Dark Passages

The first tunnel was a dud. Luckily they figured out it was caved in within a mile or so. They walked back slowly and decided to call it a night. They darkness meant that they could not be positive of the time but they knew it was long past the dinner hour and they were tired and exhausted. Asa handed out the cardboard-like bread rations. After passing round the water pitcher the children began to lie down. He heard a few of them sniffling past tears, weak attempts at hiding their fear.

Rueben sat next to the old abbot and spoke quietly. “Which Tunnel should we try next Abbot? Are there any clues as to which one would be better than the other?”

The Abbot sighed, “I do not know Rueben. Perhaps we should pray about it and make a decision in the morning.” Morning, thought Asa, when will ever see morning again?  He laid out his cloaks, lay on his back and stared at the old ceiling above him. His faith was shaken. Uncertainty plagued him. Once so full of faith he could stand on sand dune and stare at the sun and now so broken he had no direction- buried in this tomb. The night passed slowly.

Hours passed and he heard some of the children began to stir. He sat slowly and looked around. The few lights in shelter were beginning to flicker. It was time to move. He looked over at the younger priest, “Well Reuben, where does the Lord lead us?” Surprised, for the abbot was not one to relinquish the reigns of control, the priest pointed down one of the tunnels. “I believe I would go this way, Father.”

Asa nodded, “Let us go forward then” and he picked up the myriad of light-torches, gathered the children in a line and they began the treacherous journey into the depths of the earth. Asa led, the few adults in the middle and Reuben brought up the end. No more children would be lost; no adult would go unaccounted for. The darkness of the tunnel was absolute without their light-torches and they could not be recharged without sunlight. There was no way of knowing how long they’d last.

The tunnel was mostly clear of debris. Here and there parts of rock or old tools had been left behind but mostly the floor and walls seemed to have held up. The tunnel itself, narrow and short at the beginning started to widen as they moved on. By mid day the tunnel was a full six and half feel high and they could walk by twos. It was suffocating, the air had not moved there for a long time, the torches were only good for seeing right in front of ones feet. It was as though the darkness was snuffing them out.

As they walked Asa prayed. He wasn’t sure what he was praying for though and he didn’t bother to figure it out. He could hear the children talking, some crying, some stopping to use the restroom and the few adults were murmuring.  Little Rebekah walked next to him the whole way. None of her siblings had made it down; her mother and father too were absent. She was all alone.