Mine of Water

by Sophie Tart (ages 10-13)

California 1864, Goldtown Winter                                                                             

This Saturday afternoon was gloomy, and gray. But however, the constant drizzle didn’t pull Jem Coulter from his deep thoughts. Jem and his sister Ellie were at the mouth of the Midas mine for an important mission. Jem Raised the Wanted poster to his eyes, and chewed on his lip, in deep concentration.    

WANTED ALIVE

Rudy Stanton and Amos De’fool

REWARD 20,000 EACH

Seven miners are mysteriously murdered,

To prevent the town from getting its gold.

   Jem softly sucked in his breath. All that money! Wanted alive. Capturing someone dead was easy. But alive? Two criminals were just . . . out of the question. Jem shook his head. What are you think’in, Jem Coulter? You can’t catch a Murderer! You’re only thirteen!

Ignoring his conscience, he told himself. I’ve been trapped in a mine before; I’ve saved Ellie’s life before! And all that money! Yesss! Maybe this was the answer to all their poverty. He just had to take the risk. Not back’in down. No siree! He took five steps into the darkness. The murderers could be lurking in every crevice. No I can’t!

“Uh, ya come’n?” Jem peered over his shoulder at eleven-year-old Ellie.

Ellie squinted at him and cautiously took one step. “Jem coulter, if you’re think’in what I think yer thinkin, you’re the craziest creature alive! What do ya want me to do? Beat em up with my fists, and sling em over my back, strong as Paul Bunyan?”

Jem groaned. “Don’t be a sissy. Let’s go!” Jem mentally kicked himself. He was the sissy! He rested a hand on the rocky wall, crusty stones, and clay fell to his feet. Gulping, he turned back to Ellie. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll be the town’s hero,” Jem pleaded. You’re pulling her into danger, he thought.

Ellie rolled her eyes. “That isn’t convincing me that I won’t kill myself” she muttered.

Jem pointed to the poster reward, and licked his lips. Peering closer, Ellie gaped at the money. “Coming now?” Jem grinned. She nodded, speechless. Jem dragged her into the mine before she could change her mind. They saw darker, daring tunnels. Jem’s heart thudded, waiting for someone to jump out with a dagger. They walked for some time. Gravel crunching under their boots was the only noise, until Ellie had a couple of second thoughts

 “Let’s go home Jem, please,” Ellie wailed. Her words had an eerie echo.

 “No!” he grabbed her by the arm. “Didn’t you see that reward?” His words boomed off the walls. Go back. Go back. You’re risking yours’s and Ellie’s life for your own selfish greed. But the words $20,000 each pushed him forward.

Unexpectedly, dull footsteps were coming up behind them. Run! The word exploded in his mind, but they were at a dead end; they were trapped! Jem whirled to and fro. Aha! He spotted a jagged rock sticking up from the dirt. He and Ellie dodged for it. When his heart slowed just a tad, Jem sucked in his breath and peered over the rock’s jagged top.

Two gray lumps sat on the ground. Probably just miners. What was I scared of? Jem sighed with satisfaction. He strained to make out their low voices.

“I think we knocked most of em. Jest gotta have enough time to smuggle the ammunition from the sheriff’s office and- . . .”

No . . . no it couldn’t be . . . Jem leaned closer. Yes, it is! He looked over at Ellie, whose eyes were big, her hands gripped the rock, turning them white. I really wish I brought anybody besides Ellie, Nathan, or

“A-a-. . Choo!!” Yup, and really wished. Ellie sneezed, as the dust where the men sat came up from the ground and drifted toward them. (Ellie’s nose was sensitive to dust) “Why’d you go and do that for,” Jem hissed in her ear.

“Bless ya,” one man said blankly.

 “What are you talk’in bout, Amos?” the other man scowled. Amos was puzzled.

 “Ya sneezed didn’t ya?”

 “No wonder they call you Amos the fool.” The other man muttered under his breath. Jem’s heart was pumping rapidly.

“A-” Ellie began. Jem pressed his hand over Ellie’s open mouth. After a moment, released. “A-aa-aaachoooooooo!!!” Jem heard, that the second he let go and cringed. “I can’t help-” Ellie started. “Aaachoo!”

 “Ok Amos, it ain’t funny. We got more important stuff to do than to- . . . wait a minute.” He leaned over to Amos, then whispered. “Somebody’s eavesdropping.”

Jem franticly looked for a good tunnel to make a dive for, or another hiding spot, but only one was leading toward the main tunnel. Don’t let them see us, Lord! Please! He prayed anxiously.

Silence. Complete silence filled in the walls of the dark mine.

Jem held his breath. The two figures were still as the rock he and Ellie were behind. Then the first man rose; he took a swagger forward. Aiming his rifle in their direction, he pulled the trigger.

Bam! The top of the stalagmite bounced off its perch in between Jem, and Ellie. Whew! That was close! Now he could see them.

“Alright, get up!” he roared, smirking from ear to ear.

Having no choice, Jem rose, then motioned for Ellie to do the same. The man’s whiskered jaw dropped. “Whoa- kids? Well I’ll be!” Jem’s heart fluttered. Ellie clutched Jem’s sweaty hand.

 “Whatever they’re doing, don’t matter Rudy. We had better keep em, so they don’t squeal to the sheriff. We could leave ‘em here.” Amos suggested.

What?! Jem gulped. Maybe- just maybe, I shouldn’t have had so much faith in that money. After all, it was just money. Rudy was staring at Jem, making him uneasy. Jem looked down at the toe of his boot. Do something said a little voice in the back of Jem’s mind.

“Yeah, tie ‘em up” Rudy ordered, still pointing his rifle at them. Amos stood to obey.

“Over here you lil’ spy’s,” he scoffed, swatting Jem’s back with the butt of his rifle. What did I get us into? Amos grabbed his arm, and with his big, clumsy hands, yanked him to the ground. Finally, with Ellie at his side, Jem was all hunched over, and tied stiff. The scratchy rope cut into his wrist. Rudy grabbed Jem’s arm, and started dragging him away.

“What are you . . . doing?” Jem managed to grunt, struggling.

“Why, getting ya lost,” Rudy chuckled. “Figured it’ would be safer. When the sheriff gets back from his duty, he’ll find ya miss’in, he and his dep’deis will start looking.” Rudy smirked that mischievous smirk of his.

 “Why, in the History of criminals, are you tellin me this?” Jem demanded.

 “The boy’s stupid,” mumbled Rudy. “Why boy, by the time somebody finds you, you’ll be downright dead. You’ll never stand a chance!” Rudy laughed.

If he’s so sure. . . . . I can’t die! Jem thought franticly, as his feet dragged in the soil.

***

Jem woke with a start. Grudgingly sat up, and cracked opened his eyes.  Ellie was staring at him. “What- what happened?”

“A rock hit you, and you passed out. It ain’t bleed’in.” Ellie shrugged. “I don’t think it was sharp ‘er nothing. It was just by the force.”

“Well roasted rattlesnakes! Why-” Jem cut off short. Ellie’s face turned to a look of confusion, she scowled. Jem was about to ask why, but then, he felt it to. Some wetness trickling under his trousers. But it wasn’t coming from his trousers. Jem looked at the head of the tunnel. A trickle of water was slowly streaming from the mouth of the tunnel. “Wha--?” Jem’s mouth hung open for a moment. Thoughts hit him. The rain recently. Cloudy skies. Flood warnings. Jem’s heart pumped rapidly. It was true! Thunder storms, and rain, rain, rain had pestered them all week. Jem stared helplessly at the muddy water streaming faster, and faster. “Ellie, we gotta act fast! The Mines goanna flood!!”

“Huh?” Ellie’s face turned from confusion to panic.

“Ellie, don’t you remember? The newspaper warned about flash floods!” Jem opened his mouth to say more, but he was choked. He stared with a pale, anxious face, (though he felt even worse)

“What’ll we do?” Ellie wailed.

Jem didn’t answer, he couldn’t. “Why boy, by the time somebody finds you, you’ll be downright, dead” But he already felt dead inside.

“Jem? What’ll we do?”

“We pray,” he whispered, not moving his gaze. They desperately did so, but by the time they finished, the water was running over Jem’s stretched out legs. “Follow me.” Jem scooted a few inches, then rolled over on his back. He pushed with his tied feet, and then with his elbows.                                          

Ellie giggled, Jem looked like a drowning worm, trying to get out of the floodwaters. “Wait for me!” Ellie called, rolling into the freezing water.

 

*****

Jem’s ears were full of water, his back ached, his teeth chattered out of control. Ellie, who was in worse condition, was struggling not far behind.

 “J-Jem” she gasped. “Can’t go f-farther,” Ellie stopped panting heavily. Jem scooted down beside her. Suddenly Ellie burst into sobs. This was unlike Ellie, thought Jem. But, what Rudy and Amos did was like murder, to leave two kids tied stiff in a flood.

Echoing screams, and yowls jerked Jem to action. Ellie stopped sobbing.

 “Hhhheeeeelllpp!!” Jem yelled at the top of his lungs. The noise quieted, and sloshing sounds started coming toward them.

He heard a “Wahoo!” and then a, “Well look here.” Jem craned his neck to see a Chinese miner, wisps of wet hair clung around his kind eyes.

 “Mister c-can yah el-lp us?”

“I’d be happy to,” he said tenderly. “My name is Cong.  But why in the world are you two laying in the water?”

 “We’re tied up,” Ellie answered sheepishly. Jem chattered out their troubles. Then Cong helped them up, and started fumbling with the sopping ropes.

 “Ahh,” Cong sighed when Jem was finished. “It’s a Miracle I found you.”

 “Boy it is,” Jem shook his head. Cong finally jerked the last knot and let the wet rope ku-plunk, into the water.

Ellie wrinkled her forehead. “Why were you yelling over there?”

“I was fighting a couple of lions,” Cong shuddered. Then he nodded. “Could be, the ones who tied you up.” Cong rubbed the back of his neck and nodded at a bruise on his arm.

 “You fought them by yourself?” Jem was shocked.

 “My friend . . . was with me” Suddenly tears were rolling down Cong’s cheeks. “They were beating Bo. When I knew he couldn’t make it, I got away,”

 “Well, shouldn’t we get a move on? Outa here I mean.” Jem inquired. He suddenly wondered how they had talked so calmly together. Maybe it was hope in one another, or the kindness of Cong, compared to Rudy and Amos. Whatever it was, Jem was comforted.

Suddenly, they heard a great rumbling noise coming from farther up the tunnel. “Let’s go see!” Jem exclaimed, tugging at Ellie’s arm. The three half-ran-half sloshed their way around the bend where the roof started to dip. Cong, unaware of the change of ceiling, conked his head. He grimly rubbed his wet hair.

Jem, far ahead, stopped. For right in front of him was a huge mound of dirt blocking the whole path. Roof musta caved in. Chunks of dirt rolled off into the swirling water turning into mud. A glorious thought hit Jem. “Ellie! Ellie guess what?! This wall is going to save us” He pushed his hand into the dirt. “It’s gonna stop the water from flowing in on us.”

“Yeah, but we’re trapped” was Ellie’s “enthusiastic” reply. Duh. Why don’t I ever think first? Jem bit his lip, and leaned back on the side wall to face their trapper. When suddenly, the wall crumbled, and he fell back into loose dirt. 

Ellie heard muffled yells, and turned around to see part of Jem’s white cotton shirt and his legs splashing the water. What on earth? “Jem!” Ellie screamed. She started scraping with her hands. Cong joined her.

Jem’s mouth was filled with dirt so he couldn’t breathe. Jem was scared; really scared. He felt buried alive. Relief flooded him when he felt two pairs of hands scraping his chest, and then around his neck. Jem’s heart slowed to normal, and he was grateful for Cong and Ellie. They heaved Jem up, out of the dirt. “That was weird,” Jem exclaimed when he had coughed all the dirt out, and Ellie was brushing him off. Cong patted his back, billows of dust came off Jem and settled on the water.

“That was a scare!” Ellie shuddered.

Jem studied the dip he made. Yesss! A hole! Jem dug with his hands which was easy. The dirt was so lose! “Cong, Ellie over here! I found a hole” They scraped faster, and faster, until a man-sized hole formed. What was behind this layer? Cong punched up until the soil broke loose. A little light poured in. Them Jem crawled up, and cleared it some more. Jem poked his head through. Grass tickled him, as raindrops pelted his face. He couldn’t speak, only smile. “Thank you Lord.” he whispered.

Voices were coming from a nearby bolder. Jem heaved himself up, and called down. “We were closer than we thought. We are above ground!!” Jem could hear Ellie splashing around joyously.

 “Up we go,” Cong’s voice echoed. Jem looked around and creeped behind the boulder. He peeped around. There stood pa! With him was . . . Rudy and Amos!

“Here Peter,” Pa had them by their collars, as he thrust them to his deputy.

 “Pa!” Jem shouted. He raced into his father’s arms. Ellie came up and did the same. The next moments were a blur. Cong shook hands with Pa, and Ellie bragged out the whole story. Jem was just happy they were safe. “I’m sorry pa, I didn’t think”

 “That was mighty foolish. But I have a surprise.” He smiled and simply stated, “I caught them”

 “Huh?” Jem wrinkled his forehead. Pa raised a newspaper he had been holding, and pointed to $20,000 each. Jem’s face split into a grin. He and Ellie jumped and whooped.

 “And since you saved my kids, Cong, I’m gonna share it with ya.” Cong grabbed pa’s hand and shook it gratefully. Tears grew in his eyes.

 “I could never thank you enough.” The sun was peeping out from a cloud turning the sky red as they turned to go. “Boy, are we rich . . .