The Problem with Dreams

Chapter 6 - A Visit for Matt

            "Okay," Zackary agreed, eager to impress his brother.

            Greg pushed the button on the garage door opener and they drove inside, parking for the first time in their new garage.

            "Wow," Matthew exclamed. "It's like a real garage in here. Is this what you did with the cave?"

            "Sort of," Zack said as they all got out.

            "Are you sure you want to go around, Zack? Or just take Matthew through the back?" Greg asked.         

            "What do you mean, through the back?" Matt asked. "Doesn't this just end inside the hill?"

            "Not exactly," Zackary said. "See the door back there?"

            Matt spotted an ordinary looking door at the back of the garage.

            "Yeah. Where does that go? To the house?" Matt asked.

            "Sort of. Okay, we'll go that way. You'll see," Zackary said.

            Greg threw on the light switch and they walked through the door, into the well lit tunnel which led deeper inside the hill. Zackary was glowing with excitement, but Matthew was dumbstruck by what he was seeing.

            "Where does this go?" he asked when they came to the fork in the tunnel. The path to the right was lit, but the path to the left was completely black.

            "That just leads to some climbing ropes and stuff," Zackary said. "We might come back that way if you want, but let's go this way first."

            "Okay," Matt readily agreed as he allowed his brother to lead the way while Greg took up the rear.

            They hadn't gone very far when the man-made tunnel opened up into the natural cave, depositing them on the ledge on the beside the natural archway bridge.

            "Wow," Matthew said in hushed tones. "You weren't kidding when you said you have a cave. This is amazing."

            "It is, isn't it," Greg said feeling pleased by Matt's response.

            "Mr. Abernathy? Is that you?"

            Greg heard Mr. Van Kirk's voice coming to him from across the bridge.

            "Yes," Greg called. "We came through the garage today. I hope that's okay?"

            "It's perfectly okay. Mr. Sato is here. We're working on the shaft today. He'd like a word, if you don't mind," Mr. Van Kirk said.

            "The shaft?" Matt asked.

            "Yeah. You see down there?" Zackary paused halfway across the bridge and pointed into the dimly lit lower level of the cave. "We need a way to get down there. So two weeks ago when we were here, Greg and I found this shaft. I think they're going to use it to put some stairs in or something."

            Matt nodded, going along with what he was being shown as they crossed to the room-sized shelf with several distinct passages branching off from it on the other side. A big black man emerged from one.

            "Hello Zackary. Good to see you," the black man said.

            "Hi Mr. Van Kirk. This is my brother, Matt. He's living with us this summer," Zackary said.