Emily laid Stanley’s clothes on the bed. Stanley emerged from the shower, dry and in his undergarments.
"I don’t want you going anywhere near those tunnels again," said Emily. "Your intentions were kind, and I am satisfied with merely that."
Stanley smiled and said, "Okay."
Emily held Stanley’s pants as he put on his shirt.
"So what is this meeting about?" she said.
"This meeting," Stanley began. He took his pants and put them on before saying, "I’m actually not too sure about it. I only know that Victor said he would call one."
Emily went behind Stanley and helped him into his coat. She hugged him and rested her head on his back. "Just get back safely," she said.
Someone knocked on the door. Emily walked over and opened it and saw that Victor was there.
"Hello, Mrs. Barrett," Victor said. "I’m just here to steal your husband from you."
"Of course," said Emily.
Stanley kissed Emily on her forehead. He said, "I’ll see you later," and walked out.
Stanley and Victor walked down the street, past the domiciles.
"I briefly spoke to some of the other council members about what you found," said Victor. "They were certainly interested. They were mostly concerned that you went digging around there."
"They shouldn’t worry too much," said Stanley.
"I'll have to agree with them. You were foolish to mess around in the cave. But if you hadn’t found that weapon, we would have left that busted wall open."
"You’re thinking of patching it up?"
"If the rest of the council wants to. I’ve wanted to patch that place ever since the water pipe had burst it open. It’s a structural integrity hazard and a general safety issue. And you found a weapon there, who knows what else there may be."
Stanley and Victor walked into the town square where a crowd had gathered. They were all facing the towering glass cylinder that was town hall. Inside, the council members were seated around a table, examining the rod. The two rushed past the crowd and walked in. They all turned to greet the both of them.
"I didn’t know everyone had gathered already," said Victor.
"We were eager to talk about Mr. Barrett’s findings," said Mr. Roberts. "And as head of the council, I deemed this as important."
"Yes, it’s about time we took action," said Victor. "That hole has been left broken for far too long. Let us take advantage of this situation and close it."
"Hold on, Victor. Some of our members haven’t heard the story," said Mr. Roberts. He turned to Stanley and pointed to the rod. "Please explain to everybody how you acquired this."
"Well," Stanley started, "I would sometimes sneak through the broken wall and go across the lake. I would pick my way up, using the old diggers."
"You’re not supposed to go through that hole. And access to the diggers is prohibited," said one the councilmen, Ailey. "What were your intentions?"
"I wanted to get rubies for my wife."
The council members chuckled.
"One day," Stanley said, "I went in there to dig for rubies – I had found a vein of them. I got them and continued digging, and I thought that there was a rich vein right before me. But I dropped my light. I managed to dig it out, but it happened to be that rod."
"He injured himself badly," said Victor. "That rod gave him a nasty gash. He was lucky to have gotten his medicine in time. But if it were someone else, maybe a child, it would not have developed in the same manner. We have to prevent this from happening again by blocking that hole."
Mr. Roberts raised his hand. "Take a step back and assess all possible situations, not just the dangers. Some of the council members and I have been talking about perhaps continuing with Stanley’s efforts – not to dig for gems, but to reach the surface."
Some of the council members turned to each other and mumbled.
"It is not certain," said Mr. Roberts. "It is only a thought."
"Why do you have such thoughts?" said Ailey. "We’ve lived here long, and our resources are plenty. The few needed repairs and maintenance is handled by our system; that hole is an exception. But overall, we can all live without having to do a lick of work. Why make some? Why waste our time and energy to dig up?" He turned to the man beside him. "Isn’t that right Mr. Albertson? You’re the oldest member here. You know best of our bunker’s integrity."
Everyone turned to Mr. Albertson. He looked up at all of them and smacked his lips. "I remember the stories my great--grandmother used to tell me," he said. "She told me stories about the world above, a world with no roof, but with endless skies and fresh air. I had always hoped that I would live long enough to see them."
The room silenced and many people looked down or blankly stared.
Mr. Roberts stood up and said with a low voice, "Many of us have been raised by these stories. These stories of hope and freedom lie deep within our hearts. It has been many centuries since our ancestors first settled down here and plenty of time has passed since the Great Disaster. I believe it is time enough for the world to have healed."
"But are we sure it has?" said Victor.
Mumbles of agreement and disagreement ran along the council.
"Let us have a vote," said Mr. Roberts. "All in favor of digging set your calls."
Ten people, including Mr. Roberts and Mr. Albertson, raised their hands.
"All opposed."
Ten people, including Victor and Ailey, raised their hands.
"Mr. Barrett, it seems you haven’t voted," said Mr. Roberts.
Stanley’s gaze was lost in the floor.
"Stanley," said Victor. "What’s your choice?"
Stanley looked around at the councilmembers. He grunted to clear his throat. With a sure voice he said, "I choose to dig."
Most of the council members clapped and cheered while Victor and Ailey shook their heads.
"Right," said Mr. Roberts. "We will acquire our equipment and enact safety measures. We will begin digging within a week. Mr. Barrett, since you have experience, you’ll be taking the lead in this dig."
"Yes, of course," said Stanley.
All the councilmembers filed out of the town hall to the square. Some went over to their families who had been watching and shared news of what had happened.
Victor followed Stanley and said, "Well then, looks like we’ll all be risking our lives."
Stanley only said, "Yes," but Victor had already walked away.
"I can still get some rubies for her," Stanley said as he returned home. "She’ll love them."
FOUR