The black.
It swallowed everything and nothing.
It hid secrets of untold earth. It whispered silently to those who dare entered.
It was the black that led me to him.
It was the black that gave me reason.
It is for the black that I now live.
It was a bright morning filled with the promise of rain that Alfred Jones stepped into as he left his house. He glanced up at the sky with a bright smile, enjoying the gentle breeze that wove itself around him. It was a day shaped by god- a morning molded so beautifully, with the trees casting delicate shadows upon the dancing grasses beneath and the sun coloring the sky with its amber rays. All was right with the world and a new day was beginning- a day that was to begin the same way as many for Alfred Jones.
He walked on for a few minutes, picking up the tunes of the songbirds and the distant sound of water lapping against the stream nearby before he approached his destination- a coal mine. Compared to the brightness of the day outside, it was filled with a gloomy, ebony darkness- and for good reason. It was no secret that the life of a coal miner was a perilous one. Alfred knew this even as he entered the black abyss, whistling as he pulled the bell to his right. "C'mon, Ludwig! Don't make me wait all day!" He paused, listening as the sound echoed down the tunnel beneath. From years of experience, he expected no reply, and yet he remained glancing downwards nonetheless. It wasn't long before the chains before him clanged and rattled and a large bucket rose to meet him. He stepped into the bucket, holding the chain to keep him steady as he was slowly lowered into the mine.
The cold air of untouched earth hit him briefly and he suddenly wished he had brought a heavier jacket. Without the sun to warm the darkness, it was absent of heat. He watched as the light above him slowly faded away- faded into the black of the coal surrounding him.
"Get to your post, Jones." Ludwig, the owner of the mine, called beside him. He flashed the man a brief smile, knowing that it was just his nature to remain so serious.
"Goin there now, boss!" Replied Alfred cheerfully as he waved his hat above his head. He then set it in its rightful place and shuffled about the other workers. Glancing about the cavern, it became obvious that many had been there for some time. Speckles of black riddled the arms and faces of the other miners as they all grunted with the exhaustion that came from a hard day's work. He spotted his friend in the crowd and immediately called out towards him. "Matthias!"
The Dane paused at his words before turning swiftly around, offering him a cheeky smile and a firm handshake. "Well if it isn't Alfred Jones. Haven't seen you in a few days. How's your leg?" He pointed down to Alfred's left leg- the one that had been caught in a small slide of rocks in days prior. The events of that day were still a blur to him. As he had been clanking away at the rock, he hadn't realized that he had upturned a vulnerable piece of earth, and before long, the rocks had tumbled downwards and trapped his leg. It had taken a few men to pull him out, and although his leg was badly bruised from the impact, it remained amazingly intact.
"It's fine, just a bit wobbly is all." He jiggled his foot about to demonstrate, rousing a loud laugh from the other man.
"You're one lucky bastard, Jones." Matthias declared, patting him on his back. "Just be more careful next time, alright?" He nodded his yes and pulled his pick axe from his tool bag, swiping it in the air aimlessly to work out the tired muscles in his arms. "And be careful with that thing!"
Alfred's grin just widened as he shoved the other man playfully, moving to work beside him. "I wasn't gonna hit you or nothin." He said, amusement in his voice as he slipped his work gloves on, watching his callouses disappear beneath the heavy leather. He pulled his axe backward and gave a mighty swing towards the coal, watching it shake slightly before collapsing at his feet. He leaned downwards and collected the dark rocks, placing them in a thin metal bucket to his left side. This process continued on for a few minutes- the only sound meeting his ears being the clicking of metal against rock as they dug onward. Looking around him, it really was amazing. When he had first signed up for coal mining work years ago, the mine had been much smaller. After years of digging and pulling, it was mind-blowing just how much progress had been made.
"Excuse me." A soft voice rang out behind him. He paused in his work, sending a curious look to the man behind him. He nodded towards the smaller man, quite surprised to see someone with such delicate features and a lithe body in this kind of business. He scooted aside, allowing some room for the man to work between them. The man made no sound as he worked, even as his grip slipped on the handle of the axe he held. He could tell immediately that he was a newbie- he could see it in the way he paused after each swing to catch his breath, glance down at his hands as new scabs were made.
"Ya know… You should really be wearing gloves." Emerald eyes glinted in the pale light of the candlestick on the wall and swerved towards him.
"Pardon?" He looked quite breathless, his shoulders heaving with each breath. His questioning gaze washed over him and Alfred gave him a bright smile, sticking his axe in the ground and approaching him.
"Let me see." He pulled up the man's hands and shook his head when he saw the multiple blisters and cuts forming on his palms. "Lucky for you, I got an extra pair in my bag…" He grabbed the gloves and passed them towards the man, watching as he slipped them on and grasped the axe.
"This is much better." He replied with relief evident in his voice. Alfred immediately recognized his accent to be British as he nodded towards him.
"Of course it is." He chuckled, amusement dancing in his eyes. "Without gloves your hands will be red in no time."
"I see…" The man trailed off, averting his gaze with a frown. "Well, I thank you, mister…?"
"Jones." He replied quickly, extending his hand. "Alfred F. Jones."
"Thank you greatly, Mr. Jones." The man took his hand and shook lightly before turning back to his work, hacking away at the rocks before him.
"Wait just a sec…" He leaned against the wall, crossing his arms. "You never gave me your name."
"Oh. I suppose I didn't…" He took a few more swings before glancing towards him. "Arthur Kirkland."
"Nice name." He replied dumbly, not sure what else to say as he picked up his own axe and went back to work, finding himself gazing at the other man every so often. This really wasn't a new occurrence. New workers appeared very often in this business- some more experience than others. This man didn't quite have the build that the others did, however. He seemed to have such a soft character- one that was meant to be placed in the world of politics and business rather than mining. "What made you choose this job?" He asked with a grunt as he freed a large piece of coal, watching as it hit the ground.
"I needed the money." Came his short reply. In this day and age, it was easy to see that this could have been the case. Work was slim in these days, and the mining jobs paid well- leading many men to join the large ranks down here below the earth. The hours were long and hard, but when you had a family back home to feed, that seemed to matter little.
As for Alfred himself, he had little family to return to- aside from his younger brother. He was a frail man a few years younger than himself, hardly fit for this kind of work. He had moved to the city a few years prior searching for a job, finding one as a secretary for a private business. He heard little from him these days, but from what he gathered from the letters he sent, he seemed to be doing well- even marrying a young immigrant from Belarus. He had been invited to the wedding, he remembered. Getting a train ticket over there wasn't the easiest thing in the world, however, and so all he could do was send his best wishes to the new couple.
Sometimes he wondered what it must be like to have a nice, young woman waiting at home for you. He could imagine that it would be nice- nice to know that there was always someone there that loved you unconditionally- someone that would make you dinner and hear about your day- offer you support when you might need it. Yes, that would be nice. And yet Alfred Jones remained single, returned to an empty house every night. He sighed, hearing the crumbling of rocks as they fell to his feet. If he could find a woman that could deal with his long hours- that would be great.
The hours slipped by easily as he relentlessly worked on, making quite a dent in the wall before him. He grinned proudly, glancing down at his filled bucket. Progress was made quick in these caverns if one set their mind to it. He sighed, stretching out his sore muscles- and that's when he heard it. The quietest of noises- a groan coming from the depths of the cave. He paused, ears perked as he gazed at the others, assessing their expressions for any signs of worry or surprise. He saw none. Everyone was so involved in their work, it seemed. Either that or he was just hearing things. He shrugged, lifting his axe when he heard it again, louder this time. The very walls seemed to shake slightly, the loosest rocks tumbling from their spots at the top. Something wasn't right. The feeling seemed to drift to the others as one by one they glanced up at the ceiling of the cave.
"What the hell was that?" He heard Matthias ask beside him, confusion present in his voice. Alfred knew. Right then he knew. Their time was running short.
"Guys, it's-" His sentence was never to finish. It was lost in a colossal growl as the earth above them shifted, larger rocks falling now, the entire ground displaced and quivering beneath them. The cavern was collapsing in on itself. Before long the entire cavern would be smothered in debris, and there was only one exit- one chain, one bucket they could climb on. Alfred didn't even get time to gasp, had no time to think as he ducked, dashing through the corridor. His senses were alert, his entire body on fire as he ran through the crowd, fighting his way to the exit at the other end of the cave. "Shit!" He cursed as his bad leg gave out, shook in fear as the others ran past him.
"Get up!" A hand grabbed his and pulled, hoisting Alfred quickly off of the ground. "We have to keep moving." He was surprised to see the determined face of the British man he had met hours earlier. How funny that the tables had been turned. Now he was the weaker one as the man practically dragged Alfred through the hallway, twisting past the others.
Alfred gained his momentum and rushed onwards, gasping as the sound of upturned earth and cracking coal met his ears. He refused to look behind him- refused to see the disaster occur. He watched in horror as a pile of rocks descended from the ceiling, blocking the exit. They were doomed it seemed. "Watch out!" He yelled, pulling Arthur closer to him just as a boulder collided with the ground inches away from them. He pulled and tugged, grabbing rock after rock- trying all that he could to get past the debris blocking the exit. He wasn't alone in his fight.
"This side is more vulnerable!" He could hardly hear Arthur's voice within the chaos- hardly feel when the other man tugged at his sleeve. "Hit here!" And so he did. He slammed into the boulders with all his might, slashed his axe into the crevices. But it was not to be. It seemed that fate had other plans as the rocks refused to give. "Damn it!"
His view became distorted in black as more and more of the coal crashed down. He felt it hit his shoulders- his head- his back. His pain was drowned in fear as he gasped, still clinging to the wall barring their escape. A numbness followed the pain- a chilling numbness that sent his senses reeling and his mind contorted with drifting and far off thoughts. He saw his mother, smiling as she held a large piece of steaming apple pie before him. He saw his brother, running beside him in the lush, green forests that surrounded their childhood home. He was thrown back to reality. Somewhere, he thought he heard a scream. Beside him, he thought he felt a hand grasp desperately at his own. He would never be certain as it was all drowned out in the noise surrounding them, enveloping them, destroying them. It wasn't long before all of his vision was lost to the darkness and everything grew quiet.