Alice & Marty
Chapter 5
A new character emerges, Sylvia Spicer, who knows the story of the well and is willing to help Alice and Marty.
The following day, Sylvia sat in her car on a rainy afternoon and waited for Marty to step off the bus.
“No Alice?” she asked.
“We’ll need to meet her once it’s dark. She said that her parents are keeping a tight watch on her.”
“Until then?”
Marty entered the house, saying, “We’ll get to know each other better.”
By 9 p.m. that night, the rain stopped, but the temperature started dropping. Sylvia stopped her car about a quarter of a mile from the Moran farm.
She turned to Marty, saying, “We’ll walk the rest of the way. We don’t want to disturb the Morans.”
“Good idea. Alice should meet us at the well.”
Sylvia said, “I brought some equipment we’ll need. It’s in the back seat.”
When Marty looked, he saw two canvas bags containing climbing gear.
“Don’t you have another?” he asked.
“Two will be enough. I’ll climb into the well with Alice. We’ll need you to stay on the ground and pull us up if there is any trouble.”
“Makes sense,” Marty said. “Let’s do it.”
They walked through wet grass, smelling night crawlers, until the image of Alice appeared under the moon’s illumination.
Sylvia handed a flashlight to Alice, saying, “We’ll need the light. We’re going down while Marty waits up here. We can use it to signal him.”
Alice took the light while Sylvia continued, “Marty, you can secure the ropes while Alice and I put on the harnesses.”
Alice numbly asked, “Do you think this will work?”
“It has to,” Marty responded.
Looking like mountaineers, Alice and Sylvia began their descent.
Alice tucked a flashlight into the waistband of her pants while Sylvia threw a canvas bag with incantations and potions over her shoulder.
Coldness engulfed them after only a few feet. While Sylvia began chanting to herself, Alice withdrew the flashlight, only to see nothing but stone walls.
As if responding to the light, a low growl echoed from the depths.
Alice used a flashlight to scan the well’s bottom again. “Is that the monster?” she whispered.
Sylvia answered, “Possibly. We should remain as quiet as we can from here on.”
Going deeper, a stream with a muddy shore came into view.
“Do you think it’s safe?” Alice asked.
Sylvia took a flashlight from her rucksack, saying, “It’s safer than drowning.”
“Thanks.”
“Please forgive me,” Sylvia said. “I didn’t mean to be flip. However, it would be better than swimming.”
Alice grinned. “No problem,” she said. “The water is probably cold anyway.” Looking around, she added, “Should we head toward the sound?”
The temperature dropped again as Alice and Sylvia trudged through the sticky mud. Before long, the stench of sulfur mixed with rotten meat filled the passage, prompting the mysterious lady to say, “Stay with me, Alice. It can’t be much further.”
Finally, they turned a corner and saw the demon sleeping in a recessed rock area. Was it a bear? A gorilla? Was it a fish-man, or something else? At any rate, the creature’s form, shrouded by a cloud-like mist, rose and fell with each breath.
Sylvia’s eyes brightened. “We found it!”
The creature responded with a throaty growl. Slowly, it crept deeper into the shadows while keeping an eye on the intruders.
Sylvia fished a patina-covered amulet from her bag and pointed it at the beast.
Again, the monster snarled, its fiery eyes piercing the darkness as temperatures dropped even further. The creature paced back and forth, with drool falling from its snarling lips.
Sylvia said, “We have its attention. Shine your light at It.”
Alice’s hands shook as she pointed her flashlight at the menacing creature while Sylvia chanted something she couldn’t make out. Was it a prayer? Was it even English?
Finally, Sylvia addressed the creature. “We seek only peace. Why must you bother this child?”
Alice felt the temperature rise as a burst of light filled the chamber. While Sylvia rummaged through her bag, the creature defiantly growled as the water boiled. Finally, the creature made a throwing motion that lifted Alice off her feet. She couldn’t tell if it was the pain of crashing into a rock wall that filled her with terror or if it was seeing her companion drop to the ground.
Again, the demon roared as Alice struggled to Sylvia before turning her face-up.
With half-closed eyes, Sylvia asked, “Are you still here?”
Alice’s mouth gaped.
“Just kidding. I do mean this, though. You’d better get out of here.”
Alice started crying. “I don’t think I can lift you.”
Sylvia grinned until a twinge of pain coursed through her body. Through a half smile, she said, “I mean you’re the one who has to leave.”
“No. I can’t. You...”
Sylvia nodded weakly. “Yes, you can. I’m finished.”
“But...”
“No buts! You have to go. I’ll stay here so the demon has something to look at,” Sylvia said. “When you get back to the rope, give it a yank and Marty will start pulling, but you have to start climbing also. It’ll be faster that way.”
Alice smiled through her tears, brushing Sylvia’s forehead.
“You’d better get going.”
“I can’t,” Alice responded. She wiped her eyes but was interrupted when the creature threw a small skull at the pair. “Oh, no. What’s this?”
Sylvia said, “You know what it is.”
Alice looked at the skull and began screaming, “No, no, no.”
“Give it to your father. He’ll know what to do.
As Alice ran toward the ropes, a scream echoed through the passage. The tearing? Did the creature slip in the mud or was it Sylvia’s body?
Back on the surface, a beam of light flickered along the water’s surface, but Marty saw nothing, and heard only screams.
Finally, he saw a beam of light bouncing off the water. His knuckles whitened as he gripped a rope.
Was that a rope Alice saw? Focusing the flashlight while running was impossible. Yet, the creature was so close that she could feel its breath. At last, she jumped for what she hoped was a rope, leaving the monster with a missed chance.
Up top, Marty poised for action. The lines stirred, and he began pulling with all his strength.
“Pull the rope! Pull the rope!” Alice shouted.
A light shone from the Moran house as Alvin emerged from the back door. “What are you kids doing? It’s nearly midnight.”
Climbing from the well, past Marty, and falling into her father’s arms, Alice sobbed. “Oh, Daddy, it’s after me.”
“What, Honey? What’s after you?”
“The well monster.”
Handing Alvin the skull, Alice was too exhausted to elaborate. “Sylvia said you’d know what to do with this.”
Alvin didn’t know who Sylvia was, but after one glance at the skull, he said, “Edie, get out here and bring my gun.”
The monster appeared as Edith gave the Winchester to Alvin. After loading a shell, he fired a shot and watched the entity fall backwards into the water.
Running to the hole, Alvin wanted to finish the job, but saw nothing. “Alice, give me the flashlight.” Turning to his wife, he said, “Edie, go to the shed and get some of that dynamite was used to clear stumps in the corn field.”
To be continued…