way. Even I know the fall was exponential with gravity and ever second's fall added to the total of the previous amount per second. I just didn't know what that was but knew we were pretty far below the surface of home.

“What do we do?” Lyle asked me but at this point I had no idea or how to get back to the surface. I didn't have my mountain climbing gear with me.

“We'll never get out of here if we just stay here, so I suggest we start walking. Maybe whoever is down here can get us back to where we want to go. It's probably miners looking for whatever their mining.

It seemed a reasonable assumption and the frozen, fearful look on Lyle's face seemed to subside slightly as we moved slowly ahead. The side of the cave itself seemed naturally formed but here and there were what appeared to be chisel marks. Then as we moved we discovered some strange markings written on the walls. We couldn't read them so they didn't make sense. I began to call out thinking maybe someone was within earshot, after all someone lit the torches but I had no idea how long these torches burned and shed light.

We moved along slowly taking every part of the cave in... the walls, the ceiling, the floor. There seemed to be some kind of footprints on the floor but there were too many disturbances there to identify anything but that was a good sign telling us there was plenty of activity down here... at least at one time recently.

“You know we have no idea where we're going or which way to go,” I told Lyle as we came to a branch in the cave, “maybe the best thing to do is just sit here and wait for whoever keeps the torches lit until they show up again.”

“That sounds like a good idea, otherwise we might fall down another sinkhole down here... if they have sinkholes down here,” he surmised as I just shrugged my shoulders. I didn't know but I thought sinkholes were all a result of surface ground water creating them and that didn't exist down here.

So we took our seats on the ground and waited. It seemed forever we waited and we said little because neither of us had anything to say under the circumstances. I figured our parents would start looking for us when we didn't get home. They'd find our bikes near the sinkhole and that would be that. There would be memorial services held for my friend and I at the church we attended. Maybe they would erect statues of us, big bronze ones that got greenish with age, at the sight of the sinkhole. After all, we were adventurers. When was the last time someone descended into one of them to explore it? We might even reach hero status and our parents would become rich by the time we got back... if we got back.

I'm not sure how long we sat there leaning against the cave wall but we both fell asleep. We both awoke at the same time startled by the sound of someone singing... at at least it seemed to be singing. I looked down the one cave to the left and in the light there were shadows moving, great huge ominous shadows that filled the walls to the ceiling of the eighteen foot high cave. They moved in unison in the flickering light of the torches and were coming our way. Lyle watched too as we were both happy and frightened that someone was coming. We hadn't expected giants though. I remembered my parents talking about the giants in the bible and other folklore from around the world in ancient writings. It was all very interesting but now confronted by their possibility it was scary. I remembered part of their existence depended on the consumption of human flesh. We were young and probably tender, was one thought I had, I didn't need to be having.

“Maybe we should hide before they get here and just watch whoever it is for awhile,” Lyle suggested.

“What good would that do? We're stuck down here unless we get help. Sooner or later we're probably going to run into whoever this is,” I acknowledged knowing we really didn't have a choice.

Finally we could hear their footsteps as they neared the curve in the wall close to where we were. There was the sound of metal too hitting metal. They carried tools of some kind. Maybe they were miners, but giant miners? As we looked down the cave, movement started from around the curve. Creatures emerged... not the giants we expected but dwarf like beings whose sizes had been exaggerated by the play of light enlarging the shadows of their bodies. They were only about three feet high and became highly excited at the sight of us sitting there. There were four of them and they gathered in front of us speaking in an unknown language looking back and forth at each other quickly.

I finally spoke thinking it was probably no use since they spoke a different language but still I had to do something. I had to try and communicate in some way.

“Where are we and who are you?” I asked, the two most logical questions to begin.

“They look like the lawn statues my mother has in the front lawn that my father makes fun of and curses every time he cuts the lawn,” Lyle whispered to me.

The one raised his head in apparent recognition of sorts and blurted something to the others as they shook their heads and rattled off verbiage to each other, looking back and forth. When the first one I spoke to looked back at me he spoke in perfect English.

“You are in the caves of Landar which extend underground throughout this planet. I am Tandol of the Enocks. We work in these caves for minerals and trade with certain people above ground for food.

“How do you know our language,” I asked thinking it was unlikely being down here we should be speaking to each other intelligently.

“To whom am I speaking?” Tandol asked.

“I'm sorry. I'm Colin... this is my friend Lyle,” I introduce us to our hosts.

“Well, Colin. Like I said these tunnels thread through this entire planet and we have access to the surface. These access points are everywhere throughout various countries on the surface. We have learned the different languages exercising our trade in those various places,” he told me.

“Why wasn't I aware of you?” I asked.

“Well, you are now. We keep to ourselves for the most part and select few to let be aware of our existence. Humans are what caused us to come underground,” he enlightened Lyle and myself.

“What did humans do to make you live in a place like this?” I asked.

“Humans have strange ideas, some having nothing to do with logic or reality. They hunted us for several different reasons. Some for good luck... some for bad. Some in certain areas thought if you captured one of us we'd pay our ransom with gold that we mined underground. The list goes on. There are as many reasons as there are countries in your world,” Tandol told me.

“I see,” I told him.

“Let me introduce my three friends here,” he motioned, “this is Bontag, Elod, and Sartor.”

Each bowed politely, almost elegantly like a knight of the round table. I wondered if these people were the cause of stories like leprechauns, and gnomes.

“Why are you so short?” I asked, not meaning to insult any of them.

“Why are you so tall” Tandol countered.

“Because our heads are so far from our feet,” Lyle added, dying laughing at his joke he made.

They didn't think it was funny and I didn't think it was appropriate considering our circumstances.

“We need to get out of here and go home. Our families will be worried about us. We fell down the sinkhole that opened here,” I explained.

“We have to take you to our leader about that. We chose who knows about us but never exactly where we live. You seem to have fallen into our laps and whatever your disposition will be is not up to us but up to Zydon, our leader,” he informed us both.

“Alright then... take us to your leader!” I announced. I had always wanted to say that but it was more in an alien context and me landing on another planet.

“It's three days journey to his palace,” Tandol relayed.

“Three days! We have to get home. Isn't there a faster way?” I asked.

“Sorry but the cave system and its routes are limited and that's what our world is built around down here. Digging another route would take a lot longer than three days and I don't think you would like that alternative,” he alerted both of us.

“We need to get home. Can you take us to this... Zydon?” I asked.

“Please...” Lyle added.

The four looked at each other and spoke in the gibberish we heard before among themselves.

“Call him on your phone,” I suggested not thinking their technology or the one above was consistently the same.

“What's a … phone?” he asked me.

“It's a way of talking with someone, especially a long distance away” I explained.

“What other way is there besides opening your mouth to say something and the other one opening their ears?” Tandol asked, looking very interested in my reply.

“Never mind,” I replied. If I had to explain then they didn't have phones.

They continued to discuss my request for a couple of more minutes before Tandol spoke to us.

“We're supposed to see the leader in five days anyway to take a portion of what we have mined to him in taxes. I don't think he'll object if we take our portion to him earlier than expected. You'll have to help us carry it to make our trip easier for us since we are doing you a favor,” the Enock told me but I agreed, it was only fair.

We followed them down the other arm of the cave where it branched, to where their homes were. We emerged after a mile or so in a large open area of cave, probably fifty feet high and twice as far across. It was a great hemisphere of sorts. There were other openings all over there and maybe twenty feet above the ground but they weren't caves. They were their homes hewn out of the rock by hand. There were symbols painted on the rock wall above each opening. I assumed it was the name of each occupant.

When we got there a shout went out from Tandol and others came out of their caves and shouted back in one large din. They watched in interest as he introduced Lyle and myself in their language but I heard our names mentioned and assumed that's what he was doing.

We watched as they gathered material into piles... six in all so I assumed it was arranged in piles so each of us could carry our share as taxes to the leader. Six leather bags were brought and filled with the material and each of our group,,, the four we came with, Lyle and myself, took a bag and slung it over our shoulders with the strap that was there. We continued on our way immediately down a cavern on the other side, as the others waved farewell.

“Up ahead is a dragon that lives here. He has no problem with us but he hates humans. They are why he's down here, to get away from them since they almost hunted his kind to extinction. I'm not sure how he's going to react when you two appear,” Tandol shared his thoughts with me.

“But we're just kids?” I took defense.

“I don't think dragons differentiate age. It's the smell they go by when they stick out their tongues to tell one thing from another,” he told me.

“Since you've been down here so long can you talk to them?” I asked.

“We sure can,” Tandol acknowledged.

“Maybe I have an idea then. Carry us over your shoulders and tell the dragon we were intruders that you killed. You're taking our bodies to your leader,” I suggested and proud of the idea.

“That might work but if he realizes he's been tricked it will be hell to pay and we have to live down here with him,” the Enock reasoned.

“How would he realize he's been tricked. You said he can't tell a child from an adult, how could he tell we were alive or dead?” I asked.

“By your body heat. That's how they differentiate live prey from dead,” he told me and I thought a minute.

“Just like snakes. We'd still be warm if you just killed us. Tell him you had just killed us minutes ago coming this way,” I told him, satisfied that was the answer.

“Alright, that might work or he'll eat you on the spot... and then, most likely, us,” he confided. “I'll tell you when you need to get ready.”

We walked maybe ten minutes and we could hear the dragon ahead roaring as dragons do. The smell of sulfur was in the air and his shuffling through the cave was quite audible.

“Stop,” commanded Tandol,” get on my back, and you Lyle, get on Elod's, choosing him because he appeared to be the next strongest Enock. We were two feet higher than the Enocks, and heavier.

We did so... draping ourselves over the two Enocks' backs.

“Now lie there perfectly still. All of our lives depend on it, Tandol warned as he moved forward, followed by the other three. The smell of sulfur became intense. I burned chunks of sulfur from my chemistry set, much to the chagrin of my mother, and I stunk up the house, to my delight. I liked the smell of it but this was ten times stronger and I felt like my nose hairs were tickling me.

“Who goes there?” the dragon asked.

“Tandol and his crew, Garn. We also have two bodies of human intruders we killed moments ago that we're taking to our leader,” Tandol told the dragon as they continued to walk rather than stop.

“They're still nice and warm. I wouldn't mind having a meal of them,” the dragon told the Enock and I began to worry. Tandor kept moving, getting close to the other side of the opening we needed to go though that was much too small for the dragon

“I would give them to you if I could but I am following our leader's orders,” the Enock replied.

“Now Tandol he would never know,” the dragon told him licking his lips.

“Yes... yes, he would,” Tandor stumbled a little over his response. “We have phones now that we can communicate to the leader with over a long distance. I just alerted him as to what happened. He wants their bodies. I couldn't believe he remembered our earlier conversation about a phone, using it successfully in a lie I would have believed.

“A phone? I never heard of such a thing. It's a shame though. It's been awhile since I had human flesh,” the creature complained almost whining.

He watched as we went our way but just then, Lyle left out an uncontrollable sneeze due to the sulfur. Without hesitation the Enocks walk turned to runs to get through he opening as the dragon roared in anger.

“You attempt to pervert the truth... and to me!” Garn screamed, rocking the walls of the cave as the crew ran as quickly as they could with the dragon right on their heels.

They had gotten through the opening of the cave but had to continue to run to get past where the dragon could stretch his neck... and further still, to avoid his fiery breath.

I could hear the best lumbering quickly towards the Enocks, to try and stop them before they were out of reach. I could hear him as he slammed into the cave opening, loosening rocks and sending some to the cave floor. The position I was in, I couldn't see the beast, although I tried peering around the side of Tandol and back. I had a better chance of escaping since Tandol was in the lead. I heard Garn take a deep breath and I knew what was coming and hoped we were far enough down the stony corridor to escape unharmed.

Suddenly there was a roar of flame as it flowed down the cave. I could feel the heat from it and the stench of sulfur even worse than it was. It burned my eyes and the smoke that enveloped our fleeing group burned my eyes and made me begin coughing to the point of gagging. It was all I could do, not to vomit. When we were far enough away from the dragon Tandol called a stop.

“Whew... that was my excitement for the day! Let's stop here and rest a moment. We can go for another two hours and then we can stop for something to eat and rest for the night.

I wondered what we were going to eat since I saw no food and how did they know it was night from day? Yet we were here, and we were their guests. We needed help and I wasn't going to be the one to rock the boat.

So we continued for a time and both Lyle and I were getting tired when Tandol announced we were stopping for the night.

“I'm glad we're stopping. I couldn't go much further with this load of rocks over my shoulder, Lyle complained. But then Lyle wasn't much for work. He complained doing his chores and even though our school was a half mile away he refused to walk the distance, arguing his feet hurt too much to listen by the time he got to school.

“I wonder what happens if their leader doesn't take us to the surface?” I thought out loud.

“What do you mean if he won't take us to the surface? He has to,” Lyle replied adamantly.

“He doesn't have to do anything. I can't live down here in a place like this,” I told him quietly but Lyle was less than quiet, attracting the attention of the others.

“I'm no mushroom. I can't either,” he exclaimed.

About that time Tandof came over to us and gave us each a bar of some concoction to eat.

“Here this is what we eat three times a day, We make it from things from above that we trade for. It may not look like much but it's good and it's filling. It will also quickly energize you,” he assured us.

Lyle and I looked at it not sure exactly what we were holding. It had different colors in it, but overall it looked like about a thousand flies squished together with something binding them. We both held it up to our noses first to smell, but there was little smell. The intense sulfur earlier could be the problem. We both, as we watched the other, put the tips of our tongues to it. There was a sweetness to it that was not objectionable, so we each took a small bite, not brave enough to take anything larger at first. I was hoping it wouldn't taste like peas, as they were my downfall. If it did I would probably die down here from starvation.

Amazingly, Tandol was right... it was good and Lyle seemed to like as well so we munched on it. Before I got three quarters of the way through the bar, I was full. Tandol came over with some water for us. We had to drink that from some kind of skin he carried. As soon as we each drank our share, we became extremely full. With that, we were enveloped by sleep for the night.

Tandol awoke us then in the morning, refreshed. I never felt so good and felt I could walk a hundred miles. Lyle even said he was ready to go the distance. I think it was whatever was in that bar of food. We both got two more of those things to eat before we started. This time we got something else to drink from another skin that Sartor carried. It wasn't water but it was greenish in color and pleasant in taste as well. It was very quenching and was even more energizing than the bars. It also made you feel warmer from the extremities outwards.

We began our journey again in a little while after the Enocks all seemed to take a bathroom break at the same time.

“Oh geesh... they smell awful!” Lyle complained as he waved his hand in front of his face.

“Wow... that's like walking into the bathroom after my father was in there getting rid of the all the spicy chili he had been eating with lots of onions and beer. I hope it's not from that stuff they fed us,” I shared with my friend.

On the way Tandol came back to me and began a conversation.

“Ahead, there is another peculiarity you may find frightening. It is a skeleton that walks the caves. He needs human flesh to adorn his bones so he can once again live upon the surface. He rarely sees humans to pose his riddle and the few that couldn't answer it, he took their flesh, but it has rotted again from his bones before he could become whole. He has been here for many years. The man was a Knight Templar and he died coming into the cave to hide riches. The knight will pose his riddle and you must answer correctly before passing on. If you don't he will take your flesh.

“That's creepy,” Lyle told me.

“I'm not good at riddles. I think we're as good as dead,” I told Lyle.

“I'm pretty good at them. Leave it to me,” Lyle said matter-of-factually.

“You do understand the importance of getting it right?” I asked him not sure the way my friend was acting if he fully understood the serious nature here.

“I get it, I get it,” Lyle assured me but not putting me very much at ease.

We moved ahead and before long we could hear something that sounded almost like a marimba. It was the sound of bones knocking about against each other. It was unnerving and I wasn't sure what I'd do when I saw the bones of some thousand year old knight rattling in front of me.

I thought we were clear of him when we walked into another chamber similar to where the dragon was , but smaller. Suddenly a skeleton peeked around the corner of a great rock and stared into my face, chattering his teeth. I jumped from his action.

“And who do we have here in the flesh?” he asked looking first at me and then my friend. I was scared but Lyle peed his pants which wasn't a very glorious things to do. I was less convinced he would be of help answering the riddle.

Before moving on

You'll answer me this,

If wrong you'll be gone

So you dare not miss,

This meaningful rhyme

Just answer in time,

Or, your flesh is mine.

The little poem the bones spoke was enough to chill my bones. Lyle peed himself again so I was really doubting his support and at the same time I wondered how big his bladder was.

“Alright Sir Knight give me your damn riddle,” I challenged him as he picked up a large ancient hour glass from a rock shelf and stood holding it in front of me.

“You have one minute from the moment I turn this hour glass over to answer. Even if you get the correct answer as the hour glass runs out of sand... you lose,” he chuckled as he explained.

“That doesn't seem fair but go ahead you pile of dog chews,” I challenged him.

“White bird, featherless. Flying out of paradise. Flying over sea and land, Dying in my hand. What is it?" the skeleton relayed.

“What do you think, Lyle?” I asked but all my friend could do was stutter and not intelligently.

I looked at him thinking he had suddenly become a moron incapable of thinking when our lives depended on him doing just that. I decided he was of no help so I concentrated on the question exploring every possible, logical answer I could think of. I tried not glancing a the hour glass, afraid as it was running out my mind might go blank, but I needed to gauge myself and at least say something at the last second, hoping it was right.

Then it hit me and I thought about it a second more before speaking. That had to be it. That had to be the answer.

“It's a snowflake!" I exclaimed happy with my answer and sure it was right. It had to be.

The skeleton was shocked and even appeared disappointed, though it's hard to see any emotion in a skeleton's face. Having flesh helps a great deal. He waved us on in an angry dismissal and so we left that place, but as were leaving, he stopped us, and he went to a chest of treasure there on the far wall. From it he took out a single, large gold coin and handed it to me. It was very old but looked almost brand new and I had no idea what currency it was but knowing the fact it was gold and a thousand years old told me it was valuable. It had a hole in the middle, purposely made that way. It was to put a leather strip though it and tie around the owner's neck. That way you could carry your money with you and pay for things from the wallet you carried dangling on your chest. I slipped it into my pocket and buttoned it shut to guarantee I didn't lose it.

We stopped later to rest and eat. We would arrive at our destination late the next day but I wandered if we would run into anything else like a dragon or skeleton.

The next day we awoke and we had more of their food they ate and drank the tea they gave us. It was their regular ritual and one with which I was already getting bored. We all went to the bathroom that morning and I realized it was this food they gave us that was the cause of the most obnoxious odor coming from anything alive. Lyle and I quickly moved on then with the others.

“Any other surprises?” I asked Tandol moving ahead, next to him.

“I don't know. Life always has its surprises,” he told me and isn't that the truth, otherwise Lyle and I wouldn't be down here underground.

Our efforts to get to the palace were almost done. The Enocks didn't talk much while they walked but then they didn't talk much when they sat. Our progress was a quiet one but consistent. We carried torches to light the way and along the entire route were plenty of torches leaning against the walls. There were urns of liquid posted along the way to dip your torch in to keep it lit. It was some kind of light pitch that burned for a couple of hours. It worked but I couldn't imagine living like this without light bulbs. Then we came to a long hall... a very long hall that was straight, and stretched as far as the eye could see. It was well lit with smaller terracotta jars filled with the same pitch with wicks that burned, probably for hours at a time.

Tandol saw the look on my face and probably figured what I was thinking.

“We're getting close to the palace now. This hall leads directly to it and the main chamber but we still have an hour to go. These lights are kept on all the time that's why they are different,” he explained.

“How large is this palace?” I asked.

“Very large. It is built within the main chamber that is two thousand feet in any direction and is three hundred feet high. There are other great halls and chambers running in every direction off that chamber. People live there as well. Two hundred people live in the palace but two thousand live around it,” he told me.

“That takes a lot of food. You're able to trade that much minerals for food on the surface?” I asked him.

“Oh yes but around this entire planet we have many other chambers and many caves where we work and live. Our last census shows we have over thirty thousand people living beneath the surface,” the Enock enlightened me.

I couldn't imagine that many people underground. I knew the number wasn't great for a lot of cities on the surface but to have an entire civilization like this living underground was unimaginable. The silence of the cave was interrupted by a noise. We had moved a long way down that straight corridor so you could look back quite far. In the distance was the dragon, running at full speed towards us. He was still angry from our escape. Tandol yelled for us all to run as he let everyone go first. Lyle and I were ahead because the Enock's legs were so short, giving us the advantage, but the effort for Lyle was too much, so I had pulled ahead of the group. Suddenly a vertical door descended from the ceiling knocking me forward as it dropped. It was made of iron with two inch thick pipe, reinforced every two feet horizontally all the way to the twenty foot ceiling. It was meant to keep things out and away from the palace, like a drawbridge. The Enocks and my friend stood there hopeless on the other side looking back at the approaching dragon who was roaring and belching smoke. We all tried to lift the gate but we couldn't budge it. I looked everywhere on my side of the barrier hoping to find something... some release, when I noticed a box with a lever. I pulled at the lever. It did nothing but lower a thick pin from the top to the bottom of the box which I could see through a slot. It suddenly dawned on me the coin the skeleton had given me might fit the slot. It was about the same size. The hole in the middle of it would let the pin I could see, pass though it, so I frantically pulled the coin from my pocket and without hesitation slid it into the slot. I yanked the lever down harder than I needed to, in fear for everyone's lives. Not only did the great gate fly upwards to let everyone pass through but a trap door opened in the floor close to where everyone had been standing. The encroaching dragon was unable to stop but tried, as he slid and dropped through the opening, completely disappearing from sight.

The gate had disappeared back into the ceiling along with my coin as I looked up. You could barely see where it came from but both the coin an d the gate were gone. Tandol came up to me an slapped me on the back of my shoulders. Of course he had to reach up to do it but I knew he was thankful. So we continued down the corridor and five minutes later arrived at the great chamber. I never could imagine anything like it underground like this. It was magnificent and beyond description.

The walls were lined with lights and all manner of decorations. The rock walls were painted in bright colors and there in the middle was the palace. It was a castle, large and stoic. I couldn't imagine the need for such an edifice. What enemies could be here and who would think of attacking fortifications like this?

The others led Lyle and me through a great gate at the front of the palace, where we passed six guards, three on either side leading from the gate. They stood at attention as menacingly tall as they could with their three foot stature, expressionless. Once through the courtyard we entered more doors into a great hall with more guards. Flags of every nation above ground, hung from the walls. Tapestries also lined the walls depicting the history of the Enocks. Decorations abounded in an assortment of colors, hanging from the walls, the supporting pillars and the ceiling.

In front, up six steps were two thrones on which two older Enocks sat, each with a crown. It was Zydon and his queen... Ladora. Our group approached the rulers but stayed back in respect. Zydon called Tandol forward to him and there they spoke for a good half hour. When they were done, Tandol walked back to us and told me and Lyle to come with him to meet the king.

Once proper introductions were made the king spoke.

“Tandol has eloquently told me all about the two of you and your appearance in our kingdom. We rarely have visitors but when we do we don't let them leave. Over the years we have had eleven like you appear here and eleven are buried here with others of our kind. We have kept our secret for over fifteen hundred years this way. We have been hunted...” the king went on.

I was frightened. I didn't like what he was saying especially about the eleven showing up and eleven being buried here. Lyle and I were young and spending a lifetime under the ground here was unfathomable, even with my good friend, who was extremely annoying at times.

“...for a different variety of superstitions by men from above and so we came underground. I must protect my citizens at all costs...” he continued, my despair growing by the second.

“However, Colin and your friend have shown unselfish actions here that tell me you aren't like the others above us. You have saved four of my men, one being my eldest son, from the dragon. You gave everything you had to this end. It would be unconscionable for me to do anything else but take you to the surface.”

The Enocks we came with cheered. Lyle had already peed himself during the king's speech when it didn't sound like it was going well for us, but I was elated. There were others in the main hall too and they nodded their approval. We were going home.

Of course, as king's do there was a banquet that night, held in our honor. I think dignitaries do this just an excuse to party. I wanted to get home. Lyle, I'm not sure what Lyle wanted to do other than get out of his wet pants. The festivities went on with food more like I was used to eating above ground and not that processed stuff. It tasted good to me. Enocks danced and Enocks sang. There were troubadours and poets, magicians and acrobats... all there to entertain and celebrate. We were the first above grounders to go home.

In the morning after breakfast we said our good byes to the king and queen. We were led to what looked like an elevator that was made to ascend up a great shaft straight upwards. Tandol went with us while the others stayed back. I looked up but saw no light. It must be a long way up or we were a long way down, whatever. The only light there was, was the oil lamp Tandol sat on the floor of the elevator. As we neared the surface, light appeared. What appeared to be a ceiling that opened in the middle slid back so the elevator passed through and its floor was even with the ground. Tandol hugged both of us and wished us luck but warned us not to come back. We stepped from the elevator to the ground surrounded by rocks and vegetation. We watched as the elevator descended back into the ground and the cover slid back into place. The cover looked like the surrounding ground and was impossible to discern from it. If I were to leave and come to look for it I don't think I could find it.

“I have no idea where we are. Let me get a location from my smartphone now I have a signal and we can call our parents,” I suggested to Lyle.

“I'll call mine while you check our location,” he countered.

“Where the hell have you been? We found your bikes at that sinkhole and figured you had fallen in,” Lyle's father was yelling.

Meanwhile I found we were near a Falls Road in northern Maryland near the Interstate 80 so I told Lyle to tell his dad.

“We did fall in dad, into a large cave. We just came out in Maryland. Our GPS location is on Falls Road near I-80 in Maryland,” Lyle told him.

“What! Thank God you're alive. Give me your coordinates, your mom and I, and Colin's parents are coming to get you right away,” he announced.

Forty five minutes later my parent's Explorer pulled up and there was great hugging and kissing and weeping upon our reintroduction to our families. The yelling hadn't started yet but when it did. It was intense for about fifteen minutes and then Lyle and proceeded to tell our whole story, alternating as each of us ran out of breath. I don't think our parents believed us but my little sister looked intensely as her eyes grew larger. I caught my mother rolling hers a few times.

“Both of you stink,” Lyle's mother told us as we neared home. “Lyle I want you out of those clothes and into the tub as soon as we get home,” she warned him.

“And that goes for you too young man,” mom told me. You might have to change the water. I don't know where that awful smell is coning from but you scrub hard.”

We dropped Lyle and his parents off at their place and we drove two blocks over to ours. It was good to be home. I never knew the sun to be so bright. The air smelled sweet and fresh, not stale and damp.

I went into the bathroom and started a nice tub of hot water. It would even be good to take a bath.

I stripped off my clothes and dropped them on the floor to step into the water. I immediately slid down under the water and breathed bubbles out of my nose. I never knew a bath to feel so good.

I laid there humming and trying to make the wet washcloth stand on end while holding the other. An impossible trick I tried doing time and time again. My mother walked in smiled. Her anger was gone and only relief showed in her eyes. She was happy I was home.

“I don't know whether to burn these or wash them,” she said picking up everything I slipped out of to get into the tub.

I laughed expecting the noisy washing machine to get fired up at any second. It was just on the other side of the bathroom wall in the laundry room and I would often lay in the tub listening to it while I had my head under the water making it sound more ominous.

“I can smell his clothes clear down the hall. Sort of smells like sulfur,” Walt told his wife Sonia.

“I don't know what they smell like but they definitely have a stench. I hope I can get the odor out,” mom told my dad as she went through my pockets. It's the one thing professional mothers do because they're aware that strange things end up in their son's pockets, most of all being tissues and other things that disintegrate in the wash and end up all over the rest of the clothes. As she went through them dad wanted to know.

“Anything interesting in them? Couldn't be any more interesting than that story the both of them told. They must have worked on it for awhile for jit to be so coordinated,” Walt told her.

“I know. Those two... “ but mom stopped in mid sentence as she felt my shirt pocket. “What the heck does he have in here?”

She dug her hands into my right pocket and found the gift I wasn't aware of, and put them in the palm of her hand, in front of my dad's face, from the Enocks... three large gold coins.