The squeaky wheel and a challenge of time

The squeaky wheel and a challenge of time.

It didn’t take Mark long to figure out what he found. Two months or so. Not too long in the grand scheme of things. Two months of exploring and two close calls he still can’t forget. However, in the end, it might be worth it. Some of the things he’s found must be hundreds of years old. If not older. In fact, he wouldn’t be surprised if they were much older. Although he wasn’t an archeologist he could tell his find is rare.

With this in mind, he is taking a break this afternoon near the top of the structure. He started early this morning because he recently began to suspect another level. He’s still trying to get his head around it but what if it is true? That would be a fourth level. He tries to wrap his mind around the concept. The place below him was already very large. Much larger than he would have ever suspected.

Furthermore, it was just him. He was the only excavator on this project. Therefore, he was the only one who knew what was going on. At least as far as the digging went. Truthfully he didn’t know exactly what he was doing. He just started digging one afternoon, and now he has an entire town beneath his house. Except that wasn’t entirely accurate.

The Squeaky Wheel

It started in his cellar. Just a simple sump pump job and and all set. Only the simple job turned into a mind-blowing discovery. At first it was just an extra room beneath his cellar. Discovered by accident. However, it was unmistakable once he was in the room. That part was an accident. Although, if he hadn’t fallen into the room, he might not have ever known it was there.

At first it felt like a novelty. It was interesting to have a cellar under his cellar. And for about a week he worked to excavate the room, and get the most space. Which is when he found the door. Although filled with debris from the ages it didn’t take Mark long to clear the ancient underground room. That was when he discovered the steps leading down into another level.

He took a break when he made that discovery. It was obvious he was on to something. Something big. Formidable, but at the moment, all his. It was completely his secret. When he let himself reflect on it the implications were huge. He was privy to something that no other humans knew about. Something hidden for hundreds of years. Maybe longer. He took a couple of days when he discovered the steps.

The Challenge

In the fourth and fifth weeks he cleared out every room he found. Four rooms directly below his cellar. At least those are the ones he knows of. Then the steps that lead down to three more room and just two days ago another set of steps leading down. Now he was in the third level below his own cellar when he hears the noise for the first time.

It’s an odd noise. One that makes him wonder if it’s been there all along. He strains his ears to hear it, and now all is silent. It had to be some kind of echo. He was actually a fair distance below ground. Surely he should expect to hear odd, squeaky wheel noises, this deep underground. He turns his head to see if there is any sound at all. The room he’s in and the one he entered to get here are quiet and empty. It’s just him and the walls…and the noise again, but closer now. Much closer.

Thank you for reading! Like, follow and share The Frog Journal on X @1finja1 – and on The Frog Journal Facebook page click here. Subscribe to the free newsletter to stay up to date on new content and updates.

Squeaky wheel