Chapter 5

A Strange Sound

I carefully put the book in my bag. Then Tonnison and I began to search through the fallen stones. We worked for over an hour, moving rocks and clearing away dirt. We found only a few pieces of broken wood, perhaps from an old table or desk. Finally, we stopped searching and walked back toward the edge of the hole. 

We walked slowly around the huge circle in the ground. It was almost perfectly round, except for the part where the rocky platform with the ruins stuck out. “This looks like a giant well going deep into the earth,” Tonnison said quietly. 

After exploring the edge for some time, we noticed an open area to the north. When we walked there, we discovered a large, silent lake. In one spot, we saw water bubbling up from below the surface. Now that we were away from the loud waterfall, we could talk normally. “I don’t like this place,” I told Tonnison. “I think we should leave.” He nodded slowly, then suddenly looked toward the trees as if he had heard something. 

“Listen,” he whispered. I stood very still and held my breath. At first, I heard nothing. I was about to tell Tonnison this when a strange sound came from the woods. It was a sad, lonely cry that rose and then quickly disappeared. “We should go now,” Tonnison said firmly. We headed toward an area where the trees were fewer. I noticed the air was getting colder and the sun was getting low in the sky. 

Tonnison walked in silence. As we moved through the trees, I stayed very close to him. I felt afraid. Nothing made a sound except the twigs breaking under our feet. I had a strong feeling that we were not alone in these woods. When we finally reached open ground, I felt much better. As we walked away, I thought I heard that strange crying sound again, but I told myself it was only the wind. 

“I would never stay in that place overnight,” Tonnison said suddenly. “Not for any amount of money. There’s something wrong about it. I felt it strongly after you spoke—as if the woods were full of watching eyes.” “I agree,” I said, looking back, but we could no longer see the strange place. I touched my bag where I had put the book. “Do you still have it?” Tonnison asked. “Yes,” I answered. “Maybe it will tell us something when we get back to our tent,” he said. “We should hurry—it’s getting dark, and we’re far from camp.”