THE DAY THE

SUN STOPPED
SHINING
Written by D.T Yarbrough

A Science Fiction Short Story

Copyright 2010
All rights reserved
 THE DAY THE SUN STOPPED
SHINING
Written by D.T.Yarbrough

Jacob could see it was getting darker by the minute. With the
oxygen levels dropping, the luminous algae on the walls of the
tunnel were growing dimmer. The darkness didn't bother Jacob but
what it indicated, a drop in oxygen, was a major concern. He hurried
through the tunnel. Click..click..click. Jacob used his echo location
ability to avoid obstacles in the tunnel. A crowd had gathered up
ahead. Jacob joined the crowd and listened to the speaker.

"In a few minutes we will enter the agrisphere. The sun is directly
overhead at this time of day. Normally only the visually blind can
enter during the day. Since the dome is completely covered in
several inches of sand, the level of light is equivalent to that of a full
moon. It may take your eyes a few minutes to adjust to the
brightness. The temperature will be about 100 degrees, about the
same as the temperature outside a couple of hours after sunset. The
carbon dioxide levels are up and the oxygen levels are down, very
close to the levels outside. Tomorrow night, all of you that can
perform successfully under these conditions, will go outside and
remove the sand from the dome and polish the glass surface. You
will not be using echo location. I want all of you to depend on your
vision. You know what they say, use it or lose it," said the instructor.

"As you enter the agrisphere you will be entering an area of vast
open fields. This will be very disorienting at first. Avoid the animals.
They have been bred for size and can be very dangerous. Most are
herbivores and harmless unless frightened. Especially avoid the
chickens as they may mistake you for a big juicy worm. Remember
that the animals are accustomed to much brighter light and they will
not see you as well as you see them. Use this to your advantage in
an emergency. I can't tell you how important it is that we accomplish
this job tomorrow night. It could be weeks before the conditions are
this perfect again. A few more days of reduced sunlight inside the
agrisphere and our food supply is at risk, not to mention the oxygen
levels in the air we breathe," the instructor added.

Jacob had never seen temperatures this high or oxygen levels this
low. He wasn't sure how well he would perform but when he heard
they were looking for sighted volunteers to go outside, he just
couldn't pass it up. Most of the founders of the colony were blinded

1
before they moved underground. Others became blind working
above ground constructing the domes that filter the sunlight and
allow us to grow crops and raise animals. It had happened almost
overnight as the sun ballooned to five times its normal size. Sighted
individuals are still the minority but rapidly growing in number. All
children are born with the potential for sight, but they never
developed it until recently. The fluorescent algae began growing on
our tunnel walls about twenty years ago. Although 95% of the
tunnels are pitch black, children come to the lighted tunnels as
frequently as possible.

All colonists are taught to use echo location in order to function in

the darkness. Even the sighted have to learn in order to function in
the dark areas. Jacob is somewhat of a renegade. He is pushing the
elders to create some sort of lighting throughout the colony. Jacob
has many followers but none with any political power. Some are
working on research to increase the growth rate of the algae while
other are looking for a chemical alternative that can create light. A
success at either could earn a small fortune for the colony in trade
with other colonies. Jacob's main concern is what it could do for the
children and what they could do for future advancements.

The elders are unwilling to turn any energy towards creating light.
They are afraid of disturbing the delicate balance between population
and the food and water supply which relies heavily upon what little
energy there is. Jacob had convinced most of the elders on the trade
commission that the potential for trade would be enormous, but they
are far from a majority. The algae was already traded and that is one
of the reasons it is spreading so slowly.

Trade with other colonies began from the very start of underground
life. At first they had to travel above ground to visit other colonies.
Later, tunnels were dug, all at the same elevation relative to earth
center, so that they would intersect if they crossed paths. Today
every colony on earth is reachable through tunnels. However not that
many ever travel more than one colony away in any direction. Many
colonies were wiped out during the great flood of 9221, when one of
the colonies dug into an underwater grotto that brought ocean water
into the tunnel that spread quickly worldwide. Only those colonies
that had most of their living quarters above the level of the tunnels
survived. Fortunately the tunnels soon collapsed near the source of
the water and the levels subsided in a few days. Today the ocean
levels are far below the tunnels so this will never again be a problem.

Jacob worked in a desalination plant that removed salt from

seawater to produce fresh water with salt as a bi-product. This, along

2
with food processing and agriculture were the only businesses that
hired large numbers of workers and Jacob felt lucky to have such a
technical job. Next to these, tunnel digging was probably the next
best job.

Jacob had fallen in love with another worker at the plant. Her
name was Tasha, and she was from Sigma colony. Jacob hoped they
would marry soon but things didn't look all that good. Inter-colony
marriages were encouraged since marrying within your own colony
could often cause birth defects. However a strict population quota
had to be maintained. Our colony was +1 on their quota. This means
that the next marriage will require the colony member to move to the
other colony. Jacob did not wish to move. His mission to improve
conditions here was far too important to him. Besides, Sigma colony
was also +1 on their quota. This would change if someone died, but
no one would wish for that to happen. The colony was very close knit
and everyone would mourn the loss of a member.

Jacob would not see Tasha again until he had finished tomorrow's
job of cleaning the dome. He had gotten leave of absence from work
in order to volunteer. After about four hours of hiking and
callisthenics, Jacob was exhausted but he had finished the tests. He
would be going outside. He would need a good night's rest tonight,
and it was another long walk home after leaving the agrisphere.
Tomorrow he would have to report around noon for further training.

As Jacob walked home he thought about Tasha. Both he and

Tasha had put their name on their respective waiting lists to be
married. When a person's name came up they had one day to take
advantage of the opportunity. If they passed it up for any reason,
they would be moved to the end of the list. This could mean months
and months of waiting. Jacob was thinking of telling Tasha that he
would be willing to move if that was the only way when the
opportunity arose. He was beginning to wonder if he would ever be
able to overcome the opposition of the elders. He would probably
stand just as good a chance in another colony. He could turn over
the fight to his friend Adam.

The next day Jacob was listening to another instructor. "When

you are walking toward the dome, try to pick out an object in the
distance directly beyond the dome. That way if you get lost, you can
line the dome up with that object and go in the opposite direction to
find your way back here. I know this is new to all of you so it is
critical that you understand. Examine the instruction sheet and come
forward if you have any questions."

3
 Jacob examined the instructions. There were drawings and
writing in braille. Jacob quickly understood what the instructor had
been talking about.

"There is always the danger of a sudden sandstorm. We will have

members stationed one mile away in all directions in protective
shelters. If they detect one they will set off an alarm and everyone is
to return here as quickly as possible. Do not attempt to use echo
location even if you are blinded by the sandstorm. There will be no
objects close enough to locate and the storm will limit your range
even more. Protect your eyes at all cost."

"If you get caught in a storm you can only pray that it is a short
mild storm. These are becoming less and less likely, so you might
want to make your peace with God. Good luck and God bless you
all."

Jacob followed the group toward the dome. Some of them had
done this before and knew the way. Jacob could see the dome, and
beyond it was the skeletal remains of what had been a high rise
building centuries ago. Jacob glanced around and didn't see any
other objects that could be confused with this one. When they
arrived at the dome the group leaders began giving each individual
specific instructions.

About one hour into the work Jacob had paused for a moment to
take a deep breath. He glanced toward the horizon and saw someone
approaching. That was not the direction back to the entrance. Maybe
it was one of the forward observers, but why would he have left his
station. Jacob walked over and met the stranger. "Have you seen a
girl come this way?" he asked Jacob.

"No. You're the first I've seen that wasn't part of our group," Jacob
replied.

"My daughter Tasha is missing. She must have strayed from our
group when the sandstorm hit. Fortunately we only got the corner of
the storm and it was over in a minute or so, but there was no sign of
her when the storm lifted," he said.

"Are you from Sigma colony? Does Tasha work at the desalination
plant nearby?" Jacob asked.

"Why Yes ... to both questions. How did you know?" he asked.

"I'm Jacob. Has Tasha spoken of me?" Jacob asked.

4
 "She speaks of you often. I've been looking forward to meeting
you," he said.

"Can you take me to where you last saw her?" Jacob asked.

"I think so. But is there enough time?" he asked "It's at least a two
hour walk from here."

"There has to be enough time. We can't leave her out here. You
rest here while I get a couple of water bags."

In another couple of minutes they were walking in the direction the

man had come from. "What were you doing outside?" Jacob asked.

"We volunteered to help clean the dome. The conditions were

perfect tonight and a recent sandstorm had piled up a lot of sand on
it," he said.

As they neared the point where Tasha was last seen, Jacob
stopped about 100 yards short and suggested they make a large
circle around that point, each going in opposite directions. "Look for
any signs of her. Signal me if you find anything, otherwise meet me
100 yards on the other side of where you saw her last," Jacob said.

"What sort of sign?" he asked.

"I don't know. I've never done this before. But you'll probably
recognize it if you see it," Jacob said.

"As Jacob walked in a half circle toward the meeting place he

stepped on something. He examined it and it was a shoe almost
completely buried in the sand. It looked almost new. It couldn't have
been there long. He signaled the old man. The old man was looking
in his direction but didn't respond. Jacob called out and the old man
started walking towards him. As he waited, Jacob examined the
ground around where he had found the shoe. There were
depressions in the sand. What could have caused these, Jacob
wondered. The depressions were somewhat evenly spaced and led
off in a westerly direction. Jacob looked at the shoe and then
pressed it down softly into the sand. It left an impression. An
impression identical to half of the depressions he had just seen. And
the other depression, what would have made that? Jacob tried to
visualize what would make such an imprint. A foot, a shoeless foot.

"Is this one of Tasha's shoes," he asked the old man as he came

5
near.

"Let me see," said the old man.

"See? You can't see. How did you get them to let your come out
here with the others?" Jacob asked.

"I had you fooled for a while didn't I?" the old man said. "Now let
me feel of the shoe. Yes ... this is hers. Do you see her?"

"No. But I believe I know which way she headed. Follow me,"
Jacob said.

Jacob began following the tracks. They seem to be heading for the
mountains in the distance. The old man followed closely behind. The
day was more than half over. Jacob didn't know what he would do if
he found Tasha. He would not be able to find his way back home
before sunrise, but he couldn't just turn around now. The mountains
were getting closer. Suddenly Jacob saw another set of tracks. Was
the person making these tracks following Tasha or was Tasha
following them or were they walking together? Jacob could only
wonder. He felt a new sense of urgency but the old man needed to
rest. Jacob removed the cork from one of the water bags and offered
the old man a drink. "I think we're getting closer," he said to the old
man.

As they entered the mountainous terrain the tracks were harder to

detect. Jacob lost the trail many times and had to back track. Sunrise
was getting nearer and Jacob was tiring. Finally the tracks led them
to a cave entrance. "It's a tunnel, but it doesn't look man made," he
told the old man.

"I've heard of these. They were formed by running water back

when it used to rain. Water actually fell from the sky," the old man
said.

"That hardly seems possible, Old Man. Do you believe all the old
stories you hear?" Jacob asked. "Let's go in. The tracks lead this
way."

The tracks soon stopped or at least they were no longer visible on

the solid floor of the cave. Tunnels lead off in many directions and
Jacob would have to make a choice. He decided to take the one to
his left closest to the entrance. If it turned out to be a dead end he
would try each one in order from left to right. At least they were safe
from the blinding light of the sun, but they would need to get much

6
deeper to be safe from the heat. After a while Jacob noticed the
tunnel getting brighter instead of darker. Was this another path to
the outside? Jacob decided to investigate a little farther. As he
rounded a bend in the tunnel he saw a blinding light ahead. Jacob
tore a strip from his shirt and fashioned a blindfold. He walked closer
to the light. It was a sphere about eight inches in diameter and
brighter than anything Jacob had ever seen or imagined. There were
several of these orbs encircling a large chamber. In the chamber
were mysterious objects so strange that Jacob couldn't even
imagine their purpose.

"What do you make of all of this, old man?" Jacob asked. "Do any
of these items seem familiar?"

"I can't be sure. I've heard stories of life above ground. I've tried to
imagine the strange objects described in the stories, but it's hard.
Some of these could be things I've heard of, but I can't be sure," the
old man replied.

They continued deeper into the tunnels. More orbs led the way.
There were many dark tunnels leading off from the well lit tunnel, but
Jacob decided to stay on the lighted path. Jacob heard voices up
ahead. He motioned for the old man to be silent. They carefully crept
forward. There was another large chamber ahead. Jacob saw Tasha
talking to another young girl. Jacob could not hold back his
excitement. "Tasha!" he yelled as he ran into the chamber. "Are you
okay?"

Jacob opened his eyes. His head ached. He felt a large bump on
the back of his head. "Sorry, we had to hurt you. You should learn
how to make an entrance," the man said. "Tasha has told us about
you. We know you meant no harm. My name is Simon. Glad to meet
you, Jacob."

"Where is Tasha. Is she okay?" Jacob asked.

"I'm here, Jacob," said Tasha.

"Tasha. You're not wearing a blindfold. Doesn't the light hurt your
eyes?" Jacob asked.

"Not any more. My eyes have adjusted to it. They explained it to

me. Our eyes have the ability to restrict the light that enters. Their
eyes can do this almost instantly, but since we never developed this
feature fully, it takes much longer for our eyes to adjust. You'll be
fine in about an hour," she said. "You should see all the wondrous

7
things I've seen here. They're a lot like us, only they never moved to
the man made tunnels."

"Where do they get their food and water? How do they survive?"
Jacob asked.

"They can tell you all you want to know. Now get some rest. You
must be exhausted," Tasha said. "We'll talk more later."

Jacob was exhausted. He dreamed about what these wonders

would mean to his people. He wondered why they had never been
contacted by these people. They must have seen the domes. Will
they share these wonders? Will they let them leave now that they
know about all of this? Jacob had so many questions, and many
more he hadn't even thought of yet. Tomorrow he would get some
answers For now he could only dream.

…...............................

“How's your father?” asked Jacob as he awoke and saw Tasha

sitting nearby.

“I'm not sure,” she said. “We were separated in a sandstorm.”

“But he was with me in the tunnel,” said Jacob. “You haven't seen
him since I got here?”

“No. Maybe he ran when they attacked you,” said Tasha.

“I hope he didn't leave the cave,” said Jacob. “He couldn't have
made it back home before the sun came up.”

“We could have someone go look for him,” said Tasha.

“I don't trust them yet. If we're not allowed to leave, your father can
get word back to our friends,” said Jacob. “How have they been
treating you?”

“There were a lot of questions at first,” said Tasha, “but they've

been real friendly ever since.”

“How much did you tell them,” asked Jacob.

“I answered all of their questions,” said Tasha. “I was frightened.”

“I'm sure everything will be all right,” said Jacob. “Let's go and

8
find Simon. I have a few questions for him.”

….............................

“We're looking for Simon,” Tasha said to one of the men. “Would
you tell him that Jacob is ready to speak to him?”

“Of course,” he said. “Follow me.”

As they walked down the corridor, Jacob could see into classroom
after classroom. The children were eagerly participating in their
classroom activities, seeming to enjoy themselves. The classes
didn't seem to be separated according to age. Perhaps there was no
criteria other than classroom size that made the separation
necessary.

“Wait here. I'll let him know you're here,” he said.

…..........................

“Okay, he'll see you now,” he said. “Go right on in.”

“Jacob. How are you?” asked Simon. “I hope your headache has
eased. Sorry we had to hit you so hard.”

“Is that how you greet all of your visitors?” asked Jacob.

“We don't get visitors, only intruders,” said Simon. “You're the first
visitors we've ever had.”

“Why haven't we met before?” asked Jacob. “How long have you
been here in this cave?”

“We've been here since the sun expanded,” said Simon. “I'm afraid
that fear has kept us isolated from the outside world.”

“How do you feed your people?” asked Jacob. “Where do you

grow your crops and raise livestock?”

“We don't. We've created a chemical alternative to food,” said

Simon. “It contains all the vitamins and nutrients that we need.”

“What about your source of power?” asked Jacob. “Is it solar?”

“Nuclear,” said Simon. “We have unlimited power, but few ways of

9
using it. We've only been able to retrieve a few items from the cities,
and most of them are defective or just worn out.”

“You do have lighting. That must be wonderful,” said Jacob.

“I guess we take it for granted,” said Simon. “We've never been

without it.”

“Why don't you go into the cities and retrieve more items?” asked
Jacob.

“The giant rats. They come out at night and that's the only time we
can go there. They have infrared vision. They can see us long before
we know they are around.” said Simon.

“There are solar cycles where it is safe to go outside at night. It

happens about once every two months,” said Jacob. “I expect that's
the only time that the rats come out. If we could find a way to survive
during the hottest part of the cycle, we would probably be safe from
the rats.”

“Now that's what I'd hope you could bring us, new ideas,” said
Simon. “Just how do we do this?”

“It's just an idea at this point. Answers will come later after we give
it some thought,” said Jacob. “Can your scientists help?”

“Scientists?” asked Simon. “We don't have any scientists.”

“But your schools? What do you teach your students?” asked

Jacob.

“The arts of course. Music, painting, poetry, acting, and dance.”

said Simon. “What else do you need?”

“What about construction, engineering, and self defense among

other things,” said Jacob.

“We've never needed any of that,” said Simon. “Not since the
original adults all died off from the plague.”

“Are there more of these nuclear power sources in the city?”

asked Jacob.

“I'm certain of it, but we only need the one. It gives us all the
power we need,” said Simon.

10
 “With that sort of power, our communities could support so many
more people,” said Jacob. “Your people could join ours.”

“We're perfectly happy with our lives here,” said Simon. “If your
people can do something about the rats, we can fend for ourselves.”

“It's settled then. During the next cycle, Tasha and I will be going
home,” said Jacob.

“It's a shame that the old tunnels had to be sealed because of the
great flood,” said Simon. “They would have led you home.”

“But the flood only lasted a few weeks. You've never reopened
them,” said Jacob.

“There was no reason to. That was when our ancestors went into
the city to try to find another source of supplies. They found the
nuclear power source and we soon became self sufficient,” said
Simon.

“Can we remove the seal? We would really like to go home now,”

said Jacob.

“Maybe you can figure out how to reopen it,” said Jacob. “We
don't really understand how these things work.”

“Why not keep it open?” asked Jacob. “I'm sure we would be

interested in trade with your people. Maybe we could teach you guys
something about the culinary arts.”

“That sounds very interesting,” said Simon. “I'll bring it to a vote.”

“Okay, well let's get those tunnels open,” said Jacob.

….................................

Jacob and Tasha returned home and told everyone what they had
discovered. Jacob got the elders to approve a plan for him to lead a
group of adventurers to enter the city in search of power sources.
One representative from each of the surrounding communities was
to take part. A critical part of the plan involved their transportation.
One of the giant animals was to be used for this purpose. Jacob's
people had long ago trained their animals to accept a saddle and
rider. Using blinders, the animal would run in complete darkness,
trusting completely in the rider. Others would have to be trained as

11
well as their riders.

Over the next 1 ½ months, Jacob coordinated the training and

filled the others in on what Simon had told him about the rats and the
city in general. Finally the day came. The weather would be suitable
the next two nights. A well shaded place would have to be found in
the city to allow them to spend the day there. The sewers would be
ideal, but that was where the rats spent the day.

One hour after sunset, Jacob and the others mounted their steeds.
There would be a new moon tonight. The riders would have to use
echo location to avoid obstacles during the trip to the city. Mostly
there was only sand and dunes, but a random boulder here and there
could be a serious problem at full speed. The animals were also
muzzled to prevent them from making noises that might attract the
rats.

As they neared the city, they slowed down to a fast walk. After a
few more minutes, Jacob signaled for everyone to dismount. As they
continued on foot, each of them led his animal by the reins. “Up
ahead,” said Jacob. “The rats have spotted us. They're circling our
position. Stand by. Wait for my signal,” said Jacob. Rats by the
hundred were circling and closing in. Squeals filled the night air.

“Now!” Jacob shouted. Everyone removed the muzzles and

blinders from their animals and released the reins. The big cats went
into action.
…...............................

The rats scattered and ran for their lives. After a few minutes
Jacob blew the whistle to recall the cats. “All accounted for,” said
Jacob. “Let's begin our search. Limit the search to concrete
structures. Any others will be far too dangerous and prone to
collapse. Don't enter any area where your animal can't protect you.
The same senses we've adapted for echo location will make us aware
of any electrical activity. We will regroup here one hour before
sunrise. During your search, be on the lookout for storm drains large
enough for us to enter.”
….............................

As the other went their own way, Jacob began his search. Unlike
many of the others, Jacob could read the written word, not just
braille. He looked around for a hospital. He knew that hospitals
would have an emergency backup system and would require large
amounts of energy for extended durations. Hopefully the others
would find power sources today, so that they could all concentrate

12
on searching libraries and lighting stores tomorrow. Once the books
were studied, then they would have a better idea of what else might
be worth taking on their next trip to the city.

Jacob came to a hospital. He could almost feel the power right

there in the street. As he entered the hospital, emergency lighting
turned on. Circuit breakers tripped and sparks flew as other
equipment tried to activate. Jacob would have to visually look for the
power source. The power running through the wires was overloading
his senses so that they would be useless in finding the main source.
If he turned off the lights, the main power source would still disrupt
his echo location abilities and he would be blind in the dark. He
wondered if the others were having this sort of problem.

“Now where would I put a backup power source?” he thought to

himself. “Probably on the top or bottom floors, away from people.”
This being a tall building, he decided to search the bottom floor first.
He entered a stairwell and began his descent. The cat could not
follow. He had tied the cat securely and was about to break his only
rule. “If the cat can't follow, neither can the rats,” he thought. As he
reached the next floor he saw that the stairs continued downward. “If
this isn't the bottom floor, I wonder how many more before I reach
the bottom?”

He looked over the railing and could see that the stairs descended
at least another three or four floors. “I wonder what's on this floor?”
he thought. He pushed the door open, making a loud creaking noise.
He could see at least a half dozen rats running toward him. He pulled
with all his might on the door. A giant rat got its head in the door just
as he closed it on its neck. The rat squealed and clawed at the
outside of the door. Jacob kicked at the rat and it pulled back its
head just long enough for him to close the door. As far as he could
tell there was a parking lot on that floor, obviously with a
passageway to the outside.

He continued down the stairs until he reached the bottom floor.

The sign above the door read 'POWER' . This was it. He opened the
door and entered. He soon located a black box with a blinking red
light and an ON/OFF switch. He flipped the switch and the lights and
all other electrical devices turned off. He disconnected the four
heavy duty wires and lifted the box. It was quite heavy for a box of its
size, probably weighing fifty or sixty pounds. Using echo location, he
made his way back to the stairwell. Resting briefly, he stumbled back
to the big cat. Using a gurney, he pushed the power source towards
the exit.

13
 Back on the street, he started back toward the rendezvous point.
As he passed a library, he decided to go in and look around. There
were still several hours before they were scheduled to regroup. As
he wandered around in the dark, he could sense the thousands of
books around him. “This is useless. I can't read in the dark,” he
thought. Grabbing a single book from each shelf, he filled the
gurney. “We'll sort them later and decide which ones to bring home,”
he thought.

As the others began to arrive back at the rendezvous point, it was

clear that not all had been so lucky. At least half were returning
empty handed except for a few light bulbs and fixtures. “I found a
storm drain,” said the representative from Beta colony.

“Lead the way. Let's get undercover as quickly as possible. It's

getting hot fast,” said Jacob. As they entered the storm tunnel, the
eastern sky was lighting up. They would have to go deep into the
tunnel before they could stop and rest.

“What do the rats eat when we're not around?” asked the
representative from Delta colony.

“I'm not sure, smaller animals I guess,” said Jacob.

“What about water?” the rep asked. “Don't they need water?”

“I would think so,” said Jacob. “But we can't worry about that now.
We have to find a safe place to rest. Maybe we will find some
answers on our next trip. Our people are depending on us to return
quickly with these power sources.”

After another hour, the temperature was becoming more

comfortable. “This looks like a good location. Let make camp and
get some rest,” said Jacob. “Place the cats where they will give us
the most protection.”

Jacob wondered what Tasha was doing about now. It had been far
too dangerous to bring her along. But after this trip, they would be
together for a lifetime. Many things would change, all for the better,
and quotas would be the first.

…..........................

“Sir. Wake up. One of the cats is missing,” said the representative
from Gamma Colony.

14
 “Which one?” asked Jacob.

“Mine, Sir,” he said. “I had it tied securely.”

“To what?” asked Jacob.

“Our water supply,” he said. “It's missing too.”

“Can you determine which way it headed?” asked Jacob. “We've

got to find it. We'll never make it home without that water.”

“It looks like it headed deeper into the tunnels,” he said. “Shall I
wake the others?”

“Wake one of them to stand guard. Let the others sleep. You and I
will take my cat and go searching for yours,” said Jacob. “Tell the
one you awaken to take turns with the others keeping watch. If we're
not back by nightfall, have them follow us. How long did we sleep?”

“A couple of hours, Sir,” he said. “We should have posted a

guard.”

“What's your name?” asked Jacob.

“My friends call me Abe,” he said.

“Well, Abe, if you come up with any other bright ideas, before the
fact, you be sure and let me know,” said Jacob.

“Sorry, Sir,” said Abe. “I guess I was stating the obvious.”

“There's no time to waste. We need to get going. I'll get my cat.”

said Jacob.

“I'll awaken a sentry,” said Abe.

….............................

As they began their trek farther into the tunnel, Jacob used his
echo location to follow the main tunnel, ignoring the smaller side
tunnels that were too small for a big cat. Then he noticed a side
tunnel which was strangely different. It did not have the smooth man
made surfaces or the uniform size of the other tunnels. It was
however large enough that the big cat could have come this way. A
short distance into the tunnel, he saw an empty water bag lying on
the floor. “It looks like this is the way we need to go,” said Jacob.

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“We'd better leave this water bag in case the others have to follow
us.”

“Do you think we may find water?” asked Abe.

“Even if we do, have you ever tried to drink water before it's been
processed and the salt removed?” asked Jacob.

“How do the rats survive on salt water?” asked Abe.

“Good question,” said Jacob. “Unfortunately, I don't have the

answer.”

“How far are we going to follow the cat?” asked Abe. “We might
make it home if we start at nightfall and don't waste any more time
searching the city.”

“We wouldn't last one hour and neither would the cats, not without
water,” said Jacob. “Down here, we might have five or six hours,
maybe more if it continues to get cooler.”

“Just looking at all the possibilities,” said Abe. “I'm not questioning
your decisions.”

“We'll follow this trail until we find the cat or lose the trail,” said
Jacob.

“Or die of thirst,” said Abe. “Just looking at all the possibilities.”

“Sounds like your glass is half empty,” said Jacob.

“I wish,” said Abe. “Sorry, Sir, I”ll try to be more optimistic.”

“It's getting a lot steeper. Watch your footing,” said Jacob. “And
it's getting cooler. I'll bet it's below 90 degrees.”

“What's that sound?” asked Abe. “It sounds like water dripping
from a leaky pipe.”

“The trail is getting slippery. Feel the walls,” said Jacob. “They're
damp.”

“And the ceiling,” said Abe as he broke off a piece of dirt, “But
look at this, it's dry where I removed the dirt. It's not seeping through
from above.”

16
 “I've seen this at the water distillery where I work,” said Jacob.
“We never have figured out how the water gets on the outside of the
pipes.”

“Is it cool like it is here?” asked Abe. “Maybe temperature has

something to do with it.”

“Yes. We evaporate the water and then cool the vapor to cause it to
condense into droplets again, leaving the salt behind,” said Jacob.
“But we never thought of condensing droplets right out of dry air,”
said Jacob. “I guess the air isn't as dry as we thought.”

“It tastes like processed water,” said Jacob as a drop fell on his
tongue. “Look, there are cat tracks on the floor of the tunnel.”

“Tracks?” asked Abe.

“It's a long story,” said Jacob. “Follow me.”

As they followed the tracks, the trail was covered in puddles of

water. Small rivulets of water flowed beside the trail, eroding it over
the years.

“Look, there she is,” said Abe. “We've found her.”

The cat was standing in knee deep water, drinking to her heart's
content. Most of the water bags were still intact. “Let's refill the bags
and start back,” said Jacob.

“I can smell vegetation,” said Abe. “I think I saw some small

animals scampering across the trail up ahead.”

“We don't have time to explore now,” said Jacob. “Maybe on some
future trip. Fill the bags.”

“Yes sir,” said Abe. “Just wait till I tell the guys back home.”

…..............................

“Grab the leash!” yelled Jacob as the big cat began to run away.

“I've got her,” replied Abe as the cat dragged him through the
water. “I can't hold on.”

“We'll have to follow. It still has most of the water bags,” said
Jacob. “Looks like we'll be doing some more exploring after all.”

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 “I'm sorry, Sir. I tried to hold on,” said Abe.

“It wasn't your fault. Those cats can be pretty determined when
they smell prey,” said Jacob. “Let's load the other water bags and get
started. We don't have a lot of time before we have to head back.”

“There seems to be some light up ahead,” said Abe.

“Sunlight or luminescence?” asked Jacob.

“Can't tell yet,” said Abe. “But it's not getting any warmer. It's
probably luminescence.”

“Maybe it algae, like the ones in our tunnels,” said Jacob.

“The tunnels are getting larger,” said Abe. “I've never seen tunnels
this big. And the algae on the walls, it's giving off a golden glow. It
almost looks like sunlight.”

“But without the heat,” said Jacob. “Look, you can see the water
vapor in the air. It's creating a mist.”

“Are those trees in the distance?” asked Abe as he looked deeper

into the enormous cavern.

“It looks like trees,” said Jacob. “Where's the cat?”

“I don't see her,” said Abe. “Do you still have the whistle?”

“We're far enough away that it shouldn't attract the other cats,”
said Jacob. “I'll give it a try.”

In a moment the big cat appeared. “Grab the reins. Put on the
blinders,” said Jacob. “We've got to head back.”

“But I think there's food here. We could stay until the next solar
cycle. Think of all we could discover,” said Abe.

“Our friends and families would think we were dead,” said Jacob.
“We can't put them through that. We'll be back.”

“You're right. I get so excited sometimes,” said Abe.

“Who could blame you. This is going to change all of our lives,”
said Jacob. “Do I have my first volunteer for the next expedition?”

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“Just try to keep me away,” said Abe.

19