Fears

Emery Bern stood in line, bored out of her mind, waiting to board the bus that would take her eighth-grade class on their field trip. Their dull field trip. She hadn’t wanted to come on this field trip, but Mrs. Anderson, her science teacher, had said it would gain her extra credit and since she was failing science, her parents had signed her up. The worst part was none of her friends would be going. Nope. They were lucky enough to spend their Saturday at Dollywood. Now, instead of spending her day at an exciting water park, she’s going to be stuck wandering around some dull, cold, damp, smelly old cave. Perfect. But, at the moment she couldn’t even board the stupid bus. She craned her neck to see what was going on.

“Figures,” she muttered.

Pennie Freeware stood in front of the line, arguing with Mrs. Anderson about how dirty the seats were. Pennie was a nerdy, shy, girl with stringy blonde hair and glasses too big for her face and….afraid of EVERYTHING. Emery lived across the street from her and although they didn’t hang out, she knew almost everything about her because their parents were friends. Her mom was always trying to get her to spend time with Pennie. No thanks. There were days Emery almost felt sorry for the girl, but mostly she just thought she was weird. She had so many phobias Emery lost count.

Finally, the line began to move again, and she could take a seat. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back, preparing to feel sorry for herself for the whole ride, but then she felt someone plopped down in the seat beside her. She opened her eyes and saw Pennie sitting next to her.

“Mrs. Anderson is making me sit with you,” she explained. “I was looking for a clean seat but couldn’t find one, and then they were all taken,” she said. “Yours is the only one available.”

Emory closed her eyes again. “Perfect.” she dragged out. This was going to be a long ride.

Two excruciating hours later, they arrived at the cave.

“This is the lamest field trip ever,” Emery mumbled.

“The filthiest field trip ever, you mean.” Penny stated.” Do you know what types of things live in caves?” she asked. Bats. She continued without waiting for a response. “And do you know what kinds of diseases they carry?”

“Rabies?” Emery answered sarcastically.

“YES! Just to name one.” Emery's sarcasm seemingly lost, Penny continued. “There are others like Ebola or Sars. And they can all be transmitted by a single bite,” she added.

“Then don’t get bitten,” Emery replied dryly.

Emery looked out the window. From this distance the cave resembled the head of some type of beast, massive and ominous. The entrance represented his wide gaping mouth, ready to swallow anyone who entered. She shivered, then berated herself for feeling like a coward. She shrugged it off. It was just a dumb cave.

As everyone unboarded the bus, Mrs. Anderson informed everyone to use the buddy system in case anyone got lost. “There aren’t any caverns or tunnels I’m aware of, but it is obscure in some areas of the cave, so let’s all be safe.”

“We can be buddies,” Pennie said as she stepped over to Emery.

“What? No.” Emery answered. No way was she buddying up with this weirdo for the whole tour.

“Why not? None of your friends are here, are they? And as you are perfectly aware of, I don’t have any.” Pennie plainly stated. “Don’t you want to buddy up with someone you already know?” she finished.

Emery had to admit she had a point. None of her real friends were here, and she didn’t know these other kids that well. Plus, if she was honest, that last statement Pennie had made kind of made her feel guilty. “Fine, but don’t be weird,” she told her.

The cave seemed even more ominous up close. Another shiver ran down her back but she ignored it. She was not going to be scared of a cave. The inside was unexpectedly beautiful. Emery had expected darkness and dirt walls. But what she saw was a glimmering light show. Stalagmites hung from the cave ceiling illuminated by thin rays of sunshine from cracks or crevices in the cave walls making them appear to shimmer. A light breeze cooled her heated back and stirred her short auburn hair. Emery’s stomach muscles jittered, then relaxed. Huh. She hadn’t realized she was so tense. She let out a breath. This isn’t so bad. A few minutes later they came upon a platform. a man-made platform. It was built with metal rods and what appeared to Emery to be the same chain link fencing that surrounded her house. The rods underneath reached down into a pit so black she couldn’t see the bottom. For a moment she felt as if a cold hand clutched her throat, seizing her breath. She felt dizzy.

“How deep do you think it is?”

The sound of Penny's voice made her jump. “Too dark to tell.” Emery stammered out.

“Are you okay? You look a little pale.” Pennie asked.

“I’m fine.” Her voice shook, but she hitched her backpack farther onto her shoulder and continued to follow the class. Pennie fell into step beside her.

The tour guide explained to the class the platform had been built only ten years earlier, but many tours had already crossed it. It was completely safe...he said. Emery’s stomach muscles tightened again as they began to walk across the platform. STOP IT.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Pennie asked.

“I’m fine,” Emery repeated firmly.

Pennie seemed to be about to say something else, but a loud screeching interrupted her. It echoed through the cave. Everyone grew still and quiet. In the silence Emery could hear Pennie's labored breathing, then realized it was coming from her. Closing her eyes, she tried to calm herself. She could feel sweat running down her back.

“Emery….” Pennie started.

“Shh!”

She sensed it before she heard it. A slight shift, then the same ear-splitting noise.

“Everyone, stay calm….” Mrs. Anderson’s words were cut off when the platform shifted again. Everyone ran!

“Come on!” Emery yelled as she grabbed Penny's hand.

They ran together but then were pushed aside by the other students trying to get across. Some had gotten turned around and began running in the other direction. Everyone pushed and shoved, scrambling to escape the platform. Emery and Pennie were caught in the middle of the stampede, hanging on to the rail. The stampeding students, gravity, or their weight on the rail caused it to tear loose from the side. Pennie screamed. Emery hung on the rail with all her strength. One hand slipped, and she dangled, one hand hanging on.

"Oh, God! I’m going to fall!" Her backpack slipped off her shoulder and fell into the darkness. She heard it splash below. Splash? Before she could think about it, her other hand slipped out, and she followed her backpack back into the dark depths.

She woke up to a splitting headache and darkness all around her. She panicked. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see anything. She didn’t know where she was. Oh, god.

“Here, take this.” A voice said. A bright light and something cool and round was pressed into her hand. A flashlight. The light helped some. Then someone pushed her head down between her knees. The same person who gave her the flashlight?

"Breathe deeply and slowly," someone demanded. She did as the voice commanded. After a few minutes, her breathing was almost back to normal.

“Better?” Pennie asked from beside her. Penny?

“Here, drink this. Small sips.” Pennie handed her a canteen. She sipped, the cool liquid relieved her dry raw throat. As she drank she glanced around using the flashlight Pennie had given her. It appeared they were sitting on a bank. When she shined her light outward, all she could see was water. She shined it upward. She saw what looked like the remains of the railing they had clung to.

“I believe we fell into that pit you were afraid of. You hit the water, I had to pull you out,” Pennie answered.

“Is anyone else down here?” Emery asked.

“No, I don’t think so. They all must have gotten across or fell somewhere else.” Pennie answered.

“Maybe. We were nearly trampled.” Emery commented. She tried to stand but fumbled. She felt weak and dizzy.

“You hit your head, I think,” Pennie told her. “Probably on the way down. You may have a concussion so sit still.”

“We need to find a way out of here,” Emery told her.

“I know. But you’re in no shape to even stand right now. Rest.” Pennie said.

“Fine.” Emery reluctantly sat back and closed her eyes. She let her mind drift. Pennie had said she’d pulled her out of the water. Emery tried to imagine it. Pennie was a lot smaller than Emery, so it couldn’t have been easy. She slowly began to relax until, finally, she drifted back off to sleep. She woke up feeling something on her head. She opened her eyes and found Pennie kneeling before her with the flashlight and wrapping something around Emery’s head.

“What are you doing?” Emery asked.

“Putting a bandage on your head, it was still bleeding,” she answered. “Sorry to wake you.”

“Where did you get the bandage?” Emery thought they had lost both their packs.

“I found my pack in the water,” Pennie said. “It’s waterproof so everything inside was still dry, including the first aid kit I brought with me.”

“Aren't you afraid to swim?” Emery asked.

“Um, yeah,” she answered.

“And still you dragged me out, plus went back in for your pack?”

“Well, it’s not that deep yet. And we needed the first aid kit.” Pennie answered as she took another bandage out of the kit.

“Still,” was all Emery said. Then she tuned in to the other thing Pennie had said.

“Wait, what do you mean yet?”

“From the looks of it, I imagine this might be some type of underground ravine. It’s not deep now, but if it rains it will fill up. How deep, I don’t know. That depends on how much it rains I guess.” Pennie explains.

Pennie began wrapping her arm in the other bandage. “We do need to find a way out of here though,” she said.

“You’re hurt,” Emery said.

“We both are. I’m okay. Just banged it on a rock on the way down, I guess.”

“Is it broken?”

“I don’t think so. I’m fine.” Pennie answered.

Emery stood, taking the flashlight to have a look around herself. She still felt a little dizzy, but they needed to escape. She had no idea what the forecast predicted, and if Pennie was right she didn’t want to be stuck down here if it started to rain.

“What about everyone else?” Emery asked. “Have you heard them at all, do you think they’re still up there?”

“I don’t know. I’ve tried calling, but all I heard was my echo.” Pennie answered.

“Hello!” Emery called then waiting a moment, but all she heard was her echoes. She called again. Still, nothing but her voice called back to her. She shined the light upward. Like before she could glimpse the menacing-looking rail they had clung to. But if she could see the rail, then that meant they weren’t that far down.

“I took rock climbing lessons a few years ago and it doesn’t look that far up. Maybe I can climb out and go for help. “ She suggested. “At least find out where everybody is.”

“My guess is they got out of the cave,” Pennie said. “They might even be sending help.”

“How long do you think we’ve been down here?” Emery asked.

“A few hours?” Pennie answered. Something in Penny's voice alerted Emery. She stared at her companion. Pennie had her eyes closed and her head laid back against the ravine wall. Pennie had been busy taking care of Emery; she hadn’t bothered to try to rest herself.

“It’s your turn to rest, I’ll try to find us a way out of here,” Emery told her.

“But what about you? It’s dark and your claustrophobic.” Pennie said.

How did she know she was claustrophobic? She knew she had woken up in a panic, but she hadn’t guessed it was that obvious.

As if reading her mind, Pennie said, “You were screaming about it being dark and that you couldn’t breathe when you woke up earlier. You didn’t calm down until I gave you a flashlight.”

“Oh, I thought it had all been in my head,” Emery said. "Anyway, I'll be fine"

“How long have you been claustrophobic?” Pennie asked.

Emery sat down next to Pennie. "I didn’t think I was anymore. I haven’t had an attack since I was little.”

“You probably haven’t been trapped in a ravine at the bottom of a cave since then either,” Pennie said with a smile.

Emery smiled in return.

Pennie grew quiet and Emery thought she had gone to sleep, but then she spoke. “I’m only afraid to swim if it’s over my head.”

“What?” Emery asked.

“Earlier you said I was afraid to swim. I’m only afraid if the water is over my head.” She told her. “And It’s not that I’m afraid, I just don’t know how.”

“Oh,” Emery responded. “Your mom said…”

“I know what my mom said. She says those things because she is afraid of those things. And I guess she expects me to be.” Pennie said.

“Maybe she’s just afraid for you,” Emery suggested.

“Maybe.” Pennie agreed.

“Okay, so you're not afraid to swim. Is there anything else you're not afraid of? What about bugs or spiders? We saw one in the hall at school one day and you screamed.” Emery asked.

“I did. But it was more an ick than an eek.”

“On the field trip, you wouldn’t get on the rollercoaster. Or any of the fast rides.” Emery countered.

“Oh, come on. I’m not the only person in the world not to ride a roller coaster.” Pennie laughed. “Those wild rides make me car sick. I puke every time.” Pennie countered back.

“True about the first, as for the second you should never eat immediately before getting on a ride, everybody knows that.” They both laughed.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Emery asked.

“Yeah,” Pennie answered.

“I am afraid of spiders.”

“I hate dirt and germs,” Pennie said.

They stared at each other for a moment. Then, they both started to laugh.

When their laughter subsided, Penny's face grew serious. “Do you hear that?”

Emery listened for a moment and her stomach sank. Rain. And from the sound of it heavy rain. “Oh no,” she said.

“This ravine is going to fill up quickly, what are we supposed to do?” Pennie asked, petrified.

“We have to climb,” Emery said after a moment.

“What? I can’t. I’m not like you.” Pennie told her.

“We don’t have a choice.” She took Penny’s hand. “You can do this. I’ll help you.”

They began to climb, with Emery telling her where to put her hand and foot for better grip. They were nearly halfway up when Pennie slipped. Emery grabbed her hand before she could fall. They stayed that way, suspended in midair, for a few moments. Emery pulled Pennie up as she scrambled to find her footing again. Finally, after a bit of a struggle, she made it back to Emery.

“It’s useless. I can’t do this.” Pennie cried breathing heavily. She was frozen, unable to move.

“Yes, you can. You have to.” Emery said.

“Maybe everyone is right. I'm afraid.” Pennie admitted.

“You’re a lot braver than you think. You pulled me out of the ravine and went in after your pack. You saved me.” Emery said. “Now let me save you.”

She didn’t believe Pennie was going to agree. But after a moment Pennie nodded. “Okay, just stay where you are. I'm coming to you.” Emery told her.

Emery made her way to Pennie slowly. When she reached her, she lowered herself precisely underneath. “Okay. Now I’m going to tell you exactly where to put your feet and hands. If you fall again, I’ll catch you. I promise.”

They made their way towards the top one foot and hand at a time. Pennie slipped again, but as promised Emery was there to catch her fall. As they neared the top, they thought they could hear noises. “Do you hear that?” Pennie asked.

“Yeah,” Emery answered. “Hello!”

“Hello!” someone called back down.

“Thank God,” Pennie exclaimed.

“Hey, don’t worry. We’re here to help.” the voice called down. He threw down a rope and they latched onto it. Once they were close, they hoisted themselves up and over the edge.

“Are you two okay?” A man asked. He introduced himself as Jimmy. He wore a bright vest that said rescue on the front and back.

“We are now,” Emery answered, still holding onto Pennie. “But she’s injured,” she told him, indicating Pennie's arm.

“What about you?” Pennie said.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of both of you.” the man said.

Emery glanced around at the word “we”. There were rescue people everywhere.

“Sorry, it took a while to get here. The cave entrance had collapsed, and we had to dig our way in. Then it started to rain. We were worried we wouldn’t get to you two in time.” he told them.

“It’s okay. We’re okay.” Emery said.

Someone from the man's team came over, and he instructed her to take them outside and give them some water. As they exited the cave, Mrs. Anderson raced towards them and embraced both of them. She told them she had decided to stay behind after sending the surviving students home.

“Thank goodness you two are all right,” she said.

“Was anyone else hurt?” Emery asked her.

“No. More than a little shaken up but no injuries.” Mrs. Anderson answered.

She helped them to the emergency van and sat them down and explained everything that happened after the platform collapsed. As the rail had given way, the remainder of those still on it had barely made it across, except for Pennie and Emery who had fallen into the ravine below. After that, the cave entrance had collapsed, likely a result of the platform falling. Those on that end of the cave had already made it outside. The rest had continued until they found a man-size hole in the back of the cave. Once outside where they could get cell reception again, they called for help. When Mrs. Anderson was through, Penny explained what happened down in the ravine. She left out the part of Emery being claustrophobic, of course. But did explain how they both injured themselves in the fall and were forced to try to climb out when the ravine started to fill up. Before Mrs. Anderson could comment, an emergency worker came over to check on the survivors. Mrs. Anderson stepped away to let them get the care they needed and call their parents.

“I’m so glad you're both okay,” she said before walking away.

“Emery?” Pennie asked.

“Yeah?” Emery answered.

“Thanks for buddying up with me.”

Emery smiled. “Thanks for saving me.”

Pennie laid her head on Emery’s shoulder, and they remained that way until their parents arrived.