|
The Hole
The old tourist brochures said that "The Hole", while only ten feet across, was bottomless, but
I don't accept absolutes. I had to check for myself.
The place was pretty creepy but that didn't explain why it had been shunned for decades.
I rigged up a rented winch with a huge coil of wire, put a digital camera and a light on the end,
and lowered it into the hole. Thousands of feet of wire unwound from the spool. I switched to a
heavier, sronger wire.
For a long time the video monitor showed nothing but different layers of rock and I heard only
the mechanical sounds of descent. Then I heard what sounded like indistinct voices and the hole
opened up into half a dozen horizontal passages. I shut off the winch, pressed the headphones
to my ears and stared intently at the monitor.
The camera spun slowly in a circle. Suddenly it swung wildly and the light went out. A gruff,
threatening voice said, "You fool, Warren is dead." Then a muffled, high-pitched voice said,
"I always wanted to say that," followed by a giggle.
A harsher voice said, "Give me that." The camera ceased transmitting and there came a powerful tug on
the wire that bent the frame of the winch. Then the wire started to shake rhythmically, like something
heavy was climbing it. I cut the wire, packed my gear and hightailed it out of there.
Rik Hunik is forty-nine years old. He has been working in construction for about thirteen years now.
He has written dozens of fantasy stories and two fantasy novels, The Dark Gate and Getting It
Up In Titslegas: The Erotic Adventures Of Erectus The Builder. He is working on another novel
as well as more short stories.
He has seven stories published now, with more upcoming.
"The Hollow Idol's Eyes" in Of Unicorns And Space Stations, Winter 1999,
"The Gold Watch" in Crimson Online Magazine #13.,
"The Sitting" in Black Petals, Summer 2003.,
"Erectus In The Temple Of Erotia" in Swingers Today, No. 83.,
"Joyride" in Tales Of The Talisman, Sept. 2005.,
"Erectus In Clitoria's Passion Pit." in Swingers Today No. 86,
"A Sleeping Beauty" in Swinging Times National Edition No. 240,
"The Treasure In The Monkey's Fist" coming soon in Wild Violet,
"Key Service" coming soon in Wild Violet, and
"In The Kettle" coming soon from Midnight Times.
Email: Rik Hunik
Return to Table of Contents
|