Jack and the Beanstalk [SF YA]

CHAPTER TEN - Blood of an Englishman - Part II

After breakfast the next morning we set out. He handed me a small handheld spotlight, tossed a pack across his back and motioned me out through the door.

"It may get a little dark where we're going," he said, closing the door behind him.

The entrance to the tunnels was surprisingly close. We passed through a sealed door and the temperature dropped immediately to a cool 30 degrees. This part of the tunnels were lit with flourescent lights. The walls were smooth and finished with occasional boxes for power couplings.

"Frank? If you don't mind my asking, what's your connection with Mother Goose?"

"Botany. Before I became an actor I went to the university to 'have something to fall back on' as my father used to say. I completed a degree in botany, because I love plants. I did some work for him on water and air reclamation systems. He wanted creative solutions. He got them. But not easily and not without us butting heads. He's not an easy man to work for. But results got me the chance to bring up some extra seeds and some actual soil from Earth."

I whistled, not wanting to figure out the value of such a cargo. The lighting ended and we snapped on our spotlights. The walls changed from finished to rough, only here and there showing signs of human interference.

"If you ever go back there to visit Mother, or anyone else..." he said, knowingly, "stop by the arboretum. I get over there quite often simply to sit in that greenery. Some people don't miss Earth... I don't miss the people, though the settlement here is getting a bit crowded for my tastes."

"Not nearly as bad as London."

"Right you are."

The floor, which had been smoothly poured lunar cement, gave way to the natural curves that the hot magma had once cut through uncountable millennia ago.

"How long have you been on the moon?"

"Going on five years. I'm not an old man by any means, but I'll tell you that I feel younger than I felt twenty years ago on Earth."

He certainly kept up a good pace. I worked to keep up with him--still overcorrecting off and on.

We entered the cavern. I had nothing to measure size against. "How big is it?"

"Not nearly as large as you'd think. The distances are deceiving. I thought that would make it great for a theatre. This space can be anything I want it to be." [Flying.] "I've got some gear hidden here. How'd you like to fly?"

An odd echo in my footfalls rumbled as I followed Frank.

"Frank? The floor sounds funny here." I knelt and tapped it with the butt of my spotlight.

"Don't!" Frank roared. He rushed towards me only to disappear in a cloud of dust right in front of me. Now a ragged hole gaped in the floor a meter around.

"Frank?!" I leaned forward to see into the space as the floor beneath me began to crack like ice on a puddle. Trying to throw myself backwards only caused the floor to give way and me to pedal air in a vain attempt to levitate. Compared to a fall on Earth it lasted an eternity. Halfway down the pieces begin to hit. Small impacts preceded a large thud and a groan as Frank landed. I tried to calculate the terminal velocity, but couldn't figure all the variables. By the time I'd chosen approximations, the ground arrived. My feet hit first, but just barely, as I sat down hard. Pain shot up my spine and for a moment I couldn't breathe. My spotlight bounced several meters away. I sank to the floor to catch my breath to see if I'd broken anything.

(Someday curiousity is really going to kill you.)

--Be quiet.

"Jack?" Frank's voice lacked its usual luster.