Now that no one was around to talk to me, the pin-drop silence in the pit intensified the crippling terror within me.
The boggy soil reminded me of the night I had the miscarriage. My body couldn’t help trembling like a leaf.
I couldn’t afford to let fear overtake me, or else I would probably kick the bucket here. There were so many things left undone. I had yet to raise Summer up and achieve my dreams.
“Scarlett, can you hear me? I found some branches. Be careful, I’m dropping them now.” Laurel’s voice came from the opening of the pit.
“Okay, do it,” I replied.
In the next second, some branches fell from above, and she asked, “Scarlett, why did you ask for the branches?”
I felt for the branches on the ground. Holding it in my hand, I knocked against the ground and found that soil around me was pretty solid.
I took a few steps forward hesitantly. “I’m using them to check my surrounding, because I’m afraid that I might fall into another deeper pit.”
“I see, you’re really smart. Hold on, I’m going to find a vine now.”
Then, I could no longer hear her voice. I continued to scan my surrounding with the branch in my hand. After a few steps, I noticed that something was wrong. The soil beneath my feet was too marshy. To my dismay, I found myself sinking gradually.
My heart grew heavy, and I broke out in a cold sweat. At once, I knew that I had stepped into a swamp in the pit.
I raised my head and shouted, “Laurel, are you there?”
Fortunately, she was nearby and rushed over when she heard me. “I’m here.”
“I’m in trouble.” Deep down, I felt a little despondent. “I think I accidentally stepped into a swamp.”
“Ah!” she shrieked all of a sudden. “What should we do now?”
Feeling hopeless, my body sank gradually into the bottomless swamp.
“Don’t sweat it, Laurel. Quickly look for a vine or seek help. I can still hang on for a little longer. Don’t panic!” Trying my very best to keep calm, I racked my brain for a solution, recalling that before the ground I was standing at earlier was solid.
Grateful that I’m still holding the branch, I poked the ground around the swamp. Sure enough, the soil was much harder. Breathing a sigh of relief, I got on my hands and knees to reduce the weight on my feet.
As a result, I would sink at a slower speed.
Boom! Boom! A clap of deafening thunder roared, following by the sound of raindrops pitter-pattered on the ground.
I felt disheartened. Even if I got out of the swamp, I would never be able to climb out of here. Once the rain became heavier, water would accumulate in the pit, and I would get injured or even killed. To make the matter worse, a landslide might happen, and Laurel would be in trouble too.
“Scarlett, are you okay? It’s raining already. What should we do now? Why is Tessa taking so long?”
Outside the pit, Laurel paced up and down in distress. Yet, she had no idea what to do.
The rainwater fell and slowly flowed into the swamp, making it even soggier.
My heart sank. I could only take a gamble now. It would be just my luck if the ground in front of me was still swampy. If it wasn’t, I might pull through this.
Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fists. With all my might, I leaped out of the swamp.
Before I knew it, my feet landed on the area ahead of the swamp. Still, I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof. The moment I noticed I was no longer sinking, but standing on solid ground, my anxiety ceased.
The thunder was ear-splitting that I could barely hear Laurel’s voice. Listening to the sound of rainwater gushing in, I guess that the swamp formed over time due to the stagnant water in the pit.
The marshy ground was originally a flatland. The huge pit came about because the ground was hollow.
A City was in the southwest, where it was mainly covered by forests. After tens of thousands of years of plate motion, there were many coal mines in this area.
Over the past few years, there was no regulation, so the locals were free to do coal mining, leaving behind quite a number of underground mines. Even though the professionals came over for maintenance, the existence of these mines made the ground boggy and unstable.
The prevalence of landslides was caused by the cave-ins of the mines. Rainfall sped up the soil erosion. Hence, with this ten-meter-deep underground pit, the surrounding land could collapse anytime.
I would’ve seen it if I had come during the day, but that wasn’t the case at night when I was as blind as a bat. Once I fell inside, I could only ask for help to get out of it.
“Scarlett, can you hear me? Are you still alright? Don’t be afraid, someone’s coming down to get you.” Laurel’s voice sounded from above.
I lifted my head and answered, “Okay, be careful!”
I was worried about that the person who was coming down might fall into the swamp, so I warned, “Bring a torch when you come down. There’s a swamp down here. Be careful!”
