Read Online The Battle for Duncragglin by Andrew H. Vanderwal - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Andrew H. Vanderwal
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gave Craig a whack. “Stop fanning!” she ordered.
Eventually the giggling died down. They mumbled good night, followed by complete silence. Sleep did not come easy; but, tired as they were, sleep they did.
Alex awoke and pushed a button on the side of his wrist-watch. It was 6:45 A.M. He had slept all of five and a half hours. They had another four hours before the next low tide four hours to explore.
Alex found his torch and clicked it on, careful to shine it away from Annie and Craig. He got up, stretched, and followed the twine back to the shaft and the scuba tanks. Nothing had been moved, and the tanks' owners had not returned – yet.
He set off in a new direction, one that led deeper inland. The chamber ended in a steep slope of fallen rock. Scrambling up the slope, he came to a stone arch that looked like it once might have been the top of a doorway. There was a tiny gap under the arch. Grunting, he wriggled a few rocks to widen the gap.
“Alex … Alex … where are you?” called a voice from far behind.
“Over here.” He shone his light back the way he had come.
Alex saw flashes from Annie's and Craig's lights as they approached. They climbed up the slope to join him. Together, they shone their lights through the opening Alex had made. Beyond was a long tunnel.
“Let's pack up and check it out,” Alex suggested.
Returning to where they had slept, they had a small breakfast of biscuits, chocolate, and water, carefully rationed by Annie. “I don't want to be the only one left with food and water once you two have run out,” she said, pointedly resealing her chocolate in plastic and putting it back into her pack. “We're not here to have a pig-out.”
“Aw.”
Craig reluctantly put his chocolate away, having eaten only two squares.
Eager to get going, they folded the clothes they used for bedding and roughly stuffed them back into their packs. Annie pulled out the baler's twine to unwind behind them.
The first section of the tunnel was so filled with rubble that they had to crawl over painfully rough rocks. It was a relief when the tunnel became higher and they could walk without fear of hitting their heads.
Their lights cast dark shadows past outcroppings. Alex often thought he spotted an opening, but each time, it turned out to be no more than a minor recess in the wall.
The tunnel ended at a rockfall. At first, it seemed like they had come to a dead end, but again they found they were able to clamber over the rocks and continue by squirming on their stomachs. At the peak of the rockfall, they saw that ahead the tunnel opened up into a large cave.
Overlapping each other's beam to make a stronger light, they saw they were entering a huge, semicircular cavern, with tall pillars that formed gnarly, branchlike arches across its ceiling. The semicircular wall across from them was intricately carved with thousands of animals, depicted in a tangled, junglelike background of vines, limbs, and leaves. In its center was the massive head of a fanged, snake-haired monster, its bottom fangs protruding up like gateposts.
“It's so beautiful,” Annie breathed.
Craig tilted his head and eyed the monster-head critically. “Actually, I think it's rather ugly.”
“Why would anyone build something like this so far underground?” Alex asked.
“Aliens,” said Craig. “It has to have been aliens.”
“Maybe this was made by a long-lost civilization of prehistoric people – or maybe by some prehuman advanced civilization,” Annie suggested.
“Aliens,” Craig said firmly. “And I'll bet they're what've been haunting the castle too….”
Hushed, they climbed down the rockfall and explored the cavern. Annie examined a cluster of carvings, gently wiping rock dust from the bumpy ridges.
“What are these things?” she asked.
Alex looked closely. “One-foot-tall insects that stand on two legs … and carry spears?” he offered.
“Aliens,” Craig said firmly.
Alex was beginning to think
Eventually the giggling died down. They mumbled good night, followed by complete silence. Sleep did not come easy; but, tired as they were, sleep they did.
Alex awoke and pushed a button on the side of his wrist-watch. It was 6:45 A.M. He had slept all of five and a half hours. They had another four hours before the next low tide four hours to explore.
Alex found his torch and clicked it on, careful to shine it away from Annie and Craig. He got up, stretched, and followed the twine back to the shaft and the scuba tanks. Nothing had been moved, and the tanks' owners had not returned – yet.
He set off in a new direction, one that led deeper inland. The chamber ended in a steep slope of fallen rock. Scrambling up the slope, he came to a stone arch that looked like it once might have been the top of a doorway. There was a tiny gap under the arch. Grunting, he wriggled a few rocks to widen the gap.
“Alex … Alex … where are you?” called a voice from far behind.
“Over here.” He shone his light back the way he had come.
Alex saw flashes from Annie's and Craig's lights as they approached. They climbed up the slope to join him. Together, they shone their lights through the opening Alex had made. Beyond was a long tunnel.
“Let's pack up and check it out,” Alex suggested.
Returning to where they had slept, they had a small breakfast of biscuits, chocolate, and water, carefully rationed by Annie. “I don't want to be the only one left with food and water once you two have run out,” she said, pointedly resealing her chocolate in plastic and putting it back into her pack. “We're not here to have a pig-out.”
“Aw.”
Craig reluctantly put his chocolate away, having eaten only two squares.
Eager to get going, they folded the clothes they used for bedding and roughly stuffed them back into their packs. Annie pulled out the baler's twine to unwind behind them.
The first section of the tunnel was so filled with rubble that they had to crawl over painfully rough rocks. It was a relief when the tunnel became higher and they could walk without fear of hitting their heads.
Their lights cast dark shadows past outcroppings. Alex often thought he spotted an opening, but each time, it turned out to be no more than a minor recess in the wall.
The tunnel ended at a rockfall. At first, it seemed like they had come to a dead end, but again they found they were able to clamber over the rocks and continue by squirming on their stomachs. At the peak of the rockfall, they saw that ahead the tunnel opened up into a large cave.
Overlapping each other's beam to make a stronger light, they saw they were entering a huge, semicircular cavern, with tall pillars that formed gnarly, branchlike arches across its ceiling. The semicircular wall across from them was intricately carved with thousands of animals, depicted in a tangled, junglelike background of vines, limbs, and leaves. In its center was the massive head of a fanged, snake-haired monster, its bottom fangs protruding up like gateposts.
“It's so beautiful,” Annie breathed.
Craig tilted his head and eyed the monster-head critically. “Actually, I think it's rather ugly.”
“Why would anyone build something like this so far underground?” Alex asked.
“Aliens,” said Craig. “It has to have been aliens.”
“Maybe this was made by a long-lost civilization of prehistoric people – or maybe by some prehuman advanced civilization,” Annie suggested.
“Aliens,” Craig said firmly. “And I'll bet they're what've been haunting the castle too….”
Hushed, they climbed down the rockfall and explored the cavern. Annie examined a cluster of carvings, gently wiping rock dust from the bumpy ridges.
“What are these things?” she asked.
Alex looked closely. “One-foot-tall insects that stand on two legs … and carry spears?” he offered.
“Aliens,” Craig said firmly.
Alex was beginning to think
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