Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 It wasn't quite pitch–black in the cave. A lighter shade of black, if that was possible. Dan was leading the way. The light from the entrance and the beam of the flashlight showed that the walls and ceiling were pitted and craggy. Dan stopped every step or two so he could shine the flashlight's beam all around. It was slow going. After about twenty cautious paces, Dan reached the far wall. "That's it," he said. "It doesn't go any farther." They now knew that the cave was not very big, perhaps fifteen feet across and thirty feet long, narrower at the entrance and toward the ceiling. No passages branched off, nor were there any niches or alcoves in the rock walls. "We must have missed something," Amy said. "How do you know we're in the right place? There could be another cave around here

somewhere." "With the Tomas crest over the door?" "Well, no cats in here, that's for sure," he said. "Let's walk around the edge now," Amy suggested. They turned to their right and made their way slowly around the side of the cave. Dan touched the wall gingerly. It was rough, maybe granite. The water slapped at the walls all around, not big waves, just wavelets. Each small surge brought the water to almost chest level. Chest level? "The tide!" he said. "It's coming in!" "Then we better find it quick," Amy said grimly. They took another couple of steps to the right. Dan flashed the light at the side wall. "Not so fast," Amy said. "Do it, like, a square foot at a time." They went over that section of wall slowly. Dan glanced anxiously down at the water. Then it hit him. They were only searching above the waterline!

"Oh, no," he said. "What if it's down there somewhere?" He pointed the flashlight beam through the water. Amy groaned. "We'll have to come back when the tide is out all the way. Maybe we could just sort of guard the place until the tide goes down— Nellie could go back to the boat and tell them we're staying here—" Dan hardly heard her. "Here," he said, handing her the flashlight. "Aim it straight down there." He pointed the beam of light at where the wall of the cave joined the ocean floor. It wasn't a neat, right–angle seam as it would have been for a room indoors; there were rocks of all sizes sticking out from both the ocean floor and the wall itself. He hadn't really seen anything. It was so dark, with the water moving and the flashlight beam wavering…. But maybe he had seen something, just not clearly enough or long enough for his brain to put a name to it. He adjusted his mask and snorkel, took a deep breath, and ducked under the surface. Bent over, half swimming and half crawling, he groped

around the rocks at the bottom, trying to remember what he had seen or thought he'd seen. Here? Or closer to the wall? He surfaced and spat out the snorkel mouthpiece. "Can't you hold the light steady?" he said. "It's wobbling around so much I can't get a bead on anything." "I am holding it still," she said. "It's the waves. And the reflection." "Refraction," he corrected her. "Whatever. Dan, it's not going to be safe here much longer." The water level now rose to Amy's chest, which meant that it was almost up to Dan's neck. He knew she was right. "I'm gonna go down once or twice more," he said. "I think—" But he didn't finish the thought. Maybe that would jinx him. He fixed the snorkel in place again and went back underwater. Rock. Bigger rock. Rock. He touched each one with his fingertips as he moved toward the wall to make sure he wasn't missing anything. Rock, tiny pebbles, rock…

Wait. Tiny pebbles? There weren't any other tiny pebbles around. All the rocks were at least the size of baseballs. Those pebbles… He surfaced. "Gimme the flashlight," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "Did you find something?" "No. I don't know." He shone the light on the area he'd been searching. "Man! Why didn't we bring an underwater flashlight?" One more circuit with the light, a square foot at a time… "There! Hold the light right here— don't move a muscle!" He went back under again. They weren't tiny pebbles. They were links that formed some kind of chain lodged firmly between two rocks. He got two fingers under the links and tugged. They didn't budge. Dan put his foot on the chain and stood up straight again. When his head broke the surface, it was the only body part that did. The water was up to his chin now, and the waves grew rougher as the water was forced into the narrower confines of

the cave's upper reaches. "Dan! We have to get out of here!" Amy was now holding the flashlight up above her shoulder to keep it out of the water. "I've got something! It's right here!" He went back down again and yanked frantically at the chain. With his other hand, he pushed at one of the rocks. It didn't budge, either. He switched to using both hands on the rock… was it moving? Just then he felt a hand on his shoulder, yanking him up. "Dan, come on!" "No!" he said, and inhaled a little seawater as a wave rose over the top of the snorkel. He hacked and coughed for a few moments, feeling his chest start to tighten. "Just one more try," he gasped, and plunged back down again. With all his might, Dan shoved at the rock. Finally, he felt it give, grabbed the chain, and gave it a yank. It came free! He stood up straight again and wrapped the chain around his wrist twice. Only the tips of his