The Seven Swords of Diya: An Indiana Jones Fan Fiction Part 1

Chapter 35: Flashback: Attu Island, North Pacific, 1942

Indy fought the darkness, scrambling against the blast of freezing dank air. Then he realized.

"Seal Child -?"

"Yes, Uncle Indy?" The boy's voice was small and frightened.

"Your hands are over my eyes."

"Oh."

Indy squeezed the boy's hand over his face. "Let go - it's ok."

"But there's a monster in the darkness!"

Indy smiled. "You can hide behind my shoulders. I'll protect you. But you gotta let go of my face. I need to see where we're going."

"Oh."

Indy squeezed the child's hand again in patient reassurance. It moved from his eyes to gripping around his neck.

Indy wheezed. "Shoulders, Seal Child. Grab my shoulders."

"Sorry, Uncle Indy. I guess I couldn't cover my own eyes, so I covered yours."

Indy opened his eyes, lifting the flashlight high, studying the room. They were in a larger stone lined chamber with a vaulted ceiling and there were three chambers on the inside.

The one facing them held the monster that Seal Child had seen. Indy couldn't see what was in the other chambers off to each side.

His boot hit something in the floor. It was a small series of stones stacked together. Ash lay in the middle of the stones. Indy eased himself to the floor, searching the room for traps.

Carefully he set the flashlight on the table of stacked stones close to the pile of ashes. "Looks like an ancient altar," he mused. The ice reflected the light, illuminating the room.

Then side chambers were revealed.

Seal Child cried again.

Indy swung the child from his back. The boy clutched Indy's shoulders, burying his face, hiding in the man's chest crying. "Scary, scary, scary!"

Indy moved the boy from his shoulders to face him. "Remember the caribou we found earlier?"

"Uh-huh. But that wasn't a person! And they didn't look like they were screaming!"

Indy hugged the little boy. "They're not screaming. They're not in pain." He wiped away Seal Child's tears. "There's a big muscle in your jaw. See it on me?" Indy lowered his jaw. "Put your hand on your face, just below your cheekbone, and lower your jaw. Feel that big muscle?"

Seal Child reached toward Indy's face, terror in his expression. Indy lowered his jaw slowly, demonstrating. "That jaw muscle is like a big rubber band. And when people die... the big rubber band breaks. They're not screaming, Seal Child. Everything is ok."

Seal Child nodded, then shuddered. "Still scary."

"That's ok. A lot of people think that its scary." Indy smiled. "You can stay here with the lantern, if you want."

"No."

"No?" Indy grinned, echoing the boy.

"No. I want to go."

"Ok. Climb back up."