I did it for the animals, I did it again to protect them I swear. I sacrificed everything for them...turned out the same in the end anyways.
Dust plugged through my nose and mud began to seep down and through my shirt as I tried to shift into a comfortable position so my ribs weren't cracking and bending in ways that wasn't normal even for a contortionist. I was hanging down a hole with my calves and feet being the only thing poking out of the surface...so, an average day for me out here.
I jabbed the brush into the dirt in front of me as Billy shifted his weight, hands clamped down around my ankles like vices.
"Its not that important Angie."
"Shut up, it's wedged like a mother in here and you're only distracting me."
Dirt caked and flaked off my hands only to be replaced by more mud as I reached and tugged at the object. this was probably the most difficult excavation in our area by far the past three months, not counting chasing down the wild dog that took off with one of the intern's bags. only an hour ago I had been above ground until one of the students nearly fell into this 14-foot cave in and cut his leg open on whatever I'm now facing against.
I could feel my knees sink in at the top of the hole and Billy's hands slipped a little bit around my muddy leg as the handle began to slide out of the mud in front of me, I jerked it violently and cursed as mud rushed in immediately to my left, sinking and weighing heavily onto of my right arm.
"Angela!" Billy called out warningly, calling over more people to help hold me as I ignored him and gave another sharp tug, trying to get a better grip. My face was inches from the heavy clay and mud that strapped the one treasure that was probably going to turn out worthless and if I stuck my tongue out I could get a mouthful of the nasty mixture, "Angela, you have a phone call."
I tried to spare a glance over (and above) me to see a guy holding a sat phone to his chest standing next to Billy and two other students, straining their muscles.
"Nope."
"Mrs. Grant, it's an important phone call." the man didn't sound impressed as Billy grunted and I slid forward an inch, my right side of my face smashing into clay.
I jerked the handle sideways, wiggling it more and more and slowly sliding the-
Mud caved in from the top to my left, covering my entire side and already setting to trap me here forever. I griped the handle as Billy yelled from above and closed my eyes as I was jerked up and in several more seconds felt hands grab my belt and I was thrown up on the flip side with a wet shlick before the hole was covered back up by its own self.
I landed besides Billy hard along with the other kids, dirty and muddy and clutching the find to my chest...which was an obviously broken knife. Mud slipped from my cheek to my lap as I sniffled and sat upstaging at it. Billy was angry next to me, still flat on his back and glaring at the sky.
"Uhm...Mrs., grant?"
"I heard you Michael. Jana, clean this off and set it over with Billy's tools, I'm thinking it's mammoth ivory from the handle but I could be wrong." I got up and handed it off, Michael looked at me as if I was crazy but continued to hold out the sat phone to me anyways as Billy got up and tried to shake off the dust and dirt on himself.
"Angela-"
"Hush, you made me break it." I glared at him and took the phone, picking off he mud and dirt on myself as well as we made our way to our camper.
"So...when are you gonna be a Brennan again?" he kissed the one part of my cheek that survived the mud bath and I laughed.
"Grant in the streets and Brennan in the sheets."
"You better make sure the phone is still on hold." he teased as we kicked out boots off and went inside and made a dirty beeline to the sink.
I double checked the phone anyways and watched Billy strip out of his shirt before answering.
"Angela Grant speaking, sorry about the wait. who's speaking?" I smiled as Billy flexed in front of me and winked.
"Hello Mrs. gGrant, this is Simon Masrani." the man replied immediately, Billy moved closer to me and tried to peel my own shirt off of me.
"Oh." I pushed him away and he put his ear to the other side of the phone to listen, "We've met."
"Yes, I remember. You threw heavy plastic dinosaur bones on my car, breaking my windows in protest of opening the Park and costing me money to remix it."
"Then don't buy expensive European cars and be an asshole." I rolled my eyes and Billy drew back and jumped and pointed to the news headline we had pinned to our mini fridge: Protestors shatter Masrani's Bugatti.
"Excellent memory and I'll ignore that statement."
"What do you want Masrani." I watched Billy awkwardly strip in front of me as Masrani paused on the other end, I dodged a sock thrown my way.
Billy sauntered off to the shower but I was frozen in my spot as Masrani began to explain himself...and I should have just hung up right here. I should have put the phone down and joined my husband in the shower but like the last email and phone call thrown my way that changed my life I stayed and waited until the end.
Outside, the dust picked up.