Chapter 3

There were holes everywhere on the ground. Big ones, medium ones and small ones. It looked more like the sides of a cheese block! Lessie stood there for a moment – lost in her own mind, not knowing what to do.

But she simply had to find out the source of the scent and sound. Moreover she suspected that the hole could be connected to them!

Plucking all her courage, she started walking on tip-toes avoiding all the holes. There were places where she had to jump across the holes and skipped aside to avoid falling into any of it.

Soon some birds appeared and flew about in the air chirping away and a few squirrels were jumping up and down on branches squeaking noisily as if trying to warn her about something! Then it suddenly happened!

She jumped too close to the edge of a big hole and the ground gave way. In a mad scramble to grab an overhanging branch, she lost her balance and fell into the big gaping hole!

She felt as if she had been sucked by a giant vacuum cleaner and was falling deeper and deeper into the chasm. It was not a smooth ride.

The rocks were hurting her body and she was just twisting and falling deeper and deeper into the unknown .The deeper she gets, the darker it became and the falling and sliding continued for a good many minutes!

Soon she landed with a thud and a roll for a few meters before coming to an abrupt stop. She sat on the ground nursing a dizzy head. Her head, hands and legs were bruised and cut – but she did not feel any pain.

No – fear was even worse for her. The fear that she might have been buried, that she might be in an underground cave that she might not be able to get back to the surface and, worst of all --- she might even die there!!!

“Ouch – what on earth is this place? I couldn’t see anything. It’s so dark in here. “, she thought aloud.

Then, she shouted,

“Hello!!!Anybody here? Can you hear me? Please!! It’s too dark! Please help me! If ever you want to trap me, at least bring some lights and let me see you!!”

Nothing but silence!

Then the feeling of worries overcame her! Her family! They will be so worried if she did not return home before dark! What is the time now?

“Oh no! What have I done now??” She was mumbling to herself!

She knew she had to find a way out and get back home. So, like a blind, she got up and started to feel her way around – although she has lost all sense of direction! She stumbled and fell so many times that she could not care anymore. She wished one of her animal friends could help her now.

Her thoughts kept going back to the surface world. Her parents, sister, animal friends, grandparents, her bed-room, her pillows – just about everything!

Suddenly, thousands of small lights appeared far behind her! They seem to be floating about and were getting nearer and nearer to her. She wasn’t sure whether to feel afraid or relieved!

Lessie realized that the lights were fire-flies. As they got nearer, the lights lit up the area of the tunnel around them. What a relief to know that her eyes were still in perfect condition and that she was not blind!

The fire flies stopped when she stopped and continued to follow and direct her when she walked. She thanked the little creatures for the help.

In the tunnel, there were many other branches of tunnels and the fire-flies seemed to know just which one to take!

Then something distracted her attention and she walked away from the fireflies and entered one of the smaller dark branch tunnels, which turned out to be a mistake for her!