A Thin Line (50 page)

Gabriel sank weakly onto the nearest chair.
 
“How far from Glastonbury Tor?”

“Not so very far.
 
Her cottage is a bit outside of Cheddar itself.”

“We have to leave now,” Gabe said, desperately looking at McKenzie.
 

“We can’t travel tonight.
 
There isn’t even a full moon to light our way.
 
We will leave at first light.”

“You don’t understand.
 
Arthur, Glastonbury, Mikala.”

“Gabe, I am your Director.
 
I understand perfectly, but we cannot leave tonight.
 
Mr. Bates, if you will hand over the directions on how to get there, it would be greatly appreciated.
 
Did she say how she would be traveling?”

“I believe she said something about checking the routes of the mail coaches.”

“Thank you for your help and assistance.”

“My pleasure,” the man mumbled as Mack showed him to the door.

When Mack walked back into the room, he saw Gabe staring into the pitch darkness through a nearby window.
 
“Gabe, we will find her.”

“I pray it is in time.”

***

Kala awoke two mornings later feeling stiff and achy.
 
The day of rest helped her back feel better than it did yesterday; however, her stomach churned precariously and sweat beaded on her face and neck, threatening her outing with the Fisher boys.
 
Her stomach lurched as she stood, but she took deep breaths to win the battle.
 
She walked to the kitchen and brought a small fire to life in the fireplace.
 

She placed a slice of bread on a small stand to toast and poured water out of the pitcher onto a cloth.
 
Kala washed the sleep from her eyes and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her face and neck earlier.
 
She filled a kettle with some of the water from the pitcher and set it to boiling.
 
After the bread had been toasted and removed from the fire, she buttered it and set it on a plate.
 
Once the water boiled, she dropped in tea leaves and let it steep for a few minutes.
 
Kala sat at her lonely kitchen table and nibbled at her breakfast.

Feeling infinitely better, she left the dishes and went to change clothes.
 
She pulled on her old trousers she had stolen from Derek years ago and a blouse.
 
Kala began buttoning the trousers, but they were tighter than normal and she couldn’t get them to fasten.
 
She rummaged around in her things and found a length of rope and tied it around the waist and let the shirt hang over the pants.
 
A knock sounded on the door just as she pulled on her last boot.

“Good morning boys,” Kala said as she opened the door.

“You’re wearing boy clothes,” Tommy said in awe.

“It’s easier to climb this way,” Kala shrugged.
 
“I need to get our picnic together and then I’ll be ready.”
 
The boys waited patiently, and Nate went to the brook and filled an animal skin with water.
 
When he came back to the cottage, Kala and Tommy were waiting outside.
 
“We’re ready.”
 

The threesome walked almost an hour before reaching the gorge.
 
They stood at the top and looked down at the valley below them.
 
Kala stood in awe at the sight.
 
It looked as if someone had taken a spade and carved out a section of the land.
 
There were nooks and crannies everywhere.

“Com’on,” Nate said and led the group to the left where the disparity between the bottom and top of the gorge was not so great.
 
They carefully picked their way down the rocky slope.
 
All three slid down the last third like a slide, laughing all the way.
 
Once they were on the gorge floor, Kala stood and turned in a circle.

“It’s huge,” she murmured in awe.

“Yeah,” the boys said in unison.

“Well, share your secrets.
 
I want to see some of these caves.”

“All right.”
 
Nate led the group through the middle of the gorge about one hundred yards from where they entered.
 
“Just leave the lunch here.
 
No one will bother it.”
 
Kala nodded and set the lunch down in the shade of some boulders.
 
“Up there to our right is one of the best caves here, but we’ll have to do some climbing.”

“Lead on,” Kala couldn’t contain the excitement that bubbled up inside.
 
By the time they reached the mouth of the cave, Kala’s arms and legs ached, but the excitement of the unknown spurred her on.
 
Further back in the cave, Kala could see a faint glow.
 
“Where is the light coming from?”

“You’ll see,” Tommy said with a grin.
 
The trio walked toward the back of the cave with Nate once again in the lead.
 
Kala looked around in amazement, stopping to admire the conical-like boulders that seemed to grow from the cave floor.
 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it,” she said in awe.

“I know.
 
That’s why we come here so much.”
 
The boys let Kala look for a while longer before urging her on.

“What could beat this?” Kala questioned and the boys only laughed.
 
There were some points where they had to crawl through the passage, but always you could see the light.
 
The further back they went, the brighter it became.
 
The boys stepped aside and let Kala enter a large antechamber.
 
“Oh, my,” she whispered and the sound bounced around the room.

“We call this Echo Cave,” Tommy informed her.

“I can see why,” Kala replied, their words still echoed around them.
 
“But, oh my,” she said again.
 
Before them was a pond lit by a hole in the ceiling of the cave that let sunlight in.
 
The water shone clear and you could see the bottom.

“The water is deeper than it looks,” Nate said.

“And it’s warm,” Tommy piped up.

“Really?”

“We’ve all tried to touch the bottom, even some of the older kids, but we never can.
 
We’re not sure how deep it is.”

They all stood there at the water’s edge looking, contemplating, when something penetrated Kala’s senses.
 
“What is that?”

“You hear it?”

“What is it?”

“A waterfall.
 
There is an underground stream that leads from this lake.
 
It’s just a few feet down on this side.”

“I can see the entrance.
 
It’s a little dark.”

“It leads to a chamber close to this one.
 
The waterfall is only about ten feet and the pool is about fifteen feet deep.
 
Some of the older boys can dive to the bottom of it.
 
It’s fun to jump off with the waterfall.
 
Some of the better swimmers go through the tunnel, but you have to be really good at holding your breath.”

“Your mother has no idea that you boys come here?”

“She prob’ly knows.
 
Ma seems to know everything.
 
She’s just never asked.
 
Maybe she thinks it’s safer for us than other things.”

“Maybe,” Kala walked over to the water and knelt beside it.
 
She trailed her fingers in it.
 
“It’s warm.”

“Aye.
 
Da’ thinks there are warm springs deeper underground that feed the pools.
 
He thinks that’s why we can’t touch the bottom and it is so clear.”

“If that’s the case, is it dangerous for you to play in it?”
 

Nate only shrugged.
 
Kids didn’t think about danger and Kala used to not.
 
When had things changed?
 
She started to stand but a sudden piercing feeling ripped through her abdomen.
 
She stayed for a moment on her hands and knees breathing deeply.
 
After a moment it went away as quickly as it appeared.

“Mrs. Smith, you all right?” Tommy asked worriedly.

“I’m fine.
 
I just haven’t felt well lately.
 
Come help me up, and you can show me the waterfall.”
 
Tommy and Nate both helped her up and the group headed back out and moved down the escarpment a bit to the next opening.
 
The roar almost deafened them in the silence.
 
This time they had no tunnel to go through, the pool and waterfall were in full view when you walked into the cave.
 
The sight was breathtaking and she found herself wishing for Gabe’s presence.

Again the cave was littered with the same conical shaped boulders as the previous.
 
She knew why this was such a popular place with the local children.
 
If she had grown up near here, she would have never been at home.
 
Kala went to the mouth of the cave and sat down.
 
She looked up and down the gorge admiring its unique beauty.
 
Across from her, the landscape looked like gnarled knuckles digging into the ground.

In that moment of peace another cramp pulled across her stomach.
 
She hoped she had not caught something on the mail coach on her ride here.
 
Kala had never been a good patient, nor would she ever be.
 
She asked the boys if they were ready to eat and they quickly agreed and made their way back down to the bottom of the gorge.

“It’s hard to believe it is winter, it has been so warm,” Kala looked around, the side of her hand pressed against her forehead to try to block some of the sun.

“There are some trees up top.”

“Good, let’s head there.”
 
They went back to the area they first came down and climbed back up.
 
The trio came upon a grouping of trees, thick with leaves that would provide good shade.
 
They all sat down, each claiming a tree to lean against.
 
Tommy handed out the food for everyone and they ate in companionable silence.
 
After the meal, they passed the water around.

“I just want to thank you boys for bringing me.
 
I know you weren’t really excited about spending the day with me, but I have enjoyed your company.”

“We had fun, too,” Tommy said.
 
Nate just nodded his head in agreement.
 

“You’re all right for a grown-up,” Nate said eventually.

“Thanks,” Kala said with a smile, then a yawn.
 
“I don’t think I got enough sleep last night.
 
I’m just going to rest for a minute.”

“We’re going to go play.
 
We’ll get you when it’s time to go.”
 
She nodded her head and drifted off to sleep in no time.
 
The sun was going down when the boys woke her up.
 

“How long did I sleep?”

“A while.”

“Well, let’s go so you two can get home.”
 
As they walked, she had no more twinges.
 
The boys saw her to her door, and she went inside and locked things up.
 
It was still early but she was exhausted.
 
She began undoing the rope at her waist when a sudden, devastating thought occurred to her.
 
She was almost certain she carried a child.
 
What if something was wrong?
 
Her fingers trembled as she undid the buttons of her shirt.

Shakily she changed into her gown and climbed into bed.
 
She wasn’t ready to be a mother, but she did not want anything to happen to the babe either.
 
Yes, she loved Gabe beyond reason, but she knew next to nothing about raising a child.
 
I don’t even know how to be a proper wife nor he a husband
, she thought sourly.
 
She lay on her side, her cheek cradled in her hand and stared out her window, seeing the world outside in a haze.
 
Kala touched her stomach, then jerked her hand away as if it were being scalded.

Kala worried her lower lip.
 
A child would have been easier to cope with in the future.
 
Hopefully, in the future it would be the only thing she would be dealing with.
 
That is, if she and Gabe are living in the same house once more, and all this other is behind them.

“But that is not how it happened, Kala,” she scolded herself.
 
She lay awake, trying to ignore the twinges as they became more regular and more powerful.
 
Finally, she fell into a fitful sleep.

***

Gabe beat on the door of a little house early the next afternoon.
 
A thin, harried woman opened the door and looked at him expectantly.
 
He just stared at her in confusion.