Chapter 13: Saving Sandy
Courage and Kevin crawled through the small room and down the stairs. When the labyrinth was in view, they stopped and rested against the wall of the column.
"That...was close," gasped Kevin. Courage nodded.
Kevin then reached into his pocket. He pulled out the silver dollar. It had lost a lot of its luster after being exposed to the air for over a century. But you could still point out the grooves and indentations that proved that this coin was worth a dollar in its time.
"We need to get this coin to whoever is holding our families hostage," said Kevin. A thought suddenly made him sit up straight. "Maybe Reginald is helping us!"
Courage raised his eyebrows and made a questioning sound in his throat.
"C'mon, Courage. Remember how it got cold back there, all of a sudden? I've heard that sudden drops in temperature are related to ghostly encounters. I'm pretty sure the ghost of Reginald Baggs removed the coin's glass case from the pedestal. Maybe he's even on our side!"
This brought a little comfort to Courage, knowing that they now had another ally. Of course, seeing as how it was a ghost and all, the thought made Courage uneasy.
As Kevin put the coin back into his pocket, Courage heard something. "Ssshh," said Courage, as his acute hearing picked up a faraway sound. "Do you hear that, Kevin?"
"I don't hear anything," answered Kevin, which was an obvious lie. He could hear the crackling sounds of the torches and, more loudly, his own heartbeat.
Courage moved slowly down the steps, followed by Kevin. "Over there," said Courage and pointed to something on the far wall. On the opposite side of the room from which they came in, there was a tunnel that exited out of the cavern.
Courage paused. In order to get there, they would have to travel through the other half of the labyrinth. He didn't want him and Kevin to have to go through THAT again. There must be another way. Courage looked around. Below him, about three feet away, the top of a wall of the labyrinth was standing right within jumping distance. Before Kevin could ask the dog what he was doing, Courage took a flying leap off the staircase and landed squarely on top of the wall.
Courage turned around. "C'mon, Kevin! Jump on!"
Kevin hesitated. He was about fifteen feet above the ground. His acrophobia (fear of heights) wasn't as strong from this height, but it was lingering nonetheless. Courage coaxed Kevin for several moments before Kevin took a big breath and leaped onto the wall rather awkwardly. He bruised his chest in the process, but was otherwise unharmed. From there, Courage and Kevin slowly walked along the wall towards the direction of the exit. If they were to fall off the wall, they would be hopelessly lost in the labyrinth. The top of the wall was only a couple feet wide, so they tried their best to balance on it. Kevin was having a bit of difficulty, since Courage was smaller and had a tail to help him balance. They eventually reached the end of the labyrinth and jumped down to the ground. The exit ahead looked exactly like the tunnel they had entered in except this one was at ground level.
Now Kevin and Courage began to hear the sound more clearly. It was somebody's voice! "Help! Help me!" cried the pitiful voice.
"Sandy!" said Kevin and Courage simultaneously. They looked at each other with determined expressions on their faces. Without another word, they ran out of the labyrinthine cavern and into the tunnel.
******
This was not the only large, underground chamber under the town of Nowhere. Far away from the maze cave was another cavern that was about half as big. The only light was coming from a small clump of glowing moss that sat against a wall and illuminated only a portion of the cave. It was rather chilly down in this cave, and the moss provided a little warmth in the area where it provided light. Huddled around this moss sat Carl, Diane, and Katie Henderson, as well as Eustace and Muriel. They were all miserable and frightened. They seemed to recall flying through a tornado of sand, and the next thing they knew, they were here. The Hendersons huddled together and wondered where Kevin and Sandy were. Muriel sat wondering where Courage was. Eustace wondered where the heck they were and, more importantly, where his paper went to.
"Stupid cave," muttered Eustace. "Stupid cold. Achoo!" sneezed Eustace.
"Where are we, mommy?" asked Katie, holding Mr. Furry tight.
"I don't know, baby," whispered Diane. "But we're going to get out of here. It's going to be all right." Katie's parents hugged her tight.
Muriel sighed sadly. Watching Carl and Diane protecting their daughter made her think about her grandson, Gormley. (Read YearOfTheCat's stories, "The Sneak", "Monstrous Mattress", and "My Girl" to find out more about Gormley.) Muriel wished Courage was with her.
Suddenly, a deep male laugh exploded into the cavern! Everyone jumped, and huddled together fearfully, except for Eustace, who was just annoyed.
"Well, well, well," said the big voice, echoing from the darkness. "It's been a while, but it looks like I've finally found the relatives I've been searching for!"
"Who are you??!!" shouted Carl at the top of his lungs.
"Now, now, good man. All will be revealed shortly. I notice, however, that I have missed several of your family members. Don't worry about them. They're just fine...for now."
"What have you done with me Courage?" asked Muriel.
"Yeah! Where's our stupid dog?" shouted Eustace.
"No need to worry about him...Baggs." A chill ran down everyone's spine when the voice said "Baggs". The tone was one of inexplicable hatred. Even Eustace was beginning to get scared. "That dog and the boy...what was his name?...Kevin! Yes, they are on their way to discover you, but first, I have placed one of the dogs in a most...precarious position. If they can rescue her in the next...ten minutes, maybe they'll be smart enough to resume the search and not succumb to a 'flammable' fate."
"Her," mumbled Katie with tears in her eyes. "He said 'her'. He got Sandy."
"What kind of a monster are you?!!!" yelled Diane.
The voice was shocked. "Now is that any way to talk to an 'old relative', fellow Williams?" The voice laughed evilly, until all that could be heard were the fading echoes.
"Williams. Is that your maiden name? I think it's lovely," said Muriel shakily.
Diane smiled weakly at Muriel.
Carl turned to his wife. "'Old relative'? Don't tell me he's from YOUR side of the family."
Diane didn't know what to say. Everyone pretty much stopped talking at this point. Katie rested her head in her father's lap as Eustace got up and started pacing.
I knew this town seemed familiar, thought Diane to herself.
******
Kevin and Courage raced down the tunnel. As they ran, it suddenly began getting hotter. The two suddenly arrived at an intersection. A tunnel branched off perpendicularly to the left. It looked dark and eerie down there. But Sandy's screams were coming from directly ahead. A bright orange light could be seen off in the distance, just like before. Before they arrived, Courage and Kevin were amazed by the sudden heat. They began sweating and panting, and they could hear a sound like boiling water from up ahead. When they reached the end of the tunnel, they stopped and gazed at the scene before them.
They were in another large cavern. This time, about 100 feet below, was a sea of molten lava (or magma, as the case may be.) The ceiling was made of a shimmering, acidic mineral. Poking up from the magma was a tall, rocky island that was connected to where Courage and Kevin were standing by the stereotypical "rickety wooden bridge." In the middle of the tiny island stood a wooden post and tied up to this post with a rope was Sandy.
"Sandy!" yelled Courage and Kevin.
"Courage! Kevin! Get me out of here!" shouted Sandy over the roar of the bubbling magma.
"Don't worry, Sandy!" said Courage.
"Yeah! We'll save you!" yelled Kevin.
They approached the bridge and carefully started across it. The ropes creaked and strained from the sudden weight.
"Oh, this is not good," said Courage, as he stared down towards the magma.
"How do you think I feel?" asked Kevin, who was holding onto the ropes for dear life. "Just don't look down, Courage."
Courage obeyed Kevin's command until the two of them arrived at the halfway point of the bridge. Courage stepped on a rotten piece of wood and the board broke underneath him. Courage's paw grabbed onto the rope as Kevin grabbed the back of Courage's neck. Courage watched the wood fall into the lava below.
"Kevin!! I'm looking down!!" whined Courage.
"I told you not to look down!" answered Kevin.
"Um, boys?! I'd like to get out of here if you don't mind!!" yelled Sandy.
"I think she's getting annoyed," said Courage.
"Gee, you think?!" hollered Kevin. "Look, you go on ahead and untie her. I'll stay here to make sure you both get back."
Courage didn't like this idea, but he didn't want to argue. He slowly regained his composure and took a step forward towards Sandy.
"The things you do for love," muttered Kevin from behind.
Courage turned and glared at Kevin for stealing his line before continuing down the bridge. Eventually, Courage reached Sandy and untied the ropes that bound Sandy to the pole. When she was free, Sandy gave Courage a big hug.
"Come on! We need to get out of here!" shouted Courage, and the two dogs ran across the bridge toward Kevin. Sandy gave Kevin a quick hug, when suddenly, a giant rumbling sound echoed across the room. The bridge started rocking crazily.
"MOVE!!!" bellowed Kevin and the three of them ran across the bridge at lightning speed. Just before they reached the end of the bridge, though, the island collapsed. The bridge snapped in half, bringing one half of the bridge down into the lava with the island. The other half of the bridge was left hanging off the side of the tunnel entrance. Kevin managed to make it across, but Courage and Sandy were left hanging onto the bridge for dear life. Kevin reached out an arm towards Sandy, who was closer to him.
"Give me your paw!" yelled Kevin. Sandy stretched her arm towards Kevin, but just at that moment, the board that Sandy was holding onto suddenly snapped. Sandy began to fall.
"NOOO!!!" screamed Kevin.
Sandy didn't fall more than three feet, when she suddenly stopped. She looked up and saw Courage holding onto her paw with a vice-like grip. He had involuntarily reached out his paw and grabbed Sandy's paw as she went by, saving her life. Sandy managed to hold onto the bridge again and together they slowly made their way up into Kevin's waiting arms.
The three of them were incredibly relieved, but no one was more relieved than Sandy. She looked at Courage and her heart skipped a beat. This incredible dog had just saved her life!
She was thinking of ways to thank him when suddenly the rumbling sound began again, this time more violently. Rocks began coming off the walls, and the lava was beginning to bubble far below.
"C'mon!" said Kevin, and the three of them took off into the tunnel. Maybe it was Courage's imagination, but he thought he heard laughter coming from the room they'd just left!
When they reached the intersection, Kevin pointed down the darker tunnel. They ran down the tunnel for fifteen minutes, stopping only once, before they saw a mass of glowing moss ahead of them. They finally stopped at the one thing they didn't wish to see at all.
It was a dead end.
"What do we do? What do we do?" asked Courage and Sandy.
Before Kevin could answer, a dull roar could be heard all the way back at the intersection. A bright point of light was detected far down the tunnel. And it was getting brighter.
"Oh no," moaned Kevin. "It's the lava. It's coming this way."
(Uh-oh. Out of the frying pan and into the oven! How are they going to get out of this one?? Is this the end of our heroes???)
Stick around for the next chapter....which I haven't named yet.
[In case you're wondering, that bridge scene was indeed inspired by (or more accurately, stolen from) the movie, "Shrek."]