and had climbed down the hole before she made it to
him. He helped her down and closed the door.
“Let’s sit over on the blanket.” He whispered and guided her
over to it. He opened the box containing supplies and pulled out another
blanket to wrap around her shoulders. They sat in silence, listening to the
mumbling voices above, and watched as dust drifted to the ground under the
footsteps.
“What a way to start the day,” she whispered.
He turned and looked at her with her beautiful curly bed-head
hair flying this way and that.
She added, “Maybe we should stay down here all day.”
“I like that idea a lot.” They smiled at one another.
Little did they know, they would be scurrying down the hole
several times that day. Zachary started digging on the tunnel to give them an
escape route but had to stop every time the doorbell rang. Paul took turns with
his father, letting him care for Sierra while Paul dug. After eight different
trapdoor false alarms, Sierra demanded she remain down in the crawlspace with
them.
By the end of the day, Zachary and Paul had dug down under
the foundation of the house and supported it with beams. The digging was more
exhausting than Paul thought it would be. There were lots of large rocks in the
ground, and whenever Paul tried to scoop up dirt, he’d hit another rock.
“I’d do better with a pick-axe and a teaspoon, Dad.”
“Hey, you’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.
I dug out the other tunnel.”
“You have my sympathies.”
“Yes, well, I was much younger and in shape then. I say we
hang it up for the day. We’ll get back on it tomorrow.”
Zachary, Elsie and Martha convened again in the kitchen
after dinner.
“Ah, I’m not as young as I use to be,” Zachary said, rubbing
his shoulder.
“You should let Sam and Paul do all the work,” Elsie
sympathized.
“I’m the engineer. I need to be right there to avoid a cave
in. Tell me about all the visitors we had today,” Zachary directed to his wife.
“It was simply unbelievable. Every time the doorbell rang I
had visions of Sara falling down the hole and hurting herself further. I
suspect many of the people who came today were working for Reginald. None of
them tried to enter the house. They only asked questions. One of them was
supposedly selling vacuum cleaners, and he wanted to come inside, but I turned
him down. He asked many questions that I took to be probes. How many people are
in the home? How old is the home? He even wanted to see our current vacuum. I
still think he was trying to fool me. No doubt about it, they’re trying to find
her. The funny thing is no one is looking for the six men we have downstairs.
If it weren’t for all the fuss they’re making about Sara, we could have shipped
off the others.”
“Mrs. Bidell talked to me over the fence as I put the
garbage out,” Martha said. “We only spoke about the weather and other
commonplace topics. I didn’t feel like she was fishing for information.”
Elsie added hesitantly, “I’ve noticed that she’s taken quite
an interest in Paul.”
“Mrs. Bidell?” Zachary asked.
“No, Sara.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. She’ll soon be on her way, and
things will be back to normal.” Zachary didn’t want to fuel the suspicions of a
blooming romance, but he’d seen the way Paul and Sierra looked at one another
while under the house.
“I hope so, for Paul’s sake. I don’t want his heart to be
broken through all of this.”
“I think you should be more concerned about the future of his
neck. If Reginald gets a hold of him — ”
“I know, Zach. I know,” Elsie said.
“Well, tomorrow will be productive. I’m hoping to reach the
tunnel,” Zachary said, trying to lighten the mood. “The digging is going faster
than I anticipated.”
*****
Paul and Sierra lay in bed that night, silently staring up
at the ceiling.
“Paul, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why doesn’t your
him. He helped her down and closed the door.
“Let’s sit over on the blanket.” He whispered and guided her
over to it. He opened the box containing supplies and pulled out another
blanket to wrap around her shoulders. They sat in silence, listening to the
mumbling voices above, and watched as dust drifted to the ground under the
footsteps.
“What a way to start the day,” she whispered.
He turned and looked at her with her beautiful curly bed-head
hair flying this way and that.
She added, “Maybe we should stay down here all day.”
“I like that idea a lot.” They smiled at one another.
Little did they know, they would be scurrying down the hole
several times that day. Zachary started digging on the tunnel to give them an
escape route but had to stop every time the doorbell rang. Paul took turns with
his father, letting him care for Sierra while Paul dug. After eight different
trapdoor false alarms, Sierra demanded she remain down in the crawlspace with
them.
By the end of the day, Zachary and Paul had dug down under
the foundation of the house and supported it with beams. The digging was more
exhausting than Paul thought it would be. There were lots of large rocks in the
ground, and whenever Paul tried to scoop up dirt, he’d hit another rock.
“I’d do better with a pick-axe and a teaspoon, Dad.”
“Hey, you’re not telling me anything I didn’t already know.
I dug out the other tunnel.”
“You have my sympathies.”
“Yes, well, I was much younger and in shape then. I say we
hang it up for the day. We’ll get back on it tomorrow.”
Zachary, Elsie and Martha convened again in the kitchen
after dinner.
“Ah, I’m not as young as I use to be,” Zachary said, rubbing
his shoulder.
“You should let Sam and Paul do all the work,” Elsie
sympathized.
“I’m the engineer. I need to be right there to avoid a cave
in. Tell me about all the visitors we had today,” Zachary directed to his wife.
“It was simply unbelievable. Every time the doorbell rang I
had visions of Sara falling down the hole and hurting herself further. I
suspect many of the people who came today were working for Reginald. None of
them tried to enter the house. They only asked questions. One of them was
supposedly selling vacuum cleaners, and he wanted to come inside, but I turned
him down. He asked many questions that I took to be probes. How many people are
in the home? How old is the home? He even wanted to see our current vacuum. I
still think he was trying to fool me. No doubt about it, they’re trying to find
her. The funny thing is no one is looking for the six men we have downstairs.
If it weren’t for all the fuss they’re making about Sara, we could have shipped
off the others.”
“Mrs. Bidell talked to me over the fence as I put the
garbage out,” Martha said. “We only spoke about the weather and other
commonplace topics. I didn’t feel like she was fishing for information.”
Elsie added hesitantly, “I’ve noticed that she’s taken quite
an interest in Paul.”
“Mrs. Bidell?” Zachary asked.
“No, Sara.”
“Well, that’s to be expected. She’ll soon be on her way, and
things will be back to normal.” Zachary didn’t want to fuel the suspicions of a
blooming romance, but he’d seen the way Paul and Sierra looked at one another
while under the house.
“I hope so, for Paul’s sake. I don’t want his heart to be
broken through all of this.”
“I think you should be more concerned about the future of his
neck. If Reginald gets a hold of him — ”
“I know, Zach. I know,” Elsie said.
“Well, tomorrow will be productive. I’m hoping to reach the
tunnel,” Zachary said, trying to lighten the mood. “The digging is going faster
than I anticipated.”
*****
Paul and Sierra lay in bed that night, silently staring up
at the ceiling.
“Paul, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Why doesn’t your
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