Pamela Hearon - Out of the Depths

A surge of warmth rushed through her despite the chilly surroundings and a sentimental breath caught in her throat. She scanned the area with her flashlight. So many openings, all probably leading to other rooms. No time for nostalgia.

“Today will bring the perfect shot that will make me somebody.” Her voice slid around the smooth bowl of the cavern and returned to her.

She ducked through an opening into another area, not sure what she was looking for but confident she would know it when she saw it.

Before moving another step, she pulled the masking tape from her backpack and hung a strip from the opening she’d passed through. The afternoon in the cave with Chance taught her more than lessons in life. If he hadn’t unwound a ball of twine to follow back, they might still be here. She chuckled, remembering how pleased he was that Mrs. Cooper’s mythology class had rendered information worth remembering.

Several caverns later, she found what she was looking for. A natural column of sandstone in the middle of the room gave it an interesting feel. She arranged the portable lights from her backpack on each side, in precisely the right spots for dramatic shadows, and clicked away.

When she adjusted one of the lights, her foot knocked it over. As it fell, a brilliant spark of light reflected from the opposite wall. She picked up the lamp and moved it about, tracing the trajectory it took as it fell. There it was again! The light glinted from a horizontal crack in the wall roughly fifteen inches tall, maybe two or three feet wide. The crevice narrowed and turned down at each end, causing her to shudder. It looked like a frown in the face of the wall.

She walked over to examine it more closely. The hole had formed a couple of feet above her head, but even her limited view brought a gasp. The ceiling on the other side appeared to be solid quartz, glittering like millions of diamonds.

The pounding of her heartbeat thudded in her ears. The shot from this angle through the gap was intriguing but from inside that next cavern, aiming up directly at it… She could barely breathe at the thought.

The crevice was large enough to fit through, but reaching it was the problem. Her fingers just bent at the opening if she stretched. Augh! Why did she have to be so short?

She walked around the area, tracing the wall with the beam from her flashlight. The light showed no other way to reach the other side, so she returned to the crack with new determination.

If she jumped, she could get her palms flat onto the facing of the hole. Her arms were strong from lugging around equipment, but the wall was so smooth, she couldn’t get any purchase with her boot. After four or five tries, she noticed a bit of scraping left from her feet, though.

She jumped again, trying to suspend herself long enough to batter the soft wall. It worked. Her toe sank in a tad, enough to give her leverage to move an arm deeper through the opening.

Her arms burned and threatened to rip out of their sockets, but she held on and heaved, scrabbling her toes against the wall for any hold she might find.

The rim of the hole was only five or six inches thick, and her fingers soon clasped the inner side. Giving a scream that could have landed her a role in a horror film, she hauled her torso onto the ledge, balancing precariously like a human teeter-totter.

She eased the flashlight out of her pocket and focused the beam into the small room. Her position didn’t allow much air into her lungs, and what little was there rushed out at the sight that met her eyes. She’d been wrong. The ceiling wasn’t the focal point. The entire room was floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall crystals.

The room reminded her of the geodes she’d gathered at the LBL’s Geology Station as a kid. On the outside, they looked like lumpy dirt clods, but inside, they were solid crystal. This one was big enough to hold her rather than the other way around.

She’d never imagined a find like this. Shots from inside that cavern were once-in-a-lifetime occurrences and the opportunity she’d waited for her whole life…the one that would make her somebody. Her head whirled with possibilities.

First, she’d have to find a way in and out of there that wouldn’t make her dizzy. She lowered herself back to her starting point. Having both feet on the ground helped her think more clearly.

The obvious solution would be a ladder. Nothing too tall. A stepladder would work. But she’d also need a partner. Someone who could pass it through the opening so she could climb out and keep all her equipment safe.

Jaci.

Oh, she’d pitch a fit and whine a lot but eventually she’d agree. Cajoling her would take some time. Kyndal needed to get started right away so they could make it back by early afternoon.

She stuffed her camera and lights into the bag, grabbed her backpack and made a mad dash for the entrance, following the strips of masking tape like beacons.

Once outside, she halted, blinded momentarily by the bright sunlight. She squinted and swallowed great gulps of fresh air.

“Hold it right there, young lady.” The voice was male and gruff.

Kyndal let out a frightened yelp and swung around to face a burly man in a sheriff’s uniform. She supposed she should be relieved that she wasn’t looking down the barrel of a gun, the way she and Chance had years before. Still, the sheriff’s presence was nothing to celebrate, not with all the signs posted.

“You got permission to be here?” His tone implied he already knew the answer.

Kyndal’s clenched gut warned her not to lie, but it didn’t seem prudent to confess that she’d deliberately chosen not to ask for it, either. “Well, no, but—”

“No buts about it. It’s clearly posted there’s no trespassing.” His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he took in her appearance. “What’s in the bags?”

“My camera and equipment.” Kyndal went for an innocent look, opening her eyes wide. She slid the camera bag into the crook of her arm and started to unzip it.

The sheriff moved quickly for a man his size. In one smooth move he stepped back and drew his gun. “Drop the bags!”

Kyndal’s heartbeat shot into overdrive. She released the bags with a thud beside each foot.

The sheriff spoke in a low, no-nonsense tone. “Now put your hands ’hind your head and turn around real slowlike. I’m placing you under arrest.”

Kyndal willed her legs to do as he commanded. A violent shiver made the rounds through her body. Under arrest? She’d never been arrested! This was all a mistake. Surely he’d listen to reason. “I’m sorry.” She fought to keep the vibration out of her voice. “Really. I was just trying to get some photographs of a cave. I didn’t think the owner would mind.”

A strong grip held her wrist and brought it down to the small of her back. She gasped as cold metal encircled one hand. The same grip on her other arm caused a surge of panic, but the sound of the closing handcuffs brought out sheer anger. Restraints were clearly uncalled for. “I can’t believe this!” Her ears burned with humiliation. “This is all a misunderstanding.”

The sheriff took her bags with one hand and her arm with the other and steered her toward his car. “Well, Miss Unbeliever, let’s get to the office so you can start explaining how you misunderstood all these signs.” A sarcastic chuckle curled his lips into a sneer. “Your English sounds pretty good to me. Now then, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you…”

CHAPTER THREE

THEGRAYBRICKSOFTHE holding cell reflected Kyndal’s mood. Leaning back against the bars allowed a visual escape from that part of the reality, and she refused to make contact with the thin mattress on the cot that took up one wall. The only other fixture was a stainless-steel toilet stuck in the back corner. The thought of having to use the odious thing brought bile to her throat. She gripped the sheriff’s telephone tighter, trying to bring her nerves under control before she made the call.