Escape to Home

I Enter the Mines and Feel Like Humming the Seven Dwarfs' Mining Song

~Nathan~

"Get up." I feel myself lifted out of bed and dropped on the floor. "Oof... Dad?" I ask, hopefully. I hear a menacing chuckle and I realize it's not my father. "I am not your parent. Get up, it's time for work," the voice replies.

I open my eyes to see who it is, but it's pitchblack outside and the lantern in the barn has been turned off, so I still can't see who it is. Though I have a hunch that it's the greasy man from before, my kidnapper.

I feel the back of my collar being grabbed and myself being lifted into the air. OW! Why does everyone keep doing that?!! I squirm a bit to try to break free, but the man shakes me roughly, strangling me for a second, and I stop.

I feel myself being carried out of the barn and into the night. He drops me and I land in something squishy. I do not want to know what that was. "Walk," the man orders, in a tone he'd use for a robot. As if I don't know how to walk. Please! Although this guy doesn't seem the brightest. I chuckle to myself as I trek behind him.

Should I try running? Where would I go? And in the dark I won't get very far. "Don't try to escape, I may not look like it, but I'm watching you very closely," the man growls, as if reading my thoughts. Guess that's a "no". I sigh and focus on something else to keep my mind off my aching feet.

The peaceful song of the crickets vibrates through the night. In the far distance, I hear the sound of water trickling down hills and rushing through the forests. The hoot of the owl every so often cuts through the night while the smell of the humid, warm night air fills my lungs. My sore feet softly thump on the ground while the man's boots make some sort of clomping sound.

We hike for about twenty minutes but it feels like an hour. "We're here," says the man. Here? There's nothing here but some rusty, old shack! The man knocks on the shack's door twice then pauses. He does this four times, then the door creaks open and he enters, pulling me in behind him.

"New recruit, aye, Chris?" a gangly, tall man asks as we enter the shack. I can't really see him that well since it's dark here.

"Don't! Don't use my name, Fred!" Chris hisses at the gangly man, and glances at me. What was that about?! What's with all this secrecy? The two men glare at each other until Fred weakens and looks away.

"Get this kid to work in the mines," Chris orders and leaves me with Fred. A few awkward minutes of silence pass after Chris leaves. I observe the details of the shack. It's very small, first of all. I notice that the ceiling is only four heads above me and that Fred has to bend slightly so as to not hit his head on the moldy, weakened, wooden ceiling. It feels like it can only hold four men and the smell of topsoil and mold mix together and the shack creaks with every gust of wind. I can stand the awkwardness no longer, so I try to start a conversation.

"So..." I start, not sure what to say. Fred snaps to attention. "Come on, I'll take you to the mines." Oh. Okay, then... He kneels down and brushes away the soil next to his feet with his hands. I see some sort of rope... thing peeking out from the dirt floor.

Fred grabs it and yanks it upward. A secret trap door is revealed. He pulls the rest of the rope up, and the trap door opens. "After you," Fred says, making a sweeping motion with his hand.

That sounded more like an order than a suggestion, so I comply. I use my hands to brace myself as I descend the dark stairway. The stairway is a rough fit, it's barely wide enough for me to stretch out my arms... And the noise is awful. Every step makes me think that the whole staircase is going to collapse... with me on it. The wooden walls make a horrid scraping sound, and an ear-piercing screeching noise is coming from below. All in all, it's a terrible experience.