frozen within time

chapter two

In the large shed that had been built on the side of the old Victorian house they found spades and forks and trowels. They each took what they could carry in one arm and slid awkwardly down the soaked bank.

Back at there excavation site they dug around the wheel and its metal base, dragging the earth, roots, stones, and affronted creepy crawlies off its surface.
The flat base, in fact, very slightly curved, like a dome.

'What do you think it is?' Said Kristen, her cheeks crimson With effort under streaks of mud.

'I dunno,' Alex gasped back, equelly florid and muddy.

'Maybe some kind of fuel tank. we'd better be careful not to light a match near it when we open it.'

'We haven't got any matches!' Pointed out his sister.

'Well---just don't make a spark then.'
Kristen gave him a look. 'I'll try not to. it'll be hard though.'
They laughed while they dug on.

'Hey!' Kristen knelt up and yanked Alex's arm. 'LOOK!'

The edge of the dome could now clearly be seen.
They could see that the whole thing must be about a metre across and perfectly round. It took half an hour to reveal the complete, raised circle of metal and the beginning of another level, about ten centimetres beneath it. At length, they stood back, resting on their shovels and measuring the circle with their eyes. For several seconds, both were silent, before slowly turning to look at each other.

'You know what I think. . . . .?' Murmured Alex in wonder. 'I think it's a manhole.'

Kristen felt suddenly frightened. 'It might be,' she said with a gulp. 'But we don't know that it's actually for men.'

'What are you on about?' Replied Alex

Kristen looked embarrassed, but also stubborn. 'It might not be for men!' She repeated. 'Havent you ever heard about this sort of thing? It might be,' she dropped her voice low, 'An alien spacecraft!'

Alex stared at her and then burst out laughing.
'What? With these markings from a distant galexy?' He snorted, pointing to the furthest edge of metal he'd been clearing. On it were the letters 'H J E' followed by a '1' and a '9'. The rest, if there was any more, was still covered in soil.

Kristen laughed shakily. 'Well, I read a book once,'
She began, but Alex wasn't listening. He was again trying to turn the wheel. now that it's shaft and the circular cover were revealed, it was obvious that it was meant to turn, and he meant to turn it. He leant his chest across it and grasped it hard with both hands, pushing and pulling in the direction the arrow suggested.

Nothing happened and he grunted with frustration.
'Come on! Help me!' He shouted at Kristen, and she grabbed the wheel too, pulling and pulling in the same direction, anchoring the heels of her mudcaked wellingtons at the foot of the column and leaning her whole oft weight round.

Still it did not move. they both flopped down on the metal base angrily and as they did so, they felt, rather than really heard it. the metal sang a low, subterranean note, which spoke of empty space below.

They stared at each other and then dropped their eyes to the cover, almost fearfully. Alex stood up
'Oil!' He said. 'That column is caked with dirt. we need poly things-----kitchen knives or something----to dig it out. Maybe some hot soapy water and brushes. then we need oil to rub into the moving parts.'

They raced back across the woods, slashing across the stream and waded over the lower lawn, where tips of grass were Gradually emerging as the flood began to ebb away. Back at the house they stopped only to. Their extremely muddy wellingtons off at the door before running down the hallway in socks and straight into the kitchen.