Darkness comes
Rogger looks at the sky. “Getting dark, friends.”
Pem looks. “I can see fine.”
“Me too, kitty. But William can’t.”
It’s true. It’s getting harder to see. “Should we stop?” I ask.
Rogger looks ahead. “I think there’s a break in the woods up there. Let’s see what’s what, then decide.”
“Okay.”
We reach it: a gorge, stretching as far as I can see.
“Whoa. How are we going to get across?”
Rogger strokes her beard. “Let me think.”
Pem scratches the ground.
I look into the gorge. There is a river running through it and natural towers of rock here and there. “I wonder if we could get to one of those rocks? We could move from one to another, I think, if we could make it to that first one there.”
Rogger comes alongside me. “Ah yes, I see. Perhaps, perhaps.”
Pem’s still scratching. I notice but don’t say anything.
Rogger pulls around her satchel. “I believe I may have some good rope in here …”
There’s a tremble of the earth.
I look at Pem, who’s still with ears back.
“What was that?” she asks.
Rogger kneels close to the ground, touches it, closes her eyes. “Quake. A bigger one’s coming.”
“How long?” I ask.
Rogger listens. “Five minutes.”
Pem resumes scratching at the ground.
“What’s with you Pem?” I ask. “Trying to dig to the other side?”
“No, there’s something covered here, I can smell it.”
Rogger and I walk over as Pem clears away the grass and paws at the dirt.
It’s an old and rusted plate—like a nameplate—that reads: “Van Buren.”
Rogger squints to read it. Then she shouts, “Run!”
I freak. “Which way?”
Pem darts to me, circles my legs.
The earth shakes again, this time so much I feel like I’m going to slide right off the world.
“I thought you said five minutes!” Pem shouts.
“I guess it lied!” Rogger shouts.
The edge of the gorge we’re on rises up, trees peeling from view, and my feet are losing traction with the soil coming apart.
I see one of the rock formations below us. I don’t know if I can make it, but I’ve got to …
“Jump!” I shout it as I do it.
Pem lands easy on the rock.
I reach it easier than I thought and land upright with only a little bounce.
Rogger hits the side and grabs hold with sturdy-looking fingers.
“Oh, no!” Pem shouts. “Help her, William!”
I spin around and down and hold out my hand.
Rogger looks at it, then at me. “I dunno, Will. Can you lift me?”
“Do you have another idea?” I ask.
Rogger looks down. “Could drop. Go for the river. Dwarfs are great landers but not great swimmers, so I give myself fifty-fifty.”
“Let me try,” I say. “If I can’t and you fall, then you try the river.”
Rogger nods. “Okay. Good lad. Pull me up then.”
I shake my hand that’s still out, steadying it to pull her up.
She smiles and takes my hand.
I drop her.
