Without realizing it, Roxton held his breath as they journeyed toward the
waterfall. He instantly became worried for their safety. What if the
pressure from the water is too much? What if it hurts Ned even more? I
would never forgive myself.
"Are you sure it'll be alright?" questioned Roxton uneasily.
"Of course," Mel replied simply. "I wouldn't still live here if it wasn't safe."
Sort of reassured by Mel's soft tones, Roxton released his held-in breath and let a few of his worries go. As they neared the magnificent waterfall, Roxton was able to see a small crack in the rock off to the side of the rushing water. It was big enough to fit two men side by side, but small enough so that a raptor would get stuck. Mel headed for the fissure in the mountain without hesitation, but stopped just in front and set her end of Ned's stretcher down.
"Why are we stopping?" Roxton worriedly questioned. "Is something wrong?"
Mel turned around and smiled at him. "Of course not," she answered encouragingly. "But it is rather dark leading to the entrance, and I'm just going to light the torches so we'll be able to see. That way Malone doesn't get hurt more than he has to. Alright?"
Roxton just nodded and watched in amazement as Mel put her hand onto a protruding rock and pushed down. A hidden "rock-flap", if you will, opened up and revealed another switch. Mel flipped up the switch, and all of a sudden, the fissure was lit up in an instant.
Noticing his look of astonishment, Mel clued her new friend in on what had just happened. "My father wired it," she began. "It is just a simple wiring mechanism that hooks something up to a spark; the electricity ignites a fire and lights up the cavern, which has torches strategically placed all around. It's a little complicated, I'm afraid, but it works and that is enough for me."
She smiled to show her friend that it was nothing big not to understand, as he didn't, and that it was nothing impertinent to know. With that, Mel picked up the stretcher again and began to proceed through to the entrance of her home.
The fissure was no more than seven or eight feet deep and well worn out. At the end was a huge wooden door, with a little peephole and everything. Mel balanced the stretcher on her hips and reached off to the side, placing her hand into another hole (There sure are a lot of little hiding places around here, Roxton thought) and coming out with a key of sorts. She placed it into the keyhole, opened the heavy door, and Roxton felt as though his very soul had left him.
Inside the hollow cave, it was like a small village; there were small stick and stone huts, stores, wells, fountains, animals, grass and yards to play in. There was a cart of vegetables over to the side that were placed against the wall so that a small stream sprayed out over them to keep them watered and fresh. There seemed to be gardens, electricity and even running water. It was like an imitation of a rural English village; a mini-paradise here on the plateau.
"Wow," was all that our daring hunter could say. "This is, this is beautiful! I can't believe you live here! It's magnanimous!"
"Well, thank you," Mel said, a little bashful. "It's nothing much, but when you have almost 200 people in here, it seems to fare well. Here, let's set Malone down in Tracker's house while I go and get some medical supplies from the doctor's office. After we finish repairing Ned, we'll get your wound cleaned out."
"Tracker?" Roxton asked questionably. "What's a tracker?"
Mel simply just laughed. "Tracker," she said after her quaint laughter died down. "Was a good friend of the family's. His hut is right next door to mine and just across from the doctor's office.' I'm sure we can just have you sleep wherever. I'll let it be your choice."
She went off to the right and began to follow down a dirt path, almost like a street through town. They traveled all the way to the end and rested at what seemed to be some of the largest 'huts' that John had noticed. Mel led the way into the house on the left and went upstairs into the master bedroom. They carefully laid Ned down onto the bed and off the stretcher.
"You stay here with him," Mel ordered. "I'm going to run across the way and fetch some of the good doctor's supplies. I'll be right back. If he starts to wake up, holler, alright?"
"Of course," Roxton said, still amazed at this tiny settlement.
As Mel walked away, Roxton stood up and ventured around Tracker's room. He saw gadgets of all sorts scattered around on shelves and tables, and he saw pictures behind a glass encasement, obviously created here, for the paper glued to it read "Made especially for Tracker, the best damn drinker in the entire expedition."
Roxton chuckled at this sign and proceeded to look at the pictures. There was only about six of them, but they obviously were of people this man Tracker cared for. There was one that held (what he supposed) was the entire expedition that came here; another of whom he assumed was Tracker's family (for their was a house behind the small group with a family crest that said Trackers never are wrong); one more picture was of a group of Zanga warriors, whom now, were getting old and past their hunting days. There were two pictures of a couple; a very nice-looking couple that consisted of a man with short, dark, curly hair, a very prominent stature and a very lanky frame, and with him, a beautiful woman with lighter, thick hair and mysterious looking eyes. Their features combined reminded Roxton of someone, some people, but who, he couldn't remember. Finally, the last picture held the most noticeable one of them all; it was of two little girls posing for a picture in front of a very large house. They looked extremely alike and extremely familiar. Both girls had a necklace with a heart locket on it, and when he looked closer, John could notice some gems embossing the locket.
It was the same one that he had seen on Marguerite this morning; the one that she said had reminded her of her sister.
At that moment Mel had come back with her medical items and noticed Roxton staring intently at some of the pictures.
"That's my family," Mel piped up, startling Roxton a little. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But that couple is my parents, and that is my sister."
"You never mentioned you had a sister," Roxton quivered.
"You never asked," Mel giggled. "Why are you looking at me like that? Why, do you know something about my family?"
Roxton's mind finally began to put the pieces together. "Your sister has this necklace, right?" With a simple nod from Mel, he continued. "Then, I don't know something about your family."
With a saddened look that appeared on Mel's face, Roxton finished his sentence.
"I know someone in your family. In fact, the woman you have been reminding me of, one of the woman I live with, I think, is your sister..."
"Are you sure it'll be alright?" questioned Roxton uneasily.
"Of course," Mel replied simply. "I wouldn't still live here if it wasn't safe."
Sort of reassured by Mel's soft tones, Roxton released his held-in breath and let a few of his worries go. As they neared the magnificent waterfall, Roxton was able to see a small crack in the rock off to the side of the rushing water. It was big enough to fit two men side by side, but small enough so that a raptor would get stuck. Mel headed for the fissure in the mountain without hesitation, but stopped just in front and set her end of Ned's stretcher down.
"Why are we stopping?" Roxton worriedly questioned. "Is something wrong?"
Mel turned around and smiled at him. "Of course not," she answered encouragingly. "But it is rather dark leading to the entrance, and I'm just going to light the torches so we'll be able to see. That way Malone doesn't get hurt more than he has to. Alright?"
Roxton just nodded and watched in amazement as Mel put her hand onto a protruding rock and pushed down. A hidden "rock-flap", if you will, opened up and revealed another switch. Mel flipped up the switch, and all of a sudden, the fissure was lit up in an instant.
Noticing his look of astonishment, Mel clued her new friend in on what had just happened. "My father wired it," she began. "It is just a simple wiring mechanism that hooks something up to a spark; the electricity ignites a fire and lights up the cavern, which has torches strategically placed all around. It's a little complicated, I'm afraid, but it works and that is enough for me."
She smiled to show her friend that it was nothing big not to understand, as he didn't, and that it was nothing impertinent to know. With that, Mel picked up the stretcher again and began to proceed through to the entrance of her home.
The fissure was no more than seven or eight feet deep and well worn out. At the end was a huge wooden door, with a little peephole and everything. Mel balanced the stretcher on her hips and reached off to the side, placing her hand into another hole (There sure are a lot of little hiding places around here, Roxton thought) and coming out with a key of sorts. She placed it into the keyhole, opened the heavy door, and Roxton felt as though his very soul had left him.
Inside the hollow cave, it was like a small village; there were small stick and stone huts, stores, wells, fountains, animals, grass and yards to play in. There was a cart of vegetables over to the side that were placed against the wall so that a small stream sprayed out over them to keep them watered and fresh. There seemed to be gardens, electricity and even running water. It was like an imitation of a rural English village; a mini-paradise here on the plateau.
"Wow," was all that our daring hunter could say. "This is, this is beautiful! I can't believe you live here! It's magnanimous!"
"Well, thank you," Mel said, a little bashful. "It's nothing much, but when you have almost 200 people in here, it seems to fare well. Here, let's set Malone down in Tracker's house while I go and get some medical supplies from the doctor's office. After we finish repairing Ned, we'll get your wound cleaned out."
"Tracker?" Roxton asked questionably. "What's a tracker?"
Mel simply just laughed. "Tracker," she said after her quaint laughter died down. "Was a good friend of the family's. His hut is right next door to mine and just across from the doctor's office.' I'm sure we can just have you sleep wherever. I'll let it be your choice."
She went off to the right and began to follow down a dirt path, almost like a street through town. They traveled all the way to the end and rested at what seemed to be some of the largest 'huts' that John had noticed. Mel led the way into the house on the left and went upstairs into the master bedroom. They carefully laid Ned down onto the bed and off the stretcher.
"You stay here with him," Mel ordered. "I'm going to run across the way and fetch some of the good doctor's supplies. I'll be right back. If he starts to wake up, holler, alright?"
"Of course," Roxton said, still amazed at this tiny settlement.
As Mel walked away, Roxton stood up and ventured around Tracker's room. He saw gadgets of all sorts scattered around on shelves and tables, and he saw pictures behind a glass encasement, obviously created here, for the paper glued to it read "Made especially for Tracker, the best damn drinker in the entire expedition."
Roxton chuckled at this sign and proceeded to look at the pictures. There was only about six of them, but they obviously were of people this man Tracker cared for. There was one that held (what he supposed) was the entire expedition that came here; another of whom he assumed was Tracker's family (for their was a house behind the small group with a family crest that said Trackers never are wrong); one more picture was of a group of Zanga warriors, whom now, were getting old and past their hunting days. There were two pictures of a couple; a very nice-looking couple that consisted of a man with short, dark, curly hair, a very prominent stature and a very lanky frame, and with him, a beautiful woman with lighter, thick hair and mysterious looking eyes. Their features combined reminded Roxton of someone, some people, but who, he couldn't remember. Finally, the last picture held the most noticeable one of them all; it was of two little girls posing for a picture in front of a very large house. They looked extremely alike and extremely familiar. Both girls had a necklace with a heart locket on it, and when he looked closer, John could notice some gems embossing the locket.
It was the same one that he had seen on Marguerite this morning; the one that she said had reminded her of her sister.
At that moment Mel had come back with her medical items and noticed Roxton staring intently at some of the pictures.
"That's my family," Mel piped up, startling Roxton a little. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. But that couple is my parents, and that is my sister."
"You never mentioned you had a sister," Roxton quivered.
"You never asked," Mel giggled. "Why are you looking at me like that? Why, do you know something about my family?"
Roxton's mind finally began to put the pieces together. "Your sister has this necklace, right?" With a simple nod from Mel, he continued. "Then, I don't know something about your family."
With a saddened look that appeared on Mel's face, Roxton finished his sentence.
"I know someone in your family. In fact, the woman you have been reminding me of, one of the woman I live with, I think, is your sister..."