eerie solid black!
Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light illuminated the entire underground chamber. Startled, Anna Mae jerked away from Angelo. On a rock above her, shrouded in a web crawling with spiders, sat a hideous green faced witch. Anna Mae’s eyes riveted on the terrifying figure.
In the back of the boat, Debbie and Jake were giggling. Anna Mae tried to assure herself. This is all fake! Her hands tingled. She fought to breathe.
This is not real. Not real! Breathe. That’s it. Just breathe. And don’t look at that witch. Close your eyes.
She could not close her eyes.
The boat moved too slowly. Was it moving at all? The bright light began to fade. Another cadaverous crone was alongside the boat. Its talons clawed the air. It cackled madly. She dropped the bear and let go of the balloon. It flew up into a canopy of spider webs.
Please, God! Get us out of here! Suddenly the gruesome display vanished into darkness and she leaned into the security of Angelo’s arms. Her breathing was almost normal. Then the boat tilted.
“Sit Down!” Angelo yelled.
Jake was standing with one foot in the boat and the other stretched out onto a rock, groping blindly in the dark, trying to grab the string of Anna Mae’s balloon.
“I almost have it!”
“You’re gonna tip us over!”
Still trying to catch the string, Jake staggered to maintain his balance. But he couldn’t do either. He landed on the back seat with enough force to lift the front of the boat. When it dropped back into the channel, water splashed everywhere and Jake couldn’t stop laughing.
“That’s not funny!” Debbie exclaimed.
Angelo mopped his wet face with the tail of his shirt as Anna Mae wiped hers with her hand. The balloon was left behind along with the cackling witch and Anna Mae’s sense of safety.
“I’m so sorry,” said Angelo turning to Anna Mae. “I had no idea they changed so much stuff.”
“I read it in the paper,” Jake said from behind, “They changed it to scare the girls so they’d come leaping into our arms.”
Angelo groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t know.”
Anna Mae shuddered. Angelo put both arms around her.
Jake laughed. “That’a boy! See, it worked!”
Anna Mae wondered if Jake was hugging Debbie. She even managed to smile. That’s when Angelo kissed her. He just leaned down and kissed her right on the lips. Just a little kiss. But enough to make her heart skip a beat. “We’ll be out of here soon,” he said.
She heard something. “What’s that pounding?”
“It sounds like a broken gear somewhere ahead of us.”
As the cable continued to pull the boat through the channel, the pounding grew louder. Again, Anna Mae moved away from Angelo. He reached out to her. She shrugged him away.
Gears. He said it was a broken gear. Her body tensed. It reminded her of what? What was it?
The air around her flickered with yellow light as scattered bursts of simulated fire shot out of the surrounding rocks. The pounding was now almost deafening.
Was someone rocking the boat? No. It was bumping from the bottom, bouncing her around on the seat. She couldn’t feel her hands.
Dear God, don’t let this happen. Not here. Not now.
Angelo’s strong arms tightened around her. She pushed at his chest. “Let me go!”
His voice came from a distance. “Anna Mae! Don’t look. Just put your head down. Please!”
The pounding grew louder. Her heart raced—her blood fearful in her veins. Then she saw it. Two spotlights streaked down from the stony roof and at the point where the rays came together, a charred body in smoking black rags pushed a wheelbarrow along the edge of the channel. Dangling over the side of the wheelbarrow was the arm of a skeleton. It was so near it brushed the side of the boat.
Please, God, get me out of here!
The pounding—a giant’s footsteps. The earth was shaking. It shook the ground upon which she sat. And there was fire above, fire below. Out there
Suddenly, a flash of blinding white light illuminated the entire underground chamber. Startled, Anna Mae jerked away from Angelo. On a rock above her, shrouded in a web crawling with spiders, sat a hideous green faced witch. Anna Mae’s eyes riveted on the terrifying figure.
In the back of the boat, Debbie and Jake were giggling. Anna Mae tried to assure herself. This is all fake! Her hands tingled. She fought to breathe.
This is not real. Not real! Breathe. That’s it. Just breathe. And don’t look at that witch. Close your eyes.
She could not close her eyes.
The boat moved too slowly. Was it moving at all? The bright light began to fade. Another cadaverous crone was alongside the boat. Its talons clawed the air. It cackled madly. She dropped the bear and let go of the balloon. It flew up into a canopy of spider webs.
Please, God! Get us out of here! Suddenly the gruesome display vanished into darkness and she leaned into the security of Angelo’s arms. Her breathing was almost normal. Then the boat tilted.
“Sit Down!” Angelo yelled.
Jake was standing with one foot in the boat and the other stretched out onto a rock, groping blindly in the dark, trying to grab the string of Anna Mae’s balloon.
“I almost have it!”
“You’re gonna tip us over!”
Still trying to catch the string, Jake staggered to maintain his balance. But he couldn’t do either. He landed on the back seat with enough force to lift the front of the boat. When it dropped back into the channel, water splashed everywhere and Jake couldn’t stop laughing.
“That’s not funny!” Debbie exclaimed.
Angelo mopped his wet face with the tail of his shirt as Anna Mae wiped hers with her hand. The balloon was left behind along with the cackling witch and Anna Mae’s sense of safety.
“I’m so sorry,” said Angelo turning to Anna Mae. “I had no idea they changed so much stuff.”
“I read it in the paper,” Jake said from behind, “They changed it to scare the girls so they’d come leaping into our arms.”
Angelo groaned and ran his fingers through his hair. “I didn’t know.”
Anna Mae shuddered. Angelo put both arms around her.
Jake laughed. “That’a boy! See, it worked!”
Anna Mae wondered if Jake was hugging Debbie. She even managed to smile. That’s when Angelo kissed her. He just leaned down and kissed her right on the lips. Just a little kiss. But enough to make her heart skip a beat. “We’ll be out of here soon,” he said.
She heard something. “What’s that pounding?”
“It sounds like a broken gear somewhere ahead of us.”
As the cable continued to pull the boat through the channel, the pounding grew louder. Again, Anna Mae moved away from Angelo. He reached out to her. She shrugged him away.
Gears. He said it was a broken gear. Her body tensed. It reminded her of what? What was it?
The air around her flickered with yellow light as scattered bursts of simulated fire shot out of the surrounding rocks. The pounding was now almost deafening.
Was someone rocking the boat? No. It was bumping from the bottom, bouncing her around on the seat. She couldn’t feel her hands.
Dear God, don’t let this happen. Not here. Not now.
Angelo’s strong arms tightened around her. She pushed at his chest. “Let me go!”
His voice came from a distance. “Anna Mae! Don’t look. Just put your head down. Please!”
The pounding grew louder. Her heart raced—her blood fearful in her veins. Then she saw it. Two spotlights streaked down from the stony roof and at the point where the rays came together, a charred body in smoking black rags pushed a wheelbarrow along the edge of the channel. Dangling over the side of the wheelbarrow was the arm of a skeleton. It was so near it brushed the side of the boat.
Please, God, get me out of here!
The pounding—a giant’s footsteps. The earth was shaking. It shook the ground upon which she sat. And there was fire above, fire below. Out there
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