Catherine's Paradise

The Mine

"CLINK, CLINK!!" The pickaxes sung throughout the mines. The flames from the torches flickered as it glowed a dull light upon the rocks and ore that were being refined within the bowels of mine.

It was a dark place, with a line of workers stretching as far as the eye could see and and just about the corner of the second level. The entire mine coiled around itself like a spiral stairway as it went deeper into the earth. Rumor, had it that the the deepest level went to another plain of existence. The workers including me were on the second level which was quite spacious allowing each worker to swing their ax freely. It consisted of thirteen workers and four of the king's guard.

Despite the depressing atmosphere, the mine had at least one rule that made everyone feel included. If you were able to hold and swing a pickax , you were able to work. The mine did not discriminate, whether you were male, female, young or elderly, the mine would accept as you were.

"CLINK, CLINK!!" The harmony echoed throughout the mine as the smell of sweat and various concoctions of dust stifled the air. The melody of the pickaxes continued, striking away at the earth with a rhythmic tempo and precision.

"COUGH, COUGH!!" The song was interrupted, every ax stopped striking, even the dust settled in place. Everyone turned away from the wall of the mine to witness a little girl, who could not have been more than thirteen years old, struggle to get out of the second level of the mine. She took long and labored steps, desperate to get out the mine. She held her chest, coughing and heaving.

"What is wrong with you, child?" The eldest of the royal guard eased himself forward towards the girl cautiously, his wrinkled face perplexed. She replied with more violent coughs and collapsed to the ground, clawing frantically at her chest, gasping for air as if she were drowning. The other three guards held their breath and watched her struggles with eager eyes, making no attempt to assist the girl.

I began to walk towards the helpless girl, when a strong force kept me rooted, latching onto my wrist. Looking back, I saw a tall burly man with a face stained black with coal.

"Don't" he whispered. Defiantly, I tried to pull away but he yanked me back towards him and squeezed tighter on my wrist.

"Don't" he persisted. "You know what happens if you interfere with their game."

Eventually, I stopped resisting and his grip weakened because this man was right. If anyone interfered with their game, the guards would show their cruel side. The offender would be beaten black and blue and left in the mine to crawl out. If it was a huge wager the guards would carry the offender back in the mine to a lower level in spite.

Facing the girl once more, her thrashing had become sluggish and with each passing moment she faded faster until she no longer moved. The shortest of the guards walked towards the girl, placed his spear on the ground and checked for a pulse. Afterwards he looked up and smiled at his fellow guards.

"I've won" the short guard said with a smirk. " I told you the first one to go would be a girl, pay up boys." All the other guards except the eldest one protested as he was still in shock that the girl had died.

"Clink, clink" the clatter of silver coins in the lucky guard's hands. At that moment the eldest of the guard's pulled himself together with obvious disgust at the other guard's games.

"She was only a child." He hissed at the other guards.

" She was one of the fallen." The winner of the bet, replied, totally unfazed by the events that happened as he counted the silver coins over and over again.

The eldest guard gave the order for everyone to leave. Like clockwork, all the miners placed what they had gathered in the carts. Some went to tug the cart while two of the workers lifted the girl to carry her out of the mine somberly and obediently.