Summer in a hole

“Mom!” I called as I flipped my strawberry blond hair over my shoulder. “Mom, come here.”1

I sat staring into a hole I had discovered only a few minutes ago as I waited for my mother to stop pruning the roses.2

“Momma…no.” Said my two-year-old sister, Ryelee.3

I bit my bottom lip and stared at my sister. The morning sun shone bright on her light brown curly-qs as her pudgy body shaded the dark hole. The day before we had played in the water so both Ryelee and my cheeks were red. My nose, it’s freckled where Ryelee’s was not, was also red.4

“Ryelee go play.” I told her shortly. I watched as Ryelee waddled off to play in the mud. “Mom, I’m going down this hole I found and I don’t know when I’ll be back.” I called in a singsong voice.5

“That’s great Shelbie.” My mother said distractedly.6

I shook my head disgustedly then studied the hole. Besides it being dark it was wide enough to fit my four-foot frame through and it looked deep. The sides were smooth and moist. I knew it was recently dug because it wasn’t there yesterday afternoon.7

I glanced up in time to see my mother move onto a new rosebush but out of the corner of my eye I saw a faint light at the bottom of the tunnel. Quickly I ran into the garage, searched the utility draw, found the flashlight, made sure it worked, and ran back to the hole.8

The light was barely visible as I swung my lanky legs into the opening. I looked again to my mom and sister, sitting at my mom’s feet, and slide in.9

The smell of freshly dug dirt assaulted my nose as I inched my backside down further. I grabbed at the side with my left hand and came back with a clump of dirt wiggling with worms.10

“YUCK!” I cried throwing it down. The light in front of me was growing brighter the further I went. 11

Finally I hit the bottom. It felt slightly mushy under my bare feet and my toes squished soft soil between them. A strange smell filled the stale air. I couldn’t place the smell and battled with it while I crawled down a long skinny tunnel. Knees and the palms of my hands were getting caked with mud and my head kept scraping on the ceiling of the tunnel. Bits of dirt fell into my eyes from time to time. This made them water and I started to get annoyed.12

On and on I crawled until I felt I could crawl no more. Finally after I felt I would drop from exhaustion my bright gray eyes blinked at the sudden bright light.13

My hand slipped and I tumbled through a small opening into the feet of a queer creature.14

***
“Hullo! What do we have here?” Asked the creature.

I blinked a few more times letting my eyes adjust. What I saw amazed me. The creature was mostly gray with patches of darker fur here and there. Small squinty eyes peeked out at me from top of a long triangular pink nose with whiskers standing out. A round body rolled underneath its head ending in stubby arms and legs with curved claws.15

“Hullo, I say what are you?” It said in a squeaky voice.16

I blinked up at him a confuse expression on my face. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”17

Slowly it squeaked again, “what are you?”18

Sitting up I dusted my hands off and held out my right hand towards the creature. “Shelbie Arnold, human. Pleased to meet you.”19

“My, well, well a human. I’ve not met a human before.” It squealed taking my hand. Its paw was dry and warm to the touch. “Albert T. Mole at your service.” Then he dropped my hand and bowed touching his head to the hard packed earth.20

I got up on my knees (I was much too big to stand) and bowed the best I could. “I’ve never met a mole before either.” I said hurriedly. 21

“We’ve got something in common then don’t we?”22

“Yes, sir.” I replied.23

We stood in an awkward silence as each of us studied each other. Even though he was strange looking to me I thought he looked friendly in the way my Grandpa Arnold was friendly. Grandpa Arnold was always smiling and laughing. He kept special hard candy in his shirt pocket for me. Mr. Mole felt like that too.24

“Well,” he said shuffling his clawed feet. “Would you like to sit down and have some tea and biscuits with me?”25

I looked around Mr. Mole at the interior of the warren. Two small stones sat side by beside. Their surfaces were depressed and looked polished from many people or things sitting on them. In between the stones sat a medium sized chunk of wood about the size of a round laundry basket. On it lay a small clothe with two unusually large acorn halves with steam rising from the.26

“Sure why not?” I said shrugging my shoulders.27

On the walls hung various pictures of Mr. Mole and other moles. An old patched blanket lay at me feet covering most of the earthen floor. Off to the left there was another opening. It was too dark for me to see what was down there.28

I sat gingerly down on the small stone. I didn’t quite fit, so it was uncomfortable and I dept shifting my weight from one cheek to another. The cloth on the makeshift table looked familiar.29

“Hey this is mine! I lost it last week.” I exclaimed. The cloth was a leopard spotted scarf I’d gotten from my last day of third grade. I must have left it outside sometime.30

He looked innocently at me, “I found it right outside my door a couple of days ago.”31

Mr. Albert T. Mole looked so crestfallen that I couldn’t take it back. “It’s alright Mr. Mole you can keep it.”32

A smile lit up his face making his tiny eyes even more scrunched. “Thank you. Please have some rosemary tea while I get the daisy biscuits.”33

“That’s the smell, rosemary and daisy!” I exclaimed.34

“Yes, yes very delicious.” As he scuttled down another opening I assume was the kitchen I noticed on one wall was a small fire. Curious I walked over. No smoke circled in the air of the warren so I slipped my head into the gap off to one side. I made sure to hold my red hair out of the flames. In the top there was a small opening where the haze floated through. My curiosity was satisfied so I pulled my head out. I’d have to look for smoke coming out of the ground when I got home later. The fire was also the only light source.35

Albert Mole came back with the daisy biscuits just as I was settling back on my stone.36

“Here were are. Fresh out of the oven.”37

So I spent the afternoon with Mr. Albert T. Mole and most afternoons that summer. But I never did find where the smoke came out. Each afternoon I would search.38

***
39

“And that my friends is what I did for my summer vacation.” I finished.40

“Thanks you Shelbie.” My fourth grade teacher said through, the kids in my new class, clapping. “Next lets hear from Katie.”41

“That’s not true.” Whispered Shay in the next seat over.42

“You wanna come meet him?” I asked through the corner of my mouth. “Come to my house as soon as you can.”43

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And the story goes on……………………….Maybe?
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