A Child's Courage.

The Maze

The sun was just beginning to shine through the trees when Bob arrived at the Louisiana Mississippi resort. He had expected to find the resort busy but he was not prepared to find it completely full. He looked around in surprise at the seemingly countless number of campers and all-terrain vehicles parked everywhere there was a legal place to park. “Oh, man!” he thought. “This place is packed! It’s going to be tough to find someone who can pull away and help.”

Then he said aloud, “What is this a camper’s convention?”

“It’s a survivalists convention, actually.” said a feminine voice behind him.

Bob spun around and smiled upon seeing Hannah. “What are you doing out here, Hannah?” he asked, giving her a quick hug. “I thought you and your dad would not be coming back here after your parent’s divorce.”

“They decided to patch things up after a few friends from school found my little brother with their child find program.”

“Child find program?” asked Bob. “These friends wouldn’t happen to be Rick, Kelly, Michael, and Race, would they?”

“Well, there was a girl named Amy in the group too but yeah.” Surprised, Hannah said. “How do you know them?”

Bob explained how he and his brother heard Emily’s calls for help and how they came to meet Rick’s friends in the bayou. After he was finished, Hannah nodded with a small smile forming on her face.

“I figured you would get involved in all of this.” Worried, she said. “But what are you doing here?”

“I came out here to get some help, this thing is a lot bigger than any of us had expected.”

“You mean the adoption ring, right?”

Bob nodded. “Yes, but there is more. We have been having my sister dig up some information on the owner of the Arrowhead Adoption Association.”

“And…?”

“This Maximillian Grim has adoption service companies all over the world.” Serious, Bob explained. “Which means he could move his entire operation anywhere in the world…”

Hannah gulped. “Taking those he had kidnapped with him.”

Bob nodded. “Including our friends which was why they sent me out here to round up as much help as I could in case he comes out here with some muscle.”

Hannah again smiled. “Well, you came to right place if you’re looking for muscle.” Calmly, she said. “Follow me.”

Bob followed Hannah to a large recreational vehicle near the center of the resort where Max was standing outside with Tom. “Who did you drag in, Hannah?” Curious, Max asked.

“This is Bob, an old friend of mine.” said Hannah. “He came up here to find some help for Michael and his friends who headed out to save Rick.”

“Well, your timing is perfect, young man.” Smiling, Max said. “I was just on my way to talk to the other survivalists to enlist their aid to help you guys out.”

As the two talked, Hank and Jon watched carefully from a safe distance through binoculars and listening devices. “It is not going to be an easy task to pull those two children out of a survivalist’s camp.” Whispering, Jon said. “These people like to prepare themselves for anything.”

“Calm yourself, Jon.” replied Hank. “Most of them will be gathered around the boy and girl’s father on the far side of the camp, leaving them nearly defenseless. All we need but do is wait for the right moment to present itself.”

“I’ll tell you what, Bob.” said Max. “Why don’t you stay here with Hannah and Tom while I rally the troops. You can lead us all to where they are holding your friends.”

Bob nodded. “It sounds like a plan.” he said.

Max nodded back and left with a dozen other people following.

“Now is the time.” Calmly, Hank said.

He retrieved a small rifle from his pack and loaded it with a tranquilizer dart. Once ready, he waited for a clear shot, knowing he could not afford to miss.

“Try not to worry, Bob.” said Hannah. “My dad will get some people to help you.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about.” said Bob. “I have this strange feeling we’re in trouble.”

Hannah frowned. “That trouble sense is rarely wrong.”

The two of them looked about for anything that seemed dangerous but were caught off guard as Tom suddenly let out a low whimper before falling to the ground unconscious.

Hannah gasped. “Tom!”

She and Bob rushed over to him and became startled upon finding a tiny dart protruding from his neck. Hannah reached under her shirt, producing a heavy whistle, hanging from a necklace around her neck but she never got the chance to use it. A soft sound broke the silence a second before a dart embedded itself into her own neck. Bob, not wanting to be next, dived behind a table and quickly pulled a large hunting knife from a sheath strapped to his leg. Thinking of the whistle, he quickly moved the table with him as he tried to reach her but another near inaudible sound reached his ears just as a dart hit him in the back and he fell into darkness.

“That’s all three of them.” Whispering, hank said. “Let’s collect our prize before those military enthusiasts come back.”

The two men emerged from their hiding places and cautiously approached the camper. Once there, Hank took Hannah and flung her over his shoulder while Jon did the same with Tom.

“What about the boy?” asked Jon.

“Leave him.” Quickly, Hank said. “We are only getting paid to retrieve these two.” He looked about and added. “Let’s get out of here before we are seen.”

Just then, as if on que, a small boy appeared from around the camper and spotted Jon and Hank walking away with two children over their shoulders. Before either of them could respond, the boy blew into a heavy whistle which echoed everywhere within the camp.

Jon pulled a sidearm from its holster. “Time to go!”

The two man ran for a patch of bushes as the child continued to blow his whistle. Seconds later, a group of adults, including Max were in pursuit of the two men. Jon and Hank reached their boat only seconds before the group of adults caught up to them and firmly pressed his gun against Hannah’s head, moving the group to stop dead in their tracks though they had weapons of their own drawn. “Let them go!” Angrily, Max demanded. “you are outnumbered and out gunned!”

“You are in no position to make any threats.” Coldly, Hank said. “If we see any of you following us, these kids die.”

“With you following them a second later.” Darkly, Max countered.

“These two will be returned unharmed once we finish our business in the bayou.” Calmly, Jon said. “These two delightful children are our insurance that you will not aid the young boy we left lying unconscious in your camp.”

“Any interference on your part and I guarantee they will both disappear.” Serious, Hank added. “The choice is yours. Stay out of this and your kids return safely, interfere… you will never see them again.”

With that, the boat pulled away and swiftly headed down river. Max watched them leave with anger clear in his eyes as well as in the eyes of his fellow survivalists. He ran back to his camper, with the others following. “Get me some smelling salts.” Forcefully, he ordered. “We have to bring this boy around.”

“I’m on it!” said one man and rushed off.

Max Fumed. “No one kidnaps my children and gets away with it!”

“You’re not going alone.” Firmly, another man said. “I’ll rally the others, we’re all going to get them back.”

Max turned to the others, nodding gratefully. “Ready your gear, we head out as soon as this kid is ready to lead us to the party.”

A tall, muscular woman placed a gentle hand onto Max’s shoulder. “We’ll get our kids back, Max.” Firmly, she said. “Those two don’t know who they just messed with.”

“No, Maxine, they don’t.” Softly, Max replied. “But they are going to learn… painfully.”

Back in the southernmost part of the bayou, Morgana and Jerk, along with their body guards, escorted Tim, Emily, and Rick to the entrance of the maze. To Rick, it was nothing more than a small hole in the ground, just wide enough for the three of them to squeeze through, one at a time. To Tim and Emily, it was a watery death trap, waiting to claim its next victim. Michael, Race, and Kelly had left before dawn with their promise to be waiting for them inside the maze when they arrived, but it was of very little comfort to them then. Dr. Jerk turned to face the three, pointing an accusing finger at them.

“You're being real cooperative this morning.” Suspicious, he said, giving each of them a small lantern. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing.” Softly, Rick said. “We just want to get this done.”

Jerk grunted. “There’s only one crystal left.” Calmly, he said. “Just be quick about it, you only have an hour before the tide starts rolling in again.”

“What if we we don't find it this time?” asked Emily.

“You drown.” Darkly, Jerk replied. “We’re losing our patience. This is the last chance you are getting. Don’t come back empty handed if you want to see the sun again.”

“We looked as hard as we could." Playing fearful, Rick said. “Parts of the tunnels were caved in, we had to dig through them.”

Morgana frowned. “You will find that last crystal or die.” Gravely, she said. “It does not get more simple than that.”

Tim nodded in what seemed to have been defeat as a cheaply built rope ladder, secured to a tree near the rim was lowered down so Tim could lead Emily and Rick down into the small, dark entrance of the underground maze. Only once they reached the bottom, Morgana pulled the ladder out of their reach.

“Hey!” Jumping for it, Tim yelled.

“I will lower the ladder to you when you have the crystal.” Softly, Morgana said. “But not before… Get moving!”

The three of them walked away from the entrance, into the tunnels of the maze with Tim leading the way. “I hate this place. ”With a shiver, Emily said. “I had hoped never to see it again.”

“Curious.” Looking around, Rick said. “Wooden walls…”

“We told you they were hand dug.” Serious, Emily said. “All of these tunnels have wooden floors and ceilings made out of water and gun powder barrels with the walls made of whatever wood the builders could find.” She sighed. “They are just wide and tall enough for kids like us to walk through them, single file.”

“Don't worry.” said Rick. “This shouldn't take too long.”

“That's easy for you to say.” Bitterly, Tim remarked. “You weren’t here when we were looking for the other crystals.”

“That’s not fair, Tim.” scolded Emily. “They're here to help.”

“Yeah, I know.” Sighing, Tim said. “It's just that ”

“Forget about it.” Calmly, Rick said. “I can imagine how rough it must have been for you.”

“It's been a nightmare.” Tearfully, Emily said. “We just want it to be finally over.”

“It will be.” Firmly, Rick assured. “We will make Morgana and her cohorts pay for what they had done to you, big time.”

As they turned the first corner, they met up with Michael, Race, and Kelly who had been waiting for them. “We don't have a lot of time.” Serious, he said. “We found the center of the maze but there is a problem.”

“How far back in is it?” Worried, Tim asked.

“Pretty far, it’ll take a few minutes to reach it.” Serious, Kelly replied. “We are going to be cutting it close.”

The group hurried through the make-shift tunnels but stopped as Rick suddenly turned and hurried into the opposite direction and stopped to study a section of wall. “What- What are you doing, Rick?” Panting, Kelly demanded. “We have to hurry.”

“Did you guys carve this writing into these walls?” Curious, Rick asked. Emily shook her head and Rick smiled. “Whoever dug out these tunnels had a really good head on their shoulders. I almost wish I was alive to see all of this created.”

“What are you getting at?” Worried, Race demanded.

“If I read their message right, we should be able to take a far more direct approach to the center of the maze.”

Before anyone could respond, Rick gave the tunnel wall opposite of him a powerful kick and it flew open, making an eerie, spine chilling creak like the lid of an old coffin. Emily shivered, letting out a fearful gasp as the sound sent chills down her spine. “Come on!” Serious, Rick urged, “This way to the center of the maze.”

“Is there anything that kid can’t do?” Amazed, Tim asked.

Michael chuckled. “I’ve asked myself the same question.”

The five of them followed Rick through one doorway after another though the maze to a small, dark cavern. “Welcome to the center of the maze and the problem we mentioned.” Serious, Michael said. “this is going to take some problem solving.”

He held out his lantern to reveal the cavern's interior, a deep cavern with a high, jagged ceiling; smooth walls; and a large, gaping hole near the center of the rocky floor, covered with ten inches of water.

“That must be where all the water comes in.” Looking down, Rick said. “this looks like another ancient sink hole. I wonder why it hasn’t collapsed yet.”

“There’s your answer.” Lifting his lantern, Michael said.

They all looked up and were amazed to find that the entire ceiling was shored up with heavy beams and strong wood, preventing the ceiling of the small cavern from caving in on itself. What startled them the most was an ancient powder keg hanging by a rope from the heaviest beam on a and pulley system over the hole. They followed the rope to a crudely built crank and wheel secured to the ledge they were standing on.

“This whole thing is getting weirder by the minute!” Worried, Rick muttered. “Who would go through all of this trouble to build all of this? And what’s with the powder keg?”

Michael knotted his jaws. “We will find out when we find this last crystal and perhaps the pirate’s vault.” Softly, he said.

Emily looked down into the cavern at the hole and let out a fearful gasp as a deep, loud rumble echoed from within it, followed by sounds of distant splashing. But then, she let out a loud scream as she spotted a number of small skeletons resting against one wall at the bottom of the cavern. She pointed a quivering finger at them. “There!” Hoarsely, she whispered.

“Lord help us!” Crossing himself, Tim said. “Poor souls…”
“Do you think they’re the others kids Morgana and Dr. Jerk kept telling us about.” Fearful, Emily asked.

“Somehow, I doubt it.” Serious, Rick said. “Look at what’s left of their clothes, they’ve been down there a long time.”

“We can’t worry about it now.” Serious, Michael said. “I have no intention of turning up like them.”

“I'm not sure if I want to climb down there.” Shivering, Emily said. “I can’t swim…”

“Stay up here, then.” Serious, Kelly said. She handed her a radio. “Keep us posted on the approaching high tide while we work on finding that last crystal.”

Emily nodded but she did not speak. She peered over the edge at the flooded cavern floor again and shivered. “If that’s the only place where the tide rolls in, we’re in trouble.” Darkly, Rick said. “It won't take long for this small cavern to flood.”

“It’s not.” Softly, Tim said. “There are at least four other places we know of where the high tide floods into these tunnels.”

Michael nodded. “Let’s get to work.”

He reached into another pocket of his belt, as did Race and Kelly, and produced a tightly round length of rope. They each secured one end of to a firmly placed stone then threw the slack over the side of the cliff, allowing it to unwind as it fell towards the watery floor before climbing down with Rick and Tim soon following them. Michael watched to make sure everyone reached the bottom safely then turned to the girls, Kelly and Emily. “You two to stay up there in case we need you.” Firmly, he said. “If you see anything give us a holler.”

“Got any idea where this fist sized crystal might be hidden?” Curious, Rick asked.
“Not a clue.” Sighing, Tim said. “Your guess is as good as mine.”

A second rumble was heard and a powerful surge of water erupted from the hole, forcing the four to lose their balance and fall to the wet floor, flooding the cavern with another inch of water. The tide was coming closer. “We've got to move fast.” Standing up, Michael said. “It won't be long before were forced to swim.”

The four continued their search of the small cavern while Kelly and Emily watched from the ledge above them. Kelly’s eyes searched the walls and ceiling from where she stood. Emily was fixed upon the dark, gaping hole in the floor. She shivered as pictures of her friends drowning filled her mind. “Oh, please hurry!” Nervous, she whispered.

“Don't worry, Emily.” Quietly, Kelly said. “Michael and Rick are good, they will be alright.”

“I hope so…” Whispering, Emily said.

Rick abandoned his search of the walls and lifted his oil lantern to gain a better view the cavern's interior, there were no signs of the crystal. Only as the light shined over the hole, it reflected off of something inside, catching Emily's eye.
“Wait wait a minute!” Urgently, she called. “I see something!”

The four boys halted their search and looked up at Emily who pointed at the hole where the tide came in. “In the hole. Rick’s lantern reflected off of something inside the hole!”

“Let's check it out.” said Rick, walking towards the center of the cavern. “It just might be the crystal.”

“Please be careful, Rick.” warned Kelly from above. “I don't like the sound of that rumbling.”

Rick merely smiled at her and knelt down in the water next to the rim of the hole. He searched the darkness for what had caught Kelly’s eye but saw nothing at first. As he lifted his lantern over the opening, the light shined off of a fist sized crystal wedged in the rocks at the bottom of the hole. “I think I found…”

Rick's words were interrupted by a deep rumble. He tried to jump out of the way, but he was not quick enough to escape a powerful gush of water which threw him into the air like a rag doll. Michael called his name but then watched in awe as Rick flipped in midair! He pushed himself away from the wall with his feet then executed a second midair flip, landing squarely in front of him.

“Nice moves, Rick!” Applauding from above, Kelly said. “You are going to have to teach me that some time!”

Rick smiled then turned serious. “It's the crystal, but it’s in there pretty deep. It’s not going to be easy to get to.” He sighed. “I'll go after it. I can jump down between bursts.”

“How will you get back up?” Curious, Michael asked.

“I can ride the next current out.”

Michael shook his head. “You’d be slammed from one side of the shaft to the other like a rag doll. I’ll admit you’re tough, you might have even made it onto the football team. But there is no way you could survive that much punishment.”

“What do you suggest?” Nervous, Emily asked.

“I'm the one who should go.” Serious, Michael replied. “I am by far the strongest member of this group. I shouldn’t have any problems getting that crystal out. Besides, as a defensive linemen, I’m trained to take a lot of punishment.” He paused. “Everyone back up to the ledge. I’ll join you in a few minutes.”

Reluctantly, Rick nodded and lead the other back up the ropes to the high ledge over the cavern. Once there, Rick unsecured one of the ropes and tossed it down to Michael who then carefully secured it to a large rock on the cavern floor.

“Will he be all right?” asked Emily.

“Don't worry about him.” Hiding his own worried, Rick replied. “He's going to get the last crystal for us and ”

Before he could finish his sentence, a soft, long rumble echoed from the cavern floor. He looked down and gasped upon seeing all of the water retreating into the hole with Michel following it on the rope! “I'm going after that crystal.” Calling, he announced. “We might not get another chance, the tide could pour in at any minute!”

“Get out of there, Michael!” Screaming, Rick warned. “Have you gone nuts!?! The next blast of water will be shooting out at any second! Wait until after it passes!”

Just then, another rumble shook the cavern walls, causing Michael to lose his grip on the rope and tumble recklessly down into the darkness. It was not until another burst of water came up before he was able to stop himself by grabbing onto a small ledge in the wall of the deep hole. Rick called out to Michael again, but he did not have time to respond, he had wedged his body tightly between the curved walls of the hole as an even stronger rumble shook the cavern. Just as he got a grip, another powerful wave rushed passed him. Michael held on to the walls with all of his strength, refusing to be thrown out of the hole without the crystal. At the same time, above the cavern floor, Rick gasped upon seeing the tower of water shoot upward from the hole and quickly pushed the others back into the safety of the tunnel, just before the heavy wave crashed hard against the ledge. Rick swallowed hard as he looked out at the ledge, he was certain that the force of the impact would have easily washed them all off, down onto the floor far below.

“That that was close!” Gasping Kelly said. “Thanks, Rick.”

“What about Michael?” Concerned, Emily asked. “He's still down in that hole!”

Rick ran out onto the rock ledge, nearly sliding off the edge on the standing water, and quickly scanned the flooded cavern floor, desperately hoping to find some sign that he friend was still alive. “Come on, Michael!” Fearful, he Whispered. “I don't want to have to climb down that dark hole after you!”

Inside the hole, Michael painfully shifted positions, trying to ignore the burning in his muscles as he fought to gain a better grip on the wet and jagged wall. He hurt everywhere from the fall and his fight against the powerful current of the last wave. But Michael was not one to give up easily. He looked up at the opening, measuring the distance with his eyes. He had fallen nearly three hundred feet into the hole.

“Well, that’s one way down, I suppose.” he whispered.

He looked down, feeling a gentle splash against his ankles, to find that the tide water was just below his feet, washing in through a large hole in the wall. Having left his lantern on the cavern floor above, he reached into a pocket of his belt and pulled out a miniature flashlight but it would not work. He rubbed his finger over the glass and found it missing, along with the lightbulb. “Perfect! Just perfect!”

Michael cursed under his breath, knowing that time was against him, and quickly began to scan the water below him for any signs of the last crystal. “Where is that blasted thing!?!”

Too dark. He could not tell a rock from the crystal he was searching for. Michael shifted positions again, wincing with the pain it gave him, to better feel along the walls. But all he succeeded in doing was stir up the mud in the water, making the search more difficult. Then, from above, a narrow beam of light shined down, illuminating the floor of the hole, revealing the last crystal. It was tightly wedged between two rocks against one wall, just out of his reach. Michael groaned out loud, not knowing whether to bless his luck for the timely light, or to curse it for not being able to reach the crystal. “I don't believe this! Why isn't anything ever easy?!”

“Hey, Michael! Are you all right down there!?!”

Michael looked up to Rick's voice and found his silhouette at the mouth of the hole. “Not really.” Calling back, he answered. “I’ll live though.”

He turned back to the hole and grunted his frustration, knowing that he would have to release his grip on the walls of the hole to reach the crystal. Wincing with pain, he moved one foot off of the wall, trying to reach for the floor. But his other foot slipped and he tumbled into the waist deep water. Michael bit into his lip to stop himself from yelling in pain as he pulled himself back onto his feet, again cursing his fowl luck. “I just hope another wave doesn’t come before I get this thing out.”

Back on the rocky ledge, high above the cavern floor, the rest of the group nervously watched Rick at the edge of the gaping hole. “Oh, I wish they’d hurry.” said Emily.

Kelly placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder but froze upon hearing a faint rumble somewhere in the distance. “I think we’re in trouble.” Frowning, she said.

Just then, a shallow stream of water flowed passed their ankles, causing the four to gasp in fright. “We’re in trouble!” Pale, Tim confirmed. He turned to the cavern. “Rick! There’s water flowing in from the tunnel up here! We have about twenty minutes left before we’re swimming out!”

Rick looked up and cursed, seeing a small stream of water tumbling over the ledge, then turned back to the hole. “We’re running out of time, Michael!” Urgently, he called. “Get that crystal and get back up here now!”

Michael quickly fitted his fingers into the claw grips from his belt then used them to protect his hands as he then slammed his fists into the wall to knock away the rocks that were holding the crystal in place. After the third blow, it finally shook loose and Michael was able to pull it free from the wall. But, before he could study it, an odd, low rumble shook the ground beneath him. It was echoing from the tunnel behind him at the bottom of the hole, swiftly growing louder and closer. It did not take Michael long to realize what it was. With a loud grunt of effort, he threw the prism shaped crystal upward, calling “Heads up!” just as a wall of water slammed him into the wall.

At the mouth of the hole, Rick heard Michael’s call and was ready when the crystal soared easily up out of the hole. He grabbed it as it came within reach but the powerful blast of water took him by surprise and he was thrown into the air as before. Only there was no time to break his fall and he landed hard on his back into the water, knocking all of the wind out of him. Kelly gasped aloud and called out to him, but Rick remained motionless with the water rising around him…

Inside the hole, the wall Michael was pinned against opened with a loud creak like the door Rick had discovered and he found himself being pushed through another hand dug, water filled, tunnel. He scratched at the wooden walls to pull himself out, but he did not have enough strength left to fight the powerful current and he was swept through into a dark, flooded chamber. It was not until he broke the surface when he discovered it to be another enormous ancient sink hole that had been crudely but cleverly covered at the top with wood and dirt. “What a rush!” Catching his breath, he exclaimed. “I wonder where I am.”

He looked about and was surprised to find an old wooden English battleship with torn sails resting on a sand bar with a pirate’s flag hanging above the crow’s nest. As he swam towards it, he spotted mounds of gold and jewels pilled everywhere around the busted hull. “The pirate’s vault…”

Curious, Michael swam to the sand bar the ship was beached on and used his grappling claws to climb up onto the deck. He was unprepared for the grizzly sight that was awaited him there. The entire deck from stem to stern was littered with skeletons of various sizes. He assumed them to be the remains of long dead pirates and their captives. “The poor devils!” Shivering, he muttered. “I’d hate to think of how they had died!” He looked up, adding, “It looks like the ceiling gave in to the weight of the ship and it crashed down here with someone covering it up… like being buried alive.”

Chilled by the grisly thought, he began to search the ship. Treasure and skeletons were everywhere, but it was not until he reached the bow of the ship that he began to fully understand the bloody history of the vessel. Resting on heavy carts were two large circular stones with crystals wedged into holes in a familiar pattern. “Crystalline lasers.” Impressed, he said. “With these and the large one in the swamp, these pirate’s must have been the terror of the seven seas. But I wonder why there was so little record of them.”

Then a frightening thought came to his mind. “Unless they didn’t leave anyone alive to tell their story!” He turned back to the large number scattered remains and added out loud, “It looks like they won’t either.”

Back inside the other cavern, Rick awoke, coughing and choking as the water splashed over his head. He quickly pulled himself up, only to discover that he was in waist deep water. The blast of water had only knocked the wind out of him and he was thankful that he did not lose his grip on the crystal. But the sight of the rising water sent an icy chill down his spine, the cavern was flooding fast and there was no sign of Michael. “I hate it when nothing goes right…” Irritated, he muttered.

“Are you alright, Rick?” Worried, called Kelly.

“Where’s Michael?” Stunned, Rick asked. “Did he come back up?”

Tim gulped. “No. He must still be down there.”

“Wonderful!” Sarcastically, Rick said.

Rick hated the dark, it was one of the few things he feared. Working at night was bad enough, searching through an unlit cavern was even worse. But now, to find his friend, he would have to dive underwater into a pitch black hole. Still, Rick knew that he could not leave Michael in that hole, he had to focus on his job. He threw the crystal up to Tim, who easily caught it, then turned to Kelly and Race.

“I’m going after him!” Bravely, Rick called. “You four take the crystal and get out of here. As for you two, stay close to them but keep well out of sight. I’ll join you all as soon as I fetch Michael.”

“But Morgana is expecting three of us to come out of the maze.” protested Emily. “What do we tell her?”

“Let me go after him.” Quickly, Kelly suggested. “I was captain of the swimming team last year.”

Rick shook his head. “It’s too risky. There’s no guarantee that you would be able to hold your breath long enough, let alone be able to fight that water pressure.”

“What about Morgana?” asked Tim.

“Tell that witch I didn’t make it.” Serious, Rick replied. “She should buy it if you act sad enough. Now get out of here before you all end up holding your breath.” With that, he took several deep breaths, held the last one, and dived under the surface.

“Let’s split.” Urgently, Tim said. “I for one have better things to do than drown.”

Emily looked at the swiftly rising water. “Do you think he will make it out of there with Michael?”

“I’ve known Rick for years.” Trying to be brave, Kelly replied. “He’ll be fine. Let’s move.”

The four ran back through the tunnels, using the shortcuts Rick had discovered. The water was rising with each step they took and by the time they reached the exit, it was up to their necks.

“The center of the maze must be closer to the surface.” Whispering, Tim said. “It won’t be too long before that cavern is flooded too.”

“What are you two going to do?” Worried, Emily asked. “If Morgana sees you…”

“Don’t worry about us.” Urging the two onward, Race said. “You just worry about convincing that witch that Rick, err, Joey didn’t make it.”

“We had thought up a plan for that in case we happened to find another way out of this watery maze.” Serious, Tim said.

“Good.” Nodding, Kelly said. “Just make your act convincing. We’ll wait here until you all leave.”

Tim and Emily each took a deep breath to ready themselves and swam through the water, down the tunnel to the opening of the cave. “We have it.” Mournful, Tim called. “Let us up!”

“Let me see it first!” Sternly, Morgana called back.

Tim held the crystal up in the light and the strong arm of Bronx reached down and pulled the two up one at a time. As Emily vanished from view, Kelly whispered, “Good luck, you two.”

On the surface, Morgana tore the crystal from Tim’s hand and gave it a quick inspection before showing it to Jerk. “You see, it’s amazing what a little motivation can do.” Serious, she said. She turned to her bodyguards. “Do you have the other crystals ready?”

“Right here, Morgana.” Holding up a sack, Gruesome replied. “Just as you ordered.”

Morgana nodded then finally turned to the two kids and frowned impatiently. “Where’s the other one?”

“You’re just now noticing!?!” Angrily, Emily snapped.

Tim gripped her arm, as they had rehearsed. “He didn’t make it.”

“What happened?” asked Jerk.

“Where is he?” Darkly, Morgana repeated.

“Aren’t you listening!?!” Tearfully, Emily screamed. “Joey didn’t make it! He got pulled down into a hole while we were searching for your dumb old crystal! He... he...”

Emily broke into a long sob and Tim embraced her, impressed by her acting skills. “Joey never came back up.” he said. “He could be clear out in the middle of ocean right now for all we know.”

Morgana set her steely eyes on the two children. “Well, that only leaves the two of you to deal with.” Coldly, she said. She turned to her two body guards. “Bring them!”

Morgana and Jerk made their way back to the riverboat with her two body guards, Bronx and Gruesome, dragging Tim and Emily close behind. Once they were out of sight, Kelly and Race cautiously emerged from the hole with a small device in their mouths. It looked like two large test tubes fitted into a diver’s mouth piece. “Ten minutes of emergency air.” Removing the device, Race said. “I love it! What will they think of next?!”

“You have got to hand it to Hannah’s father.” Smiling, Kelly said. “He knows his stuff when it comes to survival.” The two quietly pulled themselves out of the water filled cave and followed the small group at a safe distance, taking care not to be spotted….