The Ancient Mine
“IT’S REALLY STEEP,” LIAM SAYS, peering into the mine shaft. “It’ll be hard to climb down. What do we do?”
We venture a little closer as the fog curves into a semi-circle around the entrance.
“Look at the carts. They’re filled with ash. We’re supposed to follow it, right?” Gunther points inside one of the rusty things. “We can ride them through the tunnel. Come on.”
“There’s only six. I call one!” Willa points out the lack of carts and makes Gunther help her into the first one. The hem of her dark purple dress gets snagged on the rusted metal, and she shoves Gunther away. “Look what you did, you dumb brute.”
Gunther shrugs it off and helps Mitzi climb into a cart as well. He then turns to me. Wilhelm’s death flashes in my mind, and I step back, bumping into Brahm.
“No.” I shake my head, still wearing the blanket around my shoulders, trembling with fear. “I’m not going in there. My brother died in a mine.”
“Fine, I’ll go. Have fun disintegrating like Heidi!” Ferdinand pushes Willa and Mitzi’s carts, launching them into the abyss, and takes a running jump into his. Willa and Mitzi shriek as they roll into the shadows.
Liam gestures to the carts. “Come on!”
Brahm places his hand on my lower back, ushering me forward. “You three go. I’ll catch up on foot.”
“No. I said I’m not going.” I take another step back.
“The fog’s closing in,” Gunther urges, his deep brown eyes looking back and forth at us. “It’s now or never!”
“You go ahead, guys. I’ll talk to her.”
“Alright, hurry!” Liam takes a running jump into a cart.
Gunther follows suit. The rusted metal creeks under the pressure of his weight as he rolls into the darkness.
Only one cart remains.
“Brahm, go. There were only six carts; it’s like it knows I went into the fog, too. This cart is for you, not me. I was supposed to die out there.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m not leaving you! I know the cart’s small, but so are you. Sit on my lap.” Brahm squeezes my arm and leans closer. “Please come with me.”
I nod and tuck the blanket into my satchel. My dress is fairly dry by now, only slightly see-through. We each take a side of the cart. I hesitate. I don’t want to go into the mine, but Brahm has been so kind and encouraging. My chest tightens, and my breaths grow quick and shallow.
“Gisela, it’s time,” Brahm says. “You are brave. You can do this!”
We begin running. Brahm jumps into the cart. I continue pushing, ready to let him go.
“No, Freckles!” Brahm grabs my arm and pulls me on top of him.
I shriek and tremble as the narrow walls press in around us, but Brahm turns my face to him, assuring me with his eyes. My stomach drops from the descent, and I huddle close to Brahm in the small, rusted box. Barreling down the rickety tracks, it feels like I’ll fly out at any moment. Along the sooty walls, torches illuminate our steep descent.
I have a difficult time hanging onto the sharp edge of the cart with every bend of the track. Brahm wraps one hand around my waist, and his other grabs my ass.
I suck in a sharp breath and cock my eyebrow.
Brahm’s jaw drops as his eyes fling wide. He releases me at once. I nearly fall out of the cart as we hit a huge bump. When I grab onto his neck in terror, Brahm wraps both hands around my waist again, and we sail around a curve.
“Sorry,” he whispers. “I swear I didn’t mean to grab that. I thought it was your waist.”
I catch my breath and giggle. Something about Brahm calms me. “Did it feel like a waist?” I quip back.
“No, it felt much nicer.” Brahm grins. “Not that I don’t like your waist, Freckles.”
I lightly slap his adorable face. We descend a steep slope and increase our grip on one another. I should be terrified, but Brahm’s arms make me feel safe. Through the bouncing, I try to rest my cheek on his shoulder.
We crash hard. My head bounces off the back of the cart, and I collapse onto Brahm. Gunther and Liam lift me out, and Mitzi greets me with open arms.
“You alright?” she asks.
“I think so,” I say, taking in the mine which is thankfully wider here than along the tracks. “I just really want to get out of here. You?”
She nods. We’re in an old mine lit with torches, and all the carts have crashed into a partition at the end of the tracks. The fog seeps in behind us, billowing its way down the slope. My heart races. Just like the poisoned gas.
“Let’s go,” I say, grabbing Brahm and Mitzi’s arms.
We all hop over the partition and run through the tunnel. I turn back to check on the fog and see Liam is having a hard time keeping up with his short legs.
“Look!” Mitzi points ahead.
There’s something in the distance. Many things in the distance. Ornate, golden mirrors rise from the ashes, and colorful crystals glisten in the rocks as far as the eye can see. We jog around the mirrors for a while, but the way the gems sparkle is tempting. A gorgeous amethyst catches my eye, and I slip on something. Ferdinand catches me in his arms.
“Thanks. What was that?” I ask as Brahm tugs me from Ferdinand’s grasp and helps me stand.
“Apples,” Ferdinand says, grabbing one of the shiny red fruits which now litter the floor of the mine.
He lifts it to his mouth, but I slap it away. “Don’t eat that! The fog killed Heidi and gave me hallucinations and seizures. I don’t want to know what the apples will do.”
With careful steps, we avoid them until there’s a crash. I spin to see what’s going on. Willa must not have heard my warning and has collapsed with an apple in her hand. Liam rushes to her side, places his ear on her chest, and touches her throat.
“She’s still breathing and has a pulse.” He tries to shake her.
Goosebumps rise on my skin and I hold my breath as I wait for Willa to disintegrate like Heidi. She remains ever so peaceful, like a familiar fairy tale.
“She’s asleep,” I whisper. “Like Snow White.”
The fog blows closer, and there’s panic on everybody’s faces—aside from Ferdinand.
“We could just leave her.” He snickers. “She’s kind of a bitch.”
I glare at him. “And you’re a pig, yet I still stopped you from eating an apple. We’re not leaving her.”
“I got her.” Gunther scoops her up in his muscular arms. “Let’s go!”
We continue jogging, but Gunther halts at a mirror and stares into the reflection. Mitzi stops, too. Then Ferdinand. Then Liam. Then Brahm.
“What are you doing?” I call out to all of them, staring into the tall golden mirrors. “Don’t look at those! The fog! Let’s keep moving!”
Brahm doesn’t hear me. He’s enchanted by something I can’t see in his mirror. To me, it’s only our reflections. He has a huge smile on his face as he reaches for the shiny surface. Resting his hand on the glass, Brahm’s head tilts, and his mouth falls open. He releases a throaty moan.
“I love you,” he says in a deep, whispery voice.