Snack Food Hero

Chapter 15: One Foot in Front of the Other

"Hello!" Hollered Bash into the dark cave.

"Hello, hello, hello," replied the cave's echo.

"Honey," said Rainbow, "if you yell into the abyss, it yells back."

"My eyes are starting to adjust," said Duncan.

"Mine too," said Bash.

The silhouette of a vast underground world emerged from the darkness. Mountains peaked in the distance. The path from which they'd come remained impossibly dark behind them.

"Who is that?" Said Bash. In the distance a human figure stood.

"Hey!" Yelled Duncan.

"Hey, hey, hey," echoed the cave.

The figure turned and looked in their direction and Bash saw the person raise their hands and wave.

"It's me!"

"Lance," said Bash to the others.

"Come back!" Duncan hollered.

"No!" Replied Lance. "Come on!"

"We need to stay here," said Rainbow. "When you get lost, the best thing to do is stay where you are."

"But that assumes someone will know where to eventually look for you at that spot," said Bash.

"Yea," said Duncan. "No one will ever look for us down here."

"We don't even know what this place is," said Bash. "It's like ..."

"... Middle Earth!" Said Duncan.

Rainbow laughed. "Freakin' Middle Earth, are you serious right now?"

"Gurl," said Duncan, "lookit them yonder mountains."

Buddha crawled into Rainbow's lap. Petting the dog, Rainbow said, "Buddha, I've a feeling we're not in Albuquerque anymore."

"If we meet a scarecrow," said Bash, "I'm getting a selfie."

"Or a tin man," said Duncan.

"Well if we see a talking lion," said Rainbow, "I'm eating him because I am starving right now."

"Come on!" Hollered Lance.

They saw him in the distance, again waving his arms.

"But isn't that like, deeper into Middle Earth?"

"We can't go back the way we came," said Bash.

"No way," said Duncan. "We have to get out of here so we can expose them to the world."

"I'm pretty sure," said Bash, "the underground kitchen won't pass a health inspection."

As they walked toward Lance's outline, Bash could tell Lance had walked even further while they were standing around talking. He approached a small land bridge, below which was a long drop into a room full of long sharp stalagmites. One foot in front of the other, he told himself, saying it louder and louder to mask the terrified inner voice that was afraid of heights.

Rainbow was close behind Bash, and Duncan followed her.

Coming to the place where the land bridge met the other side, Bash felt his heart race and he wanted to rush away from the bridge, but was too scared to make any sudden movement. He reached the land with calculation and beads of sweat on his forehead.

Then he heard the scream behind him, Rainbow's scream followed by a loud thud and a yell from Duncan.