Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 "Should we open it?" Josh asked. Without answering, Dink grabbed the handle and pulled. The door came up easily. Beneath it were stone stairs leading down. They heard something skittering about in the darkness below. "Yuck, rats!" Josh said. "If you think I'm going —" "Shhh, I heard something else!" Ruth Rose said. Then they all heard it. It was a squeaking, crying noise. "That's Winnie!" Ruth Rose said. She ran down the stairs. Dink and Josh were right behind her.

The air at the bottom of the steps was filled with some kind of dust. It stung their eyes. The only light came through the open trapdoor. "Guys, I think we're in an old coal cellar," Josh said. "My grandfather has one, and it's just like this!" Dink could feel the coal dust in his eyes and nose and on his lips. He began to cough. "Look, there's Winnie!" Ruth Rose whispered. Across the room glowed a pair of eyes. Suddenly the trapdoor slammed shut. Instantly they were in total darkness. Then they heard the sound of metal on metal. "Someone locked us in!" Josh said. "I can't see anything!" "Let's not panic, okay?" Ruth Rose said. "Let's just sit down where we are," Dink suggested. "But I can't see!" Josh complained. "This place is disgusting!"

Dink sat down. Underneath him, he felt a few lumps of coal. He brushed them aside. "I'll bet Flip locked us in," Ruth Rose said. "He must have figured out where we went." Dink heard Josh standing up. "What're you doing, Josh?" "This building is old, so maybe the lock is, too," Josh said. "I might be able to force it." "I'll help you," Dink said. He and Josh stumbled up the steps and shoved against the trapdoor. It didn't move. "Well, it was a good idea, Josh," Dink said. They found their way back down the steps and sat next to Ruth Rose. "How are we supposed to get out of here?" Josh asked in a shaky voice. "Maybe there's a window," Ruth Rose said. "Don't basements have windows?" "But it's not a basement," Josh said. "It's just a room where they kept the coal in the old days." "I bet no one ever comes down here anymore," Dink said. "It was a good place to hide Winnie." "Where is she, I wonder?" Ruth Rose said. "She's probably hiding," Dink said. "If only we had a light."

"Gee, if I'd known I was gonna be trapped underground," Josh said, "I'd have brought my flashlight." "Don't worry," Ruth Rose said. "Flip will let us out after he collects his money at midnight." "Well, I'm not sitting here till midnight," Josh said, standing up again. "I have a plan!" "You do?" Dink said. "Yeah," Josh said, sliding lumps of coal out of the way with his bare feet. "Let's hold hands and try to find the walls. Then we can feel around the whole room." "What're we feeling for?" Ruth Rose asked. "The coal chute," Josh said. "The coal shoot?" Dink said. "Like in a gun?" "The coal chute, Dinkus. C-H-U-T-E," Josh said. "My grandfather told me how coal used to get delivered. They slid it down a chute right into the basement." "So you're saying there's one of those slide things here somewhere?" Ruth Rose asked.

"Yeah, and it'll lead to the outside!" The kids held hands, with Ruth Rose in the middle. Dink and Josh reached out and groped for the walls. Seconds later, Dink tripped over something. He landed on his knees in a pile of coal. "I found a shovel," Dink said, running a hand over the metal shape. He used the shovel to help him stand. He lost his balance and fell against a wall. "Okay," he said, rubbing his elbow. "I found a wall. Now what?" "Feel along for some kind of opening," Josh said. "It might be kind of high up." All three kids moved along the wall, feeling their way. Dink used the shovel like a cane as he shuffled along. Once Dink heard a whimper. "It's okay, Winnie," he said into the darkness. "We're the good guys." Suddenly Ruth Rose shouted, "I FOUND SOMETHING!" "What's it feel like?" Josh asked. "Like a window frame," she said. "But there's no glass—there's a piece of board or something

where the glass should be." "That must be the chute," Josh said. "How high up is it?" "A little above my head," Ruth Rose said. "But I can reach it." Dink and Josh felt their way along the wall until they were standing next to Ruth Rose. "I think you found it, Ruth Rose," Josh said. "But how do we get it open?" Dink lifted the heavy metal shovel. "Will this do?" he asked.