-10-
Sam stood by the sensor post. He could see its electrical workings through its domed Plexiglas cap. At the base of the post, there was a perfectly square patch of green grass approximately three feet across. In the dim light of the rising moon that leaked through the trees he could see that the earth around the edge of the patch was disturbed.
Sam leaned down and slid his fingers through the tumbled dirt along one edge. There was a lip, and he lifted. The entire square tilted up. It was heavy, but Sam was able to maneuver his hands underneath and heave. Up it went, rotating on a hinge. It was a trapdoor.
Sam pulled the door all the way open and looked inside. The earth was dug out below so a person could drop into a shallow pit. The pit had a round opening on one side. A tunnel, thought Sam. It was just like the woman Bree had said.
The tunnel opening faced north, toward Canada. It was dark in the hole, but Sam wanted to see what was down there. Mysterious strangers, swords, and medieval armor were far too interesting not to take a quick look. If the tunnel seemed dangerous, he could scramble right back out. He checked over his shoulder and slid over the edge, dropping a couple of feet to the dirt floor.
Sam stared into the dimness of the tunnel opening. It was not pitch black, he noted with mild surprise. A faint greenish glow lit the passage. The compacted dirt walls of the tunnel were perfectly rounded, as though a giant ball had rolled through the earth. Sam stepped in for a closer look. The greenish light, it seemed, came from patches of phosphorescent lichen on the walls and ceiling.
Sam took a few careful steps. Nothing dangerous so far, he thought, but definitely an adventure. He grinned and began to walk along the passage, which led down, down, down…
Minutes later, PJ paced beside the sensor post holding Sam’s backpack. Sam had been gone for ten minutes, and the strangers had been gone for five. PJ didn’t know how he’d explain to his dad that he’d lost his only inmate. The truth certainly wouldn’t work.
He was pretty sure he knew where Sam had gone—he could tell by the way the boy’s eyes lit up when he spoke about the strangers. PJ didn’t want to go where he was thinking about going, but it seemed his only choice. “Dangit,” he mumbled.
He began hunting along the ground near the post. He found the suspicious square patch of grass and located the edges. Hooking his fingers under the top layer of soil, he pulled.
It was heavy, but sure enough, the trapdoor of false earth eased upward. Loose dirt spilled into a hole beneath it. Sam had been right—there was a tunnel. PJ had brought along his dad’s foot-long police-issue flashlight, and he shined it into the hole. The creature and the armed strangers had almost certainly come up out of that hole, he thought, and Sam had almost certainly gone down into it. He took a deep breath and dropped himself inside.
Whump! The trapdoor swung closed above him with disturbing solidity. It was cooler underground than up on top, like a fruit cellar. He still had his father’s police coat on, and he pulled it tight—his narrow shoulders didn’t quite fill it out.
This was a fine mess, he thought. He’d blown the only job his father had given him—watch the boy. But it was worse than that; the kid was probably in great danger. PJ took a deep breath. Even if nobody else expected anything from him, he had to try to get Sam back.He pointed the flashlight ahead and started down the tunnel into the depths of the earth.
– End of Goblin Problem –
