Free Silver Dream by Angela Dorsey Page A

upward. At first the trapdoor didn’t move, then
finally, accompanied by a loud shriek from the hinges, she was able
to raise it. She let it fall back against the floor, then knelt
over the black hole.
    “David! David, are you
there?”
    A rustling came from the hole.
In an instant, Angelica disappeared into the dark abyss.
    Joanna looked at Cally. “Do you
have a flashlight?”
    “We have candles.” She opened a
cupboard near the sink, brought out a candle and matches, then lit
it with a trembling hand. Joanna took the meagre light and moved it
low over the hole. A rickety ladder descended into the depths.
    “Here, hold this,” she said,
giving the candle back to Cally. “Then hand it down to me when I
reach the bottom.”
    “Okay.”
    Joanna was infinitely relieved
that none of the rungs gave way beneath her feet as she started to
descend. The ladder seemed to have no end. She kept going down,
down, while the square opening at the top got farther away, the
light from the candle more distant, less effective. This was a lot
more than a simple crawlspace. It was a cellar.
    “You’re getting too far down,”
Cally called. “I won’t be able to give you the candle.”
    But Joanna could see Angelica
bent over the ground below her now, despite there being no obvious
source of light. Maybe there was a window somewhere that let in the
moonlight? “It’s okay,” she called up to Cally. “It’s not as dark
down here as I thought.”
    “Should I come down?”
    Joanna jumped down beside
Angelica. It was then that she noticed the dark form sprawled on
the ground near the bottom of the ladder.
    The dark form groaned. Rolled
over.
    “Joanna? Angelica? Do you want
me to come down?” Cally asked again, her voice shrill. Of course,
she wouldn’t be able to see them from the well-lit kitchen.
    “No, stay there,” said Joanna.
“We might need you to phone for an ambulance.”
    “He’s there?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Is he okay?”
    “Just a sec. I’ll let you know.”
Joanna knelt beside Angelica. “Is he okay?” she asked, quietly.
    Angelica merely nodded, her face
white.
    “My head.” David put one hand to
his temple, then tried to sit up. “Where am I?”
    “Just close your eyes. Rest for
a moment.”
    “Angelica, you came.” David
collapsed back to the ground. “I knew you would.”
    Angelica looked up at Joanna
with golden eyes. “Joanna, can you go get the candle from
Cally?”
    “Sure.” Joanna hurried to the
ladder, glad to have something to do.
    Cally was waiting for her at the
top of the ladder, her eyes full of tears and her face alabaster
pale. “Is he okay?”
    “He’s talking, so that’s a good
sign. We’ll be able to tell more when we can see him clearly.” She
held out her hand for the candle. The flame jumped and trembled in
Cally’s shaking hand as she gave it to Joanna. “Everything will be
alright,” added Joanna, sympathetically. Cally was a wreck – but
who could blame her? It must be harsh to think your grandfather
could hurt someone.
    “Promise he’ll be alright?”
    “He has to be.”
    Carefully, she descended the
ladder, her descent much slower now with the candle in her hand.
With her feet finally on solid ground, Joanna lowered the candle to
look at David.
    The teenaged boy had dark eyes,
and seemed about average build and height. Dirt smudged his face
and his black hair stuck up all over. A dark line had dried on his
face – blood from his head. But other than that, he looked okay.
His face was relaxed and not too pale. He even smiled up at
Joanna.
    “Do you think you can climb the
ladder?” Angelica asked, taking her hands from his head.
    “Sure. I feel a lot better.
Thanks.” The boy rose to his feet. “I’m David,” he said to
Joanna.
    “Joanna.”
    “Thanks for rescuing me, both of
you.”
    “Do you remember what happened?”
Joanna asked.
    “I was driving late last night.”
He looked at Angelica. “You remember how I always wanted to be a
vet? Well,