The Stuff You Were Never Meant to See

The Stuff You Were Never Meant to See - Part 1

So, like most people, my stories go through several drafts before the final product is published. As "A Cry in the Park" was my first Bob's story, I didn't want to see the deleted parts go to waste, so I thought you might like to read some scenes that didn't make it to the final draft. It was for a number reasons, including major or minor changes, they slowed down the plot, or just plain didn't fit. I hope you enjoy reading these.

Line breaks indicate anew scene, and boldface is just me giving a little backstory.

The very first draft had Louise getting stuck about halfway down the well, but it was too Baby Jessica for my liking, so I changed it. In this dramatic scene, rescue workers discover they have been digging off course :

The rescue workers still had not reached the well, but they remained optimistic about how soon it would be until they did, and the family wanted more than anything to see the moment when Louise would come up.

As they watched, the cable supporting one of the drillers began to move; it was beingraised, and even though she knew that they had not yet reached the well, Tina perked up at the sight. She couldn't help feeling disappointed when the man came up empty handed, even though Tina knewhe would.

   "We... we need togo back!" the man was saying frantically, having removed his mask."Go back!"

   "What do youmean?" asked Richards, as the other diggers stopped what they were doing and listened.

   "We're not goingin a straight line! We're veering off to the side!"

Upon hearing this, the family exchanged glances, looking distressed.

   "Are you sure?"Richards asked.

   "Yeah; when I crawled into the tunnel, I looked down at my feet, and I could only see half of the rescue shaft!"

   "Right!" Richards ordered the rescue workers to gather around him, and they did; the drilling rig was temporarily switched off so the Chief could be better heard. "We have been going the wrong way," he said tothe men crowding him. "We need to get back down in that tunnel, mark off the correct point, and start digging again. And this time, let's go in a straight line!" he barked, and the personnel jumped to their tasks.

While they doing this, the Belchers' stared in shock.

   "They were goingthe wrong way?" asked Gene.

   "Oh, my God,"whispered Bob. Linda was biting her bottom lip so hard she was drawing blood, her eyes were narrow, and her fists were clenched. Bob and Teddy spotted the warning signs and quickly brought her into the rangers' station, the children following them. Richards and Davis came in and stood in the living room in front of the rest of the family, who were sat on the sofa.

   "Mr. and Mrs. Belcher," Davis was saying, "we cannot express how terrible we feel about this. We have already sent another driller down, and we are still working to get your daughter out."

   "You were going the wrong way?" said Linda quietly, in a tone that Bob immediately recognised as danger. "All this time, you were going the wrong way, and you didn't even know?"

   "Not all the time," said Richards quickly, "after the two foot mark, we accidentally went off course; the men told us that their sense of direction deserted them at times; it was difficult for them to know which way they were going."

   "I don't wanna hear your excuses!" Linda snapped, trembling with rage. "I can't believe you could be so stupid! How could you not realise you were going the wrong way?! What is wrong with you?!"