Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 Michael's plan was going so well. His map had led him to exactly what he had gone looking for. "Eww, gross!" Michael said as he hung from the rope with one hand. He held his flashlight in the other hand, illuminating a couple of dried-out and long-gone mammals, each about the size of a loaf of bread. (For Michael, like for a lot of 10-year-olds, "gross" meant pretty much the same thing as "cool.")

There was no way he wouldn't be taking these treasures back home with him. He placed the flashlight in his teeth to free up a hand then reached around and unzipped the top of his backpack. No sooner had he stashed the treasure in his pack than another bat came flapping past his face in the darkness. Michael screamed. The thing about "AHHHHH!" is that your mouth has to be all the way open to say it. And the thing about having your mouth all the way open is that anything you are holding with your teeth will fall out.

The flashlight hit the rocky cave floor, shattering the bulb and plunging Michael into complete darkness. If Michael had been a truly experienced cave explorer, he would have known to bring an extra flashlight, but he was not, and he did not. "Uh-oh," Michael said, clinging to his rope. If anything is scarier than a random bat flying at your face, it's being suspended eight feet in the air in total darkness.

Michael's first reaction was to reach for the ledge he remembered last seeing in front of him. Bad idea. THUD! Michael hit the floor.

"Owwwww," he groaned. As much as falling hurt, at least he'd gotten it over with. His only other option had been to get stuck up on the ledge. Michael felt around for his backpack, which had landed a few feet over. I need to get out of here! His map was still in his backpack. A map that you can't see isn't at all useful, but at least Michael had drawn it. He reasoned his best chance would be to retrace his steps from memory. He knew how many turns to take, but could he remember when to take them? Or would he just get more lost in the cave? Maybe he should stay put and count on Justin figuring out where he went and leading a rescue team to him? On the other hand, if he found his way out on his own, no one— especially his dad— would ever know he'd been gone. Michael made his decision. "I gotta get back," he said out loud, the words bouncing off the cave walls. He wobbled to his feet, slung on his backpack, and stumbled forward into the darkness.