The men brought the rest of the students out of the hole they said led to a wide network of tunnels. Paramedics were stationed nearby to wheel them to the school clinic. They were alive, thankfully.

There was never any experienced in Principal Charles life that had paralleled all that happened that night: from the repeat saga of missing students, to finding them all in an old underground charnel, thankfully, alive.

He had never had reason to doubt the soundness of Madam Rosalind's judgement. He had always respected her as a voice of sanity, but that night she was in she was in his office a bit disoriented, he thought she might have been drunk. She had aged years in hours, worry lines, crowfeet, sad swollen red eyes, hair a bit tousled. She didn't look like she could make it out of that seat.

He made the call however, and Mr John and his men arrived in no time. All she told the man was, "I think I know someplace we should search." The man simply nodded, helped her off the chair and the adventure began. "we begin in the Old chapel." She said.

The place was searched twice earlier. Mr John must have known that. Principal Charles knew that. But when no one objected, he didn't.

She stepped out of the car, and they followed. The old chapel was as expected devoid of anyone, dusty and festering with rats and bats. The woman opened the door at the right corner of the building, a few feet from what used to be a gleaming tiled dais, now littered with droppings.

Something about how she walked, her eyes were vacant, trance like, as she kept mumbling to herself. It was all unsettling. Principal Charles could only make out few words, "it was evening..." then she looked towards an empty place, "the piano was there," she looked towards the window, "the sun." it was evident she was trying to remember something. She turned towards the west side of the building towards a door that stood ajar.

The woman they followed wasn't the Madam Rosalind they all knew. They walked down a hallway, then the woman turned back. then she eventually opened another door that led to another empty room except for a broken chair and a spread out shaggy rug. She paused for a long while, Mr John was quiet, just shining his flash light around, he went with his men back to the hall way, trying every door, they came back to meet them.

"it has to be here." she had said, the disappointment was in her eyes. She looked at him, "I have to find them." her eyes were glazed with tears, her lips trembled. But just when the men walked in, something changed in her look which abruptly averted to a corner on the floor. "I need you to believe me. When I was a child, I used to run around this whole place. And there's one places no one has searched." she looked around and sighed. "father said it was forbidden."

"Below ground?" Principal Charles said, weirdly certain that he was right before she nodded. he knew few things about the history of the manor, he couldn't recall where he's read about an underground compartment, but he should have thought of it. The former owners were insanely rich people who can afford the best labour force and slaves of the day, they'd at least have had a wine cellar.

"roll the rug." Mr John ordered his men.

The rug had all this while been covering a trap door, leading to a dark compartment beneath, he called into the darkness and all he heard was the echo of this own voice, moving farther and farther away. Madam Rosalind robbed her forehead, "we can take it from here." Mr John offered to have a man drive her back to the manor after he called for backup. Madam Rosalind agreed, the tremor in her voice was evident. "tell me what you find," was her parting words.

                                                                                                    *******

He was relieved the missing student were found in the end. He visited them all in the clinic, where their injuries were being attended to and Mr John was trying to extract information. In the end the man told him that their story matched, and that the children confessed to having broken curfew to search for the missing students with the gardener's help. They claimed he saved them. And explained their injuries were caused by a fall when they tripped on the stairs leading in, none of the kids accused the only adult among them of any misdeed. Mr John who took Andy into custody when the children were found released him with an apology, leaving the choice of keeping him in the school employ to Principal Charles.

The two most critical cases, Lisa and Anthony Lawrence were moved that night to the nearest teaching hospital. Anthony had retrograde amnesia and couldn't remember roughly the last three years of his life. Lisa, though lucid, has not been able to say anything to corroborate the story, doctors said she was still in shock.

He had to step up and give a press briefing on the whole missing student case, all he knew for sure was that they were found by some fortunate students, and that everyone made it out of the cavern which no one knew existed. He answered few questions, and avoided multiple. He was amazed by how the media filled in the blanks, many theories flew wide arcs from facts to fantasies. He read one that carried a certain trend in missing students to light, establishing a pattern he never saw but couldn't refute. That was two days ago.

As he stepped out of the admin building out into the cool breeze of the evening, he couldn't deny that he loved the quiet, missed the serenity he couldn't lay claim to during what might have been the most trying experience in his career. Some would think he made the best of a nasty situation, but he wasn't so sure he deserved any credit for how the situation seems to be cleaning after itself.

The sensation was the archaeological find, a mass grave, numerous artefact yet to be traced to any known present or extinct Nigerian civilization. It somehow damping the not so good press from the missing student case, not that he cared much personally, but as the principal, he had a duty to the students and the school, and was happy that both found good footing, all things considered. He had received a letter from the state commissioner of tourism the next morning after the incidence asking for his cooperation in allowing international archaeologist examine the site. He had no idea how pictures of the place made it online earlier but they are said have garnering international attention. His sense of art was near non-existent, he hadn't read much to the reliefs on the walls or the claims of those who went in about receding mist and lights on the ceiling. He was just much relieved that the nightmare was over. Madam Rosalind was more than happy to spear head the negotiation with the state, and interested cooperate bodies.

He looked at his watch again as he drove towards the clinic. He spotted a few students heading for the central library, on tossed a ball along and kicked it to the brushes when he spotted his car. But it was all good. School was in session again and he had three winners of the best student of the year award. It was all good.

He couldn't help blaming himself for pushing those three kids into that hole. Alice was pissed, but had agreed to his unofficial visit today for old time sake. He got a bouquet of yellow roses from the store (they used to by Alice's favourite), and pizza, he hoped they'd like it.

Mother and daughter were seat under a tree conversing happily and peeling fruits. He had ordered the doctor to let the kids stay in the hospital private wards where their parents can visit and even spend some days, vacation came early. It was to give him a chance to smoothen things over and prevent or ameliorate potential lawsuits. Anthony Lawrence's father is definitely going to have his pound of flesh; he wouldn't blame Lisa's parent if their lawyered up the next day. There was so much blame and it was on him and his staff members. On him mostly.

"Hello stranger!" Alice stood up when she sighted him. she waved, and if she was still angry, she was doing great at acting like she was happy to see him. But, it was Alice, his onetime best friend. She wouldn't stay mad forever, he hoped.

"Hey." He couldn't hold himself from smiling back till his face hurt. As he followed her to spot she and Hope were siting, the girl was already gone, leaving him alone with Alice, who collected the flower without invitation, seated on the mat with a bag of fruit, underneath a blossoming almond tree in the evening sun.

As he watched Alice take the flowers and sniffed them her smile as radiant as ever, he decided to worry less about the future possibilities and for once in his life simply relish the moment with someone he had always cared about.

***THE END***

That's all guys. Let me know what you think.❤️

Happy Halloween!!!

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