DIRT ~ finished

'SWITCH!'

As they came closer to the Pit, Will needed to breath in a certain rhythm to not go panicking again. Jake beside him had stopped talking, and Will noticed that even his never serious best friend now had a tough time too. 'It's my dad, not yours.' The thought floated through Will's head, but he did not speak it out loud. He was allowed to be in high stress and panic. He needed the support of a steady friend.

'One minute!' The officer repeated once again, behind their backs.

They gave no respond. And there was the edge. Will was still impressed how big and wide the Pit was. He couldn't imagine the amount of time and sweat that was in it, coming from those prisoners years ago.

'Ready?' Jake beside him asked.

His curls were sticking against his fore head with sweat. And his hands were shaking just enough for Will to notice.

They bowed forward and lay their eyes on Hell once again. From a reflex Will started to seek for the man that had been brutally killed the night before. But there was no sight of it to find anywhere. Only a blood trail of where his head was smacked it. Will saw the skeleton man, sitting against the dirt wall. Seeming to just stare in front of him. And there was a group of big guys, four of them. Will recognised the killer of the disappeared man, the same muscles and emotionless face. The other three were just that, only one looked beaten down like he had given up. Bowed head and ticking his fingers against each other, a sign of stress.

'Do you...see him?' Jake stuttered.

And Will lay his eyes on the other Pitters. There was the little boy that had caused him to panic just a few minutes ago. His age guess looked about right. The boy wore tare apart clothes, his eye was yellow coloured and his nose seemed to stand just a little to far to the right. It was probably broken. Someone had beaten him up, and not to gently either.

The boy seemed to be making a ball of mud, and it grew in his hands. While another guy, Will guessed him his own age, petted the kids almost white looking hair. While Will inspected him, or at least tried to, something in his head seemed to snap. He stopped his breathing, and mouth fell wide open until Jake tapped his shoulder to ask what was going on. And Will's eyes scrolled back to the group of muscled and terrifying looking men. Toughly standing in the middle of the Pit, like they were the boss around there.

And his eyes lowered to the men's feet, three pairs of Nike sneakers, brown from the dirt. And one pair of high boots, brown, a star at the top.

Will fell to his knees, blown away. And he scanned the man wearing his dad's familiar boots. But the years had taken away all the recognisable things Will still remembered of his father.

'Is that him?' Jake asked on the background.

The man had dark grey eyes, matching his hair. And a beard covering his mouth, so Will couldn't see the way he smiled. He remembered his fathers smile out of thousands if he'd hear it.

'Dad', he whispered, partly to himself and to man supposing to be his bloody own dad.

And in one magical moment, the man looked up to the sky like he felt Will's appearing. And their eyes met. The man's beard moved and Will figured he whispered something too. He stepped away from his group, who now watched him carefully. Will did not leave his sight, and they both knew what was going on.

'William?' The man shouted upwards.

Will smiled breathing heavily now.

'Dad!' He yelled back.

His hands were digging in the dirt underneath him, and he held on to it calming his shaking body. The two didn't know what to say, not having seen each other for so long.

'Are you okay?!' Will yelled concerned.

The man nodded softly, tears stinging his eyes.

'How is your mother?'

Will sighed. Thinking about how he had not listened to her advice. But why did that matter? He found his dad.

'She's okay', he responded. 'I wasn't allowed to come and find you.'

'Understandable', father whispered.

For a moment it was silent. All the Pitters were focused on the man finally being reunited with his son. Will noticed the tears streaming down his fathers dirty face. And the brown water fell on the dirt beneath his feet. The man was staring at the ground, but finally looked up after some time.

'I'm sorry son', he mumbled.

And Will could see pity and desperation in his watery eyes. Panic raged up again.

'Please forgive me. God please forgive me.'

Will frowned, crawling up and looking at Jake for an explanation. He seemed just as confused as Will.

'I love you boy. But I am going mad.'

And all of a sudden he started to scream at the top of his lungs.

'SWITCH! SWITCH! SWITCH!'

All the Pitters seemed to be shocked by the man's words. Even the muscled tough ones. While Will had no clue what was going on. But he did saw Jake turn awfully white, even grabbing Will's hand.

'Run', he whispered.

But obviously, Will did not move. Wanting to know why everyone was acting so frightened all of a sudden.

An officer standing by the edge blew on his whistle, shutting the man's screaming down.

'You choose to switch?' He asked thrown off his path.

And Will's father looked Will in the eyes once again. Eyes begging for forgiveness.

'I want to switch with that boy. He's my son.'

And the officer nodded with a filthy grin, stepping toward Will who kept staring at his dad far down in the Pit.

'I'm sorry pawl', he grinned.

'What does switch mean? What does he mean?' Will sighed.

The officer pulled his belt a little higher. Keeping his pants from falling down to his knees.

'There are three ways to exit the Pit. Climb the walls and die. Suicide. Or switch places with someone at normal ground level, someone you personally know. Now is that your dad?'

Will now understood what had happened. His own father had swapped places with him. Which meant Will had to face his fathers faith.

Everything around him went grey and unclear. And he now could only see his dad's glowing eyes. As the officer lay his hand on Will's shaking shoulder.

'You're a Pitter now bud.'