Nobody's Fool Y'all

42

 "Ahhhh!"

Maury and Lou Edna chimed in and screamed along with Hadley, although they both had no idea what she had seen.

Two eyes were glowing red in the candle's feeble flame.

Was it a wild animal? A madman?

"It's okay," a tiny voice said.

Hadley's heart was in her throat. It was beating faster than she thought humanly possible. There was a child staring at her. The dirty, little face was barely six inches away from her own.

"In here!" the child whispered. "Hurry! Hurry! They're coming!"

"Who!"

"Please!" he cried. "We don't have much time."

The child backed down a side tunnel on his hands and knees. Hadley, Maury, and Lou Edna followed. When they'd gone about ten feet, the urchin took a foot and kicked at a piece of wood.

A door creaked open, and the tunnel was filled with light.

"Here! Come on! Hurry!"

The three women scurried toward the doorway as quickly as possible. When they were all safely inside, the child closed the door.

"Name's Ollie. I work here."

"After school and such?" asked Hadley.

"Something like that, I guess," said Ollie.

A soft wool cap covered a head of tangled, dirty hair. Strands of hair tried to escape from under the cap like errant imps skipping school. The child was small and undernourished and wore old overalls, a size or two too small, a ragged shirt and dirty bare feet. The small hands were black with dirt.

"Well," said Lou Edna, "I don't care if you're Bobby Harron from The Bad Boy. My name's Lou Edna. Nice to meet you, Ollie. You saved our lives. By the way, you sure are a small mite to be working here. How old are you?"

"Ten."

"Alrighty, Ollie. Our mighty mite," Lou Edna said. "I'm purely glad to make your acquaintance. I talk a lot because my nerves have been rubbed raw by too much excitement for one night. My birthday's just around the corner, and even though I hate to admit it, I am sorely feeling all the years of my age right about now. Especially, my kneecaps. Thanks so much, munchkin. You got our sequined fannies off the burner. Ain't you the cutest thing. I wish I had my scissors with me. I'd trim your hair. Bit long. I could do you up nice for free, kid."

The child blushed.

"Are you sure we're safe here?" Maury asked.

"Listen!" said Hadley.

The sounds of male voices could barely be heard.

"Whoever they are, they're gaining on us!"

"You can't stay here," Ollie said. "They know about this room, but they don't know about this."

Ollie walked over to a bookcase and pulled out the bottom three books in the center off the second shelf. The child reached in and pushed hard. A small block of wood in the back of the case receded. A portion of the bookcase swung open like a door.

"Take the tunnel on the left," Ollie said. "Go up the steps. They lead outside."

Hadley didn't know whether to cry or shout.

"Here. Take this," the child said. "You'll need it."

Ollie handed Hadley an old-fashioned flashlight.

Lou Edna bent down and kissed the little boy's cheek.

"Thanks, kiddo," she said. "You got skin like milk toast. Prettiest little thing I ever saw. We owe you big time."

There was a loud banging in the tunnel. Someone cursed.

"Hurry!" Ollie said. "You haven't much time! They'll be here any second!"