Sabbath's 2 Darlings- The 12: Book Two

42. Light Up!

Over an hour had gone by when Providence felt something touch her face making her gasp. "Ottaline, that was—"

"A breeze!" Ottaline said. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the fresh air which was a relief from the stench of the tunnel. "It's salty."

"We must be by the sea then," Providence said. They joined hands and hurried forward. Soon they could feel the breeze stronger and the sound of crashing waves. The tunnel suddenly opened up and the girls found themselves standing in a cave. The cave was rocky and massive rocks shot up from what could have been a smooth floor. At the mouth of the cave tall spires rose making a death trap to the entrance.

"Ottaline, I know where we are," Providence said. "Indian Cove."

Ottaline felt very dizzy. She had seen glimpses of the mouth of the cave whenever they walked the beach but people didn't go there, though the older kids sometimes claimed to. The truth was no one could get their boat close enough.

"Hey look!" Providence suddenly exclaimed. "There's stuff here. A lantern some candles and a bag."

Ottaline joined her near the mouth of the cave and saw what she had been talking about. "Look at this." She went over to the far wall where the rocks looked almost like a shelf. "Mason jars." She picked one up and held it to the light. "Looks like dead bugs." She returned the jar and went to the edge of the cave where an old cloth was draped over what looked like rocks. She flipped it back and smiled. "There's a canoe here, Rovy."

Providence joined her. "It looks new, unlike the other stuff," she said. She turned around and started for the back of the cave. "I think this was some boy's hideout. Or is." She looked up at the stalactite ceiling.

"I don't know," Ottaline said. "No one goes into Richmond Wood so how would he have found the tunnel? And he couldn't have rowed here in the canoe on his own, he would have wrecked."

Providence kicked an old sling shot to the side. "Maybe," she called from the back of the cave.

"Come to think of it there are only a few people who may know about the tunnel."

"AHHHHHHHH!"

Ottaline felt her blood turn cold. "Rovy!" She ran to the back of the cave and grabbed her sister. "What happened, are you all right?"

Providence had her hands over her face but nodded.

"Did something scare you?"

Again Providence nodded. She then pointed down to a groove in the cave wall at what at first looked like a pile of rags and rocks.

Ottaline held out the case of light and gasped, covering her mouth and tearing her eyes away from the crumpled skeleton.

"Who...who do you think it was?" Providence asked.

"I don't know," Ottaline said. "But it looks like he's been here for a long time."

"He?" Providence questioned.

"Yes, look at the vest and the shoes," Ottaline pointed out. "That's boys' clothes."

"Um, Ottaline," Providence gulped. "Who's woods where were just in?"

"The Richmonds'."

"And who's house were we just under?"

"The Richmonds'"

"And who's tunnel?"