She heard a loud drum beating a muffled beat above her head and she felt the mallet strike the soft spot on the crown. She tried to reach it, but the drum seemed so far away. Then she awoke. A water drop splashed a puddle over her eyes. She tried to wipe away the water but her hands were stuck below her.
She panicked and kicked her legs. They failed to touch bottom and she realized she was dangling in a hole with her arms below her wedged into the rock. She was helpless and alone in the dark. Her helmet was behind her head. She must have fallen somehow. The moment she didn’t remember.
She screamed for help. Her voice echoed against the walls of her prison until it faded. No light reached her. The lantern on her helmet started to flicker and went out. She now hung in the dark, the water dripping in a slow rhythm. She closed her eyes. The loud banging drum returned.
© 2018, Michael Shawn Sommermeyer. All rights reserved.
