THE COMPASS

The tremor this time around, had a specific rhythm to it that was almost comforting. It was like a drizzle after the rain.

My friends and I stare at each other as we try to steady ourselves and keep from tumbling over.

Dart has now resorted to soft whimperings.

The shaking stops and all of a sudden, all the translucent walls that appeared out of nowhere when Owen mistakenly triggered them slowly sunk into the ground.

"Um, Jadiel, do you have any idea about why this is happening?" I ask cautiously, being careful not to feel too delighted. Perhaps this was a glitch.

Jadiel scrunches her face in contemplation.

"Well, truth is," she lets out a humourless laugh and scratches her head, "I might have given the impression that I am very conversant with this basement, but I guess I'm not. This has never happened before while I was down here."

"Hmmm... We'll have to tread carefully, then," Owen says, looking at the wide expanse of space spanning every direction. It's more difficult to know our exact position relative to where we are coming from.

Cordelia's phone beeps. We all look at her, curious. She fiddles with her device, looks at the screen and frowns.

"Uh-oh! My battery is down. 5%. Dang it!"

Dread washes over our minds. If her phone goes off, we will have no tangible source of light to lead our way.

We are in a fix, do we keep going forward till we get to the other side where the unknown awaits us, or do we head back to where we are coming from?

I summon up courage and say what I should have suggested since we got into this mess. "I know it might seem rushed, but guys, I think we should pray."

They look between themselves and slowly nod. I guess we all agree that we seem to have run out of options.

We have little idea what anything we have been experiencing means. We have been walking by guesses and vague assumptions. We need divine intervention.

I gently drop Dart to the floor. He lays limp on the stone floor.

Gesturing for my friends to huddle closer in a circle, I make us link hands and kneel. Cordelia kneels to my left and Oscar to my right.

I take a deep breath as I close my eyes and pray.
"Dear Jesus, thank you for preserving us this far. Even though we don't realise it, you have your eyes on every one of us here. Thank you for saving us from that hideous thing. Thank you for the power in your name."

I hear Cordelia's sniff.

"We may not understand you. We have many questions. But for now, we just rest in the assurance that you know and love us. Jesus, we need to get out of here. I feel we don't have much time left. Please, lead us."

"Amen," everyone choruses softly.

I pause and tune my spirit to God. I believe that even in this unknown basement place, he is with us, hearing us.

The instruction that comes is simple and clear, though a little strange. "Go back."

Go back?
I gulp, shoving down the protests rising in my mind. I've got an answer, haven't I?

With a heavy sigh, I release the hands I'm holding and rise. My friends follow suit.

"I know Jadiel said we can't get out by the library trap door again, but I have a strong feeling we should head back."

Jadiel looks at me like I'm a three-headed fairy.

"Girl, it's futile. Trust me. Let's just get to the end of this maze and find another door that leads elsewhere."

"I'm sorry if it sounds foolish. I don't also understand it. That was the answer I heard in my heart. We just have to trust and obey God."

Jadiel regards me sceptically but I can see the wheels in her head churning.

"Are you sure about this?" Oscar asks, looking into my eyes.

"I am."

"Let's just go!" Cordelia says, her voice a terrified squeak. "I'm getting freaked out. What if that monster thingy comes back, or worse, if a bigger earthquake happens again and we are crushed to death?"

Owen touches her shoulder to calm her. "Take a deep breath."

"I'm fine," she says. But I can see she isn't. There is a sheen of sweat on her forehead and chin.

Jadiel shakes her head and reluctantly concedes. "Okay, let's head back. But if we meet an unmoving barrier, don't say I didn't tell you so." She mutters that last statement in resignation.

Cordelia who is now swiping her phone, chirps, her eyes lighting up, "Guys! Why didn't I remember this earlier? I have a compass on my phone!" She turns her screen and shows us the app.

I smile in gratitude. Maybe this is a good sign. I just hope her phone's battery will last till we can find our way out of this place.

"That'll be useful. Go northwest, that will lead us back to the middle of the library."
Of course, Owen is the only one of our bunch smart enough to know the cardinal points of all the locations in our school.

I carry Dart and we all start moving, Cordelia leading. The space is eerily empty now the labyrinth walls are gone.

Cordelia's phone functions as a manual compass that leads us back to our starting point. The walk is painfully slow and our breaths are the only sounds punctuating the silence.

Owen is very careful of where he steps, not wanting to trigger another dangerous booby trap.

When we get back to the same spot we had come in through and look up the stairs through which we had crawled, the trap door is still shut. Jadiel shoots me a look.

My heart is beating. I don't want to look like a fool to my friends who have trusted me so far.

"What now," Jadiel says in a flat tone, arms akimbo.

Closing my eyes, under my breath I whisper, "Lord, please make a way where there seems to be no way."

Three seconds after I do that, the trap door suddenly slides open.

We are all so surprised that we jump back involuntarily.

The light shining down is so bright that I have to squint.

My heart still thuds as I half expect to see myriads of the glob army here to swallow us whole.

A familiar voice calls, "Kids, are you down here?"

~~~

Author's note: Wonderful things happen when we trust in God! Boy, oh boy! I guess this is the light at the end of the tunnel at last.
Or what do you think? Can you guess whose voice it is?

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