A trip 1500 feet deep under the ground

It was a horrible Friday. It all started with rain which came from an early morning and I intended to go on a 6 day vacation with my friend Leticia. We were leaving Saturday in the early morning and were planning to go to the Coal Mining Area. It's Friday and almost 5 PM now, and I still have a lot to do: pack, laundry etc. It was a very busy day: I had an appointment with the doctor and with a car mechanic. And we're leaving tomorrow…

…The Coal Mining Area is a US area that was a coal mining center more than 100 years ago. The coal ran out there and today the people there live in poverty because there is no coal for the miners to dig. Me and Leticia are going to tour 2 coal mines - both 1500 feet under the ground. There we will visit museums about coal mining…

Leticia picked me up at 6.30 AM and we had a wonderful ride to the town near which the Coal Mining Area situated. Our tour guide had to wait for us at the bus station. We made a couple of circles around the town before we found the bus station. The tour guide was already there. It was a quite handsome young man of about 36. We parked our car near the bus station and went to him. When the whole group of the tourists had gathered a double-decker bus came and picked us up.

The excursion began straight away. We listened to the story of this town where mostly coal miners lived. We also visited some historical places of the town but we didn't stop to make some photos - because the main goals of our trip were the coal mines. So we drove a little bit around the town and continued our way to The Coal Mining Area.

When we got there we didn't see anything outstanding. Just the dark coal mines entrances and a couple of green construction trailers. Our tour guide gathered us around him and told about a history of these coal mines. They were built in 1908 and the coal was taken there until 1976. Then the tour guide asked us to go after him inside one of the coal mines. The group followed him and as we came inside the mine a wet sticky darkness fell on my hands and shoulders. We descended on trolleys deep down the coal mine. The way down seemed a bit spooky for me: dim lighting and the droplets of moisture on the walls made dull impression.

We got 1500 feet down under the ground and at first went to the small underground coal mining museum. Then our tour guide promised to take us around the coal mine to see where exactly the coal was taken. I liked the museum and in the good mood followed our guide through some dark corridors dimly lit with lamps in iron grids. On our way I saw some doors leading to unknown rooms or placements and I also saw many turnings - leading to some technical facilities, as our guide told us.

Finally, we came to some ample working space - must be just the one where the coal was taken. And our tour guide told us exactly the same thing. We had some time there to walk around and make some photos. We saw the wax figures of miners who were putting coal on the trolleys and of miners who were digging the coal. I made some photos and went to look around. I wandered around the working space and then I saw some turning. It was interesting for me to see how the technical facilities look like. I turned left down the narrow corridor then right and one more time left and came to some door.

I pulled the door handle… and it opened. I opened it wider and felt the smell of musty moisture… For the first second I had doubt whether to enter the placement, but then my curiosity took over and I stepped in. The dimly lit placement must have been the changing room once. I made this conclusion because some cupboards were still hanging on the walls and also the benches were standing here. I saw two doors on the left. I opened one of them and saw the black darkness inside - there was no light. I closed the door and opened the other one - I saw the same thing. Then I thought that my group must be going back soon and I'm not there.

I went out from the changing room and turned right in the narrow corridor. I remembered that I had turned only once - this means that now I have to go straight ahead and will come to the working space. I went and went, and went… And finally came to the solid steel door which ended a corridor. I stood there rooted to the spot. It cannot be so, I clearly remember the way out!

Dim light and moisture on the walls made me feel a bit depressed. I was going back the corridor not turning anywhere to find the dressing room. I must have taken the wrong turn there, so now I just have to go back and make a left turn. Then I can find my group. Thinking about all this I was going down the narrow and wet corridor… I was going and going but didn't see the door of the dressing room and according to my calculations I should have come to it by this time. I stopped, looked around and suddenly felt strong panic attack. I didn't know where to go and I didn't hear any human voices anywhere around. Somehow I thought that they will not find me and I will die because of thirst or hunger… Very sad thoughts were buzzing in my head.

After a while I began to cry: "Help!!! Is there anybody there?!". "Help me", - I cried going up and down the wet narrow corridor. I decided not to go anywhere far and not to take any turns. Finally, I sad down on the floor leaning against the damp wall… I closed my eyes and the tears ran themselves down my cheeks. I put my head in my hands and gave way to tears. Suddenly I heard some noise… or it only seemed to me that I did?.. I stopped crying and began to listen carefully. Again! It seemed like somebody was scratching the wall. "Is there anybody there?! Help me", - I cried.

Then I heard that somebody called my name. I put my ear to the wall and tried to define where the sounds were coming from. "You are in the parallel corridor", - now I could tell for sure that this was the voice of our tour guide. "Stay where you are. I will come to you and take you out", - said he. I did like he said: stood still waiting for him to come and looking at the moisture drops on the walls of the narrow corridor of the old coal mine.

At last I heard somebody going down the corridor. The steps were getting nearer and nearer and finally I saw our tour guide coming to me. "How could you go alone so far away! Why didn't you tell anybody anything?!! Your friend thought that you felt yourself badly and went up on the surface by yourself! Weren't you afraid of getting lost deep under the ground?!", - cried he.

The tour guide led me through the long narrow corridors and turnings back to where the trolleys stood. We went up and I finally saw the sunshine. I turned my face to the warming sun and promised myself that I will never go again to any coal mine or any object situated deep under the ground.

Mariya Sivaeva