Treasure of the World Tara Sullivan (inspirational books for women TXT) 📖

people trying to stay alive who have chosen different roads to get there.

I reach out and take his chilled fingers in mine, offering what quiet comfort I can.

And so we sit there, cold and scared together, and wait for César to save us both.

It’s over an hour later when they manage to dig through to us. By the time the first miner climbs out of the expanded access tunnel, Guillermo has started to tremble violently. In the light from the man’s electric headlamp I can see that his lips have turned purple.

“I think he’s in shock,” I whisper to the man.

Three other men climb in behind him. When I see César straighten up, I can’t help it, I throw myself at him. He wheezes at the impact, but wraps me in a gentle hug.

“It will be all right, mi hija,” he says gently. With my cheek pressed against his chest I can hear the rattle of his breathing, but I don’t call him on his lie. Instead I step away and point toward Guillermo.

César looks where I point. His eyes widen. “Is that . . . ?”

I nod.

César’s expression tightens into a frown. I hear the grumbling behind him from the rest of his team. They all recognize Guillermo.

Despite this, César lays a comforting hand on Guillermo’s shoulder.

“Well, boy.” He pauses to cough. “Let’s make sure the mountain doesn’t eat you just yet, hmm?”

Guillermo stares at him, eyes wide and glassy.

“We’re going to work on moving the rocks off of your legs,” César goes on, between gasps, “and then we’re going to get you out of here. It might not be pleasant, but we’ll get you out, whatever it takes.”

Guillermo seems past speech, but he nods. César heaves himself to his feet, then braces himself against the tunnel wall for support while he gives directions to his men.

“Ebelardo, go get some boards to put around his head so that no rocks fall on his face. Get him a helmet too, if there’s an extra in the shed. Oh, and someone go find his father.”

“He may be hard to find,” I say.

César shoots me a look.

“He was here too. Earlier. He left when this happened.”

“We’ll deal with that later, then.” César looks angry, but the roughness in his voice might just be from the coughing. “Hugo, let’s divert the weight of the pile to the right. Once the pressure is off and that angle isn’t so steep, we can start pulling these lower rocks off of him.”

The miners get to work. César is too weak to help them, but he sits off to the side, giving advice when they need it.

“Can I do anything?” I ask.

César shakes his head. “Climb out if you like.”

The looks the other men give me are so cold it’s as if they’ve spoken aloud: You’ve done enough. They may have believed before that women in the mine were unlucky. I’ve just proved it to them.

I hate being in here with their judgment clouding the already-foul air. I hate seeing César brace his forehead on his crossed arms and spasm with painful coughs. I’m sore and dirty and tired. I want nothing more than to climb up the now-broad exit tunnel and leave this night behind me.

But I remember my promise to Guillermo and settle beside him to wait until the men are done.

No matter the glares, I vow that I will not leave until after he does.

23

Slowly, painstakingly, the men liberate Guillermo from the mountain trying to eat him. When they get to his lower legs and lift the rocks off, he screams, and I can see dark blood staining his jeans. Two of the men leave and come back with a sheet of corrugated tin roofing to serve as a makeshift stretcher. They splint his legs the best they can and lift him onto the metal. Guillermo is moaning in pain, but there’s nothing for it but to keep moving him. César fights through his coughing spells to tell them to carry Guillermo down to the health center at the foot of the mountain and stay with him until it opens in an hour’s time.

Eventually, the miners are able to wrestle the heavy stretcher through the tunnel. True to my word, I follow the stretcher, not leaving the mine until after Guillermo. I’m sure that at this point he’s way past caring where I am, but it matters to me not to break this promise.

When I crawl out, the fact that it’s morning surprises me, though the brightness coming through the shaft would have told me that, had I been paying attention. I look around the entrance to the mine, transformed now by the presence of so many people, and stripped of its shadows by the sun. I check for Victor, but I don’t see him.

I feel out of place, floating. The men shuffle off, the stretcher tipping between them. I need to go home and check on Belén and make sure she’s okay. And César . . . César is leaning against the cliff, rubbing a tired hand over his lined face. Though he’s bent near double with the effort of breathing and talking, he’s coordinating with the miners, keeping everyone from bothering me. Wrapping up his conversation, César walks heavily toward me.

“It’s been quite a night,” he says softly. “Let’s go home.”

Even though it should only take fifteen minutes, the walk from the mine to César’s house takes double that. We creep along, César slumping against the mountain to catch his breath every dozen steps. Finally, not able to bear seeing him struggle on his own, I pull his arm across my shoulders. He’s so stooped over it means I can take some of his weight.

“Thank you, Ana.”

I turn my head away from him so that he can’t see my tears. I let Belén stay with me when I knew it was wrong. I didn’t manage to protect her. I didn’t prevent