Chapter 2
two
Heart Of The Mountain
Charlie
Being told what it was like to be shut into the cage before it’s lowered into the earth is one thing. Actually experiencing it is another.
The lift cage was open from the waist up with only grating below attached to the bottom. There were metal posts on all four corners that attach to the top of the lift as well as two posts in the middle of each side where the gates opened.
My only saving grace was standing next to my dad. At least I had his comfort, for now. Even if he didn’t want me here. I knew I wasn't made for this kind of work. We both knew I’m different in all aspects of life. But we didn’t have much of a choice. And that only made me want to prove myself more.
The rumble that echoed in the shaft was near deafening. When the cage jilted to the side a bit, I lost my balance and tipped right into Jim.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
“Plant your feet, bend your knees. Don’t touch the sides if you want to keep your hands.” He gave me a look like I was going to be more work than I was worth.
My dad never willingly talked about the job.
I only knew what I forced out of him, which isn’t much.
He wasn’t very sociable, even with me. The cage lightly smacked the bottom creating a small clang and puff of coal dust. Jim unlocked the gate on the side of the cage that led into the mine and swung it open.
Dad followed David out but stopped short and turned toward me, drawing me in his arms, knocking my helmet wonky.
“Dad! Come–” He drew me in for a hug that cut me off.
“You do as you're told. Follow Jim’s instructions to a T. Don’t leave his side and wander off.” He pushed back and looked me in the eyes. He had a shimmer to his green stare, like he was about to cry.
“Dad. I promise. Everything will be fine. Please don’t embarrass me,” my voice coming out as a husky whine from the dust already in my throat, like I was still going through puberty.
Jim came up as dad stepped away with David.
Looking at me with an exhale that looked like it pained him.
He already looked exhausted and we haven’t even done anything yet.
His caramel brown eyes drooped a little when he looked down at me since he is a good four inches taller.
He also had some muscle to him. His chest looked broad, yet tight and I envisioned a toned flat stomach.
His arms were the size of tree branches that I climbed as a kid which were attached to strong shoulders.
“Some basic rules,” Jim’s deep voice projected over the echoes of men working down the tunnel passage.
“Don’t take your helmet off for any reason,” as I reached up to straighten it back into position.
“Always know where you are down here in location to both the lift and the adit, in case of emergency. Always check your tools at the beginning and end of the day, and communicate. That last one will get you killed faster than anything if you don’t talk to your partner.
Follow me, we are working in room three. Pay attention to where we go.”
“How many rooms are there down here”, I asked curiously, following him down a carved out walkway. We had to slump over so we didn’t graze the light that’s attached to our helmets off the top of the mine.
“Five in total,” he said, pausing to couch before continuing, “but rooms one, two, and three are more active than the other two. Especially room four, with the way the passages were constructed and the room was dug out. It was poorly thought out at the time. The one side that borders the side of the mountain itself is still unstable even with the extra supports we brought in.”
With my headlight on, I could see in the distance the end of the rail tracks with a buffer stop and just passed that, a five-way junction with mine car tracks in the ground leading in each direction, all coming to the main track in the center.
Along the right side of the track, in the middle, was a switch track handle so the cars could be wheeled onto the main track from each room.
“This is what we call the Heart of the Mountain. The main junction point,” he said, taking us to the right, in the direction of the track switch and a cage along the wall just passed one of the passages that I assumed led to one of the rooms.
Jim stopped at the cage and opened it to reveal a tool locker. Looking inside there were only a handful of extra tools left since we were the last ones down here for the shift.
“What chit number are you?” Jim asks, turning my direction.
“Twenty-three.” I looked at the tools to understand the system.
He extracted a pick-ax and handed it to me.
“You are number twenty-three. No matter what room we are working, that will be your number. Always look over your tools before you start and after you finish. Never trust the worker before you that they did it themselves. Unsafe equipment creates an unsafe environment.”
“What if I notice something is wrong?” I asked, looking into his brown eyes that look black in this light.
“You tell your supervisor, which currently is me since I’m training you. Will is the Room Supervisor and is in charge down here. He is second in command to Tom. You will meet him eventually. He will either tell you to grab a spare or go back up top with your working partner and file paperwork.”
Jim closed the locker, then turned and walked across the middle track to the last passage on the left. We followed the track that seemed to disappear into the black even though the dim lights were shining. It’s like, even down in this hell pit, bulbs couldn’t shine bright enough to light your way.
The urge to stay quiet finally got overtaken with my curiosity and needing to hear anything while traveling through the dark other than our footsteps. “What, no additional tour?”
“No, but if we had kept going straight past the tool locker, we would have come to the Adit and the Tipple, which opens up out the side of the mountain above the railroad tracks,” Jim said, in an uncaring tone, like he didn’t even want to waste his breath on even one of those words.
“We don’t tend to roam unless we absolutely must, for safety reasons.
They know we are going to be in room three.
If something should happen and we are not there or at the Adit with a car of coal, it will create more panic and chaos than necessary. ”
Speaking of cars, we came to a set of mine cars that were once yellow and were now dented and the color of the sun if it was covered by Satan’s breath.
I could have easily laid in them with how big they were with room to roll from side to side.
With little room around them, we squeezed and shimmied by until reaching the other side, having to hunch over some more as the ceiling lowered like it can no longer handle the weight the miners created for it to carry.
He turned and headed towards one of many narrow passages where we heard voices, dings, and dull crumbling crashes.
Jim said hi and head nodded to several men we passed until we got to two that were being loud with each other.
Once we got close enough for them to notice us, the significantly taller and bigger man than all of us, gave a menacing look towards Jim.
“Well, look what we have here. Looks like someone caught themselves a fresh fish from the rivers. Although, by the size of him, he should have been thrown back.” He gave me a look like he’s trying to size me up but there wasn’t much to see.
“Knock it off, Richard,” Jim said, taking a sidestep to partially block me. “We don’t have time for your antics. We are already late.”
“Based on what I see,” he looked at me again, “It won’t matter. You’ll never get caught up with the ‘help’ you have today.”
“Excuse me, Dick, is it?” I asked, leaning to get a better view of the guy. “Size only matters for one reason and based on an assumption, I could probably guess that it’s why you’re an asshole.”
“Charlie. Stop,” Jim turned around and pushed me back the way we came. I’m normally not that brave or forward. My personality matched my body: small and weak.
“Jim, control your tadpole before he really makes an enemy,” Richard bellowed, while the other guy that had been quiet the entire time, stood by and put his hand on Richard’s arm to fully grab him if he needed to.
Jim guided me to the next passage down that we had already passed. We could still hear Richard’s echoed bitching. “That wasn’t smart,” he muttered, giving me a warning look.
“I don’t let others talk about me like I’m not there. I’ve let others walk all over me my entire life and moving here, starting this job, I promised myself that it would end,” I said, in the most serious tone I could muster, even though my adrenaline was making me jittery.
“You need to be careful with most of these assholes.” Jim stopped me at the passage junction and got in my face.
“They can be ruthless. Fresh fish are treated like they are to be cast back out into the three rivers until they prove themselves, which was going to be damn near impossible being partnered with me, let alone now that you opened your mouth.”
Not moving away from me, his dark eyes lingered over my lips. But the tension in his entire body was vibrating like a warning bell, making me wonder why being partnered with him would have made my life harder.
I stared back and finally huffed a breath. “Fine.”
Stepping away from me, leaving me with an emptiness I wasn’t expecting, Jim started walking down the passage we had passed.
After blowing by some more men that Jim ignored, he continued on and turned again, heading in the direction we were originally going.
“The rooms are laid out like a grid, for the most part. You can get to where you need to in a round-a-bout way if needed,” Jim stated matter-of-factly.
We came to a stop at a wall after turning one final time. He twisted and looked at me, “This is pillar twelve, in room three. Each room is laid out and numbered. We will be working here until they tell us otherwise.”
At that point he took a swing of his axe at a sideways angle and took a chunk out of the wall.
He then took a small step to the side and did it again, catching the lip he created from his first swing.
He stopped when he caught me staring at his beautiful form that his jumper was covering up, especially his arms, but they’re still noticeable from the weight of his axe creating definition, nonetheless.
“Go that way ten steps and begin. Swing like a baseball bat, just don’t hit the wall dead on like a hammer and nail.
Hit it from the side.” Jim took another small step and swung again, knocking a bigger piece of coal off the pillar which landed with a powder puff thud.
The coal hitting the floor and landing on more broken coal sounded like crystal with the way it clinks.
I headed where Jim told me to and stared at the coal wall like it was the most intimidating thing in the world and I didn’t want to hurt it. Hunched over, I plant my feet, looking at the spot I wanted to hit. I swung my axe only to hit air, the momentum almost tilting me right over.
I looked around and made sure Jim didn’t see my embarrassing first swing. He’s looking right at me, making my cheeks burn. Shifting my eyes away from him nervously, I planted my feet again for another swing when I heard, “Stop.”
When I turned toward Jim, he was right behind me. “Turn around and get into position like you are about to swing.”
As I did what he asked, I felt him come behind me with his arms on either side, like he was hugging me from behind except he grabbed the axe in my hands and repositioned my hold.
His hands were rough and dirty. His touch sent a shiver down my spine like I had caught a chill in the one place I should never be cold.
“Always start your swing with your hands holding the axe on opposite sides of the handle at a comfortable length. When you swing, let them naturally slide toward each other.” Jim moved my hands himself as he explained what should be happening.
The handle was rough and gritty, scratching my palms as the slide of the wood through my fingers happened, explaining one reason why Jim had rough callused hands.
I guess mine would be like that soon enough.
Then he kicked my left foot to the side, “Feet shoulder width apart as best as you can, being hunched.”
Once he got me in position, holding my axe correctly, I felt Jim step away from me, giving me space so I could swing without impaling him with my tool.
I swung and let my hands slide with the motion.
Then I felt the vibration of my axe connecting with the coal shoot up my arms, with a chunk of coal falling to the floor with a crashing clink.
“Good. Again,” Jim said, as he walked away to his own area to get back to work.
I swung.