TDC - THE DUSTYBEAR CHRONICLES - CH 72 Pt X - THE VOID-MAKING SENSE Pt 2

 TDC-

THE DUSTYBEAR  CHRONICLES 

BEAR TAKES A CHANCE...

BOOK TWO

72

THE VOID... Part X MAKING  SENSE... Part Two **************************************** I don't know     how long we have been sitting here...cold...frightened... Holding on...to each other... The FEAR...and raw emotion... palpable..in the musty air.... ****************************************** I felt incapable of SAYING...ANYTHING... or maybe...AFRAID to... Rico just kept me held close... and I could feel his heart beating... rapidly.... inside the chest...my head lay against... his bare chest.... His shirt open.... his skin warm... against my cold skin... Must be the Italian-ness...lol... And, we sat...and sat... clinging to each other.. maybe to HOPE? sigh.. until finally... I couldn't stand it any more. "Rico?" "Yeh..Bear?" "Rico...what has happened... How in the .... How..." sigh.. "HOW ....did we GET here..." and for a minute...Rico just sat.. almost as if too stunned by what has happened to move...or speak.... then.. "Natch CHUR, Bear... but... I'll...tell you what I know..Bear.... All I can do....Honeybear.... but... BEAR... something you should know first..." ******************************************************* I was suddenly SHIVERING... Something in the tone of his voice... I knew I wasn't gonna like this.. not one little bit... and at that moment...I felt FROZEN... not by the dank air in this hellhole... SOME RESORT THITH ITH>.. but...by the situation... "OK...." I knew I didn't want to hear this... but..I knew I had to... "OK...Bearski.... GOD....Honeybear...this is SOOO hard..." and he hugged me tighter.. "Bear....while you were.....uh...unconcious.. I did some....exploring...." "YEH?" "YEH....NOT GOOT.... Bear.. NOPIE...NOT GOOT......at all......" "Do you know what this place is?" "I tink so Bear... I tink its an abandoned mine of some sort... Don tink its bin used in just forevah... got tunnels...and stuff...back dere.." and his finger pointed...behind us... I could JUST make it out... "GOTTA be an opening then...Rico... THEY...whoever...they had to have had a way IN AND OUT.. Rico...GOTS to be.." "Yeh....dere is...but.....its ....... BEAR...ITS WAY UP.... and we gots no laddah..." OG.... I sat....stunned... "NO WAY OUT?" My fingers up on his face... told me what I feared... Rico didn't think so... and the OTHER WAY? "No...Bearski....sowwy.... JUST......dead ends....all I could find Bear... NUFFIN............but dead ends.." "But...dat...." og.. "Yeh..Bear... dat means...no way out....Honey...NONE..." and he hugged me tighter... I was struggling mightily NOT to start to cry... I sit nestled in his arms... My head KILLING me... Scared... frightened... Hell...TERRIFIED... I feel almost PARALYZED with FEAR... Depression setting in.... Staggered by the notion... that Rico and I will DIE this way..... *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Suddenly... "SHOW ME" I don't know what I thought THAT was gonna accomplish... but... "Wat?" "SHOW ME...show me the opening" "You tink you can make it Bear?" GRRR And, at that point..I think my STUBBORN streak FINALLY kicked in.. "HELL YES I can make it... C'MON" and I started to move off his lap.. "OK OK....thilly Bear... WAIT, Babybear......let me lead" Hmm.... I had a feeling I was gonna hear THAT a LOT from now on... lol... CREATED A MONSTER.... crossed mah mind... what there was left of it.. I got off his lap...and...he slowly.... and obviously a bit painfully.. began to get up... The roof...or ceiling...or whatever...in here..wasn't that high.. even for me... so we both had to crouch... but he started moving forward... and within a few steps.. he made a right turn...wif ME..RIGHT BEHIND him... and the MINUTE we got up and around the corner.. I could see light ahead....DIM...but LIGHT... "HEY...there is LIGHT" "YEH..Bear....from dah OPENIN'...Dah top udda shaft" "AHH..." and we moved slowly...painfully..forward... My head was hurting BIG TIME... and each step...each little SOUND...was..like... a TIDAL WAVE of PAIN.. but I WAS DETERMINED... to see JUST WHAT we were up against.. thilly Bear that I ith... A little ways up that corridor...if that is what you can call it... the ceiling got higher..and we could BOTH stand... and when we did..>Rico wrapped himself around me.... "Bear..baby...you shakin'...mah poor Baby.... I so sorry" I could feel the tip of his tongue...moving against my skin.. his body tight around me..... I could FEEL his FEAR....surrounding BOTH OF US... and mine too..... His obvious caring...caught me... and...the tears came... and all I could do is let him hold me... I couldn't speak... and I guess he knew... We COULD SEE...now..... and after a minute...we started stumbling forward... toward the light....which got a bit brighter with each step.. still hanging on to each other as tight as we could... which made walking a bit more difficult... but I for one> DIDN'T GIVE A CRAP... ************************************************************* I am looking up.... up .... up... UP..at the light... It would appear to be late afternoon... by the angle of the sun... I can't see ANYTHING but the Edge of the opening.. and the sky above... "Oh..>God...Rico...." "Yeh...I KNOWS Baby...I KNOWS" And, ALL the anticipation...the maybe HOPE... I had mustered... in the process of getting here.... vanished... it was SO FAR up... and Rico was right.. NO laddah... NO rope... NO nuffin...... NO... NO.... wait... WAIT.......a minute.. "RICO" "Wot babybear?" "RICO...HOW FAR UP?" "HOW far up wot?" "SILLY...HOW FAR UP YOU THINK THAT IS?" "UH....geez..Bear..I don't know... maybe...uh...maybe....12 feet? thirteen maybe?..... little less...little more...?" "RICO..>HOW TALL ARE YOU?" "NOT DAT TALL...BEAR" "NO...but....HOW TALL?" "SIX FOUR....." and then he grinned... lol.. "otay..six four..and 3/4" "HAH..." "HAH WOT?" "HAH...SIX FOUR...ALMOST SIX FIVE>.. and I....Buster Brown..am SIX ONE and a half..." "YEH...?...SO?..." He looked at me, a puzzled look.. until, all of a sudden, the light bulb came on... OH..." and he giggled.. "OH...I C..." "VEDDY GOOT" I said, smugly... "STOP BEAR" He grinned... "WELL?" "I DUNNO BEAR...long way up... wouldn't be easy...yaknow?" "NO..but if you GET ON MY HANDS... my shoulders and then my hands..." I hoped I was looking HOPEFUL.... "NO...YOU...ON MINE" "WHY?" Grrrr "CAUSE I SAID SO" Dadratted varmit he ith... PFUI  GRRR.. "And..DEN WHAT..>Bear?" "DEN...you go for help" "NO...YOU go for help" "I dont wanna leave you here...Rico" "IS ok..Bear...Hoodlum be ok.." and he looked so.... I leaped into his arms... "OH RICO" "SHHH.>>Bear...Baby....SHHH... it be ok....be ok...Ur Hoodlum be JUST fine.. heah..ok? BUT...BEAR.. We GOTSTA GIT YOUSE OUTTA HEAH, FIRST..." hmmm BACK... to reality....and DAT wath da TRUUF... NEITHER OF US were OUTTA heah YET.. I looked at him.. and he looked at me.. and...then he kissed me again... long and slow... and finally.. "You READY..Babybear?" Now that we were up to 'GO FOR IT' TIME>. I began to have second thoughts... What if...He slipped.. What if... I slipped... What if... What if... SIGH... OK....HERE WE GO... I closed my eyes for a minute... letting his kiss...just....immerse me... his body...tight against me... he felt SO good... WHY couldn't there be a ladder.. HELL ..an ELEVATOR>..lol... What kinda batcave mineshaft dey running heah anyway.. NO ELEVATOR? EEEK.. no bar no fairies... ok..maybe..couple... snicker.. NOW HEAH DIS.... You Batcave Mineshaft Operator TROLLS.... I DEMANDS..... sigh.. THAT... and a quarter... Otay... Fifty Cents... GRRR... OTAY..... "YEH...but I STILL THINK bettah YOU go... Rico.....PLEASE....you go...PLEASE..." I hated..that both of us couldn't go up together... but... "Bear...." "NO..PLEASE>>>RICO..YOU GO....PLEASE" "AWW>>>BEAR.." BUT... Bears rule... and slowly....he gave in... albeit...grudgingly... ******************************************************* He got me with my back up against the side of the earthen wall... My feet spreadeagled for balance. and out a bit... I put my hands out for him to put a foot in... which he did... He got his hands on my shoulders.. He rocked a couple times... making sure my fingers were locked tight enough... Then, I felt the palms of his hands BEAR DOWN.. on my shoulders....hard.... I tried DESPERATELY, not to wince... AND,  on the count of three... with one of his long legs extended back for balance... he MOVED... and UP HE WENT... it was like being CLIMBED...BY A MOUNTAIN...lol... and the first time he didn't make it... NOR the second... BUT THE THIRD... HE DID.. and then he was STANDING....UP..>ON MY SHOULDERS... "I GOT MY HANDS ON THE EDGE BEAR" "YEH?..what you see?" "Building of some kind" "MAYBE A PHONE?" "MAYBE BEAR...MAYBE Can you get me a bit higher Bear?" His voice came in bursts... stress, excitement, the exertion of the climb... and I was panting, BIG TIME... As skinny as that boi is.. that is still a lot of weight... considering how weak I am.... but I was gonna be DAMNED if I would let that show... NOPESIES...I didn't want him to know how hurting I wath... "IF I get my hands under your feet?" "OK...sounds goot Bear" and it took some doing... I was sweating bullets by now... and I kept having to wipe my hands... I SURE AS HELL didn't want him to fall... GOD KNOWS>>.... So we maneuvered...slowly and carefully... "EASY RICO" "YETHY YETHY...VEDDY Easy Bear" and slowly but surely... and I PUSHED BACK..with my shoulders... I could FEEL my skin...being raked by the hard earth.. but...I needed leverage to raise him... and slowly....VERY slowly.... I began to raise my left hand...raising HIM with his right foot.. "LITTLE FURTHER BEAR... Dere a ROCK heah...gonna try to PULL mahself up wif dat" "OK.." I grunted... SLOWLY....and painfully... my head SPLITTING...from the increased activity... but...FINALLY... "OK..BEAR.... AH AM GOIN' FOR IT" "RICO...HONEY..PLEASE>..BE CAREFUL>..PLEASE" and I was puffing and panting REALLY good by this time... "YEP YEP...AH AM BEAR...." and I felt...his push... with ME pushing on his foot as HARD AS I COULD>.. and FINALLY...SLOWLY.. I felt his foot LEAVE...my hand... THEN...... BOTH feet... as dirt began cascading down into my face.. THEN...I saw his head... leaning down over the edge.. "I HEAH BEAR" and I started to cry... "OH GOD>>RICO" "HONEYBEAR...AWW BABY....... OH GOD BEAR>.. I doan wanna leave yah alone...Baby......." "GO..U GOT TO...U GOT TO GET HELP RICO... PLEASE" "OTAY OTAY....U rest Bear...just rest... I gonna go check out dat building otay? Bear...Baby?" "YEH?" "LUV YOU BEAR" And, THAT...ALMOST did me in.... but, I refused to let the tears flow... "YEP..GO...find a phone..ok?" "YESSY YESSY" and his head, and his grinning fathe...  disappeared... from view.... I slumped to the floor... tired... HELL, WHIPPED... actually... GOD..I hope there is a phone... and it works... and... and... I SLUMPED... Mah head hurt something awful... and I just sat... TIRED.... and....... scared I guess... and....... THEN all of a sudden... "BEAR BEAR..." "What?..you find a phone?" "NO..SUMFIN BETTAH... well...sumfin bettah for now... ROPE" "HUH?" "DINGUS..>AH FINDS A ROPE UP HEAH.. ovah by dat building... LOOKS like some kind of shack.. prolly for dah dudes who worked heah... anyway...got a rope... gonna get YOU.....OUTTA DERE...BEAR..." "OH....... wait.. but HOW?" "Bear...OH BEAR OF LITTLE FAITH... Dere ith a TREE...up heah... ah gonna tie dah ropey to dat tree... and HOIST you..see?" "NO..I DON'T SEE" "YOU WILL....just wait..." and he disappeared again... but I could hear him singing.. DAMN...HE DOES have a good voicey.. lol... SEE..I KNEW IT...dem Italians....its REQUIRED>.. MUST BE GOOT singys...heeeeee.... Then.. OK..>BEAR....I am gonna toss one end uvdah ropey down.. YOU TIE IT AROUND YOUR WAIST>. NOT YOUR NECK EEFUR DINGUS.. YOUR WAIST" "VEDDY FUNNY" I was only SLIGHTLY amused.... "I TAUGHT TOE.." He grinned.. "OK HEAH" "BY THE WAY..." I said... "DID I EVER TELL YOU..that I FLUNKED ROPE... in BOY SCOUTS? or was that Girl Scouts...AH FERGITS...." "OH GOD>>BEAR....... you TWITKUS.... gleepus OK..tell you what.. I tie it in a loopy up heah.. you just step into it..and pull it up around your waisty.. OTAY..BEAR?" "WE SHALL SEE...HOODLUM" "LALALALA>>GONNA WORK BEAR>>U SEE" I was LESS sure than he obviously... but... oh well.. "OK>>>BEAR>>STAND BACK..." and trust me..I DID.. and he flung the rope...more a lasso....down... "OK>>NOW STEP INTO THE LOOP>>OTAY?" "YEPPY" and I did.. "OK..PULL IT UP AROUND YOUR WAIST BEAR" "YETHY....SARGE" "VEDDY FUNNY BEAR" "I TAUGHT TOE" and I did... "OK...BEAR ...You gotta...uh..like RAPPEL....up the side..." "EXCUSE ME?" "YOU KNOW>..like MOUNTAIN climbing" "EXCUSE ME...but how many mountains you think I can climb >>>> AHEM... IN A BOOKSTORE" "YOU NOT DAH RUGGED OUTDOORS TYPEY, you telling me Bear?" "YOU GOT IT HOODLUM" "WELL..YOU ARE NOW" "OH SHIT.... HEY.. I can do the rugged outdoor thingy... JUST AS LONG AS... it involves a recliner...a BIG SCREEN THINGY.... a cold one...and..." "NEVAH MIND BOUT DAT..Bearsky... NOW LISSEN..." and he proceed to give me a course in RAPPEL 101...   and I, as they say, wath ALL EARS...fuzzy tho they ith... "YOU BETTAH HAF DAT ROPEY THINGY tied around dat tree up dere REALLY GOOD, HOODLUM...... I ith HEAVY" "YEH RIGHT" "I AM..." "HOW MUCH YOU WEIGH BEAR>?" "180" "YEH RIGHT" sigh.. "OK..160" "NOT A CHANCE BEAR" "OK....grrr..151" "OK>..close enuf.... and YETHY..IT IS TIED VEDDY VEDDY GOOT BEAR" "OK..JUST CHECKING" "NOT GONNA LOSE MAH BEAR>>NO WAY... NO LOSE MAH BABY BEARSKI....... das MAH motto" sigh.. I HATE when I dont know if that hoodlum ith kidding or not... "OK...YOU READY BEAR?" "NEXT WEEK OK?" "NO" sigh.. "Week from Thursday?" "NO" sigh.. "OK..then...NOW I suppose.." "YETHY" and we did... two false starts... and then....WHIRRRR... and trust me.. I DON'T EVER WANT TO DO THAT AGAIN>.. EVER... NOT EVEN AT GUNPOINT>.. NADA NOPESIES NEVER... EVER EVER... NO... as I lay on the ground panting and puffing.. and being held.. whoo... and laughing..and crying...and kissing... ok..there ITH that... until finally.... we sat up... and I looked around... By now... the sun was fairly low in the sky... I would have bet....close to 5pm.. at this time of year.... and..so to speak.. we WEREN'T OUT OF THE WOODS YET... NOPE.. NOT BY A LONG SHOT... WE WERE...out of the mineshaft... but WHERE WERE WE? Neither of us knew... "BEAR>...the building" and we made a beeline... sorta... slowly... for I wasn't walking too well... GOD I HOPE THERE IS A PHONE IN THERE... I thought.. "ME TOO BEAR>>>ME TOO" Rico said...reading my thoughts.. EERIE... and we hugged tighter... as we slowly made our way to the miners shack... cold, dirty....and alone...VERY VERY ALONE... or so we thought... except for each other... and in an odd way... somehow... THAT was ALMOST ENOUGH...for me.. RiCO...HERE... was ALMOST ENOUGH...for me... and in an odd way.... I KNEW it.. I still wasn't quite aware of just how big a milestone this was... there was SO MUCH going on... SO much still to do... and SO much I still didn't know... AND...like I said.. we WERE out of the mineshaft.. but FAR from HOME FREE.... NOT YET... and WHAT was gonna happen now... WHAT....was gonna happen now... NEITHER OF US KNEW>.. and ALL I KNEW>.. ALL I KNOW>>>NOW>.... Is... I have my hero... and he gots me.. and MAYBE... MAYBE... that will prove to be enough... MAYBE... JUST... MAYBE.... ********************************************************* BOOK ONE "THE DUSTYBEAR CHRONICLES" All of the characters and events depicted herein are purely fictional.  Any similarity to any person or persons or events in actual existence are unintentional, and purely coincidental "DIME A DANCE" Copyright C 2004 and Copyright C 2005 DUSTYBEAR and "THE DUSTYBEAR CHRONICLES"  Copyright C 2005 and Copyright C 2006 DUSTYBEAR  "DUSTYBEAR "  "DIME A DANCE" AND "THE DUSTYBEAR CHRONICLES" ARE THE PROPERTY OF THIS AUTHOR ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ABSOLUTELY NO COPYING OR UNAUTHORIZED REPRINT WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE AUTHOR