A Map To Everything | Teen Ink

A Map To Everything

January 7, 2017
By Anonymous

If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them.
—James O’Barr

Breaking news! Sandrock mine has had a collapse in the mine shaft at the deepest part, there are 8 miners still unaccounted for, the other forty-two other miners are being extracted as we speak. The eight not accounted for are all a part of the explosion crew that was setting up for a mining blast that might have gone wrong. They believe that foul play might come into consideration at a later date, stay tuned for more news.
I don't know what to do, I’m sitting in my pajamas On the old couch that my parents brought home from my uncle's house, Last year when he finally moved out of his mansion that he barely lived in.
A picture of the mine shows up you can see all the fire trucks and cop cars around the building that holds the elevator that takes you down to the mine. I don't know what to think it's summertime and my parents are at work at. Ding Dong; well better go to the door
Ding dong
“I’m coming!”
Who could this be It's the middle of summer it can't be any of my friends. Haha I chuckle at that comment, friends what good are friends all they do is get in your way and fight with you. I can see a silhouette of what looks to be an old man and he just keeps on pounding on the door. When I open the door I am confronted by my grandparents their faces are all flustered and they seem panicked. My grandma stands behind my grandpa and I can tell that she has been crying I. Wonder what happened maybe her 100-year old cat just died, the last time I saw that cat it was starting to lose its hair you could actually see some of its old dried wrinkly skin and it started to lose weight so you can see all of its wrinkles. It almost reminded me of one or those... Oh, what's it called bulldog what it’s, or this is the best one her goldfish she won at the fair last month died she is a very sentimental person. Last year just as a joke one of my cousins bought her some underwear and she started to cry, I had to refrain myself from laughing it was very hilarious.
When I finally start to pay attention not in my thoughts anymore I can see my grandpa's mouth moving but I can't hear him saying anything, it's like in one of those movies where the hero gets hit and he can see the bad guy taking his love away but he can't do anything cause he so dazed.
“Adam...Adam”. He’s grabbing my arm shaking me “Adam are you ok Adam”
            “Oh yeah, why wouldn't I be? “
Why would he ask me if I was ok nothing's happened I've literally done nothing all day. I woke up and stared at the map of the mine that my parents gave my last week, Then when I actually felt like getting up because my stomach was literally eating me alive I went down stair got a bowl of cereal and flopped on the couch. Turned the TV on and was just chilling. Now my grandparents are here and he's asking if I’m ok what the heck it's not like my par….
“Oh my god, oh my god, my parents they’re in the”...”mine”
“It’s ok Adam, Adam come here sit down”.
His voice is calming at a time like this, Is was like the time I caught my first fish. I can still remember it to this day. A cool breeze flowed over the water, the sun blazed above us the actual temperature was like 89 but it felt so nice. Perfect for my first fishing expedition with grandpa, the whole ride up was full of first timer fishing questions from me and him explaining to me how to bring a fish in. When we finally got out there he cast the line for me and we just sat there quietly waiting for the first catch. Finally after what felt like an eternity the tip of my pole started to bob up and down trying not to freak out I grabbed it quickly and yanked it really hard just like he told me to do and started to real feverishly so it wouldn't get away. I can still hear his voice telling me, slow down Adam. His voice was so calm and collected he is was deep and earthy is how I like to describe it. If only I could go back to these days when I didn't have to worry about anything other than making my bed and going to school. Those were the days, one of the bests
“Adam... Adam can you hear me come on Adam we have to go
Why do we have to go someplace it’s a Saturday and it's the summer oh my god how did I forget
“ my parents we got to go now let's go guys, wait I have to go get the map”. I sprint up the flight of stairs to my bedroom and tear the Map right off the ceiling and hurdle the stairs to the landing.
“What are you guys waiting for let’s go”.
It's a mile and a half away from our house to the mine and I am running for my life to the mine I have to get there and see if my parents are safe I just have to get there. My heart is pounding after half a mile running there My heart seems like it's about to come out if my chest the last time I  ran this much was in Phy-ed  8th grade year. As I am running up the giant hill to the mine I can hear cars and sirens behind me. I stop to try to catch my breath and when I turn around it looks like a high-speed parade there are four cop cars in front of this massive rig that looks like a maybe a hole driller with its giant drill bit and extensions. Behind that is what to look like a log truck holding gigantic chrome logs. Behind that is a crane that looks like a toy it's at least 100ft long and 40ft tall. Then right on the cranes tail is my grandpa in his old rusty Toyota. The driver’s side door is a poop brown color that he bought after my grandma somehow hit a mailbox with. We still to this day don't know how she did it, the rest of the car is a tan color. The inside is a velvet colored cloth, literally, everything in the car is covered in velvet the steering wheel the walls even the dash is velvet.
“Need a ride son get in” My grandpa is always a savior
Once I get in the car and finally catch my breath I start bombarding him with questions
            Are my parents alright ? have you heard from them yet?  Are they out of the mine “..IT feels like my mind is spinning around and around “Grandpa are they out, grandpa “
“ I don't know Adam we will see when we get there ok just take a couple breaths and we will see when we get there.
I've never seen him like this he's always been a cool and collected man but it seems like the closer we get to the mine he gets more fidgety and his face has this pain on it not like he is in physical pain but emotional pain. His hands are sweating I can see in the steering wheel how much because all the velvet is dark. He can't keep going the same speed he speeds  up and slows down when he notices he's going too fast and he keeps grabbing at his shirt and collar like they're suffocating him. We finally come over the hill and it looks like the rush hour in a major city there are at least 100 cars there. Most are from our town because most parents work at the mine there’s only A Couple families that don't work at the mine and they run all the other stores.
When we finally get down to where everyone parked, I jump out of the car even before he stops the car. I can hear him behind me yelling my name to slow down. But I just have to see if my parents are out alive ,they have to be they’re fighters they wouldn't ever leave me, they couldn't there's so much we still haven't done together. I can see them, Miners coming out of the mine there being escorted by paramedics and firefighters. All their faces are covered in dust You can see the relief in their eyes that they are finally out of the deep desolate place where you can count on lefts and rights or north and south You just have to now It.
“Adam...Adam”
“Over here grandpa”
“there you are you can't just run off without us”
“I don't see mom and dad where are they”. The last ones out of the mine are three paramedics caring flash lists and medical bags. I jump over the wooden rails keeping spectators away from the opening and sprint over to them
“Where're my parents, are there more people, my parents haven't come out yet where are they”
“That’s all the people we have found” , A very tall and slender man that was wearing a firefighter suit say'ed. “the cave team will have to go in next “
“But my parents’ They could be hurt “
“it’s Ok son, please get back on the other side of the barrier, let the professionals do their job”.
I have to do something, there has to be something I can do to help them. “The map!!”. People look at me strangely like I am crazy. So I put my head down and walk away, Moving through the crowd of people. Have to get somewhere where no one will bother me so I walk back up the hill so I am looking down at the Mine and find a shady tree. The map is now all crinkled up from me shoving it in my back pocket but still viable. I know my mom told me that there were multiple exits to the mine that were shut down but maybe one still works.
“watcha got there”. A voice from above me calls out, and I know exactly who it is. My biggest crush in the world Liz, oh why does it have to be her. I look up and see her sitting in the tree bright as the sun even though her parents are still one of them still down there.
“A map?” she asks
“Yeah?” I don't know why but my voice shakes and I can feel my face getting red.
“Why does u have a map”. Oh gosh, the way she talks is so cute, why on this day does this have to happen to me, wow just wow. Now she's right next to my shoulder to shoulder looking at the map I am holding.
“This is the mine isn't it, wow are you going to go down there”
“Um...I...um I don't know, I mean no but yes”
“Well let's go then”
“Um...I…. Um.” Come on just say yes you now you want to just go
“Yes!!”
“Ok, looks like there's an entrance just down the hill’. Come on Adam, get up and go speak do something stop just staring at her.
“Ok yeah let's go, follow me”. I start walking down the hill towards, where the opening should be and behind me, I can hear footsteps pounding down the hill. When I turn around she flies past me towards the mine. Now I have to run, I am trying to follow her but she is flying down the hill into a patch of woods.
“Liz, where did you go, Liz?”
“Over here Adam”. I can't believe what I see when I get to what she”s looking at.
“Did you open that”
Two large doors ones that go down into a cellar made of at least six inches of concrete are busted to pieces but the pieces are all around the outside not in the hole, but like someone has blasted through them not to get out, but In.



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