Chapter 24Lost!

Lost!

I couldn't even describe how bummed I was. I was literally buried alive; with nothing to look forward to but a slow, horrible death from hunger and thirst.

I crawled around, feeling the dry, dusty rock. I’d never felt anything so dry, seriously.

But, I kept asking myself, how did I lose track of the stream? There was no doubt it had stopped flowing in the tunnel I was in now. That's why it was so quiet when I last tried to hear my friends.

When I first took a wrong turn, I didn’t notice the stream was gone.

Now it was clear that when we stopped, another tunnel must have gotten the water from the little stream, and I’d wandered into a different one. How far had my friends gone? Where even was I?

How could I get back? There wasn't a single clue or landmark. My feet didn't leave any marks on the granite and pebbles. My brain was pounding with pain as I tried to figure out this crazy situation.

After all the thinking and trying to be logical, it came down to three awful words - Lost! Lost!! LOST!!!

Lost at a depth that seemed impossible to understand.

These thirty leagues of the earth felt like the whole world was on my shoulders. I felt totally crushed by the weight. It was seriously enough to drive anyone crazy!

I tried to remember things from my old life. It was really hard to do. Hamburg, the house on the Konigstrasse, my dear cousin Gretchen - that whole world that had disappeared like a ghost flashed through my mind.

They were right there, but felt totally unreal. A wild hallucination had me seeing all the stuff we’d been through flash by, like a movie reel. The ship, everyone on board, Iceland, M. Fridriksson, and that huge peak of Mount Sneffels!

I told myself that if I still had even a tiny bit of hope, it was a definite sign I was losing it. It’s better to just give in to the despair, you know?

Seriously, if I actually thought about it, what could possibly get me back to the surface? And break apart those massive vaults above my head? Who could help me find my way - and get back to my friends?

It was crazy to even think there was a chance!

"Oh, Uncle!" I cried out, totally bummed.

That was the only complaint that came to mind; I knew how much the good Professor would regret my disappearance, and how patiently he’s search for me.

Finally, I started to accept that no one was coming to help. Knowing I couldn’t do anything to save myself, I got on my knees and asked for help from above. Memories of my childhood, and my mom - who I barely remembered - flooded back. I started to pray.

Even though I hadn’t thought about Him when things were good, and I was only asking now, I prayed honestly and with all I had.

That renewed faith calmed me down a lot. I could focus all my strength and smarts on this crazy, unbelievable situation.

I realized I’d totally forgotten about the stuff I’d packed - like, three days’ worth of food. Plus, my water bottle was still full. But seriously, I couldn't just be alone. I had to find my crew, no matter what. But where to go? Should I head up, or go back down?

I figured retracing my steps upwards was the right move.

Taking it slow and staying chill, I needed to get back to where I’d turned away from that stream. I had to find that crazy fork in the path. Once I was there, with the river right in front of me, I could at least get back to that terrifying crater of Mount Sneffels.

Why didn't I think of this sooner? This actually felt like a real shot at getting out safe. The most important thing was finding the bed of the Hansbach.

After a quick snack and a drink, I bounced back up, feeling totally refreshed. Leaning on my pole, I started climbing that tunnel. The slope was steep and kinda rough.

But I kept going, cautiously and with hope, like someone finally making their way out of the woods and knowing there’s only one way to go.

For a whole hour, nothing stopped me. As I went, I tried to remember what the tunnel looked like - to picture the shapes of the rocks - to convince myself I'd been down certain routes before.

But I couldn't remember anything specific, and I quickly realized this tunnel wasn't going to lead me back to where I’d split up from my friends. It was a dead end - just a random passage underground.

Then, bam, I hit solid rock, and I knew it was over. I just collapsed on the dry floor!

Trying to describe how totally freaked out and scared I was would be pointless now. Even the hope that had been keeping me going just vanished when I saw that heartless granite rock!

Totally lost in this huge, crazy maze, twisting every which way, with no map, no hints, nothing - I knew trying to escape was a total waste of time. All I could do was just give up and die. Die the most awful, messed-up way possible!

Then I thought, maybe someday, when people find my ancient bones way down under the earth, it’s gonna spark some serious, interesting science talks.

I tried to yell, but all that came out were raspy, empty sounds. My lips were so dry, I was practically gasping for air.

Amidst all this crazy, horrible stuff, something even worse hit me. My lamp broke when it fell. I had no way to fix it. The light was fading fast, and soon it was gonna be out.

With this weird feeling of giving in and being totally bummed, I watched the light in the coil dim. Shadows flashed along the granite wall. I barely dared to close my eyes, afraid of losing that last flicker.

Every second, it felt like it was about to disappear, leaving me forever - in total darkness!

Finally, just one last shaky flame left in the lamp. I stared at it with everything I had. I gasped for air. I put all my energy into it, like it was the last bit of light I’d ever see. Then, I'd be lost forever in dark, shadowy depths.

A wild, heartbroken cry burst out of me. Even when it's pitch black - like, seriously dark - light never totally disappears. It’s so spread out, so subtle, it’s everywhere. Whatever tiny bit’s left, your eyes will find it. Here, though? Nothing.

The darkness was total, and it made me blind in every way.

My head was totally gone. I lifted my arms, feeling around, bumping into the cold stone wall. It hurt like crazy. I must’ve been losing it. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I started running, like, flying, just rushing around randomly in this crazy maze.

Always going down, running wild under the earth - like living in some underground furnace. I was screaming, roaring, howling, until I got scraped up by the sharp rocks. I fell, got back up, all covered in blood. I was mad, so I started drinking the blood dripping from my face.

But it just ran down my face, and I was always looking for that awful wall, the scary thing I kept crashing into.

Where was I even going? No clue. I had absolutely no idea.

Hours went by like that. Finally, I was totally wiped out. I collapsed, a heavy, useless lump, along the side of the tunnel, and I passed out.