Sink: Old Man's Tale by Perrin Briar Read Free Book Online

said. “Bugs, crushed roots, and Mush, something we discovered while digging. Anything we can get our hands on, really. Another reason to dig in every direction. For food. We have hit water and oil many times and lost many of our people, but we keep digging.”
    “How is it you can speak English?” Graham said. “Why not Indonesian or some other language?”
    “Both you and our ancestors met in the past,” Leader said. “They traded. Our ancestors learned your culture and language.”
    “That’s all very interesting,” Graham said with folded arms. “But how do we get out of here?”
    “There is no getting out of here,” Leader said. “At least, not yet. Come for a walk with me. I’ll explain.”

Chapter Fourteen
     
     
    “ We are descended from a tribe of people from the surface,” Leader said. “Their name has long since been forgotten, but we remain. Down here we each have a job, a task. It gives us meaning and direction. Cooks are called Cooks. Diggers, Diggers. The Leader, Leader. We are a functioning machine with many intricate parts.”
    Small globes of light made a latticework of tiny glowing orbs around the great dome. They lit the whole town below. Little people in earth-colored clothes moved with purpose, some into the town, most out of it, toward the narrow tunnels that ran from the town at regular intervals, like a giant clock face with hundreds of hours.
    “Most of the folk here are miners,” Leader said. “They dig all day, gradually reaching out, farther and farther away. Sometimes we strike water or a metal deposit. Then we tunnel in another direction.”
    “Mining dwarfs,” Graham said, his voice flat.
    Jeremiah kept his eyes off Graham for fear he would burst out laughing.
    “They’re not dwarfs,” Jeremiah managed to say. “They’re just a little vertically challenged.”
    “Little’s the right word,” Graham mumbled.
    “Only the tallest and strongest become guards,” Leader said.
    Jeremiah and Graham shared a look. Even the tallest guard didn’t reach their chests.
    “Hi ho,” one of the little men said, raising his hand in friendly salute to a fellow miner.
    “I’m saying nothing,” Graham said.
    The guards followed behind them, watching the locals closely. The town folk shied away and kept a safe distance. Jeremiah took note of it, but said nothing. If a people were afraid of those responsible for order, what would that mean for them as strangers?
    “How is it you became leader here?” Jeremiah said.
    “We pass down responsibilities from parent to child,” Leader said. “My father was leader, as was his father, and so on, through the ages. Is this a fair system? No. But it prevents bickering and in-fighting. We are united in a single goal: to get to the surface. Once we are out, we can immerse ourselves in the cultures of those on the surface. But right now, down here, we need to focus.”
    The little people were busy about their work, carrying pickaxes, shovels and other digging equipment. They entered the tunnels, turning the dome into a ghost town.
    “Your ancestors gave my ancestor this amulet,” Leader said, gesturing to his gold necklace. “It’s written in a language we don’t understand.”
    Graham looked at it, but it was all Greek to him.
    “Looks like it’s Latin,” Jeremiah said.
    “Can you read it?” Leader said.
    “I haven’t studied since I was a boy,” Jeremiah said. “Let me take a closer look.”
    He held the amulet in his palm and turned his head to the side as he read it. He paused, blinking, before turning the amulet over. Jeremiah frowned for a moment, mumbling under his breath.
    “What does it say?” Leader said.
    “I’m not sure,” Jeremiah said. “It’s been a while since I studied Latin. But I think it says something like ‘Blessings to he who carries me’. It’s a good luck charm.”
    Leader smiled.
    “For generations we pondered its meaning,” he said. “Now you have given us the answer. Thank