Chapter Four

Silence. Everything was silent. It was as if everything had been frozen in time. Including the rapid beating of my heart. Feet locked to the ground I waited for something to happen. I waited for the immense boulder to roll off the cave's entryway. Nothing happened. "What'll we do now?" I whimpered nervously. "Don't worry Amy." Tam said, "We'll get out of this. I'm sure we will." Tammy tried to look brave but I could tell by the shakiness of her voice that she just as frightened as I was. "Any idea's" I asked. Tammy just shook her head and sat on a fold out chair. What? Okay this isn't funny! "Perhaps if we said 'Open Sesame' then the entrance will open up." I rolled up eyes and stared at Tam. "Or we could do the more sincere thing, and just look for another entrance." I unlocked my feet and tentatively walked down the narrow walls of the murky cave, "Come Tammy! I can't see without a flashlight." Tammy ran up behind me pointing out that there was flashlight in my pocket. I turned it on and felt a slight comfort, but I was still shaking like a timorous rabbit. Tammy seemed to notice my unsteadiness. "Don't worry" she reassured me, "Here, have a milkshake." "Where in the world did you get a milkshake?" I asked as Tammy devoured her chocolate treat. "It's called an 'ARTISTIC LICENSE'" Tammy knowingly replied, "The writer can do anything she likes. Right?" Writer: (oh yes, most definitely.) "I guess you're right Tam." I said, "But since when does the writer talk in her own story." Writer:(Don't forget about Artistic Licenses.) "Fine. I give in!" I said, relucently excepting Tammy's offer and slurped down a strawberry milkshake.

Then we continued about our way, with Tammy making recommendations the whole way. "Hey!" Tammy said, " What if the writer uses her artistic license and make a hole in the cave or something." Writer: (Sorry no can do. I'm the writer of this story, not a superhero. Besides this is the last time I'm appearing in this.) Tammy clenched her teeth and waved her fist. "Why you" "Hold it Tam!" I interrupted, "We're supposed to be looking for a way out of here, remember?" "Yeah." Tam agreed, "Lets get moving."

As we walked on I asked Tammy the time. "Four-thirty p.m." she retorted, and at that exact moment I got a little freaked out. Cause my mom had said she wanted me home at five- thirty sharp. "Oh no!" I realized in panic, "I have to be home in an hour! What'll we do?" Luckily Tammy was there to calm me down (what would I do without her?), and we quietly looked around the cave for another entrance. About half an hour later things started to get a little hectic. I was excepted home soon. Of course it didn't matter when Tam got home cause her folks were too far away to even tell which way her back was facing. I knew I was going to get in mayor trouble if I didn't get home soon. My parents would call the police and the neighborhood would arrange a search party. Tammy's parents would come home and panic becausehey she's not there! Only days later we would be forgotten, nothing else, just forgotten. Tammy must have been reading my sorrowful thoughts, because for the first time in more than half an hour she spoke. "Don't worry Amy," she said, "We'll soon blow this Popsicle stand and be home before anyone evens notices we're gone." "Are you sure Tam?" I inquired with a dubious voice, "Because if we're not home soon the both of us are going to have the biggest grounding in our lives." "Well I don't have anything to worry about" Tammy just loves to rub in her no adult supervision situation. "Be serious Tammy," I demanded with rolling eyes, "I've only got less then half an hour to get back and if I'm any later then my..." "Look!" Tam interrupted, pointing and running forward at the same time. "What now?" I asked with a tired sign. Slowly I looked forward and sawthe unexpected.

Just ahead were two tunnels going in opposite directions, although the tunnels weren't uncommon since that's what a cave is mostly made of. It was that was in the middle of the two separate paths that caught my eye, and what was it? Well I couldn't say cause I had no idea myself. It looked like a large stone with strange carvings and a flat top. Light shone down apon it from above, but as I approached the object to seek where pale bean may be coming from I found something rather strange. Even though there was light shinning on the stone when I looked up I saw absolutely to hole in the cave. "What do you suppose it is?" Tam questioned me, her mind blank of what may be solutions. "I have no idea," I answered, being of no help to the problem-solving mission that Tammy seemed to be having. She leaned her back against the cold wave wall and began biting her nails and staring vacantly into space, something she always does when she's thinking deeply. "Hey!" she said, popping back into reality, "What if the rock tells will tell us how to get out?" "It possible!" I leaped over to examine the stone. The rock's surface was luminous and nicely polished. The calligraphy on the granite were fairly familiar although I had not the slighted what it meant or what it was from. Still I had a feeling that I knew the odd writing from somewhere. "What do you suppose the designs on this stone means?" I asked, "I can't find anything that could give me an explanation." "Well you know what Mr.Mic'ber says," Tammy pointed out, "If you can't find a solution to your problems then you're not looking hard enough." "What do I care what Mr.Mic'ber says? "That's it!" I laughed with joy hopped around. Totally loosing control of myself until Tammy said, "Okay 'Miss Rabbit', what is it?" Trying to hide her giggles, I guess I was acting pretty absurd. "I know what the writing is!" "What? Tell me!" Tammy inquired with eagerness. "It's Greek writing!" I beam with enlightenment, "Remember how Mr.Mic'ber was teaching us about it and gave us all Greek language books?" "Yeah!" Tammy said, "But how will we know what the writing means if we don't have one of those books?"

The question wasn't hard to answer. "We do!" I pulled out a small paperback book from my large back pocket. I had put it there when I got it and forgotten about it until now. "Just leave it to you to have a book in your back pocket," Tam said with relief So with my language book in hand we began figuring out what the Greek script meant. After we solved the first three words our hopes sprung higher and higher. By the sixth word we were on edge, our enthusiasm rising like a match was trying to light itself inside us. The last two words set us ablaze. "We have it!" Tammy whooped, "We can get out!" With joyful excitement she hugged me tightly, very tightly. "Tam!" I cried, "You're squeezing me to death!" Laughing, Tammy let go. But kept laughing. I have to say it was pretty hard to control myself in all the exhilaration. I couldn't help but let out a few jubilant giggles. Then remembering my mothers orders I asked Tammy what time it was. When she told me it five minutes past five o'clock, we took one look at each other and took off, sending mud flying in every direction. Following the instructions of the Greek script that read 'The way out is through the left tunnel (I thought it would be more complicated then that). As came closer to the end of the tunnel our legs moved faster and faster. Then finally we reached our destination point. Breathing heavily from our fifty-foot dash, we sat ourselves right in the muddy ground, too tired to notice that our pants were covered in muck. Anyway, you expect us out of this miserable mud house by now wouldn't you? Well think again, because to our certain disappointment we found that there was a door at the end of the tunnel with a large lock that looked about a thousand years old. "Stupid rock," Tammy pouted, "How could it betray us like this? It never said anything about a locked door or even where to find the key!" "Well, perhaps its here somewhere." I said with an assured hopefulness.

I began searching every nook and cranny near the door to find the lost key. With no such luck I gave up. "It's no use!" I cried leaning back on the door. When suddenly to our amazement it swung open. Tammy had a theory that it might be a trick door. Making you think it was locked. I didn't really care what kind of door it was. I was out and that was all that mattered. Finding Tam's boat was a piece of cake and we booted it out of there, as fast as her little craft could go. It didn't worry me this time because through the ear pinching wind the movement of the boat was making and the roaring of it's motor I kept on shouting at Tammy to go faster. After Tammy settled her vessel down for the night we hoped on our bikes and headed home. When we reached our street we said our good-byes and separated. I knew that my parents were going to ask me what I had been doing today, and in case you're wondering, I still haven't figured out what to tell them.