THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WELL

Chapter 1 – page 2

The pipe hole was only about 10 inches across and they saw a steel tube running down inside of it with wires that Granma says was connected to the pump. Julio said " I sure would like to see that pump. What’s it look like?" Of course all 8 year old boys wanta know stuff like that. Granma says, "Well I saw it once when they had to take it out and it’s not really very big and kinda long." Julio leans way in and over and again says: "Sure would like to see it." And this time he did. He had no sooner gotten those words out of his mouth when a big whirlwind-like sucky kinda noise came along up out of the dark hole, where they could see nothing, not even water …. and sucked him right on in. Big as he was, Granma saw him get real long, stretched out and skinny and slide right on down that tube. And it was a long ways down there to see that pump too. About 350 feet to be exact, thought Granma, but she forgot to tell Julio that.

Granma looked back down into the hole to see if she could see any hide nor hair of him, and "FfffaaaawwhhuuuummmmPP! I'll be gosh-danged if she didn't get sucked in too!" Well now they were really in a pickle.

Down, down, down, dark and spiraling like a stair case without stairs. She was so stretched out and skinny she almost felt a little hungry. Then plunge, right through what shoulda been water she went. But it was more like thick honey, and sticky. She came out on the other side all covered with the stuff, right beside Julio who looked like a golden dripping wad of a mess of a kid. Granma laughed great big and the honey like stuff got in her mouth. Hmmm, not bad!

Julio was having a hard time breathing, what with asthma and all, so Granma helped him wipe the sticky honey stuff off his face, while she still had it all over hers.

So there they sat in a very new and different place, on dry ground in the sunshine. Granma showed Julio that the stuff they were covered with was good to eat, so Julio began licking his hands and arms. "Hmmm mmmm hhmmm!" Julio muffled between licks. Kids like that sorta thing more than granmas.

When they looked back, they saw a small dark hole which they had presumably plopped out of. There was no water running out of it such as a well should have, one would think. There was just a smidge of golden honey like stuff dripping off the edges. The well hole was in a plump round bank of moss with tiny purple violets and ferns. All good and well, but, well, hhhmmmm, how were they going to get back ??? As they sat there in the sunshine, licking themselves and contemplating this and that . . . all of a sudden they hear soft, muffly like padding on a trail off to the right of them, which shakes the ground. It was not a scarry shaking, as in like an earthquake, but more of a vibration. Then what to the surprise of their ears, they heard humming and whistling. "Lalala deee daaa dummm ... humm, humm …" and I can’t type whistling so you just have to imagine.