The Haunted Cave Read online

  Far in the distance he could see other Hyeets.

  The Hyeet beside him saw them, too.

  The creature squealed with joy and slapped Adam on the back.

  Adam almost fell through the magical doorway.

  “You go ahead.” He gasped, catching the edge of the portal. “Say hi to your friends for me. Enjoy a good meal. I’m sure after eating all those bats, you could use one.”

  The Hyeet tried to smile one last time. This third effort was as miserable as the first two. But then the creature did the most incredible thing. It put its hand over Adam’s heart and worked its wide mouth into a semblance of a human form.

  “Adam,” it said with feeling.

  Adam had to laugh. “Wow.”

  Then the Hyeet leaped forward, toward the now transparent wall, and was gone. Adam blinked; the Hyeet simply vanished. But Adam thought he caught a glimpse of it running across the wide grass field, yelping in joy, although he wasn’t sure. At the moment Adam had other things to worry about.

  A strong air suction had started in front of the portal. It was as if a huge fan had been turned on in the other land, and set backward before the doorway. Adam had to hold on to the edge tightly to keep from being sucked in. Behind him, the lava pools hissed. The force of the suction was disturbing the sleeping fires. Adam realized he was on the verge of starting a minor eruption. And he knew he had only to say the word and the doorway would close and everything would return to normal. But for some reason—perhaps it was because he was hanging on for dear life—he couldn’t remember what the Reeksvar word for close was.

  “Bela!” he shouted into the howling wind. “Rela! Stela! Mela! Kela! Tela!”

  No, none of those were right. Adam feared he was never going to get it. Raising his right leg, he pressed his foot against the side of the doorway and pushed back as hard as he could. He landed on his butt, but was immediately shaken by the suction force. He didn’t give it a chance to pull on him again. Reaching out, he grasped the edge of a large black boulder and pulled himself farther away from the howling wind. He did the same with a series of rocks. The lava pools were furious now. Steam gushed toward the ceiling, just about wiping out all visibility. Adam felt the ground shake as he labored to climb to his feet. Something was on the verge of blowing.

  Adam made it back to where his friends were waiting.

  “What happened?” Sally demanded.

  “The Hyeet escaped back to his home,” Adam said.

  “We saw that,” Cindy said. “But why didn’t you close the door?”

  “Did you shout out the word?” Watch asked.

  Adam glanced at the collapsing chamber. “What was the word again?” he asked rather sheepishly.

  “Nela!” all three of them said at once.

  Adam grimaced. “I was close. I should have kept trying.”

  “Well, you can’t try now,” Sally said, pointing to what was happening only a few feet from where they stood. There was so much steam, dust, and exploding lava, the magical doorway was completely invisible. Sally shouted over the noise, “We have to get out of here!”

  They ran back in the direction of the cold river. It didn’t take many turns of the cave to bring them out of the range of the eruption. Soon it was dark again, silent and gloomy. They had saved the Hyeet, but they still didn’t know how to save themselves. Worst of all, their meager torches were ready to go out, and they had left their few remaining boards back in the volcanic chamber. They stumbled in the seemingly endless night beside the icy water. Adam had reached the point where he was willing to try anything.

  “What if we swim underground?” he asked Watch. “Back the way you came? We might be able to reach the spot where the well comes down. Bum might still be there and be able to help us out.”

  Watch shook his head. “That’s impossible. None of us would be able to swim against the current. I almost drowned, and I was flowing with it. Also, we would never get up the well. It’s too hard.”

  “It’s a chance,” Cindy said.

  “Believe me, it’s no chance at all,” Watch said. “We have to find another way out.”

  Sally pointed anxiously at their two waning torches. “We only have a few minutes left. There’s no other way out.”

  But just then Adam had an incredible idea.

  It was the best idea he’d had all night.

  “Watch,” he said. “When you came down the well, could you tell which direction the river beneath you was flowing?”

  Watch didn’t hesitate. “It was headed toward the ocean. I thought of that. But we all already know there’s no cave opening down by the beach.”

  “And the water is full of sharks,” Sally said.

  “None of that matters,” Adam said. “I have a plan. We’re going to keep following this river.”

  “What if our lights fail?” Sally demanded. “What if we run into a dead end?”

  Adam repeated himself, but with an odd confidence in his voice. “None of that matters.”

  The river rushed forward. They chased it, running now. But they could not run far because the inevitable finally caught up with them. The remaining lumps of lava wrapped around their boards gasped and died. The faint red glow went out. It had been a miserable light, but any light was welcome when darkness was all around. They missed it dearly. They dropped the torches in the black river, but couldn’t see as the current carried them away. Their mad dash was finished. They would have to move slowly now, led only by the sound of the water, the touch of their fingers. Adam told them not to lose hope. Someone clasped his hand. He assumed it was Cindy, but it was Sally.

  “Did you know I sleep with a night-light on?” she said softly.

  “You?” he asked in the perfect dark. “I don’t believe it.”

  Her fingers squeezed his tight. “I’ve always been afraid of the dark.”

  “I’m afraid of it now,” Cindy whispered from somewhere close.

  “I know what I’m doing,” Adam said, hoping that he did.

  The others had their doubts thirty minutes later.

  They ran into a dead end.

  The cave just stopped at a stone wall.

  The river disappeared under the ground.

  End of the road. Nowhere left to go.

  Adam heard the sounds of his friends despair all around him. He spoke in what he hoped was an upbeat voice. “Watch,” he said. “What time is it?”

  Adam knew all of Watch’s watches had phosphorescent hands.

  “Six-ten in the morning,” Watch said. “Why?”

  Adam sat down on the ground beside the river, telling the others to do the same. “We’re going to wait,” he said.

  “For what?” Sally asked. “To die?”

  “No,” he said. “To be rescued.”

  “No one will come to rescue us,” Cindy said sadly.

  “I didn’t say it would be a person,” Adam replied. “Be patient. You’ll see.”

  Several minutes went by while they listened to their breathing. Perhaps they also listened to their own heartbeats.

  “I’m getting cold,” Sally said finally.

  “You’ll be warm soon,” Adam promised. “A few more minutes.”

  More minutes crawled by.

  Sally started to speak again. But her voice caught in her throat.

  Something magical was happening. The water beside them began to glow. It grew in brightness quickly. Soon they were able to see each other again. Adam had to laugh at their astounded faces.

  “Is it another magic portal?” Cindy asked.

  Adam laughed. “No, it’s not magic. Watch, what time is it now?”

  Watch checked his timepieces. “Six thirty-six.”

  Sally gasped. “That’s when the sun comes up! We’re seeing the light of dawn!”

  Adam stood. “Yes. That’s it. This stream runs into the ocean. For us to see the sunlight at all, we must be close to the outside. I bet we only have to swim the length of a backyard pool underwater and we’ll b
e out in the fresh air.”

  “But how can you know for sure the ocean is right out there?” Cindy asked.

  “Taste the water,” Adam said.

  All three of his friends tried it. “It tastes slightly salty,” Cindy said.

  “Naturally,” Adam said. “Here where the river and the ocean meet, some of the saltwater must push upstream.”

  “But you got the idea to come here a mile back,” Sally insisted. “How could you be sure we’d find the sun?”

  Adam laughed again. “I was hoping we’d find it. But all rivers run to the sea, as the old saying goes. Why should this one be different?” He tore off his filthy shirt and kicked off his dirty shoes. “I’m going first. If I’m not back in a minute or two, I don’t know what to tell you guys. I’ve probably gone for milk and doughnuts.”

  Adam dived in before they could respond.

  He was back a minute later, grinning from ear to ear.

  “This river comes out right near the jetty,” he said. “We’re not far from the burned-down lighthouse.”

  “Oh, no.” Cindy groaned. “I hope the ghost is still gone.”

  “The ghost?” Sally asked. “Who cares about a ghost?” She stood and began to walk back into the cave. “I’m still worried about that shark we saw last week. There’s no way I’m going out this way. I’m hiking back to the reservoir. I don’t care if it takes me till next week.”

  They tried to convince Sally it was a lousy idea, but she was stubborn and wouldn’t listen. In the end they had to drag her, kicking and screaming, underwater, and then out onto the jetty. But once she was standing in the fresh air, she quickly forgave them. It looked like it was going to be another sunny day. Sally smiled brightly.

  “Who wants ice cream?” she asked. “You can have any flavor you want.”

  Adam smiled. “As long as it’s vanilla?”

  Sally pinched his cheek. “That’s true. But today, Adam, I feel like treating.”

  About the Author

  Little is known about Christopher Pike, although he is supposed to be a strange man. It is rumored that he was born in New York but grew up in Los Angeles. He has been seen in Santa Barbara lately, so he probably lives there now. But no one really knows what he looks like, or how old he is. It is possible that he is not a real person, but an eccentric creature visiting from another world. When he is not writing, he sits and stares at the walls of his huge haunted house. A short, ugly troll wanders around him in the dark and whispers scary stories in his ear.

  Christopher Pike is one of this planet’s best-selling authors of young adult fiction.

  Books by Christopher Pike

  Spooksville #1: The Secret Path

  Spooksville #2: The Howling Ghost

  Spooksville #3: The Haunted Cave

  Available from MINSTREL Books

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  A MINSTREL PAPERBACK Original

  A Minstrel Book published by POCKET BOOKS, a division of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  Copyright © 1995 by Christopher Pike

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Pocket Books, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020

  ISBN: 0-671-53727-X

  ISBN: 978-1-4814-1057-1 (eBook)

  First Minstrel Books printing December 1995

  A MINSTREL BOOK and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster Inc.

  Cover art by Lee MacLeod