Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Michael walked sideways with his hands stretched out in front of him, feeling his way along the rocky cave wall in the darkness. He had no idea what time it was, but he felt like he had been lost for hours. He'd taken what he'd

thought were all the correct turns, but here he still was, lost in the dark with no way of knowing if he was moving toward or away from the exit. Maybe I should take a nap, he thought. He had been up all night, and he was exhausted. The thought of a giant cave spider or boy-eating mole discovering him in his sleep, however, was enough to keep his eyes open and his feet moving.

"Why didn't I listen to my dad?" Michael said out loud, his voice echoing through the corridors of the cave. "I wouldn't be in this mess if I had. I don't even care anymore if I get in trouble. Dad can ground me for a year —I just want to go home." Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from the distance. It sounded like legs scurrying along. Lots of legs. He froze, terrified, his heart pounding so hard he could feel it in his ears. What if it was the giant cave spider? (It sounded like it had too many legs to be a boy-eating mole.) A narrow beam of light appeared on the wall about 50 feet in front of Michael. Because he'd been in total darkness for hours, just that little bit of light hurt his eyes, but it could only mean one thing. "Thank you, God!" he prayed. "I'm here! I'm here!" he shouted. Two men rounded the corner, carrying flashlights. Light flooded the cave corridor as they approached the tired, dirty, and squinting boy.