Chapter 2 - The Mine
Violet and I are assigned to Base Camp 24, which is about the centre of the mine itself. After jumping into an old rusty mine cart, we shudder along through the narrow windy railroad and gaze at the blackened walls of the mine. After travelling in an awkward silence for about 10 minutes, we come to an abrupt stop. "I think we should get off." Says Violet, her voice uncertain and unusually eerie in the silence. I nod, so we push the wagon on its way in the opposite direction and watch it rattle off into the unknown. And then we wait. We can do nothing until Father and the equipment arrive, which can be a long or short amount of time depending on whether the cart man likes you or not. Suddenly I'm regretting being rude to the tattoo man. I decide that if I count to 100 then Father will arrive. 100. 200. 500. Not Father yet. Violet sits on the dusty floor with her arms wrapped around her knees, rocking herself gently. I grab a stick and scrape a pattern into the rock floor. No father. I stare at the walls of blackness surrounding us and wish I was out in the open, breathing fresh air, with the sun shining on my back, not here where I am huddled again the jutting out wall to keep warm, and can only take short breaths because I am scared that I will breathe in coal dust. No father.
I find myself turning round to check on Violet, only to realise she's asleep. A sense of nausea washes into my stomach as I realise that I am practically alone. I hug my knees to my chest and whisper the haunting song of which my father used to sing to me.
Child of mine, safety rest, Knowing I am near, Softly the moon shines its dull light, Banishing all your fear.
When you wake, child of the Earth, When you see the sun rise, Know I have to go, And deep in my heart I apologise.
Many years later, child of my blood, When I return to visit you, You'll have waited so long and forgotten my face, You'll call me "who?"
When I doth cry, child of mine, You'll comfort me and tell me, Dear stranger what doth trouble you? And I'll say do you remember me? Me? For I am your only family.
Child of mine, safety rest, Knowing I am near, I left you once, many a moon ago, But now I've returned you can let go of your fear.
"Let go of your fear." I repeat quietly, letting the sound echo slightly in the cavern. A small tear drops onto my cheek, as this is the song my mother sang to me before she died.
***
Sometime later and I know something is wrong. It has been almost fifteen minutes I've been waiting. Something has changed. I just know it. Determined not to wake up Violet, as she rarely got to sleep (so finally the long hours had taken their toll-besides it would be cruel to), I decided to venture out alone. Without much hesitation, as this was my father on the line, I gently placed one booted foot on the rail track. If a mine cart was to come down now, I would be instantly killed. I doubt that Violet would even hear. Swallowing that unpleasant thought, I gingerly place the other foot down and peer down the track. Nothing. Renewed by the sudden thought of losing my father due to my cowardice, I stride forward. I start to make a rhythm of walking then checking and am making slow progress when I hear a creaking sound coming closer and closer. I strain my ears, convincing myself that it is not what it appears to be. Oh I wish I was right. Before I can think my body takes on a mind of its own and I dash back the way I came. I can't stop and jump off the rails for I am in a pitch black tunnel, the only sense of the outside world the cart which is gradually getting nearer. It's gaining ground as I, blind to the darkness and desperate to get away, stumble and trip over what seems like every stone and track. Just as I realise that I am near Violet, can see her in the gloom screaming at me to "Run, run run!", there is a long bang in my ear and I am thrown backwards. Then everything goes dark.
Am I dead? My initial thoughts are. And it certainly feels like it. I feel numb, and disorientated, and the blackness that swallows me is never ending. Then through the darkness, comes a voice I vaguely recognise. "Eden! Eden? Please, answer!!" There is sobbing, leaving me confused. Is this mother? Why is she crying? What is going on? "Mother?" I croak out. I hear a gasp. "She's hallucinating. Oh my, don't say I'm losing her? What with her father as well!" That sits me up straight as it all comes flooding back to me. The explosion, the mine cart, Violet. Violet! I open my eyes to see her, puffy eyed, weeping in relief at my survival. Though my head is thumping, my ears ringing and my leg kills, I gasp out "What about him? Violet!" She looks away, as if the truth is to horrid to bear. I whisper her name, yet don't press it, because the nagging feeling that was at the back of my mind from the beginning has resurfaced and secretly I know. I just can't face it. "He's gone, isn't he?" She doesn't have to answer because I already know, but still hope it's a lie, but then she nods and I feel as if someone has punched me, and all the air has been knocked out of me. I don't even need to ask how. It was the explosion.
For a while, we say nothing, just stare in the void of blackness around us. I wonder if the Hob know. Care even. I can imagine that tattoo man learning and laughing and suddenly I just want to hit him, kill him, kill all of them for doing this, want to curl up in to a ball and disappear, want to curl up and die. Right here, right now. "Come on, Eden. Let's go home." Feeling hollow and empty, I allow her to help me up and since we can't see my wounds, we don't know if they are serious or not. To be honest, I really don't care. Together, I stumble along with her painfully slowly until we reach the part where the mine blew up. I turn around, refusing to comprehend that in that ginormous crater, my father remains are and the last few seconds of his life were stolen away. From behind me, Violet takes my arm and leads me away.
The next ten minutes, it is as if I am empty, I don't feel anything as we catch a cart and speed towards the lift. There Violet begs for me to go above ground because my family had "Just died in there!" whilst I just stood there like a statue, nodding occasionally at various intervals. Next we go up and finally travel to my shack where I just slump on my bed waiting for Azrael to collect me. "You could be grateful at least," Violet grumbles as she loosens her braid and lets her black hair fall around her shoulders like a waterfall. "GRATEFUL!?!!" I scream, so suddenly that Vi jumps about fifty feet in the air. "GRATEFUL FOR WHAT???? MY FATHER JUST DIED AND YOU EXPECT ME TO BE GRATEFUL!!??" To be honest, I really don't care that Violet's moaning however I just want something to be angry about. I'd rather to be rude to sweet, pretty Vi then to the officials. Ha, if I did that I would be killed. Instantly. Well, maybe not as sweet and innocent as she seems. "WELL, YEAH, ACTUALLY! WHEN MY PARENTS DIED I WASN'T ACTING LIKE A BORED, SPOILT BRAT!!! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU EXPECT TO HAPPEN NOW BUT IF YOU'RE NOT CAREFUL WE'LL GET CHUCKED OUT AND THE OFFICIALS..." she trails off mid-sentence, distracted. "The officials." She whispers, hoarsely. And she's right, as usual. Once your parents or carers die or have an unfortunate accident, then you get shipped off to mine in a special mine called "the Playground", a hell hole where you come out once a year and only get food and water when you're on the verge of death. Basically a slave. When they come out, in single file, everyone bows their head in shame because they can't afford to buy the children a way out.
