The Underground

The Underground

By Sarah Graff.

Dedicated to my older sister Amelia

Copyright 2015

Maple Leaf Writing Project

Brattleboro, Vermont

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Every morning I wake up and then go to my brothers bedroom to wake him up, then I go down stairs, have breakfast, get ready for school and say goodbye to my parents before I walk to school.

But that morning two years ago when I was twelve was different, horribly different. This is how it went.

So I woke up, went into my brothers room, woke him up, we went down stairs and had eggs and toast for breakfast, got our coats on and backpacks on. Finally we walked into our parents room, I remember it distinctly. We walked in and did not see them in their bed. “ Mom, Dad”, we called called,

We knew we should not panic but our parents were always right here in their bed at this time in the morning. We searched the bedroom first hoping we would at least find them maybe sleeping on the floor or something, but they were not in the bedroom and we could do nothing about it. Next we searched the living room, on the couch, under the couch, everywhere in the room but they were nowhere. So on to the last two rooms in our small basement flat in New York.

The kids bedroom and the kitchen. We chose our bedroom first, maybe they had come to wake us and fallen asleep? O we hoped and hoped it would be a simple answer like that but soon after we found the truth behind all of it. So we walked into our room and looked in our beds and on the floor and under our desk in our drawers! Because we were so desperate! At long last it was time to check the kitchen. We ran in like it was for life and even though we Knew they wouldn't be in there we looked like crazy in every crevice and crack for some sign where are parents had disappeared to.

When we were about to give up I saw my brother Max just stop what he was doing and look traumatized in front of a stack of letters, I walked over and saw that there was a big note scrawled In what looked like pen.

At my first look I had no idea what it meant but then I made the connection that it must be work that is causing all this weird stuff!

I sat my brother down and told him my theory: “So you Know how mom and dad are the best detectives around and they just got put on the big scary case about the bank robbery,” he just stared at me with worried eyes I” Went on, well I think the Criminal took mom and dad so they could not carry on with the case!”

My brother still just sat there for a while and then ran over to me suddenly and burst into tears. I wanted so bad to do the same but I knew that if I started crying it would just make Max more nervous. I let him cry and sit on my lap until I thought of something!

“Do you want to call Ramona?”, I ask.

Ramona is a close family friend and colleague of my fathers. My brother silently nods so I let my brother rest on the couch wal I get the phone book and look up Remona Langweeny. When I find her name I call her number: (212)349-621. The phone rings 3 times before she picks up, ”Hello, 134 Detective Services, how may I help you?”, Remona says.

“It’s Ella.”

“Oh hi darling, why are you calling? Your parents are not even at work yet? ”

“Um we were actually wondering if you have seen them anywhere this morning?” asked Ella.

“What do you mean?”

“Well we don't know where they are and…” I burst into tears not able to hold it in any longer. Max came over to where I was standing and hugged me.

“I’ll check around the office to make sure they did not come to work early but it does seem strange they would leave you at home alone in the morning without a note or anything.” Ramona says in a worried voice. “I'll call you back in a moment when i’ve searched but then ill come over to your house at my lunch break ok.”

She hangs up leaving us still there hugging next to the phone cable. Then the call came, the phone rang and Max picked it up this time. “Hi Max, your parents are not at work and I called some local shops to keep an eye out for them. I will come over in about an hour but I will call your school to say that you will be out. Don’t panic. It is going to be ok”.

“Remona”, Max said in a shy, quiet voice. “Will Mama and Papa come home soon?”

“Well honey I hope so but we do not quite know where they are right now so we are going to just hope for the best.”

“Ok” said Max still barely hearable.

Max shut off the phone and went to sit down at the couch. I followed still trying to process that one random morning on a Wednesday we woke up and our parents were gone. Such a lovely day turned bad after one hour of being awake! I couldn't imagine how Max was feeling. He was just seven, he was very shy and besides Remona he does not have many friends. I get to the couch and sit right next to him hugging and whispering in his ear that it will be ok. I sit with him until Remona comes at her lunch break. She gets at our house at exactly 1:30pm, she brings some mac and cheese, soda, and a plan!

...

Later that day Max and I were in Benny’s Muffin Shop waiting for the signal.

We were working with Remona to go into the 134 Detective Services without being seen. Remona had a work friend that might be able to help us, but the detective services are very restricted as to who comes in because they do very important stuff in there, so we have to sneak in! There we were sitting at the nearest table with a booth , to the right of the big blue door at Benny’s Muffin Shop. 134 Detective Services is right across from the Muffin Shop so we can see through the window into Ramona's office.

“When she gives us a thumbs up we will walk across the street behind the detective services and around to the back door,” I say in a quiet voice so that none of the other customers can hear. “Once we are there we will wait behind the dumpster until Jenny the janitor comes out of the door to get to her car. After that we will run to catch the door while it is still open,” I say in a even more hushed voice.

“I hope this works so we can get help from Ramona's friend!” Max whispered so quietly I can barely hear him. Then suddenly I see it! I see a thumb poke out of the window across the street and I know I am ready to go!

“Ok let’s go for it. Remember right around the corner of the building and behind the dumpster!” We run as fast as we can across the street around the building and behind the dumpster.

“YES!” Max almost shouts (the first time he has not been totally shy today!)

“Quiet down we can't have anybody find us here or else a lot of bad stuff could happen!” I say almost as loud as he had yelled. Max glares at me. I check my watch and notice that we had been sitting there for ten minutes. Is that a long time to be sitting behind a dumpster? What if Jenny does not come to her car for her lunchbreak? What if she goes through the front door! I start to panic and freak out! Just as I start to think of a crazy other plan I see the door open, but it was not Jenny that came out. It was Remona! She came right around the dumpster and bent down with us with a worried look on her face. She mouths eight words only:

“They know I’m trying to get you in.” She hands us two torches, a blanket and a key with an R carved into it.

“Go inside as quietly as you can and ride the elevator all the way down to the basement. Once you are there unlock the drawer with this key and use the key in the drawer to open the white door, once you are in the hallway go straight,” says Remona in a scared voice.

“What do you mean they know and the..”

“Max, shush, just take the torch and let’s go!” I say, angry that he won't just listen to Remona. “ Are you ready?” I say “Let’s go!” We run out from behind the dumpster and through the still open door, right to the left of us is an elevator. “Max stay near me please I don't want to get separated from you in this really big building”.

“OK”, Max whispers. We pushed the down button next to the elevator door. The doors opened and we waited for five whole minutes until we stopped at the last floor. We did not speak a word until the doors started to open and Max said, ”Are you ready?” I silently nod and we hold hands as we walk through the elevator into a surprisingly light room. There were only a few things in the room, a small side table, a closet door, and one small chair. In the chair sat a tall slender women with the most beautiful blue eyes we had ever seen.

“ Ahem, excuse us, but are you Ramona's friend?”

“Yes my name is Sandra and I have known Remona since we were just children about your age. If I am going to help you you have to trust me no matter what,ok?”

“Um well, ok, Ramona said that um to tell you that we had the key and you would take us to the room.”

“Ah yes, give me the key and I will lead you to your parents”Sandra said in a calm and silky voice.

“You know where our parents are? Did you take them?”, I scream until my throat burns.

“What, can you actually take us to our parents?” Max says once and then quiets.

“Ella! Quiet down people are looking for us upstairs and they might hear you. Now I understand why this might be hard for you but screaming won't help now, won't it”

“Ok but why are our parents here and how long have they been here? We were worried sick and how are you connected to this? How did the detective services find out Remona was sneaking us in and are they ok?” I whisper in my most speedy voice so that I can say everything before Sandra cuts me off.

“I will answer all your questions while we walk but i need the key.”

I'm hesitant but after a moment I give Sandra the key. She walks over to a drawer in the side table and puts the key in the small lock, she turns it and the lock gives a little click. She opens the drawer and pulls out another key and a folded piece of paper. There is also a torch and blanket of the same kind Remona gave them.

“Wait a minute, those are the same blanket and flashlights Remona gave us. Did she put those in the drawer?” I think aloud.

“Yes, she put them there, now let’s start walking.” Sandra unfolds the paper and it is a map. She goes over to the closet door and slips the key in the lock. The door opens a crack. The door isn’t a closet at all but a door leading into a tunnel like hallway! “Follow me, stay close and wrap yourself with your blanket if you get cold, don't turn on your flashlight unless mine runs out of battery. I will answer all your questions on the way. If you get unbearably tired we will take a break but if not, just keep on walking, ok?” Sandra says like she’s said it a million times.

“where are are we going? Will it take a long time to get there?” Max says, still quiet as can be.

“We are going to Mr. Keel’s house, the man who just robbed the bank.”

“Oh,” we say in unison.

“Follow and I will start to answer your questions,” Sandra opens the door all the way and we all walk through.

The hallway was dark, long and looked very moist. I close the door on our way through. We get to know Sandra more and more as we walk. She turns out to be a nice woman but I still don't know how trustworthy.

“Your first question: your parents are here because Mr.Keel kidnaped then hoping he could hold them until the clear they bank robbery case. I just found out this morning that Mr.Keel took them at midnight last night. Second question, I am connected to all this because I found out that Mr.Keel took your parents. I am also Ramona's friend so she called me after you called her this morning.” After she answered that question I saw her look around a little until she jumped up and said, “We need to go through this door”.

“That was sudden”,I say. ”Max can I talk to you alone for a second”.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“Didn't Remona say go straight the whole time?” I say.

“I’m one step ahead of you, I have a plan,”Max whispers so Sandra can’t hear.

“What is it?”

“We lead her to think that we totally trust her. She goes in first and then we close the door and run!”

“I like that plan”, I say almost too enthusiastically. We follow our plan and it works! We hear Sandra’s voice trail off like she thought we were right behind her. “Third question, the detective services found out we were sneaking you in when…” After a lot of walking and running, we get to the end of the hallway where there is a ladder that goes up to a trap door.

“We are going to climb this ladder to the door, once we are through the door we will… um well I don't know, you can go first”. “Once everyone is up we will close the trap door. Then we go through Mr.Keel’s back door (he does not get back from court until about an hour from now) and down to the basement where we think our parents are tied up. If they're not there then we will look around the rest of the house.” I say in a normal voice hoping in my head that Sandra does not notice we are gone. “You will go first and then I will come, ok? Let’s go.”

We climb the ladder all the way up, up ,up until Max got to the top and pulled the little latch on the side of the trap door. He easily slips up and into what looks like a garden shed just like Sandra had said before. But then it is my turn to pull myself up and I kind of freaked, I tried to pull myself up weird like with my leg first and then my arm but my leg slipped down and I was dangling on my arm like a thread for like two minutes. Finally my legs found purchase on the ladder and I steadied myself, so I just tried to think of it like a pull-up in gym and it worked! I just pulled myself up and I was in the little garden shed with Max once again.

We walk slowly and quietly around Mr.Keel’s yard and to the back door. I pulled out the key that Remona gave us and slipped the key in the lock in the back door. It clicked and we walked through.

“Hey this is a pretty cool house for a convict home.”

“Dont be rude, Max”

“Come on,I think this way to the basement door”, I say.

“Alright let’s do this together.” We run down the stairs to the basement and find our parents struggling, tied to poles in the middle of the room!

“ELLA! Max! is it really you? Are you here, it can't be!” our parents yell in unison.

“It’s really us and we are here to free you!” we scream back as we run over to them and start to untie the knots holding them to the poles.

“Let’s get you out of here.” we scream and untie the knots quickly. We brought our parents home and they took a big long break from work that year. We told everyone that they were ok and Mr Keel went to jail all over again. We all lived happily ever after.

“So that’s the story from two ago years about two kids, just 12 and 7 years old, that made a plan, walked in underground tunnels, through a trapdoor, all the way to their loving parents. Now that’s the power of family for you!