Page 64 of The Path to the Last House Before the Sea

‘You’re right, and even if there were, it’s probably fallen in by now. But wouldn’t you like to find out for sure?’

Jack wrinkled his nose. ‘If there is an old tunnel, it’ll be dark and dangerous, and you’re not going to find a sea dragon living in it.’

‘You never know,’ said Alyssa with a grin. ‘There’s more to life than facts and figures, and not everything can be explained. It’s good to do something spontaneous and non-evidence-based sometimes. So come on, Jack. Live a little.’

She thought she’d gone too far when Jack stared at her, a line between his eyebrows. But then he started laughing.

‘What?’ asked Alyssa. Was he laughing at her?

‘Nothing. It’s just that you’re irrepressible, Alyssa Jones.’

Her made-up name from his lips sounded so wrong: it was jarring, and Alyssa felt her excitement begin to wane.

But Jack was rooting around in a large metal box in the corner and turned suddenly, brandishing a sledgehammer.‘Dad’s tool box. I thought he had one of these. Let’s sort this out, once and for all.’

‘What are you going to do?’

‘Bash a hole in the wall to see if anything is behind it. Mind out of the way.’

Alyssa’s mouth fell open. ‘What will your dad think about that?’

Jack rested the head of the hammer on his foot. ‘With any luck he’ll never know. I’ll knock out a couple of bricks to show there’s nothing there and then we can patch it up before he gets back from wherever he’s gone. And, hey, at least I’m being spontaneous!’

Was that sarcasm or excitement in his voice? Alyssa wasn’t sure but she stepped back and covered her ears as Jack swung the hammer at the wall at waist height. He swung the hammer again and, after a third wallop, two bricks fell to the ground. There was a sudden waft of cold air and a stale aroma of damp and earth and rotting leaves.

Alyssa bent over, shone her torch into the gap and gasped. ‘Wow, there’s definitely some sort of cavity there.’

Jack bent down beside her and looked for himself. Then he straightened up. ‘Step back,’ he ordered, before swinging at the wall again with the hammer.

The noise was enough to wake the dead. Alyssa glanced nervously at the cellar steps, but Stan didn’t come to investigate. Hopefully, he was still with Magda, making up and declaring his devotion.

Alyssa coughed when splinters of brick flew in all directions and dust rose into the air. Physical labour suited Jack, she decided, as his self-control disappeared and he bashed hell out of the wall.

A few minutes later, the floor was littered with old bricks and Jack had made a hole large enough for a person to squeeze through.

He knelt down and shone his torch inside. He paused for a moment before saying quietly: ‘You’d better come and see this.’

Alyssa knelt beside Jack, so close their thighs were touching, and peered into the gap.

‘There really is a tunnel,’ Alyssa whispered, her breath turning to clouds of condensation in the icy draught.

As far as Alyssa could see – as far as Jack’s torch beam reached – the tunnel they’d uncovered was lined with brick and had a dirt floor. A wooden prop was wedged against the roof, to provide additional stability.

‘There’s a tunnel leading from our cellar!’ said Jack, sitting back on his heels. ‘An actual tunnel.’ He shook his head in amazement. ‘So, what do we do now?’

Alyssa stared into the darkness, imagining Josiah and his colleagues moving along the enclosed space, smuggling goods under the authorities’ noses. Perhaps the tunnel was also a clandestine meeting place for Josiah and Charity.

‘I guess we’d better let somebody know,’ said Jack. ‘The council, maybe?’

‘That sounds like a good idea. But first,’ said Alyssa, excitement taking over, ‘I could squeeze inside and have a quick look.’

‘No, you couldn’t,’ said Jack firmly, putting the hammer down on the floor. ‘I just had a go at being spontaneous, which is fine, but going into the tunnel is taking spontaneity too far.’

‘Just a little way,’ urged Alyssa. ‘Think what I might find inside.’

‘I am thinking. I’m thinking about what I’ve read regarding the degradation of wood and brick. It’s not safe.’

‘That’s why I’ll only go a little way.’ Alyssa smiled at him reassuringly. ‘You can stay here and sound the alarm if a dragon appears.’

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