The Pit
by David D. Sharp
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Swearwords: None.
Description: Two friends find an old well in their back garden. What secrets lurk in the belly of this pit?
_____________________________________________________________________
"You're never going to believe this," said Nick and from the tone of his voice Brian believed him. "Come over straight away."
Nick's old farm cottage was in as much disarray as it had been for the seven months since he and his wife Shona had bought the old place. Most of the upstairs had been gutted and refitted now and although plans for an extension seemed to have become lost in bureaucratic limbo, they had decided to crack on clearing the back garden for it anyway. It was during this slow process that the builders had made an unexpected discovery, just a few feet from the back doorstep.
It took both Nick and Brian several minutes, using a spade and large stick to lever aside the large paving tile the builders had put in place before they had left for the day. Once it was moved the two men stood in silence, staring at the dark hole that loomed before them.
"Jeez," whispered Brian after a while.
"Probably been there since the house was originally built in the 17th century, they reckon," said Nick. "I guess in those days you needed to have your own well out here in the country - wasn't exactly a national grid or anything."
"Just think how many times you've stepped over that, not knowing it was there. All that emptiness just hiding beneath your feet."
Gingerly Nick flicked a little pebble over the side and they both waited for the gentle patter of it landing somewhere below. The sound never reached them.
"How deep is it?" Brian asked.
"They don't know. They're going to measure it properly tomorrow and price up how much it'll cost us to fill it in or cover it up properly. Going to be a nightmare."
After some discussion, they both agreed that neither could wait that long to find out how deep the well was. With some thought they found a length of rope and tied Nick's heavy duty 100 candle torch to the end, securely fastening the rope around the torch's handle, and began lowering it. The torch's beam created a halo effect as, swaying from side to side, it illuminated the ancient stones, bordered by crumbling mortar. Down in the dark, bugs scuttled in and out of the cracks formed by roots and time.
Brian gave a shudder despite the balmy summer evening air. No matter what the purpose for a well, there was something unnatural about having a hole in the ground like that. It was somehow unsettling and made the ridges of his teeth feel gritty and exposed. The sound of the nearby road seemed to have died away, leaving only the whistling of the breeze through foliage and the strained sounds of the rope pulling against the rough edge of the pit as Nick slowed its descent. Staring down into the column of nothingness, Brian felt cold and hollow, just a fragile shell.
And then the light, now a tiny ring, stopped shrinking. They had reached the end of the rope without hitting the bottom. Nick shrugged with disappointment and began drawing the rope back up. After five minutes or so of yanking, the knotted end reappeared from over the side.
"Wasn't there..." started Brian. "Wasn't there something tied to the end of that rope?"
"No, I don't think so," Nick replied, after some deliberation. "No, you remember - we wanted to lower down a torch but we couldn't find mine, so we just lowered down the rope to see if we could work out the length from that. That's right isn't it?"
It didn't seem right to Brian but then all the facts were against them. He must just be tired - how long had he been staring into that pit anyway?
"Hey I've got a great idea," said Nick. "You know how we used to go rock climbing when we were students? Well I'm sure I've still got all the gear, the harness and things."
"And?"
"Well we could lower one of us down there, it is definitely wide enough!"
Brian didn't like this idea at all. There was still something sitting out of place, something just in the corner of his mind, out of reach. Like waking from a dream and remembering that something had happened but not what.
"Bah you're just a scaredy. I'll go down - you can stay up here and secure the line. I'll be the one that finds all the treasure hidden at the bottom!" laughed Nick.
It still didn't seem like a good plan but Brian couldn't formulate any real reason why they shouldn't and so Nick dashed off, returning awhile later with more, sturdier rope, carabiners, a helmet and a harness. They tied the rope around one of the old oak trees, testing it several times. Once everything was in place and Nick was all geared up in the harness, he began stepping backwards over the edge of the pit in the way they'd both practiced so many times.
"Wish me luck!" he grinned as his head disappeared over the edge.
Brian tested the knot again to be sure it was safe then sat by the edge of the well, listening as Nick called back up to him.
"Woooohoooo! Echo, echo... echo... echo."
"Do you see anything yet?" called down Brian.
"No, nothing yet - just these walls," came Nick's reply, then he broke into the X-Files theme.
Brian wondered just how far down the well really went - thinking of the men, long since gone, who had dug it out with no machinery or drills to help them. What must it have been like to live in those days? Where, instead of just turning a tap, you had to dig a deep hole into the crust of the earth?
His chain of thought was broken by the sound of Shona's car pulling into the drive. He turned and she waved at him.
"What on earth are you doing, Brian?" she asked, walking over towards him.
"We were just - I mean I was just... um."
She frowned at him.
"I was just trying to see if I could figure out how deep this well of yours is," he said, although that didn't seem to fit.
"How did you know about the well? I've only told Sally and my mum," said Shona. "Never mind, I've got shopping that needs to go in the freezer, I'll leave you to tidy up whatever it is you're up to out here on your own."
She disappeared again and so Brian started pulling the rope back up until the empty end of the rope slipped back up over the edge. He began looping the rope back up then stopped to ponder why he had bothered to tie it so securely around the tree. There was something he was missing, something he should remember - but what? Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important.
Swearwords: None.
Description: Two friends find an old well in their back garden. What secrets lurk in the belly of this pit?
_____________________________________________________________________
"You're never going to believe this," said Nick and from the tone of his voice Brian believed him. "Come over straight away."
Nick's old farm cottage was in as much disarray as it had been for the seven months since he and his wife Shona had bought the old place. Most of the upstairs had been gutted and refitted now and although plans for an extension seemed to have become lost in bureaucratic limbo, they had decided to crack on clearing the back garden for it anyway. It was during this slow process that the builders had made an unexpected discovery, just a few feet from the back doorstep.
It took both Nick and Brian several minutes, using a spade and large stick to lever aside the large paving tile the builders had put in place before they had left for the day. Once it was moved the two men stood in silence, staring at the dark hole that loomed before them.
"Jeez," whispered Brian after a while.
"Probably been there since the house was originally built in the 17th century, they reckon," said Nick. "I guess in those days you needed to have your own well out here in the country - wasn't exactly a national grid or anything."
"Just think how many times you've stepped over that, not knowing it was there. All that emptiness just hiding beneath your feet."
Gingerly Nick flicked a little pebble over the side and they both waited for the gentle patter of it landing somewhere below. The sound never reached them.
"How deep is it?" Brian asked.
"They don't know. They're going to measure it properly tomorrow and price up how much it'll cost us to fill it in or cover it up properly. Going to be a nightmare."
After some discussion, they both agreed that neither could wait that long to find out how deep the well was. With some thought they found a length of rope and tied Nick's heavy duty 100 candle torch to the end, securely fastening the rope around the torch's handle, and began lowering it. The torch's beam created a halo effect as, swaying from side to side, it illuminated the ancient stones, bordered by crumbling mortar. Down in the dark, bugs scuttled in and out of the cracks formed by roots and time.
Brian gave a shudder despite the balmy summer evening air. No matter what the purpose for a well, there was something unnatural about having a hole in the ground like that. It was somehow unsettling and made the ridges of his teeth feel gritty and exposed. The sound of the nearby road seemed to have died away, leaving only the whistling of the breeze through foliage and the strained sounds of the rope pulling against the rough edge of the pit as Nick slowed its descent. Staring down into the column of nothingness, Brian felt cold and hollow, just a fragile shell.
And then the light, now a tiny ring, stopped shrinking. They had reached the end of the rope without hitting the bottom. Nick shrugged with disappointment and began drawing the rope back up. After five minutes or so of yanking, the knotted end reappeared from over the side.
"Wasn't there..." started Brian. "Wasn't there something tied to the end of that rope?"
"No, I don't think so," Nick replied, after some deliberation. "No, you remember - we wanted to lower down a torch but we couldn't find mine, so we just lowered down the rope to see if we could work out the length from that. That's right isn't it?"
It didn't seem right to Brian but then all the facts were against them. He must just be tired - how long had he been staring into that pit anyway?
"Hey I've got a great idea," said Nick. "You know how we used to go rock climbing when we were students? Well I'm sure I've still got all the gear, the harness and things."
"And?"
"Well we could lower one of us down there, it is definitely wide enough!"
Brian didn't like this idea at all. There was still something sitting out of place, something just in the corner of his mind, out of reach. Like waking from a dream and remembering that something had happened but not what.
"Bah you're just a scaredy. I'll go down - you can stay up here and secure the line. I'll be the one that finds all the treasure hidden at the bottom!" laughed Nick.
It still didn't seem like a good plan but Brian couldn't formulate any real reason why they shouldn't and so Nick dashed off, returning awhile later with more, sturdier rope, carabiners, a helmet and a harness. They tied the rope around one of the old oak trees, testing it several times. Once everything was in place and Nick was all geared up in the harness, he began stepping backwards over the edge of the pit in the way they'd both practiced so many times.
"Wish me luck!" he grinned as his head disappeared over the edge.
Brian tested the knot again to be sure it was safe then sat by the edge of the well, listening as Nick called back up to him.
"Woooohoooo! Echo, echo... echo... echo."
"Do you see anything yet?" called down Brian.
"No, nothing yet - just these walls," came Nick's reply, then he broke into the X-Files theme.
Brian wondered just how far down the well really went - thinking of the men, long since gone, who had dug it out with no machinery or drills to help them. What must it have been like to live in those days? Where, instead of just turning a tap, you had to dig a deep hole into the crust of the earth?
His chain of thought was broken by the sound of Shona's car pulling into the drive. He turned and she waved at him.
"What on earth are you doing, Brian?" she asked, walking over towards him.
"We were just - I mean I was just... um."
She frowned at him.
"I was just trying to see if I could figure out how deep this well of yours is," he said, although that didn't seem to fit.
"How did you know about the well? I've only told Sally and my mum," said Shona. "Never mind, I've got shopping that needs to go in the freezer, I'll leave you to tidy up whatever it is you're up to out here on your own."
She disappeared again and so Brian started pulling the rope back up until the empty end of the rope slipped back up over the edge. He began looping the rope back up then stopped to ponder why he had bothered to tie it so securely around the tree. There was something he was missing, something he should remember - but what? Whatever it was, it couldn't be that important.
About the Author
David D. Sharp was born in Zimbabwe, but has lived in Scotland most of his life. He is an as yet unpublished author based in the Edinburgh area. He regularly writes short stories, usually with a fantastical twist, and is gradually polishing his epic, steampunk novel.
His website can be found at http://aweeadventure.co.uk.
His website can be found at http://aweeadventure.co.uk.