Work in progress

Part two, we pick up right where we left off.


"So Professor Shawn," Tonya replied sarcastically, "just how do you know all this, and why should we worry if this is part of the volcano. Its not like the volcano has been showing any activity recently."
"Well, the park ranger told me what might happen if we left the trail. If this place was carved out of lava from the volcano, it would have to be connected to the pipe."
"Whoa," said Alex in a bewildered voice, "do you mean that if this puppy wakes up this cavern could be filled with lava!"
"I’m afraid so."
Tonya, who had been rummaging through the rock pile, stood tall, holding all the packs.
"Calm down boys. We have radios and transmitters, all we have to do is send a signal. ‘Sides, Ruth‘s expecting us, she‘ll definitely call up the rangers if we‘re there in three hours ."
"B, b, but what will we do ‘til we're rescued?" stammered Alex.
"We could try to find a way out." offered Shawn.
"I think it might be better if we just stayed here. You two find something to occupy yourself while I try the radio waves." With that Tonya moved away from the shaft of light trickling from above them. She found a spot far enough form the boys that their talk did not disturb her work.
Shawn stepped onto the short pile of dirt directly below the opening of the cavern. There he stood for a long while, simply gazing up at the sky.
"Alex."
"What do you want, Shawn?"
"Tell me a story to get my mind off this."
"Umm, ok." Alex stood for a while thinking. He could tell that Shawn was blaming himself for what happened.
"I think I have just the thing for you old boy."
"I have good and bad news,” said Tonya when she came back from trying the radio. "Bad news-the radios are smashed, but I was able to send a distress signal with the transmitter, at the least Ruth should pick it up."
"Since it seems we may have a long wait ahead of us, I'll follow up on Shawn's idea. Now gather around children," said Alex in a fatherly tone, "I have a story to tell you. My story is about a young man who lived in a time of magic and dragons. His name was Arran." Alex and the others sat on the ground, made themselves comfortable, and basically prepared for a long day.