Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10 Dink felt the wood that covered the chute. "It feels old," he said. "Back away, you guys. I'll smack it with the shovel." "How will you hit anything?" Ruth Rose asked. "I can't even see you!" Dink felt the chute again, judging its distance. He raised the shovel over his head, swung, and

missed. "Pretend you're blindfolded and you're swinging at a pinata," Josh said. "It's filled with candy, money, cookies …" THWACK! Dink's second swing struck something solid. Now that he had the right location, he was able to hit it every time he swung. "See if it's loose," Dink said, out of breath. "Wait a minute," Ruth Rose said. She stepped forward and felt for the wood. "I think you cracked it!" "Okay, get back again," Dink said. He swung the shovel with all his might. This time, the wood shattered. "You got it!" Josh said, pulling broken wood away. "Oh, gross, there's something slimy on me!" As he spoke, a pile of wet stuff fell into the room. It smelled worse than the coal dust. A beam

of sunlight fell through the chute. At Josh's feet was a pile of rotted leaves. "You did it, Dink!" Ruth Rose cried. Then she started to laugh. "What?" Josh asked. "Our legs and feet are black! We look like pandas!" The kids stared up at the sunlight. The chute was slanted. It was easy to see how coal would come sliding down into the cellar.

"We need something to climb on," Josh said. "All we have is the coal," Ruth Rose said. "And my handy-dandy coal shovel!" Dink added. "What if we make a pile right under the opening?" "But how do we climb out?" Ruth Rose asked. "The chute is steep and looks slippery." "We can boost each other up," Josh said. "The first one out can pull up the next one. The ones on the inside can push." "But how about the last person?" Ruth Rose asked. "Who boosts him up? And what about Winnie?" "I guess somebody has to stay here while the others get help," Dink said. The kids stood and thought, with the sunlight streaming down through the chute. "How's this?" Josh said after a minute. "Ruth Rose, you're the smallest. What if Dink and I

boost you through the chute? We can stay here with Winnie while you run to the police station." "Are you sure?" Ruth Rose asked. "Maybe you should go. You're a faster runner." "Nah, I have to stay to protect Dink," Josh said. "He's afraid of the dark." "Okay, let's get to work," Dink said. "We'll take turns shoveling." Ten minutes later, Ruth Rose stood on a small mountain of coal. She stuck her arms into the chute, then her head and shoulders. "Okay, push, you guys!" Dink and Josh pushed Ruth Rose until only the bottoms of her feet were sticking out of the chute. "More!" she said, her voice sounding hollow. "I can't reach the other end." As the boys pushed the bottoms of her feet, Ruth Rose inched up the chute. "Okay!" came her faraway voice. Dink could hear her scrambling to pull herself out. When he and Josh looked up the chute, they

saw her face at the other end. "Try to find Winnie," she said. Then she was gone. Dink and Josh sat on the coal they'd piled up. Neither wanted to leave the comforting shaft of sunlight. "How do we find a black-and-white panda who's now all black?" Josh asked. "Maybe if we're real quiet, we'll hear her," Dink said. They sat totally still on their hill of coal. The sunlight fell between them, bouncing off the shiny black chunks. Dink heard his own breathing and Josh's. But try as he might, he couldn't hear anything else. Then Josh giggled. "What's funny?" Dink asked, glancing over at Josh. A coal-black baby panda had crawled onto Josh's lap. It was snuggling up against him. "Winnie must think you're her mama," Dink said. "Boy, do I wish I had Ruth Rose's camcorder now!" Dink and Josh sat and cuddled with Winnie. The sunlight coming through the chute warmed them up.