LITMIR.BIZ

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asked her. “They’ve all gone to lunch. I wanted to finish this report, so I told them to go ahead without me.” Consuela was a pretty woman, round and soft with big brown eyes and black hair pulled into a ponytail. “Can I help you?” she asked.

      After Dr. Rhodes introduced them all and explained the situation, Consuela said, “I can take the kids down to the cavern. I’m just finishing this report now.”

      “Great!” Steven exclaimed, pulling out his wallet. “This is to pay for the tour. And there’s a lunchroom down in the cavern, right? Here’s some extra money so the kids can buy themselves lunch, and you, too, Ms…uh….”

      “Sandoval. Consuela Sandoval. But call me Consuela. Thanks, Mr. Landon. I’ll get everybody fed before the tour departs. It’s a great tour. My grandson loves it.”

      “You have grandkids?” Olivia blurted. “You look way too young.”

      Consuela grinned and said, “I was married at 16, and I have two grown sons plus a 9-year-old grandson, but thanks for the compliment.” Turning to the three kids, she said, “We’d better get started. Do you all have something warm to wear? Most of the caves are just 56 degrees, although parts of Left Hand Tunnel are warmer than that. Still, it can feel pretty chilly when you’re there for a while.”

      Jack and Ashley opened their backpacks and took out fleecy hooded sweatshirts; Jack’s was blue, Ashley’s gray. Sam had a mustard-colored fake-leather zippered jacket.

      It was too small, but at least it would keep him warm.

      “We’re good to go,” Ashley announced. “See you later, Mom and Dad.”

      CHAPTER THREE

      Outside the visitor center, the temperature had risen to 100 degrees; on the walk from Dr. Rhodes’s office, Jack had to wipe sweat from his forehead.

      It was hard to believe that when they descended into the cavern, they’d feel chilly.

      “How do we get down to the cavern?” Ashley asked.

      “Well,” Consuela answered, “if we had more time, we’d go to the natural entrance of the cave and hike down the twisty, turny path to the bottom. But that would take about an hour, and you’d miss your tour. So we’ll use the elevator.”

      “Elevator?” That was a surprise to Jack. In all the national parks his family had visited, they’d never reached a natural wonder by elevator. That sounded kind of out of line with National Park policy, which was to keep everything exactly as it was in nature.

      “Just wait till you try it,” Consuela told them. “It’s quite a ride.”

      They’d entered the visitor center, filled with hundreds of tourists from all over the globe who were milling around, strolling from the gift shop to the bookstore to the restaurant and all the other attractions in between. There were exhibits on bats, geology, and the history of Carlsbad Caverns, plus movies that showed how the formations grew. “I want to check out all this stuff after we tour the cavern,” Jack told Ashley, and Consuela added, “You can spend hours in here and not see everything. And then there are the trails outside. They’re worth checking out, too.”

      Little kids of all shades ran around the center, shouting to each other in different languages. Since it happened to be late July, school was no longer in session. Older kids studied the exhibits.

      “Elevator’s over this way,” Consuela said, leading them. She reached for Sam’s hand so he wouldn’t get swept away in the throng of visitors. He smiled up at her shyly as they came to a stop in front of the elevator doors. At least for a little while, Sam was holding on to someone other than Jack, and Jack enjoyed the freedom.

      Soon the elevator doors opened, and the four of them entered. “Now, hold on to your sombreros,” Consuela said. “We’re about to descend 754 feet in less than a minute. See that little box up there? Watch the numbers, and it’ll show you how fast we’re going down.” The doors closed, the elevator began to drop, and Jack’s stomach lurched.

      He grabbed on to the elevator wall, afraid he’d get queasy, but the ride was surprisingly smooth. He couldn’t take his eyes off the red digital numbers that measured their fall: 50 feet, 100 feet, 200—the red numbers changed with every 50 feet the elevator dropped—250, 350, 500, 650, 700—wow! What a ride! It was almost like free-falling in outer space. All too soon they reached ground zero, where Consuela said, “End of the trip. Everybody out!”

      They exited into an incredible scene. There they were, 754 feet beneath the surface of the Earth in a big, dark cavern—and straight ahead of them was a gift shop!

      On display were T-shirts with Carlsbad Caverns printed across the front and all kinds of other Carlsbad souvenirs. Beyond that was a photo-supply shop, then a kiosk selling food, and lots of picnic tables, all of them hardly visible in this barely lighted subterranean chamber. The usual crowd of visitors wandered around, calling their kids in half a dozen languages.

      “This is the cavern?” Ashley asked. “It looks like Disneyland, only darker.”

      Consuela just smiled. “This is only the starting point,” she said. “The cavern and caves and tunnels snake out for 30 miles beyond here—at least that’s how much has been discovered so far. Let’s go! We need to eat quickly if you’re going to make that two o’clock tour.”

      Jack and Ashley ordered slices of pizza; Consuela ordered chicken strips; and Sam said all he wanted was one of the big soft pretzels. “That’s not enough,” Jack told him. “Do you want to keep on being a Mini-Me, or do you want to grow up nice and tall like I am?” At that, Sam agreed to order a hot dog.

      “And milk,” Jack told him. “Milk will help you grow.”

      “G-g-get some for Ashley, then,” Sam said, which made Jack laugh loudly until Ashley stuck her tongue out at him.

      They found an empty picnic table littered with crumpled napkins and discarded cups. Consuela quickly swept them up and deposited the trash into a nearby garbage bin, clucking, “Honestly, people should be more careful. This is a national park, after all!”

      When they finally settled in, the smooth plastic benches felt cold beneath Jack’s jeans. He was just taking a bite of pizza when Consuela asked, “Kids, would you mind getting some utensils? I could never eat chicken with just my fingers, even if most people do. I’ll need a plastic knife and fork.”

      “Sure,” Jack agreed, getting up.

      “Ashley, you and Sam go, too,” Consuela said.

      “Huh?” Ashley’s pizza stopped in midair, just inches from her lips.

      “You all go. And get me some”—Consuela’s dark eyes seemed to search the kiosk—“some napkins. And an extra cup. And some salt and pepper, too. And honey if they have some. Please.”

      “But Jack can—” Ashley began.

      “Don’t leave your brother to do it all. Go on, now,” Consuela told them, making a shooing gesture with her hands. “Take Sam with you.”

      Giving Jack a look, Ashley shrugged and said, “OK. Let’s go, Sam.”

      Without a word, Sam slid out from the bench and trotted after Jack and Ashley.

      The whole thing struck Jack as odd. The kiosk was only 40 feet away, yet Consuela was asking three kids to do the work of one. Whatever! he told himself as he began to gather up the plastic supplies she’d requested. The extra cup would take a little longer, since they’d have to wait in line for that. Ashley had unfolded a paper napkin to hold the various packages of condiments.

      “I’ll t-t-take the f-f-fork,” Sam offered. “She c-c-can start eating.”

      “You do that, Mini-Me,” Jack answered. “We’ll be right behind you.”

      “Jeez, I hope my pizza won’t be stone cold,” Ashley murmured as she

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