Half a Mile a Day

[Randall Rudd]

Monongah, West Virginia


A beat-up Ford truck rumbled up an unpaved path off the county highway. The path was orange mud and chert rock, cut into the foothills, leading up to a slightly weathered double-wide trailer. It was the Rudd family mansion, and the man of the house was in.

He took a few moments, setting the truck into park and letting Willie Nelson keep playing on the CD player, which was almost the only part of the truck that wasn't 15 years old. He fished a half-crushed soft pack of Winstons from his work shirt, and lit up a cigarette. It would be his last before going in the house. After over a dozen attempts to kick the habit, he was resigned to the fact that he'd likely smoke till the day he died. The least he could do, however, was keep it out of his baby girl's face.

He blew the first breath full of smoke out slow, letting his head back against the headrest. Work was slowly killing him, he could feel it in his bones. Not that there was too much, no sir. Randall was the type that could be up before sun-up and work till sun-down and neither fuss nor fret. The troubling part was that there just wasn't enough work to go around. He felt like he was scraping the bread to spread the butter around. Course, at least he didn't have to worry about competition. Being the only plumber in a town of 900 people with nowhere better to go, he had some form of job security, but only insofar as people had plumbing work to get done.

Lately, there wasn't. Even as he smoked his last cigarette of the day, Randall's mind was running like a computer, adding up everything he brought in this week, and taking away everything that would be going out in bills. It was gonna be close. Maybe he'd break even again this week. He didn't want to have to beg like a dog for no more money from his mother in law Essie. Lord knows that woman had suffered enough of him. They'd together had to put up just enough money to get Shirley Faye a decent funeral, and the last thing Randall wanted to tell her was that he couldn't support his little girl without his wife.

Even if it was looking like that was the case.

[Lindy Rudd]

In the few hours that she'd been home from school, Lindy Rudd had taken it upon herself to scrub clean the few dishes left in the sink. She'd scooted a beat up step-stool across the linoleum floor and now stood confidently atop it, methodically cleaning the few plates, forks, and cups clean with a sponge that had certainly seen better days.

Her jeans, well coated in firt from the school playground, already had a few drops splashed on them, and her tshirt had faired little better. There was still homework to be done, but the nine-year-old had thought it better if she finished her daily chores first; or at least got as many done as she could before her father returned home from work. Already she'd picked up the few odds and ends laying about her small bedroom and made the bed, and the livingroom had recieved the same treatment; Daddy's beer cans having been taken from their various perches and dropped in the trash, and a the few books she seemed to constantly tote about had been placed on the small bookshelf off to the side.

The sound of the truck rumbling to a stop in the driveway made her stop, and with a happy grin, Lindy wiped wet hands on her jeans to hurriedly dry them. Almost bounding from the step-stool, she landed on the floor in well-worn sneakers and rounded the small wraparound counter on her way to the front door.

Swinging it open, Lindy pushed at the ever-creaky screendoor and hopped down the front steps.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall pressed his cigarette butt into the ash tray as he killed the engine and stepped out of the truck to greet his favorite person.

"Hey there pumpkin!"

Instantly, his troubles were put out of sight, and he smiled an easy smile, meeting her at the end of the steps with a big hug that swept her off her feet.

"I found you a surprise out yonder at the Mansfield house, when I was doin' my rounds. You straighten up your things?"

Randall kept the long hem of his work shirt draped over the back of his jeans, where a rolled up comic book was half stuck inside. Lindy'd always been a bit of a tomboy even before Shirley Faye died, and Randall just raised her like he knew.

[Lindy Rudd]

A surprise?? It wasn't often that she got surprises, and so when she did, Lindy was never disappointed. Little arms wrapped tight around his neck in a hug, but soon enough she was ready to be set back down.

"I did," she beamed, "... was doin' the dishes just now."

Set on the ground once more, she made sure to keep a hold of his hand as they walked back up the stairs. She darted inside when he held the door open for her, and was quick to turn on her heel with a skip as he stepped inside himself.

"What sorta surprise?"

[Randall Rudd]

Randall pulled the comic from his back pocket, carefully unrolling it before presenting it to her. It was far from a collector's piece, and the person who owned it before had obviously read it a few times. There were a few creases, a water stain on the cover, and a few dog-eared corners.

"Got you a Spider Man comic. Darlene said Kenny got him two boxes of different kinds of 'em and ain't want 'em no more. Asked me if you might be wantin' em."

Of course, Randall knew all too well that his litle girl ate up comics like candy. They could rarely afford new prints, but they'd pop up for a quarter down at the used book store, and that was a usual Sunday afternoon treat.

"Course I told Darlene that I don't want you readin' these up and down and not doin yer school work. We got ourselves a deal?"

[Lindy Rudd]

Her eyes lit up, and Lindy had to keep herself from reflexively grabbing the comic. Instead, she smiled from ear to ear and nodded eagerly.

"Deal!"

Of course, that meant she'd not be able to red it until the evening's homework was done, but that didn't matter. She was almost done with the dishes, and after that she'd start the small math and english assignments that she'd been given.

And with that thought in mind, Lindy happily skipped around the counter and climbed once more onto the stool in front of the sink.

"You don't gotta worry."

[Randall Rudd]

"I know I don't."

Randall came inside, pausing at the door to remove his tool belt before setting that on the armrest of his couch.

"You're naturally smart, jus' like yer mama."

He moved into the walk-in kitchen with Lindy, and paused at the freezer, running his hand over a series of honor roll ribbons that Lindy had earned, stuck together with bumble bee fridge magnets. Smiling, he opened the freezer, looking at the contents inside.

"Whatcha gon' want fer supper? Got us some fish sticks, catfish, them pizza roll things, and a bitta deer left."

[Lindy Rudd]

Back to her washing, Lindy thought for a little while about what she might want. Dinner was still a few hours off, and she hadn't thought quite that far ahead. She shrugged.

"Dunno."

Giving the last plate a wipe, she rinsed it off in the warm water before setting it carefully into the dish drainer. Another moment later and she'd turned the water off, leaning over to grab at the dishrag so that she could properly dry her hands.

Hopping from the stool, she folded it up and carried it around him and to the other side of the fridge to slide it into the small space between the wall and the fridge.

"What do you want."

[Randall Rudd]

"I ain't hungry yet."

Closing the freezer, Randall opened the fridge, and considered getting a beer. He passed, instead grabbing a clean mason jar from the cabinet and filling it with cubes from the ice pan, and filled the rest with sweet tea.

"If ya want we can git in the truck and go on into town fer some Taco Bell."

Randall rested his tea on a dirty coaster on the coffee table and leaned back onto a couch that had a series of well-worn grooves in it. He kicked off his boots, and reached for the TV Guide. Fast food was one of the few "luxuries" he could offer Lindy. Taco Bell just so happened to be cheap enough to do once every week.

[Lindy Rudd]

A new comicbook and Taco Bell in one day! It wasn't often that two surprises happened along on the same day, and Lindy was quick to nod in approval.

"Taco Bell sounds great!"

She always got the same thing; two crunchy tacos and a nacho supreme, the latter of which was always shared with her dad. She always asked for mild sauce too, even though there was already a collection of sauce packets stuffed into a ziplock bag in the door of the fridge.

Her oversized and understuffed backpack was pulled from its' spot on the kitchen table, and she made her way into the living room, climbing up to sit beside her dad.

"I hafta finish my homework before we go though. Mrs. Ivy gave me some math and english to do."

[Randall Rudd]

"A'ight. You do that, I'm gon' watch my huntin' show."

Randall flipped a few channels until he got to the familiar one, with two guys in realtree camo creeping slowly through some dry foliage while a pair of bucks cautiously grazed in the distance.

His mind was still far away, however. He watched Lindy study, still thinking about making ends meet. In a town like this, if you were good with your hands, you could always do something. He started adding up his prospects, and remembered that Ol' Doc still needed that porch built. He'd been looking to hire a couple of mexican boys for the job, but locals always took care of each other.

"Hey sugar, I was thinkin' about this weekend. Daddy might need to do some work saturday."

[Lindy Rudd]

Studying while he watched TV was easy, especially since he was watching his hunting show. It was boring enough that she could happily keep him company while doing her homework. Heck, that hunting show made math and english exciting.

At his mention of Saturday, she looked up from the math problem she'd been figuring out.

"Saturday?" Thinking for a moment, she let her pencil go so that it rolled to the middle of the book.

"What kinda work do you hafta do on Saturday?"

[Randall Rudd]

"I'm gon' go up yonder to Ol' Doc's and help him out."

Randall knew she wasn't going to be happy. They were gonna go to the lake and swim with the Vaughns, old neighbors she hadn't seen in a while.

[Lindy Rudd]

Her face fell at that. She'd been looking forward to going out and seeing the Vaughns and swimming at the lake.

"But we were supposed to go to the lake an' swim an' visit with Joe an' Cassie an' their parents. Remember?"

She'd been looking forward to it.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall looked her in the eye, hard as it was to let her down.

"I know we was, but I ain't got much work this week. Ol' Doc has work, and I gotta take it. I can't well go down and back again with gas like it is."

His mind raced to think of the possibilities.

"Maybe next week we can go on up to the lake, and see if the Vaughns will be able to come then?"

[Lindy Rudd]

She stopped to consider this. She knew that ever since Momma died, things had been tough, and that her Dad had had to balance out his work and raising her. That's why she did her best to do chores around the house and keep everything clean.

Waiting till the next weekend to go to the lake maybe wouldn't be too bad she supposed.

"Since we can't go to the lake, can I go with you?"

[Randall Rudd]

"Ain't gonna be nothin' for you to do, but you can come along and he's liable to let you fish in his pond I guess. Jus' you stay away from them geese and don't cause a fuss."

Nobody in Monongah could stand the geese at Ol' Doc's pond, but Merlene had her say, and he wasn't allowed to shoo them off.

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy made a face at the mention of the geese. Those things were mean and loud, and she didn't like 'em one bit. She nodded her head in agreement.

"I'll stay away from 'em. Besides, they always chase me if I get too close."

Picking up her pencil once more, she made a hrumph sound at the memory of the last time he'd taken her to Ol' Doc's.

"And anyways," she drew a little star on the top of her paper, "Even if I won't be able to do much, 'least I won't be here by myself."

[Randall Rudd]

Randall felt like a heel for even thinking about not bringing her along. What was she gonna do?

An hour passed, and Lindy finished up her schoolwork, and Randall finished the dregs of his sweet tea. With a slight groan, he worked himself up from the couch, and slipped on his boots.

"Y' hungry yet?"

[Lindy Rudd]

She hummed a tune while putting her books and homework back in her backpack, and nodded.

"Yup."

[Randall Rudd]

"A'ight. Get yer shoes, I'll crank up the truck."

Ten minutes later, the Rudds were at their destination. The new and vibrant "hub" of Monongah was a gas station, a McDonalds, a Taco Bell, and a family-owned shoe store that was about to go under. Everything else that was worth two bits was down the road another ten minutes in the next town.

Randall and Lindy both ordered their food, opting to head back home with it rather than sit in at the restaurant. The rolled back up the driveway just as it was good and dark. Out in the foothills, the nearest light was another trailer, down the path. It was a moonless night, and very dark.

[Lindy Rudd]

She'd gotten her two tacos and nacho supreme - and her mild sauce packets - and Lindy was out of the truck, taking the plastic bag that held their dinner with her.

She didn't mind that there was no moonlight to shine down and brighten up the normal path leading from the driveway to the front of the stairs; she'd traveled that short path long enough to be able to do it with her eyes closed. Without any trouble the little girl climbed the stairs, but waited patiently on the landing so that her Dad could unlock the front door.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall opened up the door, and they filed into the trailer, depositing the food on the coffee table. They ate, and small talked like father and daughter do, and watched the Avatar show that Lindy was so keen on. She was happy, and Randall let his concerns once again melt away, as they watched four Japanese kids and a six legged sheepdog or something.

[Lindy Rudd]

By the end of the show, her tacos had been eaten, and Lindy slid what was left of her nachos over in front of where her Dad was sitting. She was full, and set about folding the paper wrappers meticulously; it was habit, unlike how Dad seemed to just crumple his up into a ball.

Making a face, she looked at him.

"You should fold them, that way it saves space."

[Randall Rudd]

"It's just goin' in the trash, sweety."

Randall paused, watched her, and took his last, folding it as she did.

"I love you, pumpkin."

[Lindy Rudd]

A wide grin as she gathered the wrappers and put them back in the plastic Taco Bell bag.

"I love you too."

Taking the bag to the kitchen, Lindy dropped it into the trash can. She still hadn't read her new comicbook, and hoped that her Dad would let her read it before bed. Picking the comic up from the kitchen table where she'd left it, she started back into the living room.

"Can I read this before bed?"

[Randall Rudd]

Randall gave a nod of his head.

"A'ight, but you brush them teeth first."

He scooped her up in his arms and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy grinned wide, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. It was still Thursday, so she still had time enough to put together a small pack of books and whatever else to keep her occupied on Saturday. Tomorrow was going to be easy, since it would only be half day...

A gasp, and she rocked back in her father's arms.

"I forgot!"

A sheepish look as she bit her lower lip.

"Tomorrow's a half day at school."

[Randall Rudd]

"Half day? How for?"

Randall's brow knit in confusion.

"Y'all have a snow day or somethin'?"

[Lindy Rudd]

"Noooo," she giggled at the thought of snow at a time like this.

"It's some teacher thing. I don't know what exactly."

Lindy gave a happy sigh, idly tapping at his shoulder with the comicbook. "But that just means that I'll be able to get all my chores done super early and get stuff for Saturday."

[Randall Rudd]

"A'ight, well you get yer chores done tomorrow an' maybe we'll go down to town for somethin'."

Randall ruffled her hair and gave her a squeeze.

"Maybe I'll come back in from work and we'll go out to Darlenes and get the rest of them comics."

[Lindy Rudd]

The rest of the comics! How could she have almost forgotten?! Lindy hugged her dad again, and slid down from his arms to the floor. Trotting away to her bedroom, she called over her shoulder.

"I'm gonna get ready for bed."

[Randall Rudd]

"A'ight sugar."

Randall smiled at her as she said her goodbyes. He wanted to tuck her in and read her a story, but she'd gotten an independent streak to her. Inwardly, he thought she was being forced to grow up too fast, and it pained him at times.

[Lindy Rudd]

* * *

The wait to Saturday had been a relativel easy one. There were enough chores to do that Lindy was able to occupy her time without too much trouble, and she had even been able to pack her school bag with things to occupy her for when they were at Doc's. A few comics, some pencils and drawing paper, and some books.

And so when Saturday morning crept up, she was out of bed and dressed even before her Dad. A quick trip to put her backpack in the truck, and she was back inside to look for something for breakfast.

Opening the door to the fridge, Lindy pulled out a half carton of milk before going to the cupboard for a box of cereal.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall slept hard, and was hard fought to greet the day. A week of hard work meant that he often slept late on saturdays. He heard Lindy in the kitchen moving about, and groggily managed to shift out of bed, sliding bare feet onto matted carpeting. He slipped a t-shirt over his shoulders and ambled into the kitchen, still going through the motions.

"Mornin' pumpkin."

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy set a bowl on the table, spoon in hand, and greeted her dad with a wide smile.

"Mornin'!"

Picking up the box of cheerios she'd taken from the cupboard, she poured a small amount in the bowl.

"I already packed and put my stuff in the truck."

[Randall Rudd]

Randall laughed and shook his head. Kids seemed to be hard wired to wake up with the chickens on the weekend. He knew that the cartoons were all set for the earliest slots, as if it were a genetic rule that kids would be up at nearly dawn, full of sugary cereal and ready to watch. He wondered when Lindy would embrace the true laziness that Saturday mornings represented. Until then, he had gotten used to her shenanigans.

"Sweety I gotta tank up on some coffee. I ain't yet on my feet yet."

He padded over to the coffee pot and started a brew going. After a few minutes, he had a steaming cup and was having it alongside his daughter.

"You sleep good?"

[Lindy Rudd]

"Mm hmm," was her reply, muffled slightly by a mouthful of cheerios. Swallowing, Lindy leaned back in her seat and looked thoughtful for a moment before going back to her cereal.

The smell of her Dad's coffee was strong, but it was something that she was used to. She smelled it just about every morning, after all. Another few bites in silence, and Lindy looked over to him.

"What about you? Did you sleep okay?"

[Randall Rudd]

"Nah."

He shook his head a bit, not really wanting to get into it. Taking the coffee down as fast as he safely could, he tried not to dwell on the nightmare he'd had the night before, and whether it meant anything or not.

"But I'll be right as rain after this, don't you worry. Got a big day ahead of us."




<center>* * *</center>



Breakfast now taken care of, the Rudds quickly hopped into the truck, and were bounding down the road to Doc's house. Randall looked at Lindy, who sat on the edge of the bench seat despite her seatbelt, eager to get to their destination.

[Lindy Rudd]

As much as she wasn't looking forward to having to deal with the geese at Doc's pond, Lindy was excited for the chance to be able to fish. It might not've been as fun as going to the lake with the Vaughns, but if they weren't able to do that, at least she could spend most of Saturday with Dad, even if he would be working for a lot of it.

She could barely see over the dash, and her feet missed the floorboard by inches; she'd always been a little short for her age, but she'd heard of girls that grew tall really fast once they hit a certain age. She wasn't worried about it, since she knew that she'd grow too once she got a little older.

"Do you know how long it's gonna take you today?"

[Randall Rudd]

"We'll be outta here by a lil' past lunch I guess."

Fishing a well-worn hat off the dash, Randall slipped it into place on his head. The fatigued cover slid perfectly into place as it had done thousands of times before.

"If ya catch anything I'll clean 'em and we'll cook 'em up. Ol' Doc's got a bucket down below I'm sure you can borrow it."

They bounded up a hill to an old brick single-story. A man in horn-bill glasses and overalls stood on the porch, hands tucked in his pockets.

[Lindy Rudd]

The possibility of having fresh fish for dinner was enough to make her smile, and shifting herself upwards, Lindy pulled her legs up so that she could fold them beneath her, affording her a better view out the windshield. She saw Doc, and as they got closer, she waved to him excitedly.

[Randall Rudd]

Doc adjusted his glasses, and gave a little wave as the truck came to a stop.

"Y'all come just in time. I ran and get some o that fresh pine from Harvey's plot and jus came in. Should be enough to fix this ol thing up."

For emphasis, Doc kicked away an old, weathered spindle that held the hand-railing on the beaten-down porch.

Randall looked over the porch, and at a nearby flatbed that held the light yellow planks of fresh pine boards.

"Well, I reckon we can get this all pulled out in about an hour, an the rest of the time get the new wood on it."

He walked over to the edge of the porch and similarly pulled off a pair of spindles. He looked back to Lindy.

"Now you don't go all runnin up here on account of nails, you hear me? Doc don't wanna get them pliars if you hollerin."

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy scrambled out of the truck, slinging her backpack over one shoulder.

"I won't," she reassured her Dad.

She knew well enough the small pathway that led out to the pond, and setting off, she meandered her way happily down the worn and beaten dirt. Tall grass lined the walkway, and Lindy reached out a hand to brush it over the tops, tickling her palm.

She stopped at the approaching sound of geese, giving a frown.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall watched her hop along the path, and made sure she was alright before turning to Doc and the task at hand.

"Well, lets get 'er done."

Spitting on the dirt, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it up, taking the hammer to the railing while Doc started the same. The two worked with minimalist movements, getting the most work done in the least amount of time. They made a little small talk as they toiled, mostly about the lack of work lately and the goings-on of the community.

[Lindy Rudd]

It took a little bit of creativity, but Lindy was ultimately successful in avoiding the small gaggle of geese that she'd heard earlier. It'd been a little tricky, but soon enough she was at the water's edge, pausing to look around her and up at the cloudless blue sky. Her backpack was set on the ground, and it wasn't long before she stooped to pick up a few small stones, tossing them as far out into the pond as she could.

The geese started up again, and she turned her head in their direction, being careful to make as little noise as possible. They sounded like they were getting closer, and Lindy quickly picked up her pack, heading further out along the side of the pond to its' far side.

Another few minutes, and she was a safe enough distance from those noisy, mean-spirited geese. She would have stayed, but she wasn't entirely sure that she'd be able to stay in one spot. Her eyes roamed the surrounding area, and spying a small, barely visible pathway, Lindy set off.

It wound its' way further from Doc's house, but that didn't seem to bother her as she kept along at a liesurely pace.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall continued to toil with Doc, pulling apart the deckwork. After the span of 20 minutes, the mass of warped boards were assembled into a haphazard pile adjacent to the house.

"Alright." Doc gave his brief approval of the job, tucking his thumbs in his pocket as he shifted his feet.

The two men regarded their work for a moment, before Doc brought out a pair of bottles

"Hot as hell out here, figure a little Southpaw will take that edge off."

Randall clinked the mouth of his bottle against Doc's, and both sat on the bed of his truck and watched the geese at the near edge of the pond. Randall didn't see Lindy, and frowned.

[Lindy Rudd]

She'd never really explored this far out from Doc's, but that didn't really matter to her. It was something to pass the time and keep her from getting bored at least. She could hear a few birds chirping here and there, and even startled a few rabbits and ground squirrels.

Lindy paused at the high point of the small hill she'd trudged up, looking back the way she'd come. Kneeling, she picked up a few rocks, turning them over in her palm. A few were interesting enough to keep, and the rest she let drop back to the ground.

Ever curious, Lindy turned on her heel and started down the opposite side of the hill.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall kept working after his beer, but he kept drifting his eyes toward the fishing pond. The geese moped about and honked annoyingly, but he didn't see Lindy at all. That was odd, since fishing usually involved moving from spot to spot, looking for a place where fish were biting. She might have gotten lucky, but he hadn't seen her for 45 minutes now.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he looked to Doc.

"Mind if I take five? I can't find Lindy nowhere."

Doc shrugged.

"Might be on the far side of the pond, Randall."

Randall was already slowly walking around.

"Yeah, maybe."

The distracted tone of his voice caused Doc's brow to furrow, and he followed along with him. They made it around to the other side, and saw nothing.

"Damn. Where she run off to?"

[Lindy Rudd]

It seemed that the further along she went, The random stones she plucked from the ground became more widespread. Every one that she took enough interest in was put in her backpack, and it wasn't long before their weight was noticeable. This didn't slow her up however, and Lindy still kept on.

Up ahead a small ravine was opening up, and she eagerly quickened her pace. Exploring on a Saturrday morning sure beat sitting at home and not doing anything.

She stopped as she came to the edge of the shallow dropoff, and crouching down, Lindy brushed a hand across the ground and over a few blackened rocks that lay about. Craning her head to look both ways along the depression, she spied some old timber lying a short ways away. It looked ancient to be sure, and further behind them she thought she saw an opening in the ravine wall. It was tough to see, since it looked to be just around a bend, but curiosity got the better of her, and Lindy slid her backpack from her shoulders.

Leaving it up on the edge of the ravine, she carefully made her way down, wondering just where that opening might lead to.

[Randall Rudd]

"Lindy?"

Randall made it to the far side of the pond and up a vantage. Her pack was gone, and so was she.

"Lindy!"

He shouted. The only thing that responded was the geese, honking their grievances at him interrupting their silence.

"That girl's gon get a whoopin." Randall muttered, though worry was more on his mind than anger.

"Where you reckon she went?"

Doc, catching up with the younger man removed his cap and wiped his sleeve against his forehead.

"Ain't nothin here but them woods out that a-way, and that old mine down past the dropoff."

Both of them instinctively headed for the mine. It was the last place Lindy needed to be.

[Lindy Rudd]

Pausing just on the inside of the opening, Lindy peered into the darkness, She wished she had a flashlight, but then again she had no real desire to go very far into the tunnel ahead of her. There were a few bits of metal around the opening, as well as some more dried out and broken boards.

She listened to the wildlife outside and the sound of her own soft breathing, and... something else? It was faint, and sounded like a whistling to her. It was coming from inside the tunnel.

"Hello?"

No answer was returned, instead the constant whistling sound. Taking a few steps inside, the sound got louder. It was almost like some sort of high pitched humming, and strangely enough she found it to be soothing and rather pretty to listen to. Her shoe scuffed against a small chunk of rock, and bending down she picked it up. Looked to be a bit of coal, and Lindy stared at it a moment before looking back to the dark in front of her.

"Anyone in there?"

Again no answer; just the everpresent humming.

Closing her fingers into a fist around the piece of coal, she took another few cautious steps forward. Slight nervousness made her clench her hands tighter.

And that was when the ground below her feet gave way, and Lindy gave a yelp as she tumbled down into the dark.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall and Doc made their way to the drop off, and that's where they found Lindy's pack. Randall was glad that he was on her trail, but his heart also sank when it became obvious that she had indeed headed for the coal mine.

"Doc, ain't that place shut down on account of cave-ins?"

Doc was also beginning to express the same concern.

"Ain't nobody s'posed to go near that damn thing. Lost three boys back in 96 here."

Indeed, there were signs warning of the mine, keeping visitors at bay. It seemed they were no match for Lindy's curiosity. Randall scurried down the slope, nearly slipping a few times on the loose rock as he broke into a fast jog, and then a run for the mine entrance.

"Lindy! Lindy!!"

[Lindy Rudd]

Curled on her side where she'd landed, Lindy shielded her head from any loose falling sand and pebbles that fell after her. As soon as she thought the smal shower was through, she sat up carefully. Nothing was too terrible broken, and thankfully she'd not fallen very far. Nothing was too terribly hurt or even broken.

Lindy looked up at the pale lighting that shone down from the top of the hole she'd fallen through, and scrambled up to her feet. Remembering the coal she still held, she looked back down, opening her hand up with every intent to simply drop it and get to looking for a way out.

But she stopped, her eyes glued to the palm of her hand, and what lay nestled in it.

The humming she could now hear clearly, and it was louder than before.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall hesitated at the opening of the cave. The darkness was almost tactile here, and he couldn't see fifteen feet in. He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a cigarette lighter.

"Put that away, you don't know if no methane's about!"

Doc grabbed at Randall's arm and spun him about.

"I got a flashlight in the truck. You hang tight until I get back, you hear?"

Randall pulled himself free, and headed into the mine.

"Do what you gotta, but I can't wait up. I'll feel around if I gotta."

He slowly entered the darkness.

"Lindy!!!"

[Lindy Rudd]

Caught up at the sight of what she held, Lindy almost didn't hear her name being called at first, and she blew away the black dust that had seemed to coat her hand before lifting the diamond she now held up into the dim light.

The sound of her father's voice broke into her thoughts though, and she quickly pocketed the gem.

"Dad?!"

She stood in the middle of the hole she'd fallen in, looking up.

"Dad! Down here!"

[Randall Rudd]

Randall paused at the voice, being able to hear that it was coming from below. He paused just in time, as his boot toe slipped against the crumbled edge of the hole that Lindy had fallen in. Randall fell backward onto his rear end, and cursed.

"Baby, you stay calm ok?"

He rolled himself over onto his stomach and started to crawl on his hands, feeling forward as he went. Down below, he could see nothing.

"Jus reach your hand up and I'll reach mine down, you hear?"

Randall reached into the hole, but felt nothing.

"Can you climb?"

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy wiped her hands on her jeans, eyes wide as she kept them skyward. She could make out her father's silhoutte easily enough, though she knew that he'd not be able to see her due to his own vantage.

"I think so," she answered, hands going out to the sides in search of anything that would be useful as a hand or foothole. Her foot knocked at a wood plank, and she stepped on it to try and afford herself a higher starting point.

"I'm looking."

There was a sort of excitement in her voice that would easily be mistaken for relief at having been found. The precious jewel in her pocket however was a larger part of the reason. She knew that she'd probably be in trouble for wandering out so far, but all the same she couldn't wait to show her Dad what she'd gotten.

Reaching both arms up over her head, she grabbed a hold of a small outcropping and began to carefully pull herself up.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall waited on the edge of the hole, his hands outstretched and waiting for anything to brush against his grasp. He could hear her breathing her little puffs of breath, and it sounded like she was almost next to him, but he still couldn't see his hands in front of his face.

"Jus keep climbin sweety. Feel for my hand."

[Lindy Rudd]

"I am," was her answer.

The ringing was, while still pretty to listen to, becoming somewhat annoying with it's constant, seemingly neverending trill. She wondered if it was bothering her Dad the same as her.

"You hear that, right," she asked while still fumbling upwards, trying to find his hands.

[Randall Rudd]

"Hear what?"

Randall lay silent for a while. What he heard was different entirely from what she was hearing. It was the shifting of rocks.

"Sweety, we gotta get out of here. This place ain't safe."

A fist-sized rock landed on the small of Randall's back and he winced. He could hear a dozen or so smaller ones pelting the ground intermittently. Something had shifted in here and he didn't want to lollygag.

[Lindy Rudd]

In the darkness, Lindy frowned. How could he not hear the humming? It was something she'd want to find out without a doubt, but she knew her Dad was right, and that they'd better get out soon.

Blindly searching about, she stood up on her toes, straining upwards.

And then she felt his fingers, and she grasped at his hand with the both of her own.

[Randall Rudd]

"Randall? Randall?"

Good! Doc had come back with the flashlight.

"In here, Doc! Lindy's slipped down a hole!"

He grasped her hands, but the heat had given each a sheen of sweat and made holding difficult.

"Sweety, I can't hold you. You're slippin. Hang onto something."

Frowning, he tore off his flannel shirt and doubled that up in his grasp, using that as a makeshift rope to feed down to her.

[Lindy Rudd]

She grabbed at the shirt easily, holding tightly to it.

"I got it," she gasped while trying to begin pulling herself up with it.

She could see the beam of a flashlight dance above the opening of the hole. Letting go with one hand, Lindy reached out to pull free another piece of loose coal, and that too she pocketed. Another three bits followed, and she lifted her gaze up while pulling herself up with both hands once more.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall undulated his body backwards as he pulled upwards, keeping his leverage and pulling his daughter up and out of the hole. Once half of her had cleared, he reached forward and grabbed her under each arm, pulling her free completely.

Thrilled to have her out, he still had to get out of the mine.

"Come on now!"

He picked her up by the waist and hustled toward the wavering shaft of light that was the flashlight Doc was toting. In his eagerness, he tripped over some loose rock and lost his grasp on Lindy, who was pitched forward somewhat.

"Aagh."

He was glad he couldn't see in the dark, because he already knew his leg was broken.

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy hit the ground unexpectadly, skidding along her front before rolling to her side. She hurriedly felt in her pocket to make sure her discovery hadn't been lost, then scrambled over to her Dad.

Taking him by the hand, she tugged at him.

"Come on, we hafta go!"

[Randall Rudd]

"Aagh!"

Randall wasn't going anywhere on his own. After a few seconds, Doc and his flashlight made it to the two.

"Leg's broken, Doc. I need to lean on you."

The flashlight trained on Lindy and Randall both, each looking incredibly sooty and bedraggled. Randall's jeans were torn below the knee, with a bit of the denim looking wet from what had to be blood.

Carefully, Doc took his hand and eased him up.

"We gotta hustle up. That looks bad, and you need to get elevation on it."

Randall grunted, and took Lindy by his other hand.

"Lets go, come on."

[Lindy Rudd]

She needed no other bidding, but hearing her Dad say that his leg was broken had a healthy dampening effect on her initial excitement, and it also meant that she'd not be able to show him her newfound treasure quite as soon as she'd hoped.

Out of the corner of her eye she watched as her father hobbled along as best as he could, and a cloud of sorrow descended upon her. If she'd not wandered off, his leg wouldn't have been broken.

As they came to the mine's opening and stepped out into the sunlight, her grip on his hand tightened. She squinted her eyes against the harsh sun, and with her free hand kept in her pocket, she gripped the diamond as if it would give her reassurance.

[Randall Rudd]

Doc led Randall to the bed of the truck, easing him gingerly onto the back of it so that he could lie flat. Taking a buck knife, he tore at Randall's jeans, revealing a small shard of tibia sticking out of the skin.

"Hell, you gone and done it real good. I gotta set this."

Doc moved to the front of the truck, fumbling in the back for a clear glass bottle with no label.

Randall looked at Lindy, too relieved to be mad at this moment.

"You okay pumpkin? Ain't hurt?"

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy shook her head sullenly, looking from her Dad's broken leg up to his face.

A quick glance back to Doc showed that he was still busy searching, and she climbed up into the truckbed to sit. With Doc preoccupied maybe she'd get her chance sooner rather than later, and she took advantage of that fact.

"I found something," she whispered, traces of her previous excitement returning.

Fishing her hand from her pocket, she kept a closed fist around the diamond, and with another look to make sure Doc wasn't paying them too much atention, she pressed the gem into her Dad's hand.

[Randall Rudd]

"You got me worried sick runnin off after you. You coulda been hurt or wor-"

Randall looked down at what she pressed into his hand, and lost his words.

"What, what is this?" He said, a bit softly.

[Lindy Rudd]

"I had it when I fell into the hole."

Her voice was low to match his.

"Well, I mean I picked it up from the top, and it was just coal then, but after I fell, it turned into that...

"... I think."

She remembered Mrs. Ivy saying something about diamonds coming from coal once, but it'd been a few months back.

"Is it real, you think?"

[Randall Rudd]

"Sweety, I think you got a piece of glass or somethin."

He knew what she was thinking, and smiled weakly. Still, he continued to look at the stone. Coal did become diamonds, but she said it just turned to diamond in her hands.

Doc returned, and Randall pocketed the stone, giving a knowing look to Lindy before he came back.

"Drink on this some, this gon hurt like a sonuvabitch."

Palming the bottle, Randall took a few gulps of clear corn mash whiskey, coughing as he did. It was the sort of liquor that took your breath away the first time. He grimaced as Doc poured a splash of it over the exposed bone, and gingerly began to straighten his leg.

"Gaaaah!"

Randall grit his teeth and balled his fists as Doc practiced his ad-hoc country medicine.

[Lindy Rudd]

It was strange, how the humming became as clear as a bell when the gem was out in the open, but seemed to mute itself when placed away and out of sight. She still wondered how she was the only one who could hear the ringing.

Of course, the sound of her Dad in pain was enough to dash away all thoughts of the crystal, and Lindy winced, turning away and sliding back to lean against the side of the bed.

There was no way that what she'd found could be glass; glass never made a sound like that. It had to be real.

[Randall Rudd]

Doc managed the gruesome task with a quick movement, and the bone was tucked back into the skin and set against itself.

"Need yer belt, Randall."

Doc didn't wait for him to say yes, and the ex-vietnam field medic had it off in a second, using that and a piece of wood from the porch to set it into a splint. Within five minutes, he had a passable splint to keep Randall's leg steady.

"This'll do in a pinch, but you gotta get toot sweet up to the county hospital and get it set in a cast."

Randall, who had born it all well enough, nodded wearily.

"I guess I'll take a rain check on that porch. Sorry Doc."

Doc waved a hand.

"Ah hell, forget that. Lemme jus drive you up to county, a'ight?"

Randall looked at Lindy, and squeezed her hand.

"You get on up in the front seat with Doc, ok?"

[Lindy Rudd]

A wordless nod, and Lindy scooted over to the open tailgate, hopping to the ground without a sound.

She had a notion that once everything was all done and over with, and she and her Dad were back at home, she'd get at least more than one lecture on wandering off. So much for those boxes of comics that they were gonna pick up on the way home, and so much for any trips to the lake to see the Vaughns.

But her thoughts returned again to the diamond, and as she climber up through the passenger door to sit quietly, Lindy pulled the door shut before propping her elbow up and resting her chin in her hand to stare off into the distance. She could still hear the ringing; it was incredibly faint, but it was there.

Idly she pulled one of the pieces of coal from her pocket, turning it over in her hand. It too seemed to give off a hum, though it was just as faint a sound as ever, and it got her to thinking.

The diamond she'd given to her Father sounded crystal clear, but it hadn't when she first noticed the sound in the mine; almost like it'd been covered beneath something.

"Hidden in coal... ?" she whispered to herself.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall lay flat on the truck as it bounded on dirt roads, going slow before hitting county two-lane. As he stared up at the sky - nearly swallowed by trees - he could feel what at first seemed to be an itch, then a tingle. A feeling of heat ran down his leg that seemed to grow each minute. Flustered as to the source, Randall sat up a bit. Putting a hand to his leg, he found it to be burning up, but the pain he'd been feeling only minutes before was gone. This feeling was different.

He ventured to peek under the ace bandage that Doc had slapped over the laceration, only to find some crusted blood and tender, pink skin.

His face blanched, contrasting against the smears of coal dust.

"What the hell?!"

[Lindy Rudd]

She said nothing during the drive, lost in her own thoughts and the events of the day so far. Every so often she found herself glancing back out the rear window at her Dad to make sure he was still doing ok.

"You should tell him to not take off the bandage, I think," she remarked suddenly, in a confused tone as she stared at the back of her Dad's head, watching his motions. It looked to her like he was trying to take the bandage off of his leg; something that even she knew was not generally a good idea.

[Randall Rudd]

"Hell Randall, you keep that dad blame bandage on or I'll break the other'n."

Doc, normally soft-spoken, hollared out the side window.

"It ain't bleedin no more!" Randall shouted, still not sure what the hell was happening.

"That don't mean a damn thing, we still gotta get you stitched up and set!"

Randall, lost in his thoughts, began to undo the belt, loosening the stint off his leg.

[Lindy Rudd]

By now she had turned about in her seat, watching.

"He's taking the belt off," she gasped out. Why in the world was he taking the belt off his leg?! It was supposed to keep the wood along his leg in place so the bone wouldn't shift.

Reaching up, Lindy unlatched the sliding window panel and shoved it open.

"Leave it on!"

[Randall Rudd]

There was no pain at all. Randall moved his foot up, then down, and side to side. About that time the truck came to a stop and Doc threw the door open, storming over to the bed.

"You ignoramus you're gonna make it worse, Randall!"

Looking dumbfounded, Randall spoke softly.

"It's fine now."

With the bandage and splint gone, even the pink skin had regained its natural hue. Aside from the blood that had dried in spots around it, his leg looked pristine.

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy was quick to follow Doc, not even bothering to open her own door and instead clamoring across the seat and jumping out the still open driver's side.

She ran to the rear of the truck, hands flat on the tailgate and her eyes wide as saucer plates.

She'd seen how bad the break had been, but now it looked like nothing had ever even happened. Her voice dropped to an amazed whisper.

"How'd you do that?"

[Randall Rudd]

Randall wore a puzzled expression. Lindy's question was exactly the one he wanted anwers to. He looked up at Doc, but he looked about as dumbfounded as anybody. Had they all just imagined him up and breaking his leg?

This was the sort of thing wackos and insane people conjured up for a paycheck, a talk show gig, or just plain old attention. And those were always fakes. Whatever happened to him was real, and it scared the hell out of him.

"Alright" he finally spoke in a calm and even voice "nobody here saw anything. I didn't break my leg, I didn't spontaneously heal. It didn't happen."

Randall worked his way off the tailgate, hoping somehow that his leg would snap under him to at least provide some sense of reality. It didn't. He walked about as normally as ever.

Doc continued staring, his hornbill glasses resting precariously on the end of his nose.

"Doc..." Randall made a motion to the bridge of his nose with a finger, and Doc snapped out of it, adjusting his glasses.

"Well hell, I ain't seen nothin like that since the Viet Nam, and that was all grass."

He shook his head.

"Must be that damn shine." Randall suggested.

"Damn right it is!" Doc agreed it was a good excuse as well.

[Lindy Rudd]

Not exactly satisfied with such a simple brush-off, Lindy crossed her arms and looked up at both her Dad and Doc, her gaze shifting between them. There was no way she'd be able to forget what she'd seen before they took to the road for the hospital. But for now, she supposed that she'd better do as told; she'd already be in enough trouble for wandering off as it was.

Perhaps that lecture was gonna be coming sooner than expected.

She looked down the stretch of road, scuffing her toe along the asphalt.

"Can we go home now, then... ?"

[Randall Rudd]

Randall squeezed his little girl's hand, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the day.

"Doc, mind if I come by around sun-up tomorrow and get in the rest?"

The old man shook his head as all three returned to the truck cab.

"You two got things to do, I understand. I'll have biscuits, hash, and coffee waitin' on ya."

The truck drove off, returning the trio back to Doc's house. From there, Randall and Lindy said brief goodbyes, and were on their way back home. For the longest time, the ride was quiet.

"Don't you ever go wanderin out like that again!"

Randall found that he had raised his voice, and his hands were tight on the wheel.

[Lindy Rudd]

And here it was. Of course she couldn't really blame him, and Lindy only stared out the window at the passing countryside. But still, she'd wanted to explore and see what could be found around Doc's place. Apparently there was a mine shaft to be found.

"I'm sorry," was her mumbled answer.

The ringing was still everpresent, coming from his pocket she could tell.

"I didn't wanna be dodging the geese all 'round the pond, and I thought it'd be nice to go explore some."

Lindy gave a hmph as she slumped back into her seat.

"Guess I was wrong."

[Randall Rudd]

"Pumpkin, I know you ain't misbehavin' for the sake of it. I know you meant well. I ain't mad at you cause I think you did it to spite me. You coulda been hurt or killed in that mine. That scared me. I can't lose you, Lindy. You're all I got."

More silence. Randall made a turn, and straightened out. Then, he pulled out the stone that Lindy handed him.

"You mean to tell me you think this is what I think it is?"

[Lindy Rudd]

"Well it's sure not glass."

She looked out the window, thinking.

"That thing makes noise; glass don't. That's what I was askin' you 'bout earlier, 'bout hearing anything. I can hear it plain as day right now. Clear as a bell."

Fishing out one of the bits of coal stashed in her pocket, Loindy held it in her hand.

"Before I fell down that hole, I picked it up."

Her fingers closed around it tightly, and she squeezed.

"Then I fell, and when... "

Lindy stopped then, staring at her hand with a frown. It seemed that the harder she squeezed to coal, small streams of black powder began to slip out from beneath her fingers to fall in her lap. Another few moments passed, and she slowly opened up her fist to reveal another stone, much like the one her Dad was holding.

[Randall Rudd]

Randall was so awestruck by what he saw that he didn't notice his truck drifting into the other lane. A sharp blast of a horn caught his attention, and he righted himself sharply as another truck passed.

For a while, neither of the Rudds said anything.

"Pumpkin, I think its best if you don't tell nobody bout this."

[Lindy Rudd]

Lindy only nodded in silence, but it wasn't long before her mind was wandering with the possibilities that were suddenly opened up. Of course, that was if they were real, and she was pretty sure they were.

Pocketing the gem she held so that its' ringing would be muffled somewhat, she took the one her Dad was holding and did the same with it.

She looked over at him, anticipation on her features as the memory of the day's earlier events were swept away.

"They're real, aren't they?"

[Randall Rudd]

They arrived at the house, and as Randall shifted the truck into park, he just stared straight ahead.

"I don't know sweety. I don't know."